Texans HC Lovie Smith has incredibly strong opinion on Derrick Henry
Houston Texans head coach Lovie Smith has seen his fair share of NFL running backs over the years, and Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry still stands out from the crowd. Smith, who began his NFL coaching career as an assistant with the 1996 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has been an NFL head coach for 182 […]
Houston Texans head coach Lovie Smith has seen his fair share of NFL running backs over the years, and Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry still stands out from the crowd.
Smith, who began his NFL coaching career as an assistant with the 1996 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has been an NFL head coach for 182 total games since 2004 with five years as the head coach at the University of Illinois along the way.
With all those years of experience, the 64-year old Smith knows greatness when he sees it. According to Smith’s recent preview of the upcoming Texans and Titans matchup, that’s exactly what he sees in Titans running back Derrick Henry.
“I have been around some the best backs to play the game,” Smith told Texans media on Wednesday. “Is Derrick Henry heading that direction? Absolutely.”
Smith continued to rave about Henry’s physical stature and technique as a runner, ultimately showing the Titans’ running back high praise by comparing him to some of the all-time greats.
“As big as our defensive linemen. He’s as big as our defensive ends. Has as good of speed as some of our skills guys. Plays hard with pads low to the ground,” Smith said. “These are the kind of guys though, as I talk about having an opportunity to compete against some of the all-time greats, we look forward to competing against him.”
Smith’s opinion of Henry might be even better had he been around for the last few matchups between Henry and the Texans defense.
Lovie was the defensive coordinator in 2021, but Henry missed both games against Houston with his broken foot. Dating back to 2019 though, King Henry has wreaked havoc against the Texans, currently sitting on three straight games with 200 rushing yards and 2 or more touchdowns.
With Ryan Tannehill (ankle) questionable to play, and far from 100 percent, expect another heavy dose of Henry on Sunday afternoon.
Lovie Smith can have a front seat to watch one of the all-time greats run over his defense.
Image via Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
