Tennessee Titans: Can The Heisman Duo Develop Into NFL’s Next Best?

We see if the young backfield of Marcus Mariota and Derrick Henry can eventually develop into one of the NFL’s next best duos.

It’s not often you get to see the latest two Heisman Trophy Winners play on the same professional team. The Titans selected 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota with the second overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft, and then added 2015’s Heisman Trophy winner in Derrick Henry the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. It’s safe to say there’s plenty of talent there for Tennessee, but can the young Heisman winning duo develop into one of the best in the NFL?

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Well, we’re all going to have to wait and see what the answer of that question will be, as the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2014, DeMarco Murray, was also acquired this offseason and is looking to really handle the bulk of the load for the Titans’ running backs this up-coming season.

But what about Henry? While still getting adjusted to the high level of competition the NFL has to offer, Derrick Henry as caught the attention of many people attending the practices for Tennessee, including the voice of the team Mike Keith, who has been around since 1996 and has seen his fair share of Titans’ rookies.

This offense is set up very well for Derrick Henry to eventually steal the reigns away from Murray. Implementing Mike Mularkey‘s ‘exotic smash-mouth’ offense, the entire offense is based around bruising backs who run the ball, physically. While both Murray and Henry excel in that area, the veteran has some extra tread on his tires, and may not have it in him to really be the bell-cow of this offense for anytime beyond the 2016 season.

With that being said, I still expect the former Philadelphia Eagle to enjoy solid production this season. But Murray is 28 years old, and running backs don’t really produce as well as they once did as they keep getting closer and closer to 30. Not to mention that there was a two-year span with the Dallas Cowboys when he saw over 600 carries. I don’t care who you are, that type of work load will wear on any athlete.

So, if you really look into it, Titans fans may not see a Mariota/Henry dominated backfield until the 2017 season. Which is perfectly fine, allowing the incredibly raw 6’3″ 240-pound rookie to take a red-shirt season this year. Having a year to watch and learn from a veteran who was once considered the best offensive player in the entire league isn’t a bad thing, Murray has already played in this similar type of offense during his time with Dallas, which allows Derrick Henry to learn from an established veteran on how to dominate in this type of scheme.

If that isn’t enough to get you on board Titans fans, what if told you that Eddie George 2.0 was waiting in the wings?

While both players won Heisman Trophies during their collegiate careers, both George and Henry are 6’3″ and share a distinctly similar running style that really thrives between the tackles. Having the ability to run almost anyone over on a defense, and combining that with the stride length and quickness to get away, Derrick Henry is almost an exact replica of the best back to ever do it in two-tone blue.

Sports Science also happens to agree with the comparison. (2:45).

When asked about the Alabama product while talking to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com, Eddie George had this to say.

"“I think he has the physical stature to be as great as he wants to be. It’s just a question of: Can he be more than just a bruiser? If he can prove he can pick up the blitzes and so forth, and he can catch the ball out of the backfield and be an asset in the passing game, he can really be special.”"

You have to love it that a running back who was as talented and dominant as George brings up pass protection and catching the ball out of the backfield as key elements towards becoming a great back in this league. It’s not all about the yards you gain, it’s about being well rounded and having no weak spots to your game.

This off season, Mularkey and the rest of the Titans’ coaching staff have put an emphasis on players in the backfield being able to identify blitzers and protect the young face of the franchise. The team needs to do everything in their power to keep Marcus Mariota up right, as he missed four games last season with two separate knee injuries. Henry hasn’t done too bad of a job thus far in camp, and it shows in these videos against one of the best defenders on the team in Avery Williamson.

If Henry can put all of his talent together, the sky will be the limit for him.

On the other hand Marcus Mariota looks to also develop into the next young star at his position, and he looks on pace to do just that. Playing in 12 games in 2015, Mariota displayed play-making ability, if it was throwing the ball, running the ball, or even catching the ball, the former Oregon duck was bound to make a huge, game-changing play.

With that play-making ability, Mariota also displayed toughness, which just happens to be the theme the coaching staff and front office have also been stressing this off season, as they rebuild towards being a contender. Playing through countless beatings and injuries behind the offensive line that gave up a league leading 54 sacks, Mariota refused to leave the game. That’s a quality that every leader on the football field must possess if their team is going to compete at it’s highest level.

With those highs there were lows that came with his rookie debut season. His injuries were one thing, but he also had troubles not turning the ball over. Having 10 interceptions is something coaches can live with, but having 10 fumbles with six of those being turn-overs is something Mariota must fix in order to take that next step into the upper echelon of NFL signal callers.

A lot of those fumbles came from behind the line of scrimmage, when forced to elude pressure and carrying the ball like a ‘loaf of bread’, so to speak, Mariota had a tendency to lose the football. This was a problem the second year passer also had during his collegiate days. Mariota himself has said he is working to correct that, but playing in a run-based offense and giving him a brand new offensive line should also help cure his ‘fumble-itis’. With that run based offense will come a lot of play action, which happened to be where the 2015 Heisman winner flourished.

The one thing that really stood out to me when watching the Honolulu native booting out on play action was the deadly accuracy he displayed while running. There were multiple occasions of him tearing apart opposing defenses like the one you see below.

So, with all of that, how does Mariota’s game compliment Henry’s in this Titans’ offense?

Earlier I brought up Mularkey’s ‘exotic smash-mouth’ offense that bases all of it’s production off of physical runners. ‘Exotic smash-mouth’ was a term Mularkey coined during his time calling the plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers offense that was being run by dual-threat quarterback Kordell Stewart and Hall of Fame bruiser Jerome ‘The Bus’ Bettis. You see where I’m going with this?

Mularkey is trying to replicate the offensive success he had with the early 2000’s Steelers. As crazy as that may seem it makes a whole lot of sense.

Derrick Henry having success running behind a ‘re-beefed’ offensive line in this scheme will be huge for this offense in 2016 and beyond. He has displayed the physicality, athletic ability, and overall talent thus far through camp and has caught the eye of many, including Jason Wolf, who tweeted out a play Henry had at camp against one of the team’s starting defensive lineman.

Does that not sound like a Jerome Bettis type play?

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Having Henry succeed will not only open things up for Mariota on the outside, who has proven he can take it all the way if need be, but will also set up his play action, which will only make his strong suit even stronger. The front office could potentially be building something special in the Music City.

I personally can’t wait to see these two Heisman Trophy winners develop together. Get ready for the ride, Titans fans.