Richard Seymour sees greatness ahead for Patriots DL Christian Barmore

0


Newly enshrined Pro Football Hall of Famer Richard Seymour sees greatness ahead for Christian Barmore.

For a defensive lineman, if Seymour’s in your corner, there are few better compliments or endorsements.

The Patriots great, a cornerstone of Bill Belichick’s first three Super Bowl defenses, tuned in to watch his former team quite a bit last season. And the Alabama rookie immediately caught his eye.

Barmore posted the second-most quarterback pressures for a first-year defensive tackle since 2006, according to Pro Football Focus. His 48 pressures were two more than Aaron Donald had during his rookie season.

Based on what Seymour has already seen, he believes Barmore is poised to be even more of a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks during his second season.

“I think he has a ton of ability, natural ability, and he plays hard,” Seymour told the Herald recently. “I think he’s going to be a problem for (opposing teams) for a long time to come. Hopefully he stays healthy and continues on the path he’s on. I think he has a really bright future.”

The way Barmore has looked thus far in training camp, Seymour’s take is spot-on. The 2021 second-round pick has been dominant during many of the padded practices witnessed thus far.

Barmore has been a beast in 1-on-1 competitions against the offensive linemen, while he’s also been a huge disruptor in the trenches during team drills. Right now, he oozes the potential to be a bona fide game-wrecker.

The 6-foot-5, 310-pound defensive tackle told the media he’s been doing a lot more cardio work – running and sled work – to get himself in better condition. That bodes well if the Patriots plan on using him as a three-down player.

With the Patriots’ secondary having some questions at cornerback, Barmore’s continued emergence as an interior pass-rusher would go a long way toward helping out the coverage players.

Even though Seymour did most of his damage on the outside as a defensive end, gaining entry into the Hall on Saturday for his overall impact and dominance on three championship teams, he understands what it takes to disrupt, take on double-teams and just be a royal pain to the quarterback from anywhere on the line.

He fully believes Barmore will continue to hone his skills and be a force to be reckoned with this season and beyond.

“He’s long, he’s explosive, he’s strong, he has good lateral movement,” said Seymour. “He can collapse the pocket. He has the ability to overpower a lot of guards that he plays against, and also has the speed to get to the quarterback. I’ve really been impressed by this kid.”

Lofty praise coming from Seymour, a seven-time Pro Bowler, and three-time first-team All-Pro player.

And once again, seeing how Barmore has stood out in camp with his power and first-step explosiveness, shooting by any and all offensive linemen in his path, the bar has been raised significantly for the second-year defensive tackle.

During an interview with SiriusXM’s Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan, who were on hand for Monday’s first padded practice, even Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Barmore was already “way ahead” of where he was last year.

And given how good he looks, how hard he’s worked on his conditioning, Barmore is poised to make a Year 2 leap, and then some.

Said Seymour: “I think he has all the tools in the toolbox to be one of the best interior linemen in the league.”

During the week, Barmore got into some specifics about his offseason routine, and how he’s striving to be the best.

“I was training in Texas in the heat. A lot of running, more of cardio than anything, and a lot of work in footwork drills,” he said Wednesday. “I rode the bike, ran the hill, and did a lot of curve drills like running (through the) bags. Did a lot of suicides. That’s my style.”

Having only played just over 55% of the defensive snaps last year, Belichick wants more from his young lineman. Barmore has done his best to oblige.

“I’m way more comfortable now than how I was last year. Faster … literally getting better every day,” Barmore said. “I feel way more better in my conditioning, I feel like it increased well.”

For him to be more of an every-down defender, though, Barmore needs to do a better job against the run. That’s the one area he’s zeroed in on this year. The Patriots, as a whole, also want to take it up a notch after allowing 126.5 yards per game, 24th in the NFL last season.

“Get better on the run, that’s my No. 1 goal. Literally everywhere I play, dominate the run,” he said. “Playing the stretch (run) better, playing the run a little better, is really my No. 1 goal. Just getting better with playing the run and footwork and everything.”

If Barmore can help seal the middle during running downs, look for him to be an every-down player this season.

Along with Seymour, Patriots Hall of Fame safety Rodney Harrison is another huge fan. He also sees a bright future for the young star.

“I think he’s going to be their best defensive lineman. This kid, he’s big, he’s athletic, and he works hard,” Harrison said when reached recently.  “He’s a grinder. I like Christian Barmore. He was dominant last year.”

Even though Barmore would like to do a better job at finishing off those pressures, and getting the quarterback down, Harrison still sees all of those hurries as a positive.

“You sit back and talk about sacks, but it’s those pressures, those hurries that are so key,” said Harrison. “Even a guy like Maxx Crosby (of the Raiders), he’s not getting to the quarterback in terms of sacks, like T.J. Watt, but he’s constantly getting those pressures, and those things are underrated.”

Pro Football Focus ranked Barmore No. 2 behind Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence as being the mostly likely candidate to make a Year 2 leap.

Of late, it’s hard to find anyone who would argue.

Time to panic?

Spoke with former Patriots offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer, who was at the early practices before the pads came on.

He said he wasn’t necessarily surprised that the Patriots front was having a tougher time adjusting to the new outside zone running scheme.

He said he wouldn’t panic just yet. It takes time, and more padded practices, for the line to get in sync.

(080422 Foxboro, MA):David Andrews and Cole Strange arrive for New England Patriots training camp at Gillette Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022 in Foxboro, MA. (Staff Photo By Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

“The offensive linemen are always behind the defensive line. You really can’t practice the offensive line during the offseason. Until you hit somebody in the mouth, it’s hard to develop that. If you hit a dummy, he’s not going to fight back,” said Vollmer. “They’ll click at some point. They’ll find the groove for the offensive zone (scheme). I mean, if one guy messes up, all of them look bad. The play only works if five guys, plus the tight end or fullback, are in unison. The entire unit needs to gel.

“It’s still early,” he added. “There’s an adjustment period. I think the first preseason game will give you a better look, a better idea.”

The Patriots host the Giants at Gillette on Thursday.

Hoops, anyone?

Interesting to read via the New York Post’s Brian Costello that head coach Robert Saleh had a regulation-size basketball hoop installed in the auditorium where the Jets conduct their team meetings.

Apparently, Saleh is not opposed to players squaring off for free throw shooting contests in and around meeting time.

Saleh told the Post he borrowed the idea from Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, who has had a hoop for shooting contests dating as far back as 1994 when he coached the Jets.

“You’ve got to lighten things up and have a little fun,” Saleh told The Post this week. “It’s something I learned from Pete a long time ago. They’ve got to want to come to team meetings. It can’t be a drag. It can’t be, ‘Oh, here we go again.’ You try to keep it light but at the same time you’re making sure we’re holding each other accountable to the highest standard. You can achieve both and I think Pete has proven that.”

Did Carroll have a hoop when he was at the helm in Foxboro?

Stacey James, Patriots vice president of media relations, didn’t recall Carroll having a full-blown, regulation size hoop inside old Foxboro Stadium given the meeting room was rather small, but did remember him playing basketball daily.

Brissett’s the man

With Deshaun Watson suspended for the first six games – the NFL has filed an appeal in hopes of a greater sentence – former Patriot Jacoby Brissett will take over as the starting quarterback.

Brissett, once called the Pied Piper by former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, said he was up for the challenge.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett runs the offense during the NFL football team's training camp, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Cleveland Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett runs the offense during the NFL football team’s training camp, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022, in Berea, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Richard)

“It feels good that you have that trust amongst the organization,” Brissett said via Cleveland.com. “I’m excited for the opportunity. Extremely confident in myself and my abilities. We’re a long way from Week 1, so just continue to get better.”

Watson had been getting a bulk of the first-team reps, but that scenario is going to change.

“It’s extremely important, obviously, because those are the guys I’ll be with, so just keep taking advantage of those reps,” Brissett said. “We have a plan in place. We believe in the plan and we’re going about it the right way, so when it comes it will come.”

Gilmore impresses

Colts rookie receive Alex Pierce, an undrafted free agent out of Cincinnati, told reporters in Indianapolis he’s learned a ton just going up against former Patriots corner Stephon Gilmore in practice.

His comments had a familiar ring.

“Just running routes, a lot of times he knows what route I’m running before I even run the route just like off splits and how I’m stemming and stuff like that,” said Pierce. “So that’s why I’m always trying to pick his brain and see what he’s seeing. It’s wild, it’s really crazy how smart he is as a player.”

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Stephon Gilmore (5) prepares to practice at the NFL team's football training camp in Westfield, Ind., Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Indianapolis Colts cornerback Stephon Gilmore (5) prepares to practice at the NFL team’s football training camp in Westfield, Ind., Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Gilmore, by the way, blew up the rookie wideout with a hard hit on a crossing route over the middle during one of the early practices.

Pierce, meanwhile, also lauded new Colts quarterback Matt Ryan.

“He treats us all great,” Pierce said of the BC alum. “He’s such a good leader. He’s just a guy you can go to and talk to and he’s very willing to teach you, and he has so much knowledge. He’s a great guy to learn from and he’s willing to help me as a rookie, so I’m really appreciative of that.”

Kraft seizes the moment

Former Patriots long snapper Lonie Paxton, the player who popularized the snow angel celebration in New England, took in Tuesday’s training camp practice. He was headed to Cape Cod for a family vacation, but made a stop in Foxboro en route. Paxton, who lives in San Diego, had his family in tow.

He was thrilled when Patriots owner Robert Kraft stopped by to say hello, and spent time with Paxton and his wife and kids.

“He’s always so good to my family and I,” said Paxton. “Anywhere from ring ceremonies, to practices, to Hall of Fame events, he kind of always remembers something about my mom, and things I did on the field, and as a long snapper, you appreciate that.

“We’re part of the foundation. So it’s always good seeing him.”

Paxton said his kids know Kraft from seeing him on TV in his suite during televised games.

“They knew he’s the big boss,” said Paxton. “They never got to see me play, so when they see an interaction like that, it brings that to reality. They see pictures and videos. But when you get to the relationship side, it really drives it home.”



Source link

Denial of responsibility! Planetconcerns is an automatic aggregator around the global media. All the content are available free on Internet. We have just arranged it in one platform for educational purpose only. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials on our website, please contact us by email – [email protected]. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.

Leave a comment