Derrick Henry looks reinvigorated thanks to a newfound Ravens offensive wrinkle.
Once upon a time, there was this phrase. It went something like this. ’30 is the new 20.’ Remember that? More erroneous words have never been spoken about anything. That phrase had to be invented by someone who was 30. This was an apparent attempt to make themselves feel better about aging, but here’s what we learned.
Thirty isn’t a ‘new 20.’ It’s the same old 30. Why do you think we’ve placed so many Baltimore Ravens who are 30 and over on an unspoken health watch? We don’t admit it, but we look at Kyle Van Noy and DeAndre Hopkins differently now. Don’t we? Tell the truth.
That isn’t to say the 30-and-over crowd can’t still be effective on the gridiron. We’re just conditioned to believe that someone who has reached three decades of life is ‘old’ by NFL standards. That brings us to one of Baltimore’s resident freaks of nature, Derrick Henry.
The task of preserving the great Derrick Henry begins.
Managing Derrick Henry’s workload is a tricky juggling act at this stage of his career.
On one hand, no one wants to limit their touches unnecessarily. He’s a threat to make big plays every time he touches the football. On the other hand, no one wants to overwork him. Sure, he’s still one of the Ravens‘ best offensive weapons. On the other hand, he plays football’s most punishing position.
Has anyone taken a minute to analyze what’s going on in Philadelphia with Saquon Barkley’s sudden drop-off? Barkley hasn’t regressed. He has fallen off a cliff, and there isn’t a Ravens fan walking that wants to see the same fate befall Henry.
That’s where Keaton Mitchell comes in. Ravens fans have clamored for his increased involvement for a while now. They were ignored early, but recently, we have seen more effort by Todd Monken and company to get Mitchell more involved in the offensive attack.
Justice Hill’s injury is part os that. Mitchell’s first touches of the football came in Week 5, but his usage has been trending upward, and he’s had some solid showings when given an opportunity.
He averaged 40.8 yards per carry in Week 8 on four carries, and since Week 10, he has never had a game where he has averaged less than five yards per attempt. In Week 14, he produced his highest rushing yards total (76), and in Week 15, he was given a season-high eight carries, resulting in 66 yards on the ground.
Meanwhile, in Derrick Henry news, the in-game rest has resulted in a more refreshed version of a legend. The runs cover longer distances as the games reach later stages. His most recent performance was an 11-carry, 100-yard showcase. That’s 9.1 yards per carry for you math aficionados. Oh, and by the way, the Ravens went on to win that game over the Cincinnati Bengals handily.
The only logical question is as follows. What took so long? If the Ravens have injected their version of a thunder-and-lightning backfield on offense, that adds something else for opposing defenses to worry about.