Eight teams are vying to chase a ring, and like a certain fantastical trilogy, the return of the king could signal the final act for the Cincinnati Bengals
When the Tennessee Titans host the Cincinnati Bengals, the leading side in the AFC will take to the field - but there is one name on everybody’s lips.
Derrick Henry has been the NFL’s premier back over the past few years, developing a fierce reputation as offensive royalty.
He earned the nickname ‘King Henry’ thanks to his enormous stature and imposing rushing style - but before the NFL, Alabama, and his coronation, Henry dominated in high school. His statistics are the stuff of urban legend.
If teenagers think algebra is hard, imagine coming out of a horrible maths class and facing Henry. He stood over six feet tall, carrying the monstrous physique into college and the professional arena. While playing for the Yulee High School Hornets, Henry rushed for 12,124 yards and 153 touchdowns, averaging a frankly stupid 8.7 yards per carry. In his senior season alone, Henry - over 13 matches - rushed 462 times for 4,261 yards and 55 touchdowns.
He averaged 327.8 yards per contest. I implore you don’t let that number go over your head. Truly sit back and consider how ludicrous it is to average over 300 yards per match.
Bobby Ramsay was the Hornets’ head coach, and even he is mesmerised when it comes to reminiscing about the phenomenon that is Derrick Henry.
“It’s different looking at the stats for us, because that’s what we did to win games - but the further I get removed from it, I realise I was spoiled,” Ramsay exclusively revealed to The Mirror. “In my last four or five years, I don’t know whether we’ve ever had a running back carry more than 25 times in a game. For Derrick, 25 carries was an extremely low number.”
When Ramsay was hired in the spring of 2008 as a 28-year-old new football coach, Henry was still in the seventh grade and so was not yet eligible to play for the Yulee High School football team. As his team struggled, Ramsay was constantly told by running backs coach Pat Dunlap that things would improve once Henry came of age.
“I didn’t believe him. How could I?,” recalled Ramsay. “One day, the middle school were practicing and I looked over and saw them all lined up - and Derrick clearly towered over the others. It looked like a stock having a good month on a chart.
“I knew then we had a chance to have a pretty special player, and he confirmed it all from day one. He was the man.”
Ramsay loved coaching Henry, describing the 28-year-old as a ‘low maintenance superstar’ who put the team first and always welcomed advice to improve his game. He would pick Ramsay’s brain about the running backs of old like Eric Dickerson, a player Henry is now mentioned alongside as one of eight players to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season.
It is one of a number of accolades Henry has collected since he graced the NFL when the Titans selected him in the second round of the 2016 draft: First-team All-Pro (2020), Second-team All-Pro (2019), two-time Pro Bowl and the rushing yards and rushing touchdowns leader between 2019 and 2020, and the 2020 NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
For all the jewels in his crown, Henry’s success comes as no surprise to his former high school coach.
“I would have been surprised if he hadn't been really successful. I never really doubted it. He just had too much going for him - not just his ability, but his work ethic,” Ramsay said in a manner that truly highlights his passionate support for his former superstar.
“It just made too much sense that he would be successful based on everything I had seen. It’s funny because a lot of people doubted if he would be a good running back in college because of his size. They would always say he’s too big, and I never really understood that - we're talking about a football player.
“I think those thoughts really drove him. Even when he got to the pros, people thought he was too big and couldn’t take the hits. I'd be more worried about the other guy trying to hit him!”
People say school is a time when an individual learns the most about oneself, but Ramsay never wanted to imprint his style on Henry. He knew he had a special masterpiece of a talent on his hands, and simply wanted to ensure the running back fulfilled his generational potential.
“I’m not saying I taught him everything he knows - I certainly didn't - but I always kind of equated it to the guy that touches up the Mona Lisa: you do too much to it, you might end up giving her eyebrows and ruining the painting,” Ramsay said, smiling.
“You just want to make it look nicer. At the very least, I didn't screw it up and I’ll take credit for that. It brings back a lot of great memories, and that was a real special time for me and the people that I was around during that time.”
When Henry - who stands 6ft 3in and weighs 112kg - took off on a 76-yard touchdown run against the Buffalo Bills back in October, he clocked a top speed of 21.8mph, which was the fastest speed any ball carrier had reached in the NFL up to that point in the 2021 season.
The run shows how Henry combines power and pace unlike any other player in the league - and Ramsay would often call wildcat plays to snap the ball directly to his star back. It is a play the Titans have utilised often throughout his career.
“His speed has always been something that people have slept on and haven't given him enough credit for,” Ramsay insists. “He’s a big physical running back, but he’s not just trying to run people over - he would rather use his speed to get out in the open and bust out a long run. You don’t run for 12,000 yards in high school by making three yards every play. You get there by having plenty of 60, 70 and 80 yard touchdown runs. When Derrick gets up to full speed and out in the open, nobody is bringing him down.
“We were always looking for different ways to try to take advantage of him. Teams know he’s going to get the ball - even if he’s not taking the direct snap - but the wildcat puts more people in front of him to block for him.”
Roberts, who believes Henry’s finest achievement across his incredible career is leading the NFL in rushing yards and touchdowns for successive years in 2019 and 2020, is confident Henry will be mentioned in the same breath as Dickerson and the greatest running backs of all time when it’s all said and done.
“I think he will be, I really do. I mean, he's just too good. He's young, he takes good care of his body, and he loves football,” Ramsay confidently declared. “He’s definitely a guy that will be mentioned in that conversation, and I'm obviously really, really proud of him.
“Here I am talking to someone in the UK about one of my old players! It's just a lot of fun to watch this career. I’m blessed and thankful to have been a part of it.”
It remains to be seen whether King Henry will lead the Titans to the one true ring, but he is back to face the Bengals as the AFC’s first seed embark on their playoff quest.
The King is back. Long live the King.
Watch Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans host the Cincinnati Bengals on NFL Gamepass and Sky Sports NFL, live at 9:30pm this Saturday 22 January.