What's the frequency, Alex Henery?

The New York Times sports section made a strange reference in a story yesterday that I just don't get. The story about the NFL "combine" – where prospects try out for pro football teams – had this line:

"Nebraska kicker Alex Henery (whose combine warm-up number, sadly, was not 8 but 6), also hoped for a degree of anonymity."

Alex Henery kicking

His warm-up number "was not 8 but 6"?  Huh?  It sounds like the writer, Mike Tanner, is making an inside joke, but if so, he's aimed way too far inside. I even asked a Nebraska alum, a friend who follows Cornhusker football, and he doesn't get it either.

Intriguingly, one of the online comments on the story says this:

"I will not state how long it took me to catch onto the Henery line because it might hurt my Wonderlic score."

That still doesn't help, though. Can anyone explain this?  Please put your thoughts in the comments box below.

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