Derrick Barnes 'Deserves a Shot' to Play More against Baltimore Ravens
Rookie linebacker Derrick Barnes could find himself out on the field much more against the Baltimore Ravens.
In Week 2, the 2021 fourth-round draft pick did not record a single snap on defense in the Lions' 35-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Detroit head coach Dan Campbell told reporters postgame that the coaching staff would take an exhaustive look at players at multiple positions, in order to determine if alternate playing options could aid the team's performance.
"We’re going to be looking at everybody," Campbell said Monday. "Anybody we think can help us and needs to get a look at, we’re going to give a look at.”
Among those poised to get an increased opportunity to play is Barnes, who has consistently made plays, despite limited reps to start his NFL career.
"Yeah, I think (Derrick) Barnes deserves a shot," Campbell told reporters on Tuesday via Zoom.
Detroit Lions
Review of Alex Anzalone's and Jamie Collins' play at linebacker
The play of the linebackers on Detroit's defense has not been consistent enough to warrant the same amount of playing time moving forward for veterans Alex Anzalone and Jamie Collins.
For Campbell, the review he provided for both players was vastly different on Tuesday.
"Alex (Anzalone) wasn't perfect, but I thought he was all over the field and made a lot of plays," Campbell said. "I thought he played with a lot of energy. I think he was spot on with his calls. And look, he's high effort. He's smart and kind of what we're about here. So, I liked where he was at. Look, Jamie had some mistakes, and it wasn't certainly his best performance."
Anzalone is likely to remain on the field, based on Campbell's review of his play.
Collins could be used in various situational roles to enhance his strengths and to allow Barnes on the field more.
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Use of timeouts late in the second quarter explained
Late in the second quarter, Detroit's offense had an opportunity to score a touchdown with less than 2:00 remaining in the half.
Unfortunately, Campbell decided to let some of the play clock run down, and the offense settled for a field goal, which gave the team a 17-14 halftime lead.
The Monday Night Football broadcast crew challenged Campbell's clock management, questioning if using timeouts could have provided the offense a better chance of scoring a touchdown late in the half.
Campbell explained to SI All Lions on Tuesday his reasoning behind the strategy.
"They had three timeouts left, and so we knew we didn't want to give the ball back to him (Aaron Rodgers)," Campbell said. "And B, we wanted to come away with points, because we have one more possession than they did.
"We were on our fourth possession, they were on their third. So, to us, it was like, 'How do we use all of this clock and come away with points?' Certainly, a touchdown would have been great. But, we felt like we handled it pretty well. We got down there in position. We took a shot. We didn't get a touchdown out of it, but we did get a field goal to go up three at halftime and not give the ball back to him."
Campbell reiterated the strategy would be similar for the offense late in the half.
"Yeah, it would be," he said. "You don't want to give that ball back to your opponent. You want to make sure you come away with points. That's the most important thing."
