TAMPA, Fla. _ Coaches talk about the bevy of moves Bucs outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett possesses, how four seasons as an understudy under premier pass rushers in Denver set his foundation. Barrett says it's not just him, that he's the beneficiary of a "perfect storm." His interior linemen are providing pressure up the middle, the secondary takes away passing options and he's just winning his one-on-one matchups.
Regardless, Barrett's first-quarter success this season is remarkable.
"He's a very savvy player," Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles said. "He understands the game really well and he works hard on his technique. ... He has an arsenal and a toolbox that he uses, and he strives to get better every day, and that's just a credit for him."
No player in the NFL is getting to the quarterback with the consistency and precision of Barrett. In fact, since sacks became an official statistic 37 years ago, only three other players have matched Barrett's start of nine sacks through the first four games of the season, and not even Barrett can believe his pace.
"This level is ridiculous," Barrett said with a smile Thursday, the day when he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month. "It's blowing my mind as well. ... It's crazy. It's surreal. But I know that I was able to play and produce, but this level I'm doing it at right now. It's crazy."
Barrett isn't big _ at 6-foot-2, 250 pounds, he's one of the Bucs' smaller edge rushers _ and he's not exceptionally quick either, but Barrett makes up for that in knowing his opponent and how to get past him. He uses his hands well to get leverage, he uses his feet to set up his counter moves. And his body control and quick hips allows him to get under and past larger offensive linemen.
"He's a natural," Bucs outside linebackers coach Larry Foote. "If you've ever seen a basketball player who can weave through the defense, he has that. He has those hips who can bend and can move at the same time. All he needs is a little angle to get to the quarterback, and that's stuff you can't teach or coach, and he's just a natural with it."
Take for example Barrett's biggest play of last week's 55-40 upset road win over the Rams. With the Bucs up by eight inside the game's final two minutes, Barrett lined up on the left side for just the second time that day, but knew that Rams right tackle Rob Havenstein might be susceptible to a spin move.
But it was the way Barrett set up Havenstein up that was special. Lining up just outside the tackle, Barrett took two steps downfield, making a hard plant with his left foot to disguise a move to the outside edge, opening up Havenstein wide. And as the offensive lineman punches, Barrett planted his right foot, spun around him while staying low and found a clear path to Rams quarterback Jared Goff for a strip sack that led to a game-clinching return for a touchdown by Ndamukong Suh.
"I just knew the spin should work at that time, because I hadn't been over there that much," Barrett said. "I knew if I made him think I was going up the field he would punch and that just left the inside move for the spin."
Barrett said he had just two moves coming out of college at Colorado State _ a bull rush and a double swipe _ so he dedicated himself to getting more. Playing with Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and Bradley Chubb in Denver helped, as did his dedication to film study. Barrett said having time to perfect his moves as a rotational pass rusher for those first four years allowed him to have the confidence going into this season. And now he's the one coaches are counting on to show others.
"(It's) like a guy getting out of jail after 25 years," Foote said. "He's been a backup behind some No. 1 picks. He's definitely fresh and he's ready to show this league what he's capable of doing if he's a full-time starter. ... There's stuff I can't even teach or try to tell them. I put him and (outside linebacker Devante) Bond together and I told him, 'Show him these moves.' He's been around a lot of greats, some great guys to study underneath, so he knows there's a science. He knows there's a chess match. He knows the one-on-one with the tackles, and he's doing a great job of setting them up."
And Barrett loves the chess match. He wants to set up a tackle and keep him guessing. In Week 2, he logged three sacks in the Bucs' road win over the Carolina Panthers.
On one sack, he pinned left tackle Darrell Williams' left arm down with his left arm, then did the same with his right hand for his second sack, then just bull rushed Williams into the backfield for his third sack. In Barrett's four-sack game against the Giants the next week, he used four different ways to find quarterback Daniel Jones.
"It just be a feel," Barrett said. "I be setting up stuff in a game. I have a lot of moves, but winning on them is a different story. You actually have to set them up to get the move going. Like the third or fourth quarter, I'm like, 'Coach, I've got two moves I've been saving all game," against the Giants. ... I've got a pretty good amount of moves, so I've just got to use them at the right time to set them up."
