Vikings' Anthony Barr admits it: Sometimes he just didn't try very hard
Barr, entering his fourth NFL season, played a full season for the first time last year, but he didn't produce as much with career-low marks in tackles and sacks. MANKATO – Anthony Barr admitted he can try harder than he did at times last season, which was a down year for the Vikings’ talented linebacker.
Barr, entering his fourth NFL season, played a full season for the first time last year, but he didn’t produce as much with career-low marks in tackles and sacks. He’s a versatile pass defender and a wrecking ball in the Vikings’ blitz schemes at his best. At his worst, he said his effort waned.
“It starts with my effort and picking that up,” Barr said. “That’s a big emphasis for me this offseason and I feel good right now.”
He had taken a step forward in 2015 with seven pass deflections, 3½ sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception. His motor in a 20-10 win at Atlanta, during which Barr forced fumbles on both Tevin Coleman and Matt Ryan, gave a glimpse of his potential.
But those performances weren’t frequent last season, even though the Vikings still ranked as one of the NFL’s best in points and yardage allowed. Barr acknowledged he knows of games and plays when he wasn’t trying as hard, but declined to be specific.
“We want to see consistency in play and be the impact player that you are,” defensive coordinator George Edwards said of Barr. “One thing you can control is how hard you play.”
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
File this under youth?
File this under, things better not ever said to the press?
Both?
100% effort at all times is bare minimum requirement...
@"BarrNone55" said: 100% effort at all times is bare minimum requirement...I don't think thats humanely possible, but I get the sentiment. Even EG disappears for stretches imo.
So the kid was more injured than the coaches or AB is saying imo. Big year for Barr. He's gotta prove he's worth a big signing day.
Frankly, he's the straw that stirs the D drink when he's on...It aint Dirty Harry, Linval or XR. EG and Hunter are the others I guess.
Pretty stacked on D, on paper...
Seems that the cast his wrist was in all season was invisible in some markets...
But, yes on paper we are in good shape...with a middle of the pack O...we could be devastating...
@"BarrNone55" said: Seems that the cast his wrist was in all season was invisible in some markets...But, yes on paper we are in good shape...with a middle of the pack O...we could be devastating...
10 win minimum without Mash Unit...
I'm getting swept-up in TC optimism. But hell, we gotta be able to improve over 8 wins by more than a game.
I've said since he was drafted... Get that other guy in Barr's college highlights in purple. When the Vikings did Barr's "effort" dropped... or was it Kendricks just beat him to plays? I think Barr reverted back to letting Eric take care of things. I've heard the elder Kendricks wants out of Philly, I would mind seeing him here, but would that stifle Barr even more? Don't care... get the best players that give 100% here and then put them on the field.
I think it was Kendricks who stirred the D last year more than Barr.
Sounds like Barr is owning up to his lack of effort, which is the first step... I hope he gets back to being an impact player every week.
Zulgad: Vikings might be playing it smart in explaining Barr’s poor 2016 performance
The Vikings took what appeared to be a gamble by selecting Barr ninth overall in the 2014 draft, but he quickly made general manager Rick Spielman and coach Mike Zimmer look very smart.
Barr had four sacks in 12 games as a rookie and 3.5 in 14 games during his second season. His impact on the game went beyond those numbers. His ability to line up at different spots meant opposing offensive coordinators had to account for him or risk seeing the potential havoc he had ability to cause.
This was the exact type of player that helped make a Zimmer-led defense tick.
Then came 2016.
Barr played in 16 games for the first time in his career but his sack total dropped to only two, he forced one fumble and stuffed two runs. There were many games where it got to the fourth quarter and you asked this question: Is Barr even playing today?
The first thought was that something was wrong. Despite not missing a game, was Barr playing with an injury that Zimmer would reveal once the season came to an end?
Zimmer decided to answer this question in December, but his response came as a surprise. “Anthony sometimes has a tendency to coast a little bit,” Zimmer said. “I think when he cuts it loose a little bit more, I think that’s when you see him making the explosive plays and kind of the wild plays.”
The reaction to Zimmer’s quote: Wow. Especially the “tendency to coast a little bit,” portion. This might have been how Zimmer felt but usually an admission like this comes in a closed door meeting. The thinking was this didn’t go over very well in the locker room at Winter Park as the Vikings stumbled to a 3-8 finish after a 5-0 start.
The fact Zimmer said this publicly showed his frustration and the expectation was he might attempt to walk it back or explain it away. That’s what makes what has happened the past few days in Mankato so interesting.
To say that Barr isn’t very revealing in group interviews would be a massive understatement. He’s an NFL team’s dream in that if you asked Barr the day of the week or what the weather was like he would attempt to dance around the question in an effort to be as vague as possible.
But Barr provided a surprising response after the Vikings’ first full-squad practice on Thursday as he discussed rebounding from the 2016 season. “I got a long ways to go, it starts with my effort and picking that up, that’s a big emphasis for me this offseason and I feel good right now,” he said.
Asking the natural follow up, our buddy Darren Wolfson of KSTP-TV wondered if Barr could provide examples of where he felt his effort could improve. Barr responded with a “nope.”
The fact Barr appeared to agree with Zimmer came as a surprise considering the majority of athletes have far too much pride to agree that they didn’t give maximum effort, even if that was the case.
The “Barr didn’t give a full effort” storyline continued into Friday when defensive coordinator George Edwards addressed the subject. “The biggest thing, that one thing you can control is how hard you play,” Edwards said in wrapping up a response to a question about Barr...
So everybody seems to be on the same page about Barr’s decline in 2016. He’s going to try harder in 2017. Yep, sounds good. Only I’m not completely buying it. Effort might have been part of the issue but you have to wonder if Barr was utilized as wisely as possible by the coaching staff...
More here;
@"Bezerker88" said: I've said since he was drafted... Get that other guy in Barr's college highlights in purple. When the Vikings did Barr's "effort" dropped... or was it Kendricks just beat him to plays? I think Barr reverted back to letting Eric take care of things. I've heard the elder Kendricks wants out of Philly, I would mind seeing him here, but would that stifle Barr even more? Don't care... get the best players that give 100% here and then put them on the field.I think it was Kendricks who stirred the D last year more than Barr.
Sounds like Barr is owning up to his lack of effort, which is the first step... I hope he gets back to being an impact player every week.
Yup, Kendricks can be disruptive too...I think Barr's ceiling is higher myself.
I think Dulgadd hints at something important - it's how the Vikings decide to use Barr. Not sure some of his ineffectiveness last year traced to dropping back and how he was used?
Is he going to be great in a "typical" lb role? Or does he need to play some kind of hybrid? Would he be best as a rushing OL in a 3/4? I don't know....
Barr says he didnt put enough effort in. The coaching staff says much similar. But Zulgad?! He's leaning towards the coaching staff didn't utilize him wisely enough. Lol... whats the best plan for a guy coming off his worst season who says he wasnt giving it his all? Firing the coaching staff because the guy might try harder for someone else? ... come on now...
@"purplefaithful" said:@"Bezerker88" said: I've said since he was drafted... Get that other guy in Barr's college highlights in purple. When the Vikings did Barr's "effort" dropped... or was it Kendricks just beat him to plays? I think Barr reverted back to letting Eric take care of things. I've heard the elder Kendricks wants out of Philly, I would mind seeing him here, but would that stifle Barr even more? Don't care... get the best players that give 100% here and then put them on the field.I think it was Kendricks who stirred the D last year more than Barr.
Sounds like Barr is owning up to his lack of effort, which is the first step... I hope he gets back to being an impact player every week.
Yup, Kendricks can be disruptive too...I think Barr's ceiling is higher myself.I think Dulgadd hints at something important - it's how the Vikings decide to use Barr. Not sure some of his ineffectiveness last year traced to dropping back and how he was used?
Is he going to be great in a "typical" lb role? Or does he need to play some kind of hybrid? Would he be best as a rushing OL in a 3/4? I don't know....
I think Robinson is going to surprise people this season... long, athletic and rangy. I would pass on Kendrick's bro...As far as Barr, I think we are doing him a disservice by not rushing him more. He's a BEAST. He also can cover, but to get him fully engaged all game we can't just drop him back in coverage all the time like 2016... let him tee up a few QBs like he did Stafford in 2015 and reap the rewards of a 100% effort Barr.
BOOM
@"Wetlander" said:@"purplefaithful" said:@"Bezerker88" said: I've said since he was drafted... Get that other guy in Barr's college highlights in purple. When the Vikings did Barr's "effort" dropped... or was it Kendricks just beat him to plays? I think Barr reverted back to letting Eric take care of things. I've heard the elder Kendricks wants out of Philly, I would mind seeing him here, but would that stifle Barr even more? Don't care... get the best players that give 100% here and then put them on the field.I think it was Kendricks who stirred the D last year more than Barr.
Sounds like Barr is owning up to his lack of effort, which is the first step... I hope he gets back to being an impact player every week.
Yup, Kendricks can be disruptive too...I think Barr's ceiling is higher myself.I think Dulgadd hints at something important - it's how the Vikings decide to use Barr. Not sure some of his ineffectiveness last year traced to dropping back and how he was used?
Is he going to be great in a "typical" lb role? Or does he need to play some kind of hybrid? Would he be best as a rushing OL in a 3/4? I don't know....
I think Robinson is going to surprise people this season... long, athletic and rangy. I would pass on Kendrick's bro...As far as Barr, I think we are doing him a disservice by not rushing him more. He's a BEAST. He also can cover, but to get him fully engaged all game we can't just drop him back in coverage all the time like 2016... let him tee up a few QBs like he did Stafford in 2015 and reap the rewards of a 100% effort Barr.
BOOM
Agree. I think half the teams in the NFL would use him at DE. Coming out, Barr and Doleman were identical in size. Doleman started at linebacker, but put on about 30 lbs and became one of the great pass rushing ends in football.
@"BarrNone55" said: 100% effort at all times is bare minimum requirement...Do you live by that?
It's hard to live up to 100%, when the results not looking good.
@"BlackMagic7" said: Barr says he didnt put enough effort in. The coaching staff says much similar. But Zulgad?! He's leaning towards the coaching staff didn't utilize him wisely enough. Lol... whats the best plan for a guy coming off his worst season who says he wasnt giving it his all? Firing the coaching staff because the guy might try harder for someone else? ... come on now...Or get rid of the guy.
@"BlackMagic7" said: Barr says he didnt put enough effort in. The coaching staff says much similar. But Zulgad?! He's leaning towards the coaching staff didn't utilize him wisely enough. Lol... whats the best plan for a guy coming off his worst season who says he wasnt giving it his all? Firing the coaching staff because the guy might try harder for someone else? ... come on now...My thoughts as well. Barr actually admits to a flaw, the coaches actually pointed it out and zudlag has to find a different reason with which to bash the Vikings.
Listen, if you can't handle some people ripping on a player for coasting that has a history of this which is true for Barr, then what can you rip? Dude needs to play up to his talent level. He's got a front runner mentality. I'm sure the coaches' tape shows some pretty ridiculous half assed efforts on his part. At least make some plays along the way. He was invisible last year.
@"Bolstad79" said:@"BarrNone55" said: 100% effort at all times is bare minimum requirement... Do you live by that?It's hard to live up to 100%, when the results not looking good.
Absolutely. Whether it was amateur cycling (qualified for state my first year competing against guys who had been riding their whole life) or muni league hoops against guy who played in high school or college. Effort is the easiest thing to control.
I think Barrs success as a pass rusher comes from his versatility. He isn't a physically dominating guy, his speed is what allows him to get home on a rush. He is pretty easily blocked when a lineman gets their hands on him as you rarely see him make a play on the QB by getting off a block. I have my doubts that he would make a good 34 DE or any position that requires him to beat a guy heads up.
His ability to be blitzed from a pass coverage position pre snap is his ticket.
But all I know is that side of our front 7 need to get much stronger agaisnt the run. From memory it seems like when teams wanted to run they went that way towards Griff and Barr.
For the most part, I didn't see any team's offense move the ball on this defense until they were worn out from being on the field too long.
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