TreVeyon Henderson on preseason hype: I know love can turn into hate

The Patriots got good marks for drafting running back TreVeyon Henderson in the second round in April and the positivity about his addition has not dissipated over the last few months.

Henderson got good reviews for his practice work and then generated even more hype when he took the opening kickoff of New England’s first preseason game back for a 100-yard touchdown. Henderson then ran for a touchdown against the Vikings in his second preseason outing and his overall body of work helped lead former Patriot Julian Edelman say that Henderson could be the steal of this year’s draft.

Others have shared similar opinions, but Henderson said on Tuesday that he’s not buying into all of the flowers being thrown his way.

“I don’t really pay attention to all the social media stuff,” Henderson said, via Mark Daniels of MassLive.com. “The biggest thing I know, people praise me now because I have this success. But I feel like it doesn’t come from true love. At the same time, people see me as a football player, so if things come crashing down, I know that love turns into hate. The biggest thing is I keep my eyes on God and focus on what he sees in me. . . . That’s what I keep my focus on.”

Henderson’s not wrong about how quickly public opinion can shift and anything that happens before the regular season will be forgotten if his play in September isn’t as impressive. If he does keep it going, Henderson will be a central part of feelings that the Patriots are back on the right path after years of stumbling around in search of it.