The New York Giants will face the Tennessee Titans in their 2022 opener this Sunday afternoon in Nashville. That means their defense is girding for the Titans’ All-World running back, the powerful and elusive Derrick Henry.
Giants first-year defensive coordinator Wink Martindale knows what that means. His unit could be in for along day.
“There is a reason why they call Derrick Henry ‘The King.’ He’s on the Iron Throne,” Martindale told reporters on Wednesday. “They just gave him a raise to be the highest paid running back and I still don’t think they gave him enough.”
Martindale also gave Henry the ultimate praise, comparing him to the greatest running back in the history of the NFL.
“I always get caught comparing people and everything else, but he is like our modern day Jim Brown, I think. He is just that much different than anybody else who is running the ball. It’s a challenge every time he touches it,” Martindale said.
Henry, the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner out of Alabama, led the NFL in rushing yards and touchdowns in 2019 and 2020.
Last year, Henry suffered a fractured bone in his foot that cost him the final nine games of the regular season. He returned for the postseason but the Titans were one-and-done in the playoffs, losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round.
In his only game against the Giants, in 2018, Henry trampled the Giants for 170 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
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