The New York Giants are gearing up for their season opener in less than five days.
On the road against a very good Tennessee Titans team that has seen success under head coach Mike Vrable, the Giants face tall task. It’s not just that Tennessee is a good team, the Giants have a lot of new faces, an entirely new scheme and a plethora of injuries.
One of the biggest obstacles the Giants face on Sunday is Titans running back Derek Henry. Some have written Henry off after injuring his foot, but it was the first major injury of his career, and at 28-years-old, he still has plenty left in the tank.
“It’s well documented what he’s done so far. He’s just a really good football player. I know him as a person, too. I met him down a few times in Alabama. Got a ton of respect for him as a man and certainly as a player. He’s one heck of a player. You name it, he can do it,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said.
Daboll knows there’s no real way to stop Henry. The hope is just that you contain him.
“Yeah, if he’s not at the game,” Daboll said when asked how to slow Henry down. “We’re going to have to have all hands-on deck and do the best job we can of running to the football and gang tackling, and you even see him on plays, he might have three or four guys on him, and somehow, he squirts through. He’s just a unique player. He’s very, very good.”
For the last four seasons, Henry averages over 1,000 yards rushing. He’s scored 65 touchdowns over his first six seasons and had just 10 fumbles.
Daboll also knows Vrabel fairly well having coached him at New England, and says he is “not surprised” that Vrabel is having so much success.
“It’s not surprising where he is, how smart he was as a player. He was extremely smart, extremely dependable, extremely tough. He kind of was one step ahead of everybody,” Daboll said. “He kind of knew what the offense was doing quite a bit; a great leader. He played on offense and caught a bunch of touchdowns at tight end.
“I’m not surprised what he’s done. He’s had four winning seasons. He was a great teammate. He was a fun guy to coach. He was a leader. I can’t say enough good things about him. He was impressive 25 years ago or whatever it was. It goes by in a split second, and obviously he’s done a great job here. Last three years playoffs, AFC number one seed last year. None of it is surprising.”
The Giants have a lot to prove this season, but Tennessee isn’t going to make it easy on them. The Titans look to build on what they’ve started and aim to get past the first weekend in the playoffs.
New York needs to get some wins for their confidence before the postseason is discussed, and they want to start that Week 1. We’ll just have to wait and see if the coaching staff and players truly are on the same page.
