Tennessee Titans running back, Derrick Henry, is already an imposing force to tackle because of his sheer size and strength, but he also sports one of the meanest stiff arms of any back in the NFL.
And Henry’s stiff arm went from being an inside joke of sorts between Titans fans to a national sensation when he was blowing through the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs.
Henry’s surprising speed, along with his muscular 6-foot-3, 247-pound frame, make it difficult enough to bring him down once he gets going, but his length is also another factor.
Because of his long arms, the Alabama product can stop opposing defenders from ever getting a chance to wrap up his legs, which is the only way to truly stop him. If an opposing defender tries to hit Henry high, it will almost certainly fail.
Henry went into his philosophy of stiff arming, as did Dallas Cowboys running back, Ezekiel Elliot, and Baltimore Ravens running back, Mark Ingram, in a video released by the NFL on Twitter.
Henry’s stiff arm is so good that he turned Ravens safety Earl Thomas into his lead blocker during the divisional round game.
The former Heisman Trophy winner recently shared a video of himself crushing some deadlifts. We’re a little under three weeks since the Super Bowl and he’s already hard at work.
It just goes to show that physical gifts alone aren’t good enough to make it in the NFL. The reigning rushing champion also puts in the work off the field to get into the kind of shape that makes it seem like he’s a man among boys whenever the ball is in his hands.
