Derrick Henry Takes Flight – Café Crème Sport

There is only one Derrick Henry. And there's only one Lamar Jackson. And it was with the idea of ​​combining these two terrifying players that the Ravens began their offseason last March. But as promising as it was, this association still had to be made to work. Because the agreement between these two phenomena is not as obvious as it might seem. To make the most of the potential of their backfieldthe coaching staff had to work. We had to make efforts and even change the identity of this attack. Arriving at mid-season, the formula now seems to have been found, for a result exceeding all expectations.

Life “under center”

With his incredible mobility, Lamar Jackson is a dopamine hit in the running game all by himself. The idea of ​​seeing him keep the ball and scamper in open spaces forces each defender to forget about the Running Back. We will not return here to the theory of read-option and all its derivatives which are everywhere in the NFL. A QB, an RB, a defender who has to choose who to tackle, the QB who decides who keeps the ball on duty. In practice, this devilishly effective style of play has its own rules. Training, in particular. To be run effectively, the optional running game must be used from the shotgun : with the QB and RB side by side and several yards behind the offensive line. This allows the QB to observe the defenders as soon as the ball is snapped and make his decision quickly.

All these explanations to say: an attack labeled “Lamar Jackson” is implicitly associated with shotgun. Which is not without fault. Especially, This is not a style that suits Derrick Henry. Despite his extraordinary top speed for his size, Henry remains a golgoth of 1.90m and 110 kilos, and pays for it with his lack of liveliness. He is not the most explosive RB on his first supports, so an under center formation suits him much more, since it allows him to gain more momentum and arrive launched when taking the ball. Conversely, the shotgun requires the RB to be almost static at the time of the QB-RB exchange. A style that suits, for example, the dynamic Justice Hill.

As exciting as their association may be, the fit between Lamar and the King therefore appeared strange. And this was felt in the first two matches, where the machine had difficulty getting started.

The adaptability of the Ravens coaching staff, and Todd Monken first and foremost, must be highlighted. From the third week, Baltimore resolved to use more training under centerfor the benefit of Henry obviously… But also for Jackson.

Not to mention the obvious boost to the running game, adopting this formation allowed Lamar to explode as a passer. Even if the Ravens playmaker owes his two MVP titles to his extraordinary creativity, we should not think that his style as a pure passer is unorthodox. We must not let ourselves be fooled by his extravagances which have toured the planet, Lamar is just as fond of a more conventional game. More classic play actions, with lots of protection and few lines, that's perhaps where he's at his best.

Since the start of his career, he has performed particularly well on midfield passes in intermediate areas. And with receivers like Rashod Bateman or Zay Flowers, he is surrounded by experienced route runners to settle in the right areas.

This part of his game, however, remained unknown to the general public, due to the heavy use of shotgun with the Ravens. Running feints – which are the basis of Play Action – are briefer and therefore much less effective in attracting Linebackers. By committing to this change in style, Baltimore has completely unlocked a previously dormant part of their attack. And even if it means faking the race, it is appreciable to have in your backfield the most intimidating RB of the last 10 years. We're still talking about Derrick Henry, the King, a physical monster who single-handedly made the Tennessee Titans a stronghold in the AFC. At 30 years old, the rider has lost none of his splendor and is on the basis of his best season. Enough to give the racing game enormous gravity, making the play-actions all the more effective.

The duo of fear

We knew the Jackson-Henry backfield was a terrifying combination on paper, we just didn't know how. Because it's not a hypothetical read-option between these two that is tormenting NFL defenses this season: it's the mixture of their two gravities.

Let's take an illustration: Do you remember the 2018 Rams? This attack marked its era with a game based on bootlega variation of the play-action that pretends to run on one side of the field so that the QB actually escapes to the other side. Abandoning his pocket, but completely alone, the latter has plenty of time to read the roads that are developing.

At the time, the Rams used and abused this tactic to give easy and effective solutions to their QB Jared Goff. And there was nothing the defenses could do about it, because they were already overwhelmed trying to contain Todd Gurley. In their own way, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers were quick to resume this tactic with Jimmy Garropolo.

Good. NOW, imagine what happens in the head of a Defensive Coordinator if we replace these Quarterbacks with… Lamar Jackson. A double MVP that defenses don't want to leave alone out of the pocket. And at the same time, we had to monitor a locomotive going at full speed on the other side…

And this is how, after years of groping, the Baltimore Ravens found the best scheme to promote their superstar: a version 1.0 of the Shanahan attack. A style of play that allows defenders to be crushed between the gravity imposed by the two monsters in this backfield. Concretely, being a Linebacker facing this attack means finding yourself between the Sun and Jupiter. And if you think I'm exaggerating, consider this: the Ravens are, at this point, on the same offensive level as the 2007 Patriots or the 2018 Chiefs.

The king of the 4th quarter

The effect Kisscool (unless it is wanted?) When we add Derrick Henry, it is his ability to dominate the end of the match. As soon as he arrived in Baltimore, the King was crowned with his propensity to improve as the match progressed. Where defenders tire of tackling him, Henry gradually gains strength and can break down the last barriers single-handedly.

If this quality was already praised with the Titans, it takes on a whole new dimension with the Ravens. Accustomed to dominating the start of a match, John Harbaugh's team always had this unfortunate tendency to break down at the end. This is due to poor management in the second half, and an inability to keep the ball in hot moments. The addition of the superstar runner improves the Ravens' abilities to extend possessions and control the end of games.

Obviously, it is also a vacuum cleaner momentum. Imagine, you start the second half well, reduce the gap, you feel that everything is still possible, then you see this:

To say it's demoralizing would be an understatement. The fourth quarter hasn't even started and the game already seems to be over. This version of the Ravens running game is as violent physically as it is psychologically. The Ravens have often been criticized for forgetting their running game during the playoffs. Making the same mistake with such a weapon would definitely be unforgivable this year, even with a passer at the top of his game.

Despite the many miles on his clock, we knew that the arrival of Derrick Henry in Baltimore could revolutionize a team that had finished first in the regular season in 2023. We just didn't know how. Because if we salivated a lot about a running game mixing the legs of its QB with the power of its RB, Todd Monken's attack saw things differently. It is in reality the gravity offered by the two players which explodes the defenses, while making the most of the qualities of the two players. The result is a season that could offer a third MVP to Lamar and a second OPOY to Henry. And above all, beyond any statistics or trophies, an impression of dominance and explosiveness which will leave an indelible mark in the memories of Charm City.