Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer didn’t hold back when asked how third-year linebacker Anthony Barr could be better this season.
“He can do a lot better,” Zimmer said Monday. When asked what areas of Barr’s game need to improve, Zimmer replied, “All.”
According to the Vikings, Barr had 54 solo tackles and 68 total tackles in 14 games last season. This year he has just 33 solo tackles and 54 total tackles. Barr’s impact plays are down this year, too. He finished the 2015 season with 3 forced fumbles, 1 interception, 7 passes defensed and 3.5 sacks. This season he has 1 forced fumble, zero interceptions, 4 passes defensed and 2 sacks.
Even more alarming is that Barr is rated the 84th out of 91 outside linebackers in a 4-3 base defense. He has No. 1 in that same ranking last season, according to Chris Tomasson.
After being rated NFL top outside linebacker in a 4-3 scheme last year by Pro Football Focus, #Vikings Anthony Barr 84th of 91 this season.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) December 20, 2016
Remember when Anthony Barr was one of the top outside linebackers in the NFL and a 38-year-old cornerback wasn't a better tackler than him
— Arif Hasan, but NFL 🏈 (@ArifHasanNFL) December 11, 2016
One area where Barr has been better than last season is durability. Going into last Sunday’s game against the Colts, Barr had played in all but six defensive plays this season, according to Vikings.com.
“That was definitely a goal of mine coming into this season, to be as healthy as possible,” Barr told Vikings.com. “The most important ability is availability, so that’s what I’ve tried to do.”
