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NASHVILLE – Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry has a pretty easy way to tell if he’s sore after driving an opponent’s defensive front into the NFL.
It is enough to determine whether he is able to lift his daughter Valentina or not every morning.
“This is the main thing,” he said. You’re sore all over the place, especially when playing my position, because you take so many tackles, but it all depends on the recovery process and how you treat your body so you can be back at work the next day for to start all over. “
Many wonder whether Henry is overtaxed or not. In addition to dominating the league in rushing yards this season with 640, he has made 142 carries so far for the Titans (3-2).
That’s an average of 28.4 races per game, excluding the few passes picked up and two-point conversions. Henry is on track to complete 482 races this season. That total would easily surpass the 416 mark Larry Johnson set with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2006.
But in the Titans, their attack is only on him at the moment. And at six feet, three inches and 247 pounds, Henry is well aware that his role is to act as a ram to hammer away the opposing defense.
The Buffalo Bills (4-1) will be the next to try to slow him down on Monday night. The New York club’s defense is the third-best in the NFL against rushing, averaging 78.4 yards per game. Henry is averaging 128 rushing yards per game – he was capped at 58 yards in the Titans’ opener, his only under 113 so far.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who had to put the brakes on quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs last week, called Henry the best, if not one of the best running backs in the NFL, and a beefy player who is difficult to knock down to the ground. This time around, however, the Bills can count on tackle Star Lotulelei, who was absent last season.
“He’s good on the outside flank. He’s good on the short end as well. He’s quick and knows how to stand out from defensive backs when he has the ball in his hands, McDermott admitted. Yeah, there’s a game plan against him, not only to identify his race tracks, but also to determine the best ways to knock him down. “
Henry has also been limited to under 28 races just once this season – and yes, again in the Titans’ opener.
“Derrick takes a lot of punches,” said Titans wide-winger AJ Brown. Some of them seem to hurt a lot, but he keeps moving forward. It is really impressive. He is very professional, and he also does all the little details that no one notices. “
But the blows leave traces.
Titans running backs coach Tony Dews had never coached someone like Henry before, and he admitted he had to get to know him. Dews believes the communication between him and Henry makes it easier for him, head coach Mike Vrabel, and the rest of the team’s medical and fitness staff to do their jobs.
“He and his body will tell us when to take it off,” Dews vowed.
