Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur had a front-row seat the night Derrick Henry was born – at least the NFL version of Derrick Henry.

As the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator, LaFleur called the play that was the former Alabama All-American’s professional breakthrough – except the play LaFleur called was not what the Titans ran.

“He had a lot of big runs,” LaFleur said on Wednesday, “and I’ll never forget the one we had backed up, the 99-yarder versus Jacksonville, although full disclosure here: I had actually called the quarterback sneak can to the run or vice versa. It was can — the duo can the quarterback sneak, and there was an open A gap, and I’ll never forget, I’m like, ‘We’re going to run the quarterback sneak,’ and he handed the ball off, and initial thought was ‘What are we doing?’ until he broke about seven tackles on the way to a 99-yard run.”

If the quarterback doesn’t like the defensive look for the play called, with a can option he has the ability to “can” the call and the offense will run the secondary play. That’s what Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota did.

Henry took a handoff into the left-side of the Titans’ line and, after breaking through, stiff-armed his way past three Jacksonville defenders — throwing linebacker Leon Jacobs to the ground — to reach the end zone for a run that can never be bettered.

The only other player in NFL history with a 99-yard run from scrimmage is the Dallas Cowboys’ Tony Dorsett, who accomplished the feat against the Minnesota Vikings on Jan. 3, 1983.

After winning the Heisman Trophy for Alabama’s CFP national-championship team in 2015, Henry spent his first two NFL seasons as the backup to DeMarco Murray.

In 2018, the Titans were using Henry in tandem with Dion Lewis. Before the Dec. 6 game against the Jaguars, Henry’s longest run of the 2018 season had been 16 yards and his top game had produced 58 rushing yards.

In the 30-9 victory over Jacksonville, Henry ran for 238 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries. In the three games that followed to close the 2018 campaign, Henry ran for 347 yards and three touchdowns.

In the five seasons since, Henry has rushed for 7,209 yards in regular-season play – 1,664 more than any other NFL player in that span. In 2020, he became the eighth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.

RELATED: ALABAMA ROOTS: TOP 10 IN NFL RUSHING YARDS

“It took us a while, to be honest with you,” LaFleur said about Henry’s emergence. “We had Dion Lewis as well, and both those guys were kind of splitting time early on. And I think it was right around the bye week or whatever, (Henry) just came back, and he, I mean, it was like he was a different guy. It was crazy the transformation he made, and I mean that was really the year that kind of propelled him into who he is today.

“I got a lot of respect for the guy in terms of just his mindset and the resiliency he showed, the work ethic he showed on a daily basis.”

LaFleur was reminiscing about Henry because the Packers play Henry and the Baltimore Ravens in an NFL preseason game at noon CDT Saturday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Henry joined the Ravens in free agency this offseason after eight seasons with the Titans.

Henry hasn’t played in a preseason game since Aug. 25, 2018.

“I’m comfortable now,” Henry said on Tuesday. “I’m right at home. Training camp was good. We got a lot better — still getting better — but I’m comfortable and right at home. …

“I haven’t played a preseason game since, I bet, 2018, so I think it’s worked out pretty well. I feel pretty good about it.”

Henry will make his Ravens debut when Baltimore begins its regular season against the Kansas City Chiefs at 7:20 p.m. CDT Sept. 5 in the first game of the NFL’s 2024 campaign.

“I’m definitely excited to play,” Henry said, “and can’t wait until that time comes. But it’s all about polishing and getting everything down and continuing to get better until that time comes. I’m sure everybody out here is itching to get to Week 1, for sure.”

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.