I’ve been catching up on my Bussin’ With The Boys episodes over the last week or so, and back on Monday, I wrapped up the episode with Daren Bates and Buck Reising. Will Compton and the boys somehow got around to Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry and just how special he truly is. They even shared a story about being in the locker room and noting how they were in the presence of greatness. It kind of leveled me in a way I hadn’t stopped to think about before – usually, that sounds like fan talk…hyperbole. But, here we have bona fide NFL players (and Buck) acknowledging that they’re stopping to soak in just how impressive Henry is as a player.
And, really – it should come as no surprise. Even though NFL players and I, a 35-year old overweight boozy blogger, surely experience the NFL differently, it doesn’t take a trained eye or playing the game to know that Henry is, to a borrow an overused phrase, built different. We see the records he’s breaking what feels like each and every week… some insane stat that puts Henry in a top five or top 10 alongside guys that are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Movin' on up! pic.twitter.com/J6PmkJ6wpS
— Tennessee Titans/Oilers (@Titans) September 21, 2021
All-time leaders in games with 200+ yards from scrimmage:
— Mike Herndon (@MikeMiracles) September 20, 2021
Marshall Faulk – 14
LaDainian Tomlinson – 12
Walter Payton – 11
Derrick Henry – 8
Tiki Barber – 8
Terrell Davis – 8
Eric Dickerson – 8
Adrian Peterson – 8
Pretty damn good company for the King.
Derrick Henry gets going and boom goes the dynamite #Titans pic.twitter.com/ir6u2AfAAA
— The Unofficial Titans Podcast (@TitansPod) September 19, 2021
Henry’s a rare breed, and I think it’s perfectly fine to go ahead and say it – this man has taken his place among the greatest NFL running backs of all time. He is building a strong case to join those other players in Canton one day. As a Titans fan, it’s my greatest wish that this team can win a Super Bowl. But, if for no other reason, Henry deserves a championship for all of the work he’s put in, and the special moments he’s created for this fan base. Just think about it – what unifies the Titans fan base more than a Henry stiff-arm or a long Henry touchdown run? Nothing.
They just don’t make ’em all like him. His combination of size and speed feels unprecedented (whether it is or not, I won’t pretend to be credible enough to know – y’all can look through the NFL history books if you want to…). I’ve never seen a man his size with such deadly ability to bounce around defenders and then step on the gas to take it long. And, just think about how this offense operates. In today’s NFL, the Titans have a run game that they never have to abandon. You think you can neutralize Henry as a threat by jumping up early? Ask the Seattle Seahawks about that. How rare is it that a team is scratching and clawing, down two touchdowns in the 4th quarter, and they’re STILL handing the ball off? Like a lot of things Henry has done these last few seasons – you just don’t see it too often.
Just take a moment to appreciate the greatness that is Derrick Henry today. That’s all I’m saying.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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