Ryan Clark calls Derrick Henry’s running style ‘fake bravery,' and more sports news

In the last two weeks alone, Titans star running back Derrick Henry has tossed a defensive back, ran for a 94-yard touchdown and put up another 200-yard performance. “King Henry” is sitting high on his throne, but ESPN personality and former Steelers defensive back Ryan Clark believes he has a weakness that many people aren’t addressing.

“He has late-play bravery,” Clark said Friday on ESPN. “He don’t have the same type of bravery when he’s around them dogs. When he’s in that mess and them boys are the same size, he don’t run the same.”

It sounds like Clark is telling Henry to pick on someone his own size. Being that Henry is listed as 6-foot-3, 247 pounds, that’s probably linebackers and defensive linemen.

Clark played for the Steelers, which is Henry and the Tennessee Titans' next opponent. He doubled down on Twitter on his bold stance after facing backlash.

Another former Steelers safety, Mike Mitchell, agreed with Clark.

It’s hard to agree with Clark’s point. There are videos where Henry stiff arms big linemen and linebackers, too. One of the most popular is in college when he shoved a 260-pound Shilique Calhoun in college.

Clark’s theory will be put to the test Sunday. Henry leads the NFL in rushing yards, but the Steelers defensive line is big and ferocious. They are second in the NFL in rushing yards allowed.

When a team drafts a quarterback to be the franchise guy, the general thought is there should be a match of what the player and coach do well to maximize potential. Former Browns head coach Hue Brown doesn’t believe Cleveland is doing enough for Baker Mayfield.

“I think Baker is not playing in a system, in my mind, that showcases his talent and ability,” Jackson told 850 AM ESPN Cleveland. “You take away from who he is anytime he has to go under center. I don’t think that’s his strength. When he’s in the shotgun, he’s a much different player.”

It’s a strong point considering Mayfield played in shotgun heavy offenses in college at Texas Tech and Oklahoma, but it’s not like he was better under Jackson.

Jackson coached Mayfield the first eight games of his career. Mayfield started 1-4 and finished the season 5-3 after Jackson was fired.

The numbers tell a story that Jackson may not have maximized Mayfield’s play, but Jackson believes there’s more to it. He’ll also be releasing a book that details his time as the Browns head coach.

Cleveland went 3-36-1 under Jackson, including an 0-16 season in 2017.

Most people thought a Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Tony Ferguson fight would be happening now, but Justin Gaethje interrupted that when he knocked out Ferguson on May 9.

Gaethje will be an underdog again, but the task may be a little more difficult this time. Nurmagomedov (28-0) is undefeated, and he’s beaten Dustin Porier (who beat Gaethje) and Conor McGregor.

It’s been more than a year since Khabib’s last fight, so Saturday’s UFC 254 is his chance to show he’s still as good as ever at 32 years old. If Nurmagomedov wins, he’ll have defeated three of the top four contenders in the lightweight division, strengthening his case as one of the best ever.