Tennessee Titans superstar running back Derrick Henry added another notch to his legendary resume after he surpassed franchise legend Eddie George to become the Oilers/Titans all-time touchdown leader.
Ironically, Henry accomplished this feat in Houston, which of course is where the franchise was originally founded back in the early 1960s.
After the Alabama product recorded the 74th and 75th touchdowns of his career in Week 8 against the Texans, he received a congratulatory call in the locker room from the franchise legend he just topped.
Henry made sure to let George know that he “appreciated” him for everything, in particular for “always being available, and always being a mentor.”
Congratulatory call from one legend to another. 📞 @EddieGeorge2727 ⚔️ @KingHenry_2 pic.twitter.com/9VLmMD5jtM
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) October 31, 2022
If you recall, during the first half of the 2018 season there was a period where Henry was losing reps to recent free-agent signing, Dion Lewis. There were then reports floating around that the young running back was even being shopped around by the Titans for a possible trade.
It’s hard to believe now and even easier to forget, but there was a time when Henry was legitimately running soft. Rather than enforcing his will against the physically-inferior defender as he does now, he often tried to dance around them instead.
Henry has admitted that it wasn’t until George had a heart-to-heart meeting/film session with him that things really started to shift.
The All-Pro running back apparently provided actual examples of times when he should have enforced his physical superiority on the opposing defender.
The Titans’ running back has also frequently admitted that his mentality shifted regarding how he saw the game ever since that career-altering moment.
Soon after, Henry had his breakout game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on “Thursday Night Football”, a performance where he was not only the best player on the field, but he was also the most physical.
Henry rushed for 238 yards and four touchdowns that evening, including his infamous 99-yard touchdown run in which he manhandled multiple Jaguars defenders en route to the score.
Never forget when Derrick Henry went 99 yards vs Jacksonville 👀pic.twitter.com/bCh3fiFtMJ
— PFF (@PFF) October 10, 2021
The former Heisman winner was visibly going out of his way to seek contact that night and the results were breathtaking — and ever since that legendary Week 13 performance back in 2018, you could make a strong argument that he’s been one of the most dominant backs in the history of the NFL.
Henry has produced a ridiculous 6,392 rushing yards and 64 total touchdowns over his last 55 games (playoffs included).
This run also includes a few Pro Bowls, an All-Pro nod, two rushing crowns, multiple top-10 appearances in the NFL top 100 list, a 2,000-yard season, a legendary playoff run, and an Offensive Player of the Year award.
Needless to say, the Titans’ continued belief in Henry through his unforeseen adversity has paid off significantly.
However, this type of turnaround may have never happened — at least not in Tennessee — if it wasn’t for the advice, tough love, and constructive criticism that George gave Henry.
Now that we’re several years beyond that moment and Henry has constructed a Hall of Fame-caliber resume for himself, it’s nice to see the continued support, love, and mutual respect between the two legends.
