Opposing scouts: Titans must totally reinvent themselves after losing Derrick Henry indefinitely with injury

The influence of the Titans dropping All-Professional working again Derrick Henry for at the very least a number of months can’t be overstated, with conversations with scouts who’ve superior the group in recent times anticipating important points for Tennessee with out their prime participant for at the very least a number of months following foot surgical procedure final week.

A number of scouts who’ve damaged down the Titans in recent times expressed their perception that dropping Henry could possibly be as devastating to them as dropping a prime beginning quarterback could be for different groups, forcing the group to reinvent itself on the fly and making Tennessee far simpler to defend. They anticipate quarterback Ryan Tannehill having a much more tough time exploiting play motion passing — the hallmark of the Titans’ downfield thrust — and consider the quarterback may need to start out working by design greater than he has in recent times.

“This man is a fairly unstoppable again,” one scout mentioned. “We’re speaking an old-school, Jim Brown kind. You do not change him. They can not change him. This was a dominant, downhill energy soccer group with a singular function again. That is going to have to alter. I feel you will see them incorporate extra outdoors zone and blend and match. I feel you will see much more of these boots for Tannehill and doubtless extra outdoors runs with him by design. They’re going to want him to assist the run sport, there is not any doubt about it.”

One other scout projected extra activation of star receiver AJ Brown on sweeps and quick-pitch performs to attempt to carry the run sport. “A few of these deep pictures are going to be display screen passes, now,” he mentioned. “You do not have to defend them the identical approach, in any respect, with out Henry.”

Newest Odds:

Los Angeles Rams
-7

The overarching actuality is that groups can now bracket Brown and sit again in a two-deep security shell and attempt to pressure the Titans to run the ball or revert to extra quick passes to maneuver the ball downfield, which may result in extra turnovers. The short strike, explosion play — which was a relentless worry beforehand on the bottom or by way of the air — could also be a lot more durable to come back by now.

“Does it basically change the best way you defend them — yeah, it does,” the primary scout mentioned. “You needed to play them with an eight-man entrance with impeccable hole integrity, and they’d attempt to catch you in a base protection entrance and run the ball with the tight ends and a lead blocker.

“They do not actually have anyone who can do what Henry does. I get signing AP (Adrian Peterson), who’s an inside energy man. However it’s not the identical. He is on the finish. I do not assume that is who they will be. I feel you see extra 11 personnel now they usually’ll attempt to run towards a seven-man field with extra screens and horizontal passes.”

Henry might simply miss three months recovering from his foot surgical procedure, or extra. The Titans are holding out hope of a return by the postseason, however these scouts consider wins could possibly be tough to come back by within the meantime.