About a month ago third-year linebacker Derrick Barnes took a lot of criticism for a missed tackle on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott that would have been a safety but instead turned into a 92-yard touchdown in a one-point loss to the Cowboys Week 17.
Fast forward four weeks and Barnes was all smiles following Detroit’s win over Tampa Bay Sunday after securing the game-winning interception with one minute and 39 seconds left. He also chipped in four tackles in the game.
“Yeah, I’m proud of Derrick,” Campbell said. “Derrick, he’s one of our guys that we drafted in the first year here and he was a later bloom, later bloomer guy. It took him a little bit and then he really came on this season and he’s playing at a high level.
“One of the biggest areas he’s grown at, not only just being able to up his level of play on defense, but his psyche. Something bad happens, something doesn’t quite go the way you want it to, man, he’s able to bounce back in a big way and it doesn’t affect him negatively. Man, he just – he keeps going. That’s where I feel the most growth and it’s why he’s playing at a high level. But that was a – what a huge play.”
