DeMarco Murray looks spryer than the rusty, turn-of-the-century ice truck we saw running last season in Philadelphia. The one-time Offensive Player of the Year is quicker to the hole, more decisive and has a better second gear in space.
Murray could be in line for a huge workload in his first year with the Tennessee Titans, but he won't be asked to carry it. Derrick Henry will take chunks out of that load.
Most backup power backs that boast the same skill set as the starter struggle to get a ton of snaps. Titans coach Mike Mularkey said he won't know how many snaps Henry will take until game-planning begins, but the Heisman Trophy winner will see the field plenty.
"We'll find ways to get (Henry) on the field," he said, per ESPN.com. "We know what he's capable of doing. I just want to be careful, I did it one time when I went in and was worrying about how many numbers guys were getting and it didn't work.
"We're going to do what's best for the team like we've been doing from the beginning. And whatever that is, if he's a large part of it, (he) is. But he'll have a role, definitely."
Mularkey explained that "one time" was his first game as a coordinator when he tried to make sure each player got an equal share of the ball. His Steelers lost and Mularkey realized planning to give every player a piece of the pie doesn't work.
"If a guy gets open, he's going to get open, he's going to get the ball," he said. "If the coverage dictates throw it over here, then the guys that are over there are going to get the ball. If we're running the ball successfully, they're going to get the ball. If we're not, we're going to try somebody else to try to win."
While Murray will be the lead back, Mularkey's explanation actually intimates that Henry could eventually earn more snaps as the season progresses than originally thought.
It's clear the battering-ram rookie has the size, speed and agility to be a difference-making runner. As his experience grows, it wouldn't be surprising to see Henry pass Murray in carries at some point this season.
After all, talent rises to the top. If Mularkey sticks with that hot-hand approach, Henry could steal the ball away from Murray.
