Seriously, if you were tuned into Sunday Night Football’s Week 5 broadcast, you probably caught Mike Tomlin absolutely refusing to say Derrick Henry’s name. It was wild, man. Tomlin, who was part of NBC’s broadcast team for the Baltimore Ravens versus Atlanta Falcons game, kept referring to Henry as “The Big Runner,” leaving a lot of us scratching our heads and wondering what was going on.
“I Cannot Say It”
Maria Taylor was the one who pulled back the curtain, and honestly, the reason is just fantastic. As the Sunday Night Football on NBC Twitter/x account shared, Tomlin won’t utter Henry’s name because of the sheer fear he’s instilled in the legendary defensive coach. Yeah, you read that right: *fear*. Taylor put it perfectly, saying, “I just want to remind you guys, ‘The Big Runner’ is Derrick Henry. He still will not say his name because he sends a shiver down his spine.” Tomlin himself clarified it, flat out saying, “I cannot say it,” when it came to Henry’s name. It just tells you everything you need to know about the respect he has for that dude. He even followed up on Twitter/x with a simple, powerful message: “So much respect for The Big Runner.”
The Numbers Don’t Lie About “The Big Runner”
Now, you might think, “Tomlin’s teams have done well against Henry, right?” And yeah, you’d be partly right. Tomlin’s Pittsburgh Steelers have actually gone 6-1 against Henry in his NFL career. That’s a pretty dominant record. But here’s the kicker: don’t let that fool you into thinking Henry hasn’t been an absolute nightmare for them on the field. This is where Tomlin’s “shiver down his spine” makes perfect sense.
In his career facing the Steelers, Henry has racked up a monstrous 629 yards and three touchdowns on 126 rushing attempts. That’s a ridiculous 89.9 yards per game against Tomlin’s defenses. To put that in perspective, there are only 10 other teams in the entire NFL that Henry has put up more yards per game against than the Steelers. And when you look at total rushing yards, only five teams have allowed Henry to rush for more yards against them. The Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills are the only non-AFC South teams on that list who’ve given up more to “The Big Runner.” So, while Tomlin’s teams got the wins, Henry absolutely feasted on their defense. That production, man, is more than enough reason for any defensive coach, even a legend like Tomlin, to feel a bit scared of Henry.
It’s clear Tomlin is immensely respectful of Henry, and probably pretty darn glad he doesn’t have to face “The Big Runner” on the field again. He sends a shiver down his spine, and after looking at those numbers, who can blame him? What a wild story from the broadcast booth, right? Makes you wonder who else silently holds that kind of reverence for an opponent.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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