Derrick Barnes on Dan Campbell's Team Meeting: 'I Love That Man'
Detroit Lions second-year linebacker Derrick Barnes is surely going to benefit from the subtle changes defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has made to the defense.
"Being able to play more downhill, not having to worry about too much. AG is making the defense a lot easier for the linebackers," Barnes told reporters after practice on Thursday. "And that's what I like -- being to play downhill, dropping in coverage, being able to read. It's the most important thing as a linebacker."
All offseason and at the start of training camp, the coaching staff has been talking up the linebackers unit.
Not a strength last season, head coach Dan Campbell and the coaching staff are enjoying the competitive battles taking place in the linebackers room.
"I think Alex (Anzalone) looks great, he just does, and we’ve been in pads these last two days. Look, he’s smart and he runs the defense," Campbell explained. "You watch him these last two days -- we made a point of emphasis, man, coming downhill, hitting, striking. We’re working these tackling drills, all of this, and he has. ... Then, on the other side of it, we’ve got a rookie linebacker in (Malcolm) Rodriguez who with the pads on, he showed up. His key and diagnose, and coming downhill, and hitting the way that AG and (linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard) Shep want those guys to hit it and playing an aggressive style. But yet, he can play in coverage as well. So, listen I love the battle that’s going on there. It’s early, still I like what we got in that room.”
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Despite only entering his second year in the league, Barnes and the others have committed to getting better by using meetings to bounce ideas off of each other and to ask each other questions.
"This is my second year in the league and it's unbelievable that you see this competition in our room," Barnes said. "Everyone's competing. Everyone's good and everyone has their special ability. It's amazing. Not only that, but it makes each of us better. Like, we learn off each other. I will ask Alex (Anzalone) questions. Alex will even ask me questions. I ask (Chris) Board questions. Sean (Dion-Hamilton) has asked Board questions. Just all around, we're trying to make each other better."
In a team meeting held by Campbell that was featured as a teaser for HBO's "Hard Knocks", Barnes commented that listening to the message made him that much more motivated to play and his fondness for his head coach has continued to grow.
"I love that man," Barnes said, when asked what he was thinking during that team meeting. "He thinks like a football player. That's how we all have to think. The whole team. He motivates me every day. It's just his passion and love for the game. Not only the game, but this team is important and the guys feed off of it. We trust in Dan. We're trusting these coaches and that allows us to go out and do what we need to do to make them happy and help this team win."
