On more than one occasion this summer, when words have been exchanged and light shoving among players has followed, Derrick Barnes has been in the middle of it.
He’s playing with an edge we haven’t quite seen before. Ask him about it and he’ll tell you it’s no coincidence.
“I saw a quote yesterday,” Barnes told me. “It was meant for me to see it. ‘There’s a difference between being nice and being a good guy.’ I told myself I wasn’t gonna be nice on the field no more.”
… this offseason, the Lions have zeroed in on Campbell at Mike and Alex Anzalone at Will, which allowed for a move to Sam.
In this role, Barnes will be asked to either rush or drop into coverage on a given snap. He’s a perfect fit for it, to be quite honest … He has a background rushing the passer and some natural bend for a linebacker. He notched a sack against Goff in a team period Tuesday in that role. As for coverage, we all saw his interception of Baker Mayfield in the Divisional Round to send the Lions to the NFC Championship game. It was borderline textbook coverage — beginning on the line of scrimmage before sinking into his zone and reading Mayfield. He did something very similar for an interception vs. Goff on Tuesday but he disguised it even better. He’s learning.
… The Lions could have a true playmaking linebacker in Barnes if his play in camp carries over into the season. And he’s taken it upon himself to play with a mean streak on a Lions defense that could, quite frankly, stand to be a bit meaner.
“I’m a great guy,” Barnes said, “But being nice gets you used and it gets you disrespected. So, that’s been my mentality this whole camp and I’m gonna continue to do that.”
2 comments
That’s exactly what I expect from someone going into a contract season.
I’m walking into work with that same attitude today. ITS GONNA BE A BAD DAY TO BE A SPREADSHEET