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Kevin Barnes |
Spencer: Are you participating in the defensive back drills outside?
Barnes: Yeah, I’ll be doing the drills outside.
Spencer: What would you say the strongest aspect of your game is?
Barnes: A lot of guys look at tall corners and say they’re not agile, they can’t move like the little guys. I feel like I’m a tall guy and I can move like those small guys. Even better in most cases, so I feel that’s my strong point.
Spencer: Which coverage are you strongest with?
Barnes: It doesn’t matter. Throughout my career, I’ve had three different defenses here, two different coordinators, three different DB coaches. We’ve done it all so I feel like whatever situation, I feel like I’m good there.
Spencer: Which of those do you prefer?
Barnes: I like Cover 1, honestly. Cover 1-off, so I can see what the quarterback’s doing and see what the receiver wants to do. I mean, I guess in Cover 1 it’s all on you, so you can’t blame anybody but yourself.
Spencer: Any parts of your game you'd like to improve upon?
Barnes: I guess being a more sure-tackler. Sometimes I go after the big hit and I might make contact but not bring them down necessarily. But I feel like I should focus on being a more solid tackler.
Spencer: Where do you think you'll be drafted?
Barnes: I’m hearing late second, early third, but I’m hoping to go on the first day.
Spencer: Any particular teams showing more interest than others?
Barnes: I’ve probably talked to every team at least twice in Indy, so I don’t know the exact day that they’ll be calling my name.
Spencer: Are there any particular defensive systems out there you'd like to play in?
Barnes: Just an aggressive defense. I’m not gonna say any teams, but I’ll say an aggressive defense.
Spencer: After Malcolm Jenkins mentioned in an interview he'd like to play in Baltimore, and with you having the Maryland connection, I thought you might throw that name out there, too.
Barnes: I mean, I’d definitely love to play with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. I’ve love to play with Ed Reed. I just want to play with an aggressive defense.
Spencer: Do you think you can play special teams?
Barnes: Oh yeah. I’ve played special teams every year since I’ve been here and even when I’ve started, I’ve played special teams. I know that’s how you go get on the field in the pros, so I expect to do it.
Spencer: What was your major here?
Barnes: Sociology.
Spencer: What can you see yourself doing after you're finished playing football?
Barnes: I really don’t know. I’ve been doing this seventeen, eighteen years now, so I’ll worry about what I’ll do afterwards once I finish football.
Spencer: Is there a particular play, game or moment that you feel defines you as a football player?
Barnes: I wouldn’t say it defined me as a player, but I’d say a lot of guys critiqued me as being a physical player over the years. So when that Cal game came, I hit the guy and he threw up on the field, which I’ve never seen before, and many haven’t seen before, I feel like, okay, I can do this right here.
Spencer: Did you feel a little bad about that?
Barnes: I actually didn’t know until after the game. It was two days before my birthday and after the game I probably had two hundred text messages telling me what happened. I didn’t know what happened. And then a guy showed me a clip on YouTube of the guy throwing up.
Spencer: It seems like you became a bit of a "YouTube sensation." Today it seems videos like that get around the web rather quickly and your name was all over the place. Do you think that has any affect on your draft stock at all?
Barnes: I guess a few position coaches have seen it and scouts had mentioned it. I don’t know if you could see it on the actual game film, or if the teams watched the actual play. I don’t know. I don’t know if Gms have been on YouTube and have seen it or not.
Spencer: Thanks a lot for your time Kevin. Good luck in the drills today and best of luck on draft day!