Long is the Way and Hard that out of Hell Leads up to Light...

...And it's even longer and harder for Henry Melton.  We might call the state in which Melton currently resides as Longhorn Football purgatory, but for a player at such a high profile program, that's probably worse than hell.

It wasn't too long ago when everyone was in love with Henry Melton.  They called him "Hank the Tank" and other endearing nicknames.  No one could sweep up a ULaLa or a North Texas like Henry, but multiple key failures in short yardage, including two in games that ended as disappointing losses, relegated him to hell in our minds.

The problem was that big Henry is Jamaal Charles trapped in Ron Dayne's body.  I'll confess I'd never seen a 270 pound running back try to make the corner on fourth and inches, but big Henry, he went for it and failed miserably.  With luck, though, rock bottom is far from the end of the story.

Luckily for Henry there are two positions suited for a 270 pounder who's "fast for his size."  Short yardage running back didn't work out, but guess what you're a defensive end now.  The coaches say he's showing improvement, but they said that last spring too, and we all know how that turned out.  Everyone that doesn't get hurt in Spring football is showing improvement, but there's definitely a chance for playing time with Crowder and Robison off to the big leagues.  Orakpo has one starting spot locked up, but Melton, Eddie Jones, and Aaron Lewis are all in the mix for the other end.

I for one, want to believe in him, because I want to believe in second chances, and I want to root for Henry again.

--AR--