Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/121281
whom Barnes��� mom calls ���that crazy weightlifting coach.��� Barnes also has been spending a lot of time with defensive line coach Larry Johnson, working on bag drills, hand placement and hip technique. The rising sophomore was dissatisfied with his performance against the run last season, so he and Johnson have been trying different ways to enhance that aspect of his game. ���At certain times when I���d get slant [blocked], I���d get my hips pushed down and it would create bigger holes,��� Barnes said. ���Teams would run at me, line up the tight end and tackles on me. I don���t want that to be a weakness where other teams say, ���We���re going to run at No. 18. He���s a pass rusher. He can���t stop the run.��� So I think I���m doing a better job now.��� Johnson pointed out his tendencies during some off-season film sessions, and the two have been working to address them during spring drills. Even when Johnson isn���t CLOSE CALL around, Barnes is Jones is eager watching film. As an off-the-edge to make more speed rusher during his first season, Barnes caught offensive linemen off guard because they weren���t sure how to prepare for him. He led the Nittany Lions in sacks, but in watching film of his performances last season, Barnes said he noticed at least four chances for additional sacks. ���I think I could have had plus-10,��� he said. ���I missed a lot. I���d either get shook by the quarterback, slip or something like that ��� little things like slipping and then the quarterback would run around me.��� Barnes specifically points to two misses against Temple, another at Iowa and one more vs. Ohio State. There���s nothing he can do about those misses big plays as a senior. ���What we always say is to play within the framework of the defense,��� he said, explaining that his goal is to ���do my job first and then make a play. That���s something I���m working on going into the season.��� Jones played behind Still during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, finishing with six tackles the first year and eight the second. He was playing a crucial role in the four-man rotation that Johnson likes to use at the defensive tackle spots, but he was seeing relatively few snaps during the course of each game. But last year he took over the starting position, and while his workload increased dramatically, his production did not keep pace. Jones ended his junior season with 22 tackles, two tackles for loss and only half a sack and came away from the experience feeling as though he hadn���t adequately prepared himself for Steve Manuel the toll that the starting job would take on his body. ���It was my first time ever starting, and going from 10 plays to 60 plays in a game is a big jump,��� he said. ���I think my body wasn���t as physically prepared as I wanted it to be. That���s why this off-season, I���m trying so hard to really get my body in the right condition.��� Jones began spring practice at 333 pounds, which was not where he wanted to be. As of late March, he was fluctuating between 325 and 320 pounds and was hoping to get down to about 315 by the end of spring drills. By the time the regular season arrives, he wants to be at about 310 pounds. If all goes to plan, Jones will be the productive senior leader along the defensive line that head coach Bill O���Brien is hoping for. ���We think he���s a really good player, and we think he���s had a really good off-season and he���s in good shape. He���s strong,��� O���Brien said. ���We���re going to have to monitor his reps this spring because he���s played a lot of football here at Penn State. But we really have high expectations for him going into next year.��� Hoping to meet or exceed those expectations, Jones continues to study and dissect his play from the 2012 season. He���s looking to figure out not only where things went wrong, but also how to fix them this time around. ���I���m just watching film, studying myself and studying other teams so that when I go against them, I know them like the back of my hands,��� he said. ���That���s all I���ve been doing all off-season ��� watching film and just preparing myself mentally for that challenge.���