🏈 How Do You Replace A One-Of-A-Kind Talent?

Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans looked like a Super Bowl contender before the star running back’s foot injury. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider with Martin Rogers: The NFL is packed with great athletes but Derrick Henry is one of the few who reach a level where, at their best, you’d consider them unstoppable ... we take a look at 16 college hoops players to keep an eye on this year ... and we take a look at the NBA’s City Edition jerseys. The thing about players capable of making an entire crowd gasp and sending the internet nuts with a single play? The same effect can happen when things go wrong. That’s how it is with Derrick Henry and his brutal stiff arms, his preposterously powerful touchdown runs and even his jump-pass TD throws. While Henry’s eye-popping exploits have turned him into the grand master of the physical highlight-reel moment, his potentially season-ending injury last weekend also led to a collective reaction of groans, sad shakes of the head and, if you take your fantasy team that seriously, maybe a few tears. Professional football is a punishing pursuit and every injury deserves sympathy, but Henry’s foot problem that was due to be surgically repaired on Tuesday morning was particularly galling. [STORY IMAGE 1] The bruising running back was having a phenomenal year, his early campaign stats putting him on course to threaten several records but one especially iconic one, Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing total of 2,105 yards from 37 years ago. The Titans had jumped out to an impressive 6-2 record and first place in the AFC on the back of four straight victories. The league is packed with great athletes but only a few reach a level where, at their best, you’d consider them unstoppable. Henry has tasted that rare air, punctuated by those ridiculous plays where his extraordinary strength just takes over. Like when he didn’t so much stiff-arm Josh Norman, but propelled the Buffalo Bills cornerback into the air with one hand last year. Or the wild 99-yard touchdown run against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018 where he palmed three bodies out of his path while sprinting the length of the field. I interviewed Henry last week and he was clearly loving life and reveling in the way the Titans had been playing. He admitted that while he strives for consistent productivity, the big-time plays, and the response they generate, give him a special lift. [STORY IMAGE 2] “Any time you get one of those plays that gets the crowd fired up and you hear that noise, it’s special,” Henry told me in a telephone conversation. “Because it tells you that the team has done something big and the people are responding to it.” Henry is a team-first guy who peppers every sentence with credit to his colleagues on the Titans, but there is simply no one on the roster, and precious few across the entire league, who can single-handedly deliver plays that marry hit-the-rewind-button entertainment value with ultimate level effectiveness. Replacing him is going to be darn near impossible. Third down back Jeremy McNichols is ready to step up for now, but expect to see quarterback Ryan Tannehill throw the ball more and for the front office to at least have their eyes open in advance of the trade deadline. The Titans have already added veteran running back Adrian Peterson to their practice squad and plan to elevate him to the active roster. In a reminder of how quickly things can shift in the NFL, just days before his injury Henry was talking about the squad’s upcoming games and their hopes for the campaign, plus the thrill of posting numbers that had him on a historic course. “We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves but we know this team is capable of a lot of great things,” he told me. “We have all got each other’s backs and believe in what we all bring to the table.” [STORY IMAGE 3] Henry’s interview with me was courtesy of his partnership with Team Milk, and he extolled the virtues of milk as a vital source of nutrition for elite athletes. “It is a real honor to be talked of in the same breath with some of the greats of the game.,” he added. “People tell me about the statistical numbers and it’s cool but the most important thing is if it can help us win games.” Henry led the NFL in rushing attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in both 2019 and 2020, and topped the charts once again this season when he went down. “There has never been an NFL running back as tall as Henry, as thick as Henry and as swift as Henry,” [wrote Ben Shpigel in the New York Times](. “That fact has been generally really good for the Tennessee Titans and really bad for everyone else.” [STORY IMAGE 4] His absence alters the picture significantly. The Titans are now ninth-favorite at [+1400 to win the Super Bowl, per FOX Bet,]( and could drop further if they can’t get by the Los Angeles Rams this weekend. In a jam-packed AFC, many will now feel the Titans’ hold on the top spot can be loosened. “They’re not going anywhere without Derrick Henry,” [Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe said on FS1’s “Undisputed.”]( “He’s the offense there. They’re a playoff team, but I don’t believe without him they could beat a Buffalo again, or a Baltimore or Pittsburgh. “How far can they go?” Since last weekend, and the one outcome Tennessee feared more than any other, the answer is now very different. [STORY IMAGE 5]( Here’s what others have said ... Dr. Matt Provencher, FOX Sports Injury & Performance Analyst: “If fixed surgically (most are), he (Henry) will be able to ramp up activity around 8-9 weeks from surgery. Possible Titans playoff run return but would be a stretch.” Stephen A. Smith, ESPN: “The Tennessee Titans' season is now over. Let’s call it what it is.” Bill Barnwell, ESPN: “As a throwback runner in a league that has moved heavily to the pass, his value to the Titans is a unique proposition. Some of the evidence suggests they will be just fine without him . Other arguments suggest that they just lost the league's most valuable player.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - Chase Elliott hopes to deliver for his home-state fans while he roots on the Braves to do the same, [FOX Sports NASCAR Writer Bob Pockrass writes](. - FOX Sports Injury & Performance Analyst [Dr. Matt Provencher provides analysis on Derrick Henry, Jameis Winston, Christian McCaffrey and more](. - FOX Sports College Basketball Analyst [Andy Katz looks at 16 college hoops players who could bump the preseason All-Americans off the list by season’s end](. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( The 2021-22 NBA season is underway and that means it’s time to reveal this year’s new City Edition jerseys. Each season, for the past five years, Nike releases a new set of alternate uniforms for every NBA team. And yes, there are plenty of hits and misses when it comes to these uniforms. Check out this Instagram post from the FOX Sports NBA account, @TheAssociation, which shows all 30 uniforms. Personally, we love the Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors and Minnesota Timberwolves uniforms. What are your favorite City Edition jerseys? [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks (TNT, 7:30 p.m. ET) Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat go up against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. World Series Game 6: Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros (FOX, 8 p.m. ET) Max Fried takes the mound for the Atlanta Braves, who take on Luis Garcia and the Houston Astros in Game 6 of the World Series. New Orleans Pelicans at Phoenix Suns (TNT, 10 p.m. ET) Jonas Valanciunas and the New Orleans Pelicans travel to Phoenix to take on Devin Booker and the Suns. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Atlanta Braves at Houston Astros Game 6: Astros -138 The Atlanta Braves had their chance to close out the World Series at home, but the Astros stole Game 5 and now the series shifts back to Houston for a pivotal Game 6. The Astros will send Luis Garcia to the mound, while the Braves will call on Max Fried. Garcia only lasted 3.2 innings in a 2-0 loss to the Braves in Game 3 of the series, but he was lights-out in his outing before that against Boston. Meanwhile, Fried has struggled in his last two outings, both resulting in losses, but the Braves made it a point to not start him on short rest in Game 5 so he could be ready for this game. The momentum seems to be in Houston’s favor and with the series shifting to Minute Maid Park, it’s tough not to side with the Astros. [WHAT THEY SAID] “I heard I was too small to play in high school, in college, in the NFL. It just made me work harder.” — Darren Sproles [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2021 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. If you do not wish to receive emails like this in the future, please [unsubscribe](. FOX Sports respects your privacy. Click [here]( to view our Privacy Policy. Fox.com Business & Legal Affairs - Manager Digital Media P.O. Box 900 Beverly Hills, California 90213-0900