2018 Running Back Report

[nathanq42]

Henry many not be fantasy successful, but he still cleared the mark for the model. The model doesnt day fantasy relevant, it counts 1k yards rushing seasons...

[ArrylT]

Henry many not be fantasy successful, but he still cleared the mark for the model. The model doesnt day fantasy relevant, it counts 1k yards rushing seasons...

Not to mention that the model, if I remember correctly, suggests Henry will have multiple 1k+ seasons, and thus this may act as a reminder/forewarning of future fantasy relevance.

[clarion contrarion]

wonder how james conner profiled ?
as he was far more valuable IRL and in fantasy for the bulk of the season and I personally like him more going forward.

[Cameron Giles]

Henry many not be fantasy successful, but he still cleared the mark for the model. The model doesnt day fantasy relevant, it counts 1k yards rushing seasons...

My only thing with this is whether injury is considered or not. For example, Marlon Mack had 908 rushing yards in 12 games. If he wasn't out with a hamstring for 4 games, he easily clears the 1000 yard mark. Devonta Freeman as well a few seasons ago where he missed 2 games but would've come close and that would've given him three 1000 yard seasons.

[jetsfan5757]

Henry did not help you for the first 13 weeks of the season in 2018. He probably didn't even help you in week 14 since he had been garbage all year so most owners didn't start him. Dynastyninja is absolutely correct in questioning whether or not Henry should be viewed as a success.

Didn't help you the first 6 weeks of the season. After that, it was TD dependent for a time, but you could start/flex him in a pinch, then he exploded.

Bottom line is he (hopefully) locked up the lead RB role going forward.

I think, to DD's credit, Henry showed that he is talented and should offer good production going forward. Not DD's fault coaches were stubborn. So I would say it was a good call. DD nailed the talent side of it.

[Lotto4Life]

I think, to DD's credit, Henry showed that he is talented and should offer good production going forward. Not DD's fault coaches were stubborn. So I would say it was a good call. DD nailed the talent side of it.

Were they, though? During one of their games, the announcers said Henry's turnaround happened after he had a meeting with Eddie George where George told him point blank he was soft. After that, Henry started running possessed.

[jetsfan5757]

wonder how james conner profiled ?
as he was far more valuable IRL and in fantasy for the bulk of the season and I personally like him more going forward.

Good question. He was far more valuable than Henry (assuming that was your comp) for the bulk of the season (although we could debate what mix of talent, scheme, and opportunity was responsible for that).

If that is the company we are measuring Henry against though, I'm happy as a Henry owner.

[jetsfan5757]

I think, to DD's credit, Henry showed that he is talented and should offer good production going forward. Not DD's fault coaches were stubborn. So I would say it was a good call. DD nailed the talent side of it.

Were they, though? During one of their games, the announcers said Henry's turnaround happened after he had a meeting with Eddie George where George told him point blank he was soft. After that, Henry started running possessed.

Announcers say a lot of stuff... Some of it is true, some isn't necessarily made up, but it's just filler for TV and not really consequential. But Henry did look far more powerful the second half (last 3rd, whatever) of the season. Maybe it was the meeting with George, maybe it was just confidence that he wasn't looking over his shoulder or pressing to do something each time he touched the ball. Who knows...

Games 1-4 neither Tenn back did really well, maybe an edge to Lewis. Games 5-12 I thought (only really looking at box scores) that a lot of the time Henry was doing better than Lewis with the opportunities they received and was frustrated as an owner that he didn't get more opportunities. Weeks 14 onward we all know what happened.

[Lotto4Life]

If it was George convincing him to be tougher, it's disappointing that the coaches couldn't get him to run tougher.

[Jfever]

I'll go on record with I highly doubt it was as simple as Eddie George calling Henry soft, then because of that conversation, Henry somehow decides to just go off. Do people really think that this is how it works? That just isn't realistic.

Going forward, I'd take the side of Conner over Henry with all things considered and, I'd feel pretty comfortable with that choice knowing what we know now.

[jetsfan5757]

I'll go on record with I highly doubt it was as simple as Eddie George calling Henry soft, then because of that conversation, Henry somehow decides to just go off. Do people really think that this is how it works? That just isn't realistic.

Going forward, I'd take the side of Conner over Henry with all things considered and, I'd feel pretty comfortable with that choice knowing what we know now.

Agreed about the Eddie George part. That's what I was getting at.

Also agreed that I would take Conner over Henry, but regarding the intent of the thread I think the Derrick Henry call was a win for DD and as an owner I feel good about his future.

[dynastyninja]

I'll go on record with I highly doubt it was as simple as Eddie George calling Henry soft, then because of that conversation, Henry somehow decides to just go off. Do people really think that this is how it works? That just isn't realistic.

Going forward, I'd take the side of Conner over Henry with all things considered and, I'd feel pretty comfortable with that choice knowing what we know now.

Agreed about the Eddie George part. That's what I was getting at.

Also agreed that I would take Conner over Henry, but regarding the intent of the thread I think the Derrick Henry call was a win for DD and as an owner I feel good about his future.

We're at least two seasons away from being able to call it a win.

I like the report and look forward to reading it, but we continue to treat it like the gospel without being able to tell how predictive it really is yet.

[Dynasty DeLorean]

I'll go on record with I highly doubt it was as simple as Eddie George calling Henry soft, then because of that conversation, Henry somehow decides to just go off. Do people really think that this is how it works? That just isn't realistic.

I agree, however I wouldn't rule out the possibility that George said something that helped him. They're both abnormally big/tall running backs. It's possible he gave some advice to Henry that actually helped. Aside from that, Henry likely just did well with his increased opportunity. It's not like he's been inefficient, he's avg'd greater than 4 ypc each year so far.

[Lotto4Life]

https://www.titansonline.com/news/tough ... e-s-been-a

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Derrick Henry went looking for answers when his game was struggling earlier this season.

So he called on a former Titan: Eddie George.

From one Titans running back and Heisman Trophy winner to another, Henry received some tough love – and advice.

The rest, as they say, is history.

“He’s a great dude, a great mentor, and a guy I look up to,” Henry said of George on Wednesday. “So I texted him, and asked if I could give him a call to get some advice. We had a conversation about this year, and I asked him what I needed to do, and what he thought about how I was playing. He gave his opinion, and kept it real with me.

“He shot me straight, and told me I needed to finish runs, that I needed to be more physical, and make the defense pay. He told me I wasn’t playing to my potential, and I could play better. That’s the stuff I needed to hear. It gave me a different outlook moving forward.”

The conversation took place after the team’s game vs. the Chargers, which preceded the bye week, when Henry was averaging just 3.3 yards per carry. In the first seven weeks of the season, Henry had just 273 yards and one touchdown on 84 carries.

Since, Henry has exploded. He's averaged 6.5 yards per carry while racking up 609 yards and nine touchdowns on 94 carries in the seven games since the bye. Henry now has 882 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season, and he’s racked up a franchise-record 408 yards in the past two games.

George, who ran for 10,009 yards while playing from 1996-2003 with the Titans, later Wednesday recalled the conversation he had with Henry.

“He asked me flat-out what I thought about his game,” George said. “And I was very honest. I said, look, it’s not about you hitting the home run. We know you can hit the home run. It’s what you can do consistently between the tackles, and it comes down to one fundamental thing. It comes down to you imposing your will on defenders. You are too big not to use that as your strength. You have to force guys to tackle you. Make one cut and go.”

George told Henry his legs appeared “to go dead after contact” and he needed to keep them moving.

George gave Henry a specific example from the team’s game against the Chargers in London, which George attended. It was a second quarter play, an off tackle play to the left, when George felt Henry turned contact down against a Chargers defender, despite having a big size advantage. From one big back to the other, George hammered Henry about it.

“I’m like: There was an opportunity for you to square him up and run through him and impose your will on him, and one of a few things were going to happen. You were either going to run him over, or you were going to hurt him, or you were going to run through the tackle,” George said. “And that sets a tone when you do that, and it establishes who you are and what you are going to be about. I felt like there was an opportunity lost for you to do that.”

Then George was even more frank when Henry, a friend in his eyes.

The two players have spent time together at various events, and when George has stopped by practices. Henry has visited George's house in Nashville on numerous occasions.

“I said to him: You now have to run as if your career depends on it, because it does,” George told Henry. “The rumors of them trying to trade you, that says that they are looking elsewhere. And that’s why the bulk of the carries were going to Dion Lewis. And I said: Your career depends on this, so you have to run hard every single play, whether it is one carry, or 25 carries. You have to run like it is your last carry, because it might be. And from that point on, it seems like he’s been more determined. My God, this guy has taken off.”

George made it clear Henry deserves all the credit for his success.

He talked about how hard he’s worked, and his commitment to the game.

George said he was simply giving a friend advice, and he wants to help him.

“I’m going to give him everything I know,” George said of Henry, who's in his third NFL season. “Of course I am not going to sit here and say my words inspired him. I think he was inspired from the beginning, and he just needed to hear it from somebody straight to get some guidance and wisdom. So kudos to him for being open to constructive criticism.”

Henry made it clear how much he appreciates it.

“Listening to that guy, he is a legend in my eyes,” Henry said of George. “Any advice I can take from him, I am definitely going to listen and try and correct myself. For him to take time out for me, I really appreciate it. I know he has a family.

“But what he told me, it definitely helped me.”

[MEuRaH]

I am going to hijack the RB report from here on out. I've pretty much nailed it 3 years in a row. I even went as far as to say that Wilkins would have more value than Penny & Jones year 1 and should be flipped for a profit immediately before he disappears year 2 and beyond. You know how much flak and laughter I got for that call?

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=153507&start=390#p1474664

Yes, the post was edited on Sept 30th, but it was due to a spelling error I found. If you read the next page you can see the rankings in quotes on May 30th several times that shows my ability to accurately project these guys 4 months before a snap was even played.

Again, I'm going to take over your report DD.

I suck at WR, TE, QB.... someone else can do that.