ExtremeRavens Posted July 23 Posted July 23 Nobody forgets the first time they stand near Derrick Henry. Safety Eddie Jackson officially signed with the Ravens on Sunday ahead of the team’s first training camp practice. By Monday, he was in awe of the star running back’s 6-foot-2, 247-pound frame. “I was telling the guys today, when ‘D-Hen’ first walked onto the field when I saw him at Alabama, I couldn’t believe how big he was,” Jackson said. “You see the film, him being a Florida guy. Then you see him in person, it’s like he’s a created player off a game.” “He’s a freak,” outside linebacker Odafe Oweh added. “Physical specimen. He looks like he could play defensive end, for real. I’m excited to see what he brings to the team. I’m just happy he’s on our side.” Until the newly acquired 30-year-old running back gets real repetitions in purple — beyond the non-padded play of early training camp — the Henry discourse will largely focus on football hypotheticals and his almost-mythical body. Often the two overlap. Second day of Ravens training camp 2024 | PHOTOS Zay Flowers was asked about how Henry might impact the offense. “[Have] you seen him before?” the 5-9, 182-pound wide receiver asked, met with laughter. “Have you seen him in person? You’ve got to stop that first, before you worry about somebody of my stature.” Gleaning much of anything concrete from training camp’s first week can be a futile exercise. Particularly, before the pads go on. Take, for example, a play Monday under persistent rain. Backup quarterback Josh Johnson dropped back in the pocket while Henry darted into the flat. Baltimore’s defensive line suffocated Johnson. With pads, it would have been a sack. Without pads, Johnson was able to flick the ball to Henry. But the ball slipped out of Henry’s hands and was intercepted for a would-be pick-six. The kind of play that stirs a July crowd braving tough conditions, but is meaningless in the grand scheme. Henry’s second day of training camp was otherwise fairly nondescript. When he wasn’t barreling out of the backfield, he spent most of his afternoon observing while in conversation with running backs coach Willie Taggart — much of that presumably about his acclimation to a new offense. “Watching them through the years and playing against them, it’s the style that they play with,” Henry said. “The offense that they run. Having Lamar, who’s different — who’s really different — that played a big factor into it as well. The success that they had last year, it’s something I definitely wanted to be a part of and be an added piece to this offense. It’s always been a certain type of culture and the style of play that the Ravens play, something that I was excited to come be a part of.” The soft-spoken Henry said what excites him most about joining the Ravens is the surplus of weapons, highlighted by Jackson, Flowers and tight ends in Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. Henry adds a new layer of strength to an offense that scored the second-most rushing touchdowns in the league last year (26). That, and uplifting a returning contender that was a win away from playing in the Super Bowl last year. “You have this guy, you have this guy, you have that guy, and at the end of the day,” wide receiver Rashod Bateman said, “you have Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, so I’m kind of like everybody else. I’m just excited to watch it.” A recent story from Dan Pompei of The Athletic revealed stupefying details of how Henry has sustained his dominance: namely, that the All-Pro’s financial adviser estimated that Henry spends $240,000 annually on body maintenance. That includes a personal chef who helps him avoid fried food, gluten, dairy and artificial flavors. And during the offseason, according to Pompei, Henry doesn’t eat his first meal until 1 p.m. In-season, it’s more like 4 or 5 p.m. At his 3:30 p.m. post-practice media availability, Henry was asked if he had eaten yet. He laughed and thought about it for a moment. Those times were in reference to early morning practices when he played in Tennessee. “We practice at 1 [p.m.] here so I can’t go out on the field without having anything in my stomach,” he said. Just spinach, kale and avocado Monday morning. “Before, I was eating whatever I wanted: chicken wings, pizza, anything,” Henry said. “That’s not going to sustain it. I challenged myself to try to see if I could do it. Once I got used to it, it became easy. Now my body feels great. Just seeing how my body responded to it and the routine and the diet, I love it. It’s probably something I’ll do the rest of my life.” Body composition aside, does Henry have any particular goals in mind as he opens his first training camp with a new organization? Henry bowed his head toward the microphone before him and didn’t hesitate: “Super Bowl. That’s the goal.“ View the full article Quote
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