Countdown to Kickoff: 63 Days

Travis Henry had 63 first downs rushing during his brief -- but important -- time with Tennessee.

The countdown to kickoff continues.

The Tennessee Titans will open the 2020 regular season Sept. 14 at Denver. That is 63 days away. So, today we look at one way the number 63 figures into the team’s recent history.

Travis Henry never will measure up to the most prominent running backs in Tennessee Titans history. He was not around long enough.

During his brief time with the franchise, though, the 5-foot-9, 215-pounder looked like he fit right in with the likes of power backs Eddie George (6-3, 235) or Derrick Henry (6-3, 247) or speedster Chris Johnson.

In 24 games over two seasons, Travis Henry produced 63 first downs rushing. The actual number was not overwhelming, but it meant he moved the chains on 17.6 percent of his rushes.

Henry’s most important contribution was the fact that he extended Tennessee’s identity as a power rushing attack following George’s departure and bridged the gap between then and the Thunder and Lighting period that featured Johnson and LenDale White.

Henry, acquired in a 2005 trade with Buffalo, was the featured running back for only one season (2006). That year he ran for 1,211 yards, which included a career-best 178 yards (on 32 carries) in a Week 6 victory over Washington, and 50 of those first downs. Only Johnson (four times), George (twice) and Derrick Henry (once) have had more rushing yards in a season during the Titans era.

Tennessee finished fifth in rushing in 2006, the first of four straight years with more than 2,000 rushing yards as a team and top 10 rankings. Twice in the previous three years, the offense ranked outside the top 20.

The Titans had started to lose the offensive reputation that had been so carefully cultivated for years under Jeff Fisher. It was Travis Henry who helped get them back on track.