Derrick Henry's next-level stiff arm: 'If it's against me, I want it to be illegal'

Baltimore Ravens moving backmost Derrick Henry was successful his 2nd twelvemonth of Pop Warner shot erstwhile helium discovered the determination that would onslaught fearfulness into defenders implicit the adjacent 2 decades.

At 7 years old, Henry was a gangly and lanky moving backmost who saw a defender closing successful for the tackle. Then, helium conscionable did it.

Henry extended his limb and shoved his hostile to the ground.

"It was conscionable thing that came earthy to me," Henry said. "So, I conscionable kept putting my limb retired there, and I would spell for 50 yards."

Henry's signature stiff limb has helped him go 1 of the NFL's all-time large moving backs and permission smudges connected the reputations of the champion antiaircraft players successful the league. When Henry outmuscles Pro Bowl linebackers and antiaircraft backs, it tin origin years of embarrassment, leaving much intelligence scars than carnal ones.

If Henry gets one-on-one with a would-be tackler erstwhile the Ravens play the Detroit Lions connected Monday nighttime (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN), helium volition apt unleash his stiff arm, which mightiness pb to different agelong tally arsenic good arsenic a meme connected societal media.

Ravens cornerback Chidobe Awuzie remembers the clip 4 seasons agone erstwhile helium played against Henry successful a Bengals-Titans playoff crippled and conscionable escaped a stiff arm.

"My beingness decidedly flashed earlier me," Awuzie said. "You don't privation to extremity up connected Twitter for the incorrect reasons."

Some moving backs interruption escaped by juking retired defenders. Others trust connected rotation moves. Henry has perfected this old-school maneuver of utilizing his escaped manus to flip would-be tacklers retired of his way.

Henry has recorded 64 vocation stiff arms connected rushing attempts since 2017, erstwhile ESPN Research started tracking them. It's 36 much than immoderate different player.

His quality to shed tackles has paved the mode for an NFL-best 5,704 yards aft interaction and has prompted a teammate to question whether Henry should beryllium allowed to proceed utilizing his stiff arm.

"It's much of a punch," Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey said past season. "But if he's connected my team, it's good. If it's against me, I privation it to beryllium illegal."

Henry's archetypal stiff limb of the twelvemonth came successful the play opener, erstwhile helium utilized his near limb to present a speedy jab to Cole Bishop that near the Buffalo Bills information sprawling connected the ground. Henry went untouched the remainder of the mode for a 30-yard touchdown.

But it's been a challenging play truthful acold for Henry. He made a costly fumble successful the 4th fourth of a 41-40 nonaccomplishment successful Buffalo and was held to 23 yards rushing successful Sunday's 41-17 triumph implicit the Browns, statistically his worst crippled successful 2 seasons arsenic a Raven.

Baltimore believes that erstwhile Henry gets backmost connected track, it volition make the accustomed predicament for defenses.

"Once you spot Derrick successful person, you tin recognize if helium enactment those paws connected you, there's going to beryllium trouble," Ravens moving backs manager Willie Taggart said. "When helium showed it connected movie once, everybody other knows that tin hap erstwhile they travel up successful there. So, I deliberation sometimes there's immoderate concern decisions whether to tackle him oregon not."

RAVENS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR Todd Monken archetypal met Henry successful 2009, erstwhile Monken was the wide receivers manager for the Jacksonville Jag...