Getty Chris Spielman speaks at a media engagement.
When the Detroit Lions hired Chris Spielman back to the front office this offseason, it was an exciting moment for fans, many of whom believed that the former linebacker needed to be involved in shaping the direction of the franchise for the future.
Now that Spielman is back in the mix and out of the broadcast booth, that’s exactly what’s happening, and rookie linebacker Derrick Barnes is one of the young players that is benefitting early on in a major way from having the former player in the mix.
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Speaking to the media after practice on Wednesday, August 12 in an interview posted to DetroitLions.com, Barnes was asked about having Spielman as a resource, and the rookie admitted that he has loved that so far in Detroit.
“We’d all be a fool, all of us linebackers, we’d be a fool not to take his advice. A guy that played the game for a long time, a guy that knows the game and knows exactly what he’s talking about. You just take that in, Barnes told the media. “Beyond blessed to even have him here in the facility, that’s just amazing. Just learning. I learn from everyone. I’m learning from every coach on the staff, learning from Chris (Spielman), learning from the older guys. For me, being a rookie, there’s a lot they know that I don’t know. You have to figure those things out to elevate my game, so that’s what I’ve been doing. Taking any advice I can. Chris has definitely been a huge part of that, a huge part of my upcoming.”
Specifically, when asked what Spielman was emphasizing, Barnes said education and effort is a big focus for the former linebacker.
“Just playing hard, effort. Knowing what to do is important. Chris always tells me there’s a guy that runs a 4.5 that plays a 4.8, meaning he doesn’t know what he’s doing, he’s playing slow. Then you have a 4.8 guy who plays at 4.5 because he knows what he is doing. Just know what you’re doing, studying, small things like not taking false steps, knowing when there’s a pass or a run, small details that linebackers should know.”
Honing in on those small details could make Barnes better on the field quicker, which would be a huge credit to Spielman given how he has helped the young player so far.
Derrick Barnes Frustrated With Early Injury
It’s been tough for Barnes early in camp to get adjusted thanks to a hamstring injury which has slowed his practice appearances on the field. He’s been limited and the Lions have managed his workload in camp early on. While Barnes has been disappointed by that, he seems to understand the greater goal well.
“It is (frustrating), only because when I was in college, I never really had any injuries or had to sit out for any practices, probably a few times for something here and there but never for a hamstring,” Barnes told the media. “It was upsetting to me, but I knew I had to get my body back in shape in order to come back out here and play with these guys and put on pads, so just be in shape. I’ve been taking care of it, treating it, even though I am not hurt anymore, I still get in there in the morning to get treatment to make sure it doesn’t happen again. It just something that I have to correct as a player, get with the guys in the training room, so hopefully it will never happen again.”
Barnes said he does plan to play in the preseason opener, so it will be interesting to see how much run the Lions give him. Clearly, both Barnes and the team are being careful to manage things early on off the injury which cost him time early in camp.
Barnes’ Stats and Highlights
When Barnes does get on the field, what will the team be getting? Based on his track record from college, a pretty productive player. Barnes has been a productive player in the Big Ten, racking up 226 tackles, 25 tackles for-loss, 10.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 1 interception in his college career. The numbers paint the picture of a tackling machine and a guy who can get after it in between the lines and make big plays for a defense sideline to sideline. It will depend on how Detroit wants to use Barnes, but the talent is there.
Here’s a look at what the highlights show:
Will Barnes become a guy who turns himself into a player like either Junior Seau, Ray Lewis or another successful NFL linebacker? That remains to be seen, but it’s clear he understands how he wants to play the position when he comes to the league. That could lead to him playing a big role when the 2021 season kicks off.
If that is the case, Barnes would likely defer a lot of credit to Spielman for getting him ready during these critical early months.
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