Derrick Henry Should Stick With His Role As a Closer

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I have to admit. I was one of the ones banging the drum loudly for Derrick Henry to become the featured back in the Tennessee Titans offense last year. But, he got the chance late last season, and didn’t really produce any more than he had with a healthy DeMarco Murray sharing the backfield with him. Henry seems to have become this oddly polarizing figure among the Titans fan base. Some figure he should be the permanent starter, while others say outlandish things like, “the signing of Akrum Wadley means trouble for Henry.” I would imagine there’s quite a large overlap between those who claim Henry should be the featured cog in the offense and those who are also Alabama Crimson Tide fans, but I digress.

The point is that, as usual, the truth probably lies somewhere in between. Henry has a demonstrated effectiveness with fresh legs, as a closer, in the second half of ball games. But, he can be bottled up at times. Unless there’s some major revelation in his third year, by this point, we know what we’re going to get from Henry, and that’s perfectly fine.

Courtesy of Jim Wyatt on TitansOnline:

Running backs Dion Lewis and Derrick Henry are so different from a physical standpoint, one 5-8, 195, and the other 6-3, 247. But they sure get your attention in different ways on the field. Henry busted loose on several plays, and Lewis looked elusive in space.

This is about in line with what most of us thought when the signing of Lewis was first announced. It’s something we haven’t seen since Henry was drafted. A real change of pace between the two featured Titans backs. And, I know it’s early, but I would get used to reading stuff like this. The presence of Lewis adds a different dynamic to the Titans offense that allows them to do multiple things. With Henry and Murray, it was “exotic” smash mouth, and the team would just line up and run the ball. That’s not the case anymore, and we should expect a much more creative offense where one person doesn’t need to shoulder the load anyway. I know the cliche is “New England South,” but just look at the way Bill Belichick utilizes his running backs. A similar situation could be brewing here in Nashville.

So, Henry doesn’t have to start, but he’s not garbage either. Let’s meet in the middle, Titans fans. Henry is a very valuable piece in this Titans offense, and I expect this new coaching staff to utilize him based on his strengths. That strength is finishing teams off in the 4th quarter, and none of us should lose sight of that.

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

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