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Former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said having Derrick Henry in the backfield was like having Shaquille O’Neal at the bottom of the NBA post, which is why Henry had 782 rushed attempts at the over the past two seasons.
The Atlanta Falcons introduced Smith as their head coach on Tuesday. During his press conference, Smith was asked about his offensive prospects in Atlanta without the former Alabama All-American as a running back.
“We have adapted to Derrick,” said Smith. “There is only one Derrick Henry. It’s like having Shaquille O’Neal in his prime: you have to feed the big man. And certainly we did it in Tennessee. …
“It’s an example of playing to our strength. There are several ways to do this. You can have two guys, you can have three, or if you find one, I think we have to be flexible.
In Smith’s two seasons as the Titans’ offensive coordinator, Tennessee posted a 20-12 regular-season record and went to the playoffs in both years, reaching the AFC championship game in the campaign. 2019.
The Titans ranked second in the NFL for rushing yards in 2019 and 2020, with Henry winning 3,567 in 31 regular season games. Leading the NFL in rushing yards in each of the previous two seasons, Henry has won more on the field than Atlanta as a team. The Falcons have totaled 2,893 rushing yards over the past two seasons.
DERRICK HENRY JOINS THE ALABAMA ALL-PRO RANGE
Over the past two seasons, Atlanta has posted an 11-21 record. Of the 32 NFL teams, the Falcons finished 30th in 2019 and 27th in 2020 in rushing yards. In passing yards, Atlanta placed third in 2019 and fifth in 2020.
“Sure, it’s doing the most practical thing – playing with the strengths of your players,” Smith said of what he learned as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator. “Obviously we had Derrick Henry in Tennessee. There is only one Derrick Henry. I certainly don’t think we’re just going to find the next Derrick Henry. We will adapt to the players we have here in Atlanta and those we are adding to the roster.
Running back Todd Gurley led the Falcons with 678 yards and nine touchdowns on 195 rushing attempts in 2020, his first season with Atlanta. In five seasons with the St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams, Gurley has won three Pro Bowl invitations and two All-Pro first-team selections. But he came to the Falcons after being released by the Rams. Gurley has signed a one-year contract with Atlanta and will be a free agent on March 17 if he does not re-sign with the Falcons by then.
Running back Brian Hill hit career highs with 465 rushing yards and 100 carries for the Falcons in 2020. He’s also at the end of his contract.
Former McGill-Toolen star Ito Smith was Atlanta’s only other running back with more than 7 rushing yards in 2020, and he has another season left on his rookie contract, signed after joining Atlanta. as a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Smith has accumulated 268 yards and one touchdown on 63 carries this season.
Arthur Smith said he had yet to undertake a detailed review of Atlanta’s roster, but stressed he would be flexible to adapt his footballing philosophy to the talent of the Falcons.
Smith wants to establish an identity for the team regardless of the strategic plans the Falcons choose to implement.
“We definitely want to be great up front,” said Smith. “We want to have a fast team and, certainly, we want to be physical on both sides of the ball. We want to have guys who are great teammates. We will empower our best players. This is what it is. We’re going to give up the right – not to say there was some here – but it will be a big message in the locker room. And we want to be adaptable because things change. “
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at Ark AMarkG1.
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