Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Mike Moraitis

Darius Leonard on Derrick Henry: ‘In the offseason, I think about him’

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry is so good, he has other NFL players like Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard thinking about him while they train in the offseason.

While down at the Pro Bowl a few weeks back, Leonard admitted that the work he does in the offseason is at least partly based around how he can improve to better defend against Henry, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.

“In the offseason, I think about him (Henry),” Leonard said. “When I am working out, (I think): ‘What drills am I going to do to make me better to face Derrick Henry, one of the best backs in the league?’ I always joke and say he is like a defensive end playing running back. He is a workhorse, and you can see it in the offseason, and you can see it in the fourth quarter. When things get tough, he is breaking a run for 70 yards, and that just goes to show you what type of player he is. It is amazing competing against Derrick.”

“You face a guy in your division twice a year, someone who totes the ball a lot,” Leonard continued. “He is a freight train to bring down. So, you have to make sure who you are playing against and how you want to compete against him.”

Before injuring his foot in Week 8 against Leonard’s Colts, Henry tallied 181 rushing yards in two games versus Indy, including his 113-yard performance in Week 3 that also saw him run the All-Pro linebacker over.

The Titans ended up winning both of their games against the Colts, which aided Tennessee in securing a second straight AFC South title and the No. 1 seed in the conference.

The Colts remain the biggest threat to the Titans in the division going into 2022, but Indianapolis has a big decision to make at quarterback first.

Loading
Loading...
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.