Other side of the equation: Lions' Barnes paying forward Anzalone's investment

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Allen Park — Friday morning, I filed a story on James Houston’s mission to get back to his impactful ways after missing most of the 2023 season with a broken ankle injury. The challenge is less about his physical and mental recovery from the injury, and more about proving to the coaching staff he’s capable of being more than a situational pass rusher. They want him to consistently demonstrate he can also be an effective option off the ball, capable of executing a wider array of down-and-distance assignments.

Noted within that story is Houston has tied himself to the hip of Derrick Barnes, who made massive improvements in his own schematic understanding and football IQ a year earlier, allowing him to take a developmental and production leap in his third season.

Even though the initial Houston story already ran, I remained interested in Barnes’ perspective on the relationship, so I snagged him coming off the field in the afternoon.

“With James, when you see the potential, you want to get the best out of it,” Barnes said. “James has all the potential in the world. I see the way he works. I see what he wants to be and can be.”

Outside of being a good teammate — which comes naturally to the affable Barnes — there’s also strong desire to pay forward the investment veterans put into his development, particularly captain and locker neighbor Alex Anzalone.

“Alex saw something in me, always had my back, always made sure I was doing the right things, always made sure I was getting extra work in and doing what I needed to do to be successful on the field,” Barnes said. “I'm doing the same thing. As a four-year vet, you just want to bring players along. Obviously, we're competing for jobs, but at the end of the day, how are we going to be the best we can be. That's about pushing each other.”

One of the key ways a player can close knowledge gaps is to ask questions, but it can be intimidating to put yourself out there if you’re worried your question might be ridiculed as dumb. Barnes admits he struggled with those mental hang-ups as a young player and it only slowed his improvement. That’s why he encourages players he works with, including Houston, to ask whatever is on their mind, no matter how small or insignificant the query might seem.

But, as noted in the original story, this isn’t a one-way information highway. Barnes is learning from Houston too, eagerly soaking up tips and tricks about how to rush the passer more effectively. That remains Houston’s superpower, and it’s an area where Barnes is looking to improve based on his role within coordinator Aaron Glenn’s scheme.

“The things he does when it comes to pass rushing is unreal,” Barnes said. “I've always been the type of person that can watch and understand what you're doing. His footwork, what step is jabbing with? Just going back and watching him do it, it's so clean and so crisp. You see that's why he's able to get to the quarterback and generate pressure. I'm still working on that.”

Both players acknowledged one of the biggest challenges is being able to flip the switch between traditional linebacking responsibilities and getting after the quarterback. When rushing the passer, the check list is smaller: Get off at the snap quickly, know what you’re doing with your hands, avoid the block, destroy the QB.

As a linebacker, it’s more of a series of rapid calculations, adjusting to personnel and pre-snap alignments, followed by a number of keys once the ball is in motion. It’s a much higher level of processing, and it can be difficult to switch between the two mindsets one snap to the next.

It’s never going to be perfect, but Barnes is a grad-level processor playing off the ball. He’s trying to help Houston get there, just like Anzalone did for him.