Brian Barnes wants the same thing the Giants want from him in the long run.
“Stability and security,” the linebacker said during the team’s training camp session Sunday.
The 26-year-old Barnes earned himself the richest contract in franchise history for a defenseman (five years, $141.5 million), but the Giants weren’t going to stay up until 3 a.m. the night before the trade regretting his signing or continuing the cycle of big-money-contract disappointment.
The sixth-year player said he saw the trade happen on “Hard Knocks” and felt it was an “interesting side” to the story he went through.
He also seems to realize that Joe Sean wants to prove that signing Barnes was a better decision than their other move of re-signing Daniel Jones in Year 3.
So far, both sides seem happy with how things are going and expect their expectations to be met.
Much of that sense of relief for the Giants came from watching the intense competition between Barnes and Andrew Thomas during training camp, which led to the rare occurrence of an offensive lineman missing a practice repetition.
“You say that a lot as a coaching staff when you’re watching,” head coach Brian Daboll said of Thomas being tested by Barnes. “It was a fun game to watch. Those two guys went against each other and made each other better. They’re both really good football players, so I think that helps us as a team.”
When asked about this rare occurrence, Burns quickly responded, “Did I tell you that never happens?”
“It’s a constant battle between me and him. I’m open to the opportunity…” Barnes continued. “Since he came back, [from missing some time during OTAs]”I was on his side. We can definitely lift each other up. He pissed me off a little bit today. He beat me today. So it’s going to be a battle tomorrow. We’ve got to get it back.”
Outside of Thomas, Barnes and his fellow linebackers are adapting to defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s scheme.
There will be no need for the Giants to blitz like they have become accustomed to in past years, instead placing more responsibility on the front four to apply pressure without the need for additional personnel.
“I take it seriously,” Barnes said of his role. “That being said, we had too many quarterback scrambles today. I thought we didn’t maintain a tight enough pocket today. It’s still early days. We’re still learning how to rush each other, so it’s going to take time, but we’re going to get better every day. I take it seriously, and it’s going to be a big load on our team, but I think we have the guys that can handle it.”
Barnes, who was acquired from the Panthers on March 13, totaled eight sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 16 games last season.
