Derrick Henry Addresses Alabama Football's NFL 'Busts'
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 5: Running back Derrick Henry #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates with his team after defeating the Florida Gators 29-15 in the SEC Championship at the Georgia Dome on December 5, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
There is no college program better at putting players into the NFL than Alabama football. Of course, when dozens of players from the same school reach the league, they're not all going to be superstars.
Apparently, there is some sort of narrative about Alabama having a high number of NFL busts. This, of course, seems a bit ridiculous, plenty of Crimson Tide players turn into top-flight pros, and numerous others are extremely valuable players with long careers. Some, of course, play for a few years before matriculating out of the year, as is the case with a large portion of any players from any school.
Derrick Henry is one of those true stars. This year, he was a First-Team All-Pro, and the winner of the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award, after rushing for a career high 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns for the Tennessee Titans.
He recently appeared on the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast hosted by Titans teammates Taylor Lewan and Will Compton. The two clearly tried to get a rise out of the former Alabama standout when it comes to his dominant alma mater, at one point asking how much that the team paid him to attend. His perfect answer: "They paid me in rings." He also wholly rejected the idea that 'Bama turns out more busts than any other team.
Lewan brought up Henry, and other accomplished Alabama football greats like Marlon Humphrey and Dont'a Hightower, before listing—and bleeping out—the names of others that he consider busts at the next level.
"We got the most players in the league," Derrick Henry said excitedly, as Lewan started to list names. "Even if they had short careers, it doesn't matter... We have more star players and more All-Pro players than any college out. He produce in college and it comes to the league, what do you mean?"
Lewan, a Michigan grad, and Compton, who went to Nebraska and seemed to fall more on Henry's side of the argument, don't have major legs to stand on here, even after Lewan moved the conversation over to fellow Wolverine Tom Brady.
Any team with 60+ players is going to have a few that don't work out, but per capita, calling Alabama football some kind of bust factory is patently absurd.
[">Bussin' With The Boys]
