Tony Cutillo
We all knew it was coming. We have been setting ourselves up for this moment for months. Along the way, we consistently heard names like Davis, Williams, McCaffery, and Cook. However, when the Eagles’ pick was handed in last night, none of those guys were announced. Instead, it was the name of Derek Barnett who could be heard over the compilation of “What?” mired in confusion that continued to make Roger Goodell’s hair blow over on the Art Museum steps. Barnett was the high character guy the Eagles will always covet, and a player without much baggage. Wasn’t that what we all wanted?
I have to admit that my first reaction was – and still is – that I hate the pick. Before you give me the typical ingestion of clueless chants, give me a second to explain. This reaction has nothing to do with Barnett the player, but instead all to do with who was still on the board. In 1999, we didn’t boo Donovan McNabb, we booed the pick. Everyone wanted Ricky Williams, and when it was apparent that he would not be coming to Philadelphia, the Eagles’ faithful let loose. Therefore, whoever would have been selected with that pick would have gotten the same business. In the same token, Barnett gives me that same vibe.
At a moment in the draft where so many talented players were still available, the Eagles flipped the script and went with a defensive end. On a day that saw the top cornerback in the draft in Gareon Conley basically expunged from all allegations and an offensively gifted tight end in Howard that can run any route, picking a DE didn’t breathe excitement. So again, I hated the pick, not the player.
On a lighter note, the player himself brings with him great maturity and showed in his letter below why he gets the game. Even though his talent may be questioned at the NFL level, it’s nice to hear an athlete speak with so much candor. Read his letter below from The Players’ Tribune and judge for yourself:
Dear NFL GMs and Coaches,
I’m writing to express my interest in becoming your next dominant football player.
I’m not one to tout my own accomplishments. It’s not really in my nature. But I also understand that this is a time when I should be open about what I’ve done in the past and what I plan to do in the future.
When I’m selected in the upcoming draft, I’m pretty sure I know what the guys on TV are going to say: “This is the kid who broke Reggie White’s all-time sack record at Tennessee.”
That’s true. That’s something I did, and it’s something I’m very proud of.
But one thing I want to make clear is that breaking that record was never a goal of mine. It wasn’t what motivated me or what I had set out to accomplish before I enrolled at Tennessee. Instead, it was a by-product.
It was the by-product of countless hours spent studying offensive linemen. It was the by-product of coaches taking the time to help me develop my physical gifts. And it was the by-product of my teammates doing their job very well so that I could do mine.
Achieving that sack record definitely meant a lot to me, but I would have traded it away in a heartbeat to have won a championship while I was in college. So understand that even though I’ve achieved some noteworthy things and won some individual awards, they are not what drives me.
I want to lead a defense. I want to be an important part of a winning team.
I want to win a Super Bowl.
I’m sure you’ve heard from plenty of players who talked about the work they’d put into developing their craft. I understand that working hard is the very minimum of what you need to do in order to make it at this level. I want to tell you about the person who really taught me what it means to give everything to your profession: my mom.
She’s my best friend and my inspiration. All throughout my childhood, I watched her come home from work only so she could change and go to another job. She’s worked her entire life — sometimes three jobs at once — just so I could one day be in a position to write you this letter today.
When I make it to the NFL, she knows that I’ll be able to take care of her. She deserves for me to take care of her. But she doesn’t want that. She’s already told me that she’s going to keep her same job at the UPS warehouse — on her feet, sweating, sorting packages on a tight deadline — even after I make it to the league.
Working hard is not optional — it’s in my DNA.
I’m proud of the fact that I’m not a player who suddenly burst on the scene late in my college career. Since I arrived at Tennessee, I’ve produced consistently every single year. But that doesn’t mean I’m the same player I was as a freshman. Not even close.
I was really lucky at Tennessee to learn from a bunch of remarkable coaches, including Steve Stripling. Every day Coach Stripling had us working on our hands at the point of contact and how we anticipate the snap. I’ll you what, he was hard on me. From the very first day I arrived on campus, he was on me to refine whatever physical talents I had so that I could become a well-rounded football player.
He taught me that the game doesn’t start when the whistle blows. It begins the week before, when you’re studying your opponent. You put in that work so that when the ball is snapped you’re able to use your instincts to make the best decisions possible.
My freshman year, I played every down like my hair was on fire. But by the time I was a junior, the game had finally started to slow down for me. That’s what preparation does. That showed me that I was ready for this next challenge.
I’m not scared of the tougher level of competition. I’ve spent the past three seasons playing in the best conference in college football, and I was able to find success even when teams tried everything they could to take me out of games.
I’m not scared of the big stage. I know what it’s like to play in a stadium where you can’t hear the person next to you. I know what it’s like to line up across from a player who is just as physically gifted as me — and know that I can beat him using my superior technique.
I know there’s still so much work to be done, but I also think that I’ve only scratched the surface of my potential.
Right now, you might know me as the kid who broke Reggie White’s sack record at Tennessee, but that’s not the only thing I’m going to be remembered for by the time I leave this game.
I promise you that.
Sincerely,
Derek Barnett
As you can see ,this kid gets it and hopefully his talents translate to the NFL game. He has a ton of potential and showed he can get after the quarterback in college. Only time will tell.
As always you can stop by my Facebook page (FantasySportsAddiction) or tweet me (@TCutillo23) for questions or some nice fantasy debates. I can also be heard weekly via the internet stream live at WengRadio every Monday at 4:00pm EST for a weekend sports wrap. But most importantly, you can catch me here at Pi!
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