Bummed out about the NCAA Tournament being canceled? We are too. That’s why BamaInsider created its own version of March Madness to determine who is the Crimson Tide’s greatest player in the Nick Saban era.
We have compiled a 64-player field with seed rankings of No. 1 through No. 16. The tournament is determined by fan voting both through BamaInsider’s Twitter account (@bamainsider) and on the Talk of Champions message board. Players will be matched up against each other with the one receiving the most total votes between both mediums advancing to the next round.
Today we continue the tournament by moving into the Elite Eight with Derrick Henry vs. Amari Cooper.
No. 1 seed Derrick Henry vs. No. 2 seed Amari Cooper
Derrick Henry accolades
— Alabama’s second Heisman winner (2015).
— Alabama’s career record holder in rushing touchdowns (42)
— Alabama’s single-season record holder in rushing touchdowns (28), rushing yards (2,219) and carries (395)
— Third most yards per carry (career) list with a minimum of 400 attempts. Henry averaged 5.97 yards per rush across his 602-carry career while the two guys ahead of him finished with less than 500 carries.
The case for Henry: Derrick Henry caught a screen pass from AJ McCarron, juked past an Oklahoma defender and proceeded to burst away from half a dozen more Sooners on his way to the end zone. It was during that 61-yard score in the 2014 Sugar Bowl that the 6-foot-3, 240-pound back earned his nickname of “El Tractorcito,” which translates to the little tractor.
Truth is, there’s nothing little about Henry. After making a name for himself in the Sugar Bowl his freshman season, the powerful back spent the next two years mowing down hapless defenders. He led Alabama with 990 yards and 11 touchdowns during his sophomore year before ending his Crimson Tide career with perhaps the best individual season in program history. Henry rushed for an SEC record 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2015, becoming Alabama’s second Heisman winner while leading the Crimson Tide to a national championship.
It wasn’t just the eye-popping rushing totals that made Henry special. It was how he earned them. During the 2015 Iron Bowl, he chugged his way for 271 yards and a touchdown on 46 carries, including 19 in the fourth quarter alone. It was one of eight games in which he logged 25 or more carries that season and his third 200-yard performance of the year.
Henry is Alabama’s all-time leader in rushing yards (3,591) and is tied with Mark Ingram for first with 42 career rushing touchdowns. Last season, he earned the NFL rushing title with 1,540 yards. El Tractorcito deserves to rumble into the next round.
Amari Cooper accolades
— Alabama’s career record holder in receiving touchdowns (31), receiving yards (3,463) and receptions (228)
— Heisman finalist (2014) and Alabama’s first Biletnikoff Award winner (2014)
— Alabama’s single-season record holder in receiving touchdowns (16), receiving yards (1,727) and receptions (124)
— Responsible for half of Alabama’s eight games where a single receiver caught at least 12 passes.
The case for Cooper: Hey, remember that time Amari Cooper hauled in five receptions for 141 yards and a pair of touchdowns IN ONE QUARTER against Auburn in 2014? It was the same Iron Bowl that saw the Alabama receiver finish with 13 receptions, 224 yards and three touchdowns.
Now that I have your attention, sometimes it feels like Cooper’s dominance gets lost a little bit. Julio Jones was first. Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith, Henry Ruggs and Jaylen Waddle have all looked dominant lately.
The point of this bracket is to find the greatest player of the Nick Saban era. Cooper might not be the most talented receiver to come through Tuscaloosa recently, but he’s by far the most dominant.
Don’t believe me, check the record books. Cooper’s name is everywhere for good reason.
Derrick Henry is a freak of nature. He’s definitely built of different stuff. The Tennessee Titans’ recent playoff run proves that.
However, when both guys were on the roster together in 2014, Cooper was the focal point of the offense. That doesn’t mean he’s better than Henry, but on paper, this matchup looks like a cakewalk for Alabama’s most recent Heisman winner.
I think that’s a mistake. Cooper carried the 2014 squad just like Henry did in 2015.
Cooper finished third for the Heisman Trophy in 2014. Still, the way that award works it’s almost impossible for anyone other than a quarterback and the occasional running back to win the thing.
Cooper received 36.75 percent of the maximum vote that year. No other receiver has topped eight percent since Larry Fitzgerald finished in second back in 2003. The history books remember how great Cooper was even if some of us need a reminder.
WestGate Luxury Condos - To be any closer, you'd need a ticket
Andrew Bone, of BamaInsider.com, is a real estate broker in the state of Alabama.
Contact Andrew Bone for all of your real estate needs; buyers, sellers, investors, developers. Property management; BoneHomeTours.com Call 205-531-5577 or click here
