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00:02 I wonder Warren what your thoughts are on Tajay Spears,
00:05 because I know that's the next point of focus.
00:08 Very few offensive players look as good as him out of the backfield going into the year.
00:13 I know he's blocked, let's be real, he's blocked by a Hall of Famer, I would guess.
00:16 One of the maybe last running back Hall of Famers, honestly,
00:19 that there are out there with the way things are trending.
00:21 And Derrick Henry, what do you make of him going into the year?
00:24 >> I'm really excited for Tajay Spears.
00:28 Definitely a different type of a punch to Derrick Henry in that offense.
00:32 But I don't think that they have had somebody like Tajay there for a little while.
00:37 And I think that the team is now going to be able to just let the gas pedal up a
00:42 little bit on Derrick Henry's usage, try to keep him as healthy as possible for
00:47 the entire season and get this change of pace type guy in there.
00:50 And I'll get to the most impressive statistic, but
00:53 first let me rattle off a few here.
00:55 He led all running backs in the preseason with 4.7 yards after contact.
01:01 That was tops of the league.
01:02 He also averaged 5.3 yards per carry,
01:04 which was number nine out of 54 qualifying running backs.
01:08 And averaged plus 0.09 EPA per attempt.
01:11 That was number eight out of 54 qualifying backs.
01:14 But the most intriguing statistic that you have to use when judging the context
01:19 of his production is that he faced eight plus men boxes on a staggering
01:24 41% of his carries this preseason.
01:28 Seven plus box defenders, which is a fully loaded box on 82% of his runs.
01:33 So we know it's the preseason and defenses are probably going to change their
01:38 emphasis.
01:39 We know that they're gonna do a lot more team scouting as they try to come up with
01:43 their game plans to limit offenses.
01:45 But one of the most important things with the Titans is they need a back,
01:49 just like Derrick Henry,
01:50 who can gain yards when it looks like it's still going to be a run play.
01:53 When the defense is playing run, can you still be somewhat productive?
01:57 Because Tennessee likes to run the ball.
01:59 Unfortunately, they run the ball too much on first down.
02:02 They love to run the football and then pass off of that high play action rates
02:06 with Ryan Canahill, get some receivers in some favorable matchups.
02:10 Especially I'm excited to see Chico Conco, their tight end there this season.
02:15 There's gonna be some opportunities for play action, but
02:17 they run the ball a lot in situations the defense is playing the run.
02:21 How good can you perform when that defense is loading their box?
02:26 And Tajee Spears performed admirably, well above expectation with these numbers.
02:32 Number one yards after contact, top ten in yards per carry and
02:36 EPA despite playing such loaded boxes so frequently.
02:40 I'm really excited to see what he brings to this offense.
02:43 He's a rookie, this is the first time we get to see him in the NFL in
02:47 the regular season.
02:49 Can't wait to see how much they utilize him in week one and what he can add.
02:54 Week one, they play a very difficult run defense, Craig.
02:57 But after that, they've got some run defenses that can be had weeks two,
03:00 three, four, and I'm excited to see how he is utilized.
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