Browns DB Grant Delpit put a big hit on Ravens RB Derrick Henry last year, knocking him off his feet and giving him a false sense of confidence, it seems. Asked yesterday how hard it was to tackle Henry, he said, simply, “Not hard”. I think many players around the league—and in his locker room—would disagree.
For context, Derrick Henry rushed for 1,931 yards last year. In two games against the Browns, he rushed for 138 yards and 73 yards, respectively, with three combined touchdowns. The Ravens did lose the game in which Delpit recorded his tackle, after which he boldly signaled that Henry was “small”.
of course, Henry was already engaged with another defender when Delpit hit him, making tackling him a bit easier. As one would anticipate, Ravens reporters asked Henry about Delpit’s comment. “He had a quote”, he said. “We’ll see on Sunday.”
In Week 1, Derrick Henry rushed for 169 yards on just 18 attempts with two touchdowns. However, he lost a costly fumble late in the game that enabled the Bills to come back and win. He fumbled only three times last season on 344 touches, and has 21 career fumbles on 2,548 touches. Grant Delpit recorded four tackles in the Browns’ opener, including one on special teams. Only one of his three defensive tackles counted as a stop.
Aside from Delpit’s comment about Henry, Browns WR Jerry Jeudy also said the Ravens’ secondary presented “No challenge”. It’s unclear why Cleveland is choosing to employ this disrespectful braggadocio, which nobody is buying. Perhaps it’s Little Brother Syndrome, a chronic condition for Cleveland residents.
The Ravens aren’t too worried, though. Asked about Delpit’s comment about Henry and the other remarks from the Brown’s this week, S Kyle Hamilton questioned the need for bulletin board material. “Was I not going to play hard before he said that? If you need bulletin board material to go play … that’s a problem with you.”.
Both the Ravens and Browns are coming off Week 1 defeats. From a Steelers perspective, frankly, it would be advantageous for Delpit to prove himself right about Henry. I’m sure those in Pittsburgh would agree they would rather the Browns win some games they should lose if it meant the Ravens losing games they should win.
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