Allen Park — To understand the value of Alex Anzalone, you can’t only watch what he does.
In a room last season with a rookie sixth-round pick in Malcolm Rodriguez, second-year pro Derrick Barnes and a handful of bargain bin players at the position, you must also watch what his fellow linebackers were — and weren’t — doing, Lions linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard said.
“That’s the thing that’s hard to see on tape, (for) people to actually weigh out how valuable it is — until 34 isn’t out there. And then it’s a drastic (change) — or it was, I’ll say, because Derrick Barnes, Malcolm, they’ve taken that next step to where we’re not like, ‘Oh,’ in a panic, because Alex needs to tie his shoes on a play,” Sheppard said.
Anzalone originally signed with the Lions in 2021 after spending the first four years of his career in New Orleans. With Detroit, he’s blossomed from a fringe starter into a guy who this past offseason signed a three-year deal worth $18.75 million while coming off a year that saw him make 125 tackles — most on the team by a whopping 29 tackles (DeShon Elliott was second with 96).
But it’s not sheer production that earned him that cash.
“Now, other people can make the calls…but the value that Alex has, it’s almost like having an assistant coach on the field. He’s gotten to the point where he knows what I’m thinking,” Sheppard said. “It’s like he does bad things or something that Coach Shep doesn’t approve of, it’s like he gets to me before I can get to him.”
In a room with so many young players — including another rookie, first-rounder Jack Campbell — that leadership should prove invaluable come fall.
“Man, I’m so literally thrilled to have (Anzalone) back and the multiple things he can do for our defense,” Sheppard said.
Houston staying grounded
Despite coming off an earth-shattering rookie season that saw him break multiple NFL records, Sheppard gave edge rusher James Houston “that look” when the topic of whether he should be at rookie minicamp was brought up.
“He’s definitely making strides and I’m proud of him. … He knew what that look meant and you see him here,” Sheppard said. “He’s ready to work.”
While Houston was certainly impressive in Year 1, Sheppard’s desire to keep him working with the team was rooted more in the fact that it took him so long to see the field last year.
“Everyone knows what James is capable of doing athletically, but when you get out there with those other 10 men, it’s a lot more than just athletic ability,” Sheppard said. “It’s buying in, doing things within the framework of the scheme, and that’s kind of the things we’ve been working on with him over the course of the offseason.
“You’re not just going after the quarterback. This is an actual play where you have actual responsibilities. So, just making sure he hones in on the little things, because James is a very heady player actually. It’s just him honing in on the details, the little nuances with the scheme.”
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @nolanbianchi