As tempting as it may be when a player's talent is as obvious as TreVeyon Henderson, we will do our best prudent and practical and measured here.

That's a lesson learned 30 years ago -- yes, it has been that long, and no, my increasingly rickety self does not want to talk about it -- when a certain imposing and effectively sarcastic coach tried to temper enthusiasm for a rookie running back who immediately looked like a star at a position where special talent becomes apparent in a hurry.

On Sept. 3, 1995, Bill Parcells's Patriots beat Bill Belichick's Browns, 17-14, in the season opener at Foxboro Stadium. The winning touchdown was scored on a second-effort, 1-yard plunge with 19 seconds left by rookie running back Curtis Martin, a third-round pick who had been limited to two games because of an ankle injury during his final season at the University of Pittsburgh.

(Martin ran for 282 yards and averaged 7.1 yards per carry in those two games, and ran for more than 1,000 yards the previous season, so his talent was not exactly a mystery. The health of that ankle was.)

It was an inspiring debut, so naturally, Martin -- who busted free for a 30-yard run on the Patriots' first play from scrimmage, and finished with 102 yards in his NFL debut, the most by a New England rookie in a season opener -- was the focus of much media attention in the locker room after the game.

Parcells, of course, was thrilled by this. "One-game wonder," said Parcells, walking by the scrum around the soft-spoken Martin's locker. "Tell these guys to get out!"

When Martin was still answering a reporter's questions when Parcells circled back a few minutes later, he barked, "Hey, you don't have to talk to him for an hour!"

Parcells did his gotta-keep-'em-humble routine at the podium when asked about Martin's debut. "I thought he did a good job for a rookie," he shrugged. "I don't know. He's just a young kid trying to get along. He got loose on that first run. The play was well-blocked."

It should be noted, particularly for today's purposes, that Parcells had a more enduring quote about Martin early in his career, enduring enough that my fellow old-timers and middle-aged-timers are probably reciting it before reading the words: "Don't put him in Canton just yet, fellas."

The timeframe of this quote is a bit murky -- some attributions refer to Parcells saying it after this Browns game. Others attribute it to the preseason. Whenever it happened, it's forever amusing, considering that Martin did make the Hall of Fame, in the Class of 2012, after an 11-year career in which he ran for 14,101 yards and 90 touchdowns.

Martin is the best running back the Patriots have ever had. He's fourth in franchise history in rushing (3,799 yards) despite being a Patriot for just three seasons -- he was stolen by Parcells and the dastardly Jets after the 1997 season. He's also the one I enjoyed watching the most -- he was tough and clever and shifty, sometimes flashing moves that looked like they came from Barry Sanders's NFL Films highlights package.

I will always wonder why Parcells gave Martin just 11 carries in Super Bowl XXXI against the Packers, because no one appreciated him more. In retrospect, Parcells knew Martin was headed for the Hall of Fame, good health willing, while we were still heeding that early admonishment.

In my usual got-sidetracked-there kind of way, that brings us to Henderson. And that old familiar feeling that an electrifying running back is the easiest thing for football fans and media to recognize, even when they're trying or told to temper expectations.

This is what we know about Henderson: He was a force for national champion Ohio State last season, running 144 times for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 7.1 yards per carry.

We know the second-round pick has been the Patriots' best player in training camp, while packing multiple memorable highlights (including a 100-yard kickoff return against the Commanders, and a gritty 10-yard touchdown run against the Vikings in which he ricocheted off multiple defenders) into his two preseason games.

We know the Patriots have not had a truly dynamic playmaker on offense since -- I don't know, Julian Edelman or Rob Gronkowski's last healthy Sundays?

And we know Henderson, with his breakaway speed, looks every bit like the truly dynamic playmaker the Patriots desperately need.

I don't know how offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels intends to divvy up touches among Henderson, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Antonio Gibson. But it's clear Henderson gives them something no one else has in a long time: a true game-breaking threat. He is going to make Drake Maye's degree of difficulty much easier than it was a year ago.

Sometimes you can just tell that a running back has it. We could tell with Martin 30 years ago. And you'd better believe we can tell with Henderson now.

With apologies to beach football victim Robert Edwards, Henderson is the Patriots' most exciting rookie back since Martin, and I expect him to have a debut that spurs a similar level of optimism and belief.

I'm not suggesting his career will even come close to approaching Martin's, whose excellence while establishing longevity was especially remarkable considering the Patriots claimed to be worried about his health when Parcells stole him.

All running backs are an injury risk, of course, and if they do stay healthy, wear and tear catches up to them in the open field around their 30th birthday. If you don't believe that, let me remind you that Ezekiel Elliott was in his age-28 season during his stint with the 2023 Patriots.

Now, I'm not going to put Henderson in Canton just yet, fellas. Of course not. That would be silly. Absurdly premature. Let's let him get an official NFL carry first, maybe even two, and then see how this promising career builds from there.

But perhaps he would enjoy a tour of the Patriots Hall of Fame?

I'm just saying it can't hurt to at least get a look at the place.