Getty Derrick Barnes celebrates a play on the field for the Lions in 2021.
It’s been assumed the Detroit Lions have turned over a new leaf as they have pushed into 2022, but tangible proof of that fact is beginning to show up on the field.
Teams can talk a good game about being engaged, but when the rubber meets the road, how do they practice? The energy that is seen on the field through the dog days of the offseason workout period can tell folks a lot about a direction a team could be heading for the season.
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In terms of the Lions, linebacker Derrick Barnes sees a major change in how the team is practicing this offseason. Speaking to the media during post-practice press conferences on Thursday, May 26, Barnes explained how and why the feeling is different, and hinted it’s because there is increased competition on the roster across the board and everybody is grinding.
“We got a lot of guys who want to compete, a lot of guys who can play. Things happen in the NFL and I learned that last year as a rookie. People go down and you start from six to seven guys and end up with four. Things happen. You just have to always be mentally prepared when it’s your time to go,” he said. “As you can see on the field, it’s just a different energy in the defense. Different energy (in the) offense. Everybody wants to compete just like (Dan Campbell) said. There’s competition going on almost (everywhere), so everybody wants to go out and perform. You’re going to see people pushing at the ball, running to the ball. Just the small things that you do to get yourself better and help the team.”
So far, it sounds as if the Lions are doing a lot of those small things on the field, which is great news for the team. Everyone seems to be pulling together in the best possible way for the future, and is taking things to a brand new level for the new year.
With this uptick in attitude, the Lions could see a change on the field. The hope is the solid work the team is doing now can get them in a position to be a new team come 2022.
Barnes: Lions Linebackers Working Together for Team
Detroit’s linebacker room has to improve in a big way for this coming season, and that is something that Barnes believes the group understands. As a result, he sees the Lions players pushing for better things on the field and coming together as a group, something which he believes is going to help the team. Barnes hints there is a positive attitude developing, and the group is doing the right thing in coming together.
“All these guys, we all have the same mindset. We want to be the guy with the green dot. We want to start. We want to play, so everybody’s bringing an ‘A’ game every day,” he told the media. “Everybody’s learning, but the thing about it is, we’re learning from each other and we get into the room and we communicate amongst each other now. It’s not just we keep to ourself and make sure we’re trying to go against this guy, that guy’s. We’re all going to help each other at the end of the day. That’s what helps it become fun because if i do something on the field that’s not right, come to the sideline everybody’s not like ‘do this.’ Everybody’s like, ‘hey by the way, I’ve seen this, seen that,’ so we’re just helping each other. That’s fun conversation. We got good linebackers in the room and I’m excited for this year.”
If the linebacker room is improved, that will be a huge bonus for the Lions given how they struggled in 2021. So far, it sounds as if players are making the right progress according to Barnes.
Barnes’ 2021 Rookie Season in Review
To hear that Barnes is excited about where things are trending for the team is encouraging. As a rookie, he was solid when he was pressed into duty at times. His season was up and down as was to be expected, but Barnes showed plenty of the traits which made him very popular for the team in the draft. That only showed up more at times for the Lions when he did see the field. He put up 67 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 passes defended and 4 tackles for-loss last year.
Here’s a look at what Barnes was able to do as a rookie:
With a team that has embraced a new mindset and a hard-working position group, it might not be overstating it to say Barnes could have a big season ahead. He’ll have to prove it first, but already, it seems as if he is on the road to doing that.
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