Mularkey: Henry needs to start faster

Mike Mularkey: Derrick Henry needs to start faster

By Kevin Patra
Around the NFL writer
Published: Aug. 5, 2016 at 10:51 a.m.
Updated: Aug. 5, 2016 at 11:43 a.m.

At Alabama, Derrick Henry was the load that wore teams down. In the second half of games, the 247-pound freight train ground down defenders, smashed through tacklers and gobbled up yards.

Tennessee Titans coach Mike Mularkey has seen Henry -- now a rookie in the NFL -- excel late in training camp practices. The coach, however, wants his rookie to start better early in workouts.

"I will say this about Derrick: I don't think he's a fast starter," Mularkey said Thursday, via ESPN. "I've got to talk to him about that tempo period because we've got a bunch of guys up front that are creating things for him and he's not hitting it like I'd like to see him hit it, (like he is) later in the practice.

"I hope that's not the case in games. We need him to be full strength. As soon as we call his number, he needs to hit things better."

The nature of Henry's role as a rookie necessitates Mularkey's urgency. The Heisman Trophy winner will not be slogging through 25-30 carries a game. Instead, he'll be slated to spell starter DeMarco Murray for streches.

Henry won't get the number of carries that allows him to waste a few downs before he gets his motor humming.

The rookie understands it's something he needs to improve.

"I just need to keep playing faster," Henry said. "It's not a rookie thing, it's just something I need to work on."

Hasn't that always been the knock on him? Just starts slow but a load to bring down.

I will say though... if Murray can regain an ounce of his 2014 form - and he may be completely washed up - but if he can, he and Henry could abuse defenses in the AFC South this year.

Holy shit, a coach being critical of a high round rookie? Is that allowed?

ThoughtExperiment said:

Holy shit, a coach being critical of a high round rookie? Is that allowed?

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Nobody's laughing at "exotic smashmouth" now.

Mike Mularkey's vision for the 2016 season was realized in the Tennessee Titans' preseason opener when the "Thunder and Thunder" backfield of DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry combined for 167 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on 16 first-half carries.

Murray channeled his 2014 Offensive Player of the Year form, scampering untouched for a 71-yard touchdown on third-and-1 late in the first quarter. While he outproduced Henry, the monstrous rookie stole the show with a series of tackle-breaking, highlight-reel runs to keep the chains moving with the help of a road-grading Titans' offensive line.

Mularkey and first-year general manager Jon Robinson executed an offseason plan to build an offense capable of pushing smaller defenses around.

Time will tell how consistently the Titans' ground attack can exert its will, but Mularkey certainly got off to a promising start against a vanilla defense.

damn it, I really wanted to draft Henry in the 2nd and grab a defensive guy in the first