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Sorenson talks with Barner (who was just a little sore today is all)

top dawg

By top dawg,
in Carolina Panthers

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top dawg Grand Master

top dawg

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Well, as we all know by now, Kenjon Barner bulked up a little bit over the summer.  I must say that I was surprised he was at 180 pounds last year.  At least he had the sense to realize that he was a little bit light in the ass for an NFL running back.

Last October the Panthers played Tampa Bay and Barner got his first NFL carry. He avoided 6-1, 233-pound linebacker Lavonte David and took on 6-2, 213-pound safety Mark Barron.
 
“Barron met me in the hole,” says Barner. “And I thought, ‘Oh, I need to gain some weight.’ ”
 

 

 

Per Tom Sorenson's latest, Garner put on 14 pounds (though I believe that he tweeted 198).  In any event, Barner made it his mission to bulk up, but it's a struggle for him being that he has a very high metabolism as Sorenson reports.
 
Barner feels that the weight has made him more explosive, even noting that he made a good accounting of himself during camp in a collision with Luke ("quietly noting", that is...LOL). 

“I tried Luke (Kuechly) in practice,” says Barner. “I met him in the hole and I was kind of happy with the outcome. I didn’t obviously run him over or anything, but I was OK with it.”
 
Barner talks quietly as he describes the collision. Kuechly is at the next table.

 

 

 
Barner didn't know much about pass protection as a rookie, but apparently he has been making strides in that department as well, as Rivera gave him a little praise.  One thing that none of us probably knew is that Jonathan Stewart gave him a crash course in blocking...at the club.

“People don’t believe me when I say Jonathan taught me part of our key protection in a night club,” says Barner.
 
Stewart and Barner did not go to the lounge to talk about how best to thwart a blitzing safety.
 
But starter DeAngelo Williams was injured, which meant Barner could play. Stewart asked Barner if he was ready. Barner said he didn’t know key protection.
 
“So Jonathan started taking glasses and putting them on the table in a defensive formation, a 3-4 or a 4-down front,” says Barner. “He was grabbing empty glasses. Here’s the offensive line, the tailback, the quarterback.”
 
While the rest of the patrons undoubtedly drank from paper cups, Stewart taught Barner protection concepts.

 

 

 
I wish that I could have been a fly on the wall for that lesson. It's nice to know that Barner has made a leap in protection because most have not been reporting on Barner, much less his improvement in the trenches (so, kudos to Sorenson). It's not only way too early to forget Barner, but also to write him off.
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caatfan Newbie

caatfan

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Hmmm... Doesn't know a lot about pass protection but has time to go out clubbing?

Sent from my iPhone using CarolinaHuddle

Well at least it was during his rookie season. He was probably busy trying to figure out how to avoid getting knocked down by a strong breeze. 

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