5 Things We Learned: What the coordinators said

The Giants were back on the practice field Thursday as they continue preparations for their Week 15 matchup against the Ravens.

Coordinators Mike Kafka, Shane Bowen and Michael Ghobrial spoke with reporters during their weekly press conferences, while coach Brian Daboll met with the media prior to the start of practice.

Here are five things we learned Thursday.

1. Henry ‘tough to bring down one-on-one’

One week after facing the tough task of slowing down Saints running back Alvin Kamara, the Giants’ defense has another difficult challenge coming to MetLife Stadium Sunday. The soon-to-be 31-year-old Derrick Henry is having one of the best seasons of his nine-year NFL career in his debut campaign with the Ravens. Through 13 games, Henry has carried the ball 240 times for 1,407 yards, good for a career-high 5.9 yards per carry, and a league-high 13 rushing touchdowns. He’s also caught 13 passes for another 125 yards and an additional two touchdowns, giving him a league-leading 15 total touchdowns on the season.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 247 pounds, Henry is quite possibly the most physically imposing running back in the NFL. The veteran back has racked up a whopping 51 missed tackles forced, along with an impressive 3.53 yards after contact per attempt. After spending six seasons with Henry in Tennessee, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen knows how big of a challenge his defense faces this weekend.

“I think the first thing is just the size,” Bowen said about Henry. “He’s an outside linebacker playing running back. He’s 250-plus pounds. Runs hard. It’s going to be tough if you let him get downhill. Tough to bring down one-on-one. You’ve got to get hats to the ball. It’s going to take more than one guy. Probably the best stiff-arm guy ever. He uses it as a weapon. Just in my time there, seeing some of the things he was able to do with the stiff arm gives me nightmares this week.

“But he’s a special player and we’ve got to make sure we do a good job of hopefully keeping him bottled up. And the thing that’s unique about him is if he has the crease and he’s rolling, he takes it the distance. He makes your pay, and guys don’t catch him and that’s showing up this year as well.”