Derrick Henry delivers message to Alabama players amid struggles

Amid Alabama’s 5-2 start to the Kalen DeBoer era and 2-2 record in SEC play having the Crimson Tide on the outside looking in on title contention for the time being, things have gotten tricky in Tuscaloosa. But one former Alabama star has a very simple message to the current team: Don’t think, just go out and play.

If it worked for Heisman-winning running back Derrick Henry at Alabama, it could certainly work for the current team that’s seeking to find again the fearsome form Alabama teams have been known for. Joining FOX’s Rob Stone and Mark Ingram — also a Heisman winning back at Alabama — on “The Triple Option” podcast, Henry explained that the pieces are all in place for Alabama to play at a championship level, the players just need to remember that and play freer.

“The back against the wall now,” Henry said. “You’re still the same ‘Bama team. Did you have some adversity? Yeah. But that doesn’t define you, it’s about how you overcome it. You’ve gotta have leaders step up, embrace that role more than ever, the team gotta be closer more than they have been to be able to go on this run. Is it going to be hard? Yeah it’s going to be hard. But you’ve gotta embrace that challenge.

“And I still feel like y’all the same ‘Bama team. Y’all gonna play defense, you can score from anywhere on the field, you’ve got everything you need to be a championship caliber team, you just gotta go out there and do it.”

Henry added that much of what fueled the success at Alabama when he was there from 2013-15 was this almost machine-like quality of play where thinking was removed from the equation. It was all about getting the ball and going.

“And I think these last three weeks, everybody’s just thinking,” Henry said. “Like, before it wasn’t no thinking. You were just going, going. Snap — ball snapped, you go. And just play that style and play that way. I mean y’all still the same team, still go the same players. Just gotta take the thinking out of it, man, and go play with confidence, play within one another man. And go out there and play with your brothers and go get a dub. We ‘Bama. It should be no question, we ‘Bama man.”

To get a gist of how tapped-in to the Crimson Tide Henry is, Stone asked him how regularly he watches.

Henry said he basically watches every Alabama game, including the thriller against Georgia earlier this season.

And that game, Henry explained, was in some ways a neat encapsulation of what is ailing Alabama this season, but also evidence that a championship team — the one that ran over Georgia for 28 points in a half — could emerge from the Crimson Tide.

It’s just a matter of getting everybody to stop worrying, stop thinking, and just playing Alabama football.

“Well I was chilling at that first half. I’m like, ‘I’m good.’ Then that second half, I’m like, ‘Oh man.’ We weren’t scoring and mess around with Kirby, you’re going to end up in real trouble and we almost ended up in a world of trouble. But that’s what I’m saying, man. We are that same team that beat Georgia,” Henry said. “Do we — where we found ourselves hitting on all cylinders in the first half, yeah. And we did have some adversity in the second half but we ended up finishing the game with a W. It’s the same team. Yeah we took a loss to Vandy which was shocking to everybody, but so what? Now what?

“Like Coach [Burton] Burns used to say, whatcha gone do? You’ve still got a long season, a lot of football left to play. They just gotta step up and be ‘Bama man. Go ball, go ball. Don’t think, just go ball.”