The Guy with the Trojan Tattoo; Joe Barry

I asked Rams head coach Sean McVay at the end of a press conference recently, "Hey Sean, what do you think of Joe Barry's tattoo?"

He paused, smiled, and answered, "No comment."

Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers Coach Joe Barry and his tattoo joined the Rams after the 2016 season along with Sean McVay, when McVay was hired as the Rams Head Coach. While "Joe B" is hard to miss with what McVay describes as "consistent energy around the building," it's also hard to miss the USC mascot -- a Trojan -- smack in the middle of Barry's left leg.

Prior to the Rams, McVay was the offensive coordinator and Barry the defensive coordinator for the Washington Football Team.

"You work very closely with your entire staff," Barry explained, "but when you are coordinators, especially like in the offseason and OTAs and Training Camp, you're working against each other, preparing against each other. You build up a pretty close relationship."

Barry said about a month into working with McVay in Washington, he knew McVay was going to be a head coach. He recalled the early morning phone call from McVay after he interviewed with the Rams. "My phone rang early in DC and Sean was out here [in Los Angeles] and he called me. He's like, 'Dude, I'm getting this LA job.' And he's like, 'I want you to come with me.'"

You could say these two go way back.

But even further back, in 1992, while playing football for the University of Southern California, Joe Barry and a couple of his teammates decided to get tattoos on the iconic Sunset Boulevard at a tattoo parlor named Sunset Tattoo.

"It was like six or seven o'clock in the evening. I was stone cold sober. A couple guys got like block S-C's." Barry described the Southern California letter design and added, "I wanted the Trojan."

Barry played inside linebacker for two years at USC from 1992 to 1993 after transferring from Michigan. He then joined USC Football's coaching staff as a video coordinator for one year and graduate assistant for another. He returned in 2010 as the linebackers coach under head coach Lane Kiffin.

USC has always been a special part of Barry's football career, and since 1992 it's been a special part of his left leg as well.

"I was actually pissed because I wanted it down, underneath my sock line so when I wore socks, I could actually hide it." Barry said when he was getting the tattoo, he was facing away. "I had to like, stick my leg out to get it done. The dude was like 15 minutes into it and I looked back and I was like, dude, that's not where I freaking said I wanted it. I wanted it lower."

But at that point it was too late.

"I wasn't paying attention, and, you know, it's basically in between my knee and my ankle bone." Barry said.

The tattoo is in the middle of Barry's left calf and it can't be hidden unless he wears pants. But Barry says he actually doesn't mind its position on his leg now. "It's kind of worked out that it's always visible, so it's kind of cool."

Much like his tattoo, Barry is always visible and in the middle of everything.

And it's not necessarily easy to stand out. McVay has said there is a "great energy" about this coaching staff. Before practice and during team warmups, you can catch running backs coach Thomas Brown "out there wheeling and dealing" on a knee walker, after rupturing his Achilles tendon. Offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell gives us a glimpse of his glory days as a quarterback, throwing the football around with other coaches. Cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant will dance to pretty much any song that comes on over the speakers to keep the energy high. And then there is Barry, right in thick of it, warming up with the team. The only way you'd miss him on the field is if you confuse him for a player.

"He's a huge part of the fabric of the team and the culture of the team," linebacker Micah Kiser said. "In the NFL, with the way rosters are always moving, he is a person that values knowing every guy on the team's name. Whether you're Jared Goff to the last guy on the practice squad, he's able to call you by your name."

Not every NFL team has an assistant head coach. McVay trusted Barry with this role and asked him to wear multiple hats.

"[I'm] able to lean on him," McVay said, "and [he helps make] a lot of the decisions that are important. You truly do lean on him as an assistant head coach and I feel very fortunate to work with Joe. He brings it every single day."

As the saying goes, "There are Trojans, and then there's everybody else."

"Joe is one of those guys you always feel better after you talk to," McVay emphasized. "Joe is very special to us."

"He always got some fresh kicks on his feet, too." Aaron Donald says, "But you know Joe B is a good guy and a great coach. Happy to be working with him."

So while some players, like former UCLA Bruin and current Rams linebacker Kenny Young, joke that he's "tired of hearing Joe B talk about those damn Trojans," there is an appreciation for the fifty-year-old coach who calls everyone "stud."

Four years after getting that call from McVay, Barry is "still rolling".

"We came here with the goal in mind to win a world title." So, while Barry has no plans to leave the Rams anytime soon, the guy with the Trojan tattoo may head back to the tattoo parlor soon. Not for a new tattoo, but because the 1992 ink "looks terrible right now. I actually probably need to get it touched up."

Me I'm just thinking, Glad to know our Rams ain't gonna finish last in the Nfc.

I thought it was a federation TIE fighter

Niners are done going to New Orleans next. Even though we have a short week before playing them and they have a bye, we will beat them. They're done without Jimmy.

Falcons/Panthers - done

Lions/Vikings - done

NFC East - done

There are 16 teams in the NFC, and I'm comfortable saying 8 of them are not in the playoff picture - just leave us and the Bears, who we already beat

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I don't think Mcvay was using the word maturing in the sense of he was acting like a porkchop. I think he meant it in the sense of picking up the blocking scheme.

.

Kind of hard to use play action or use a RB to block with an empty backfield.

Or hmm go with an extra blocker, tackle eligble use an extra lineman as a TE, other teams have done it.

Isn't this the same guy who has Antonio Brown on his team after he went public saying he wasn't a fit? Yeah, I think I'll shrug off whatever this moron thinks.

nighttrain said:

we're human

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Speak for yourself!

AD99, so consistent, he's on this video every week.

The funny thing is that the best record in the NFC is 6-1 Seattle and they are at Buffalo and then at our house. Second best records are tied at 6-2 (TB, GB) , then its AZ and NO at 5-2 and then us and CHI at 5-3. We are only 1.5 games out of the #1 seed. Its anyones guess right now who the best team is. I thought Tampa was until they played poorly on Mon. night and confirmed they are very mediocre on the road. Its a very tight conference. We pissed the bed 3 times and are still right in the mix. We just need to shore up some things and get hot at the right time. I’d rather be hot to end the year rather in the beginning.

Dz1 said:

If you're posting about the Matrix, John Wick Reeves, O Hell he makes mucho money, millions and millions, But.

Dude has donated over 75 million to PETA and a Cancer for Kids Group. Props to Him.

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Ehhh.
That doesn’t do anything for me.
I once split a cinnamon roll (well.....60-40) with a homeless guy.
#notallheroeswearcapes

Q729 said:

An optimist sees a trash can half empty.

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That is blatant interference.

You can't hit the receiver before the ball gets there.

Psycho_X said:

So if we're not going to get better than what we'll get with comp pick than why bother? Depth is important and maybe he has to step in for an injured player for a few games or longer and puts up good numbers that earns him a bigger contract in offseason and gets us a better comp pick? Trading away players for 3rd day draft picks when we might need down the stretch doesn't seem worth it.

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Its moot now but I would have rather taken a 5th in 2021 instead of hoping for the same in 2022.
Heck you could get a draft pick and they re-sign the guy in the winter....

so what good is having a 4.2 speedster if he has bad hands and runs bad routes.If the ball is there,he might or might not be there,or might/might not catch it.

Juggs said:

Anyone watch this?

I used to watch it religiously, but Kyle Brandt has made it unbearable for me. Ive never hated someone on a sports show so much and that beats out my Max Kellerman hatred from Best Damn Sports Show Period...and thats saying something.

He's like an ADD kid on a sugar high. Simply cannot stand it.

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Are you talking about the Kay Adams show? Who is this Kyle person you speak of

McVay blew this one. He has to keep his ego in check. Rams led 7-0 against a first time starting QB. Run it down ther throat and let your excellent D stop the rookie.
Before the Rams turned the ball over the first time, I was thinking as long as the Rams don't blow it, the game is in the bag.
Rams (McVay) should have made the game about the rookie QB against the Rams D. Instead, the Rams got sucked into a game of Rams O against an aggressive D.
Wrong approach to the game. Avoid turnovers, Rams win. As simple as that.

PhillyRam said:

I am beginning to think Jefferson may have been a mistake considering they decuded to? Xtend Kupp & Woods.

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I suspect they're having issues with guys not lining up right (you see it pre-snap across multiple games with Everett and the RBs) and knowing their assignments. Snead talked about how the offense has grown, McVay has built upon things and it's gotta be tough for the young guys.

So installing another rookie over a vet who knows the drill like Reynolds is probably hard for them to accept. Whereas we as fans only see Jefferson's routes and want to see him in there. I'm sure the staff wants Van in there too they just see it deeper and know more what these guys have mastery of and what they need to work on.

This is where the high expectations are so important on McVay's part IMO. This offense isn't there yet but with him running the show the players will be pushed and pushed some more to meet it. And at some point we're going to get a boost from both Jefferson and Akers.

Psycho_X said:

I stopped at Fisherball. Seriously, some of you need to just stop watching the Rams the rest of the year and when a new game comes up just watch a game from the 2016 season as punishment for your crimes. And if that doesn't convince you just start working your way back in time. You have a good decade worth of football to watch before McVay was here to get you some perspective.

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P.O.T.M.

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For the most part this season, the Los Angeles Rams offense has remained fairly well-balanced. Through the first seven games of the season, Jared Goff never attempted more than 38 passes in a game. The Rams were running the ball more than just about every team in the NFL, and were doing so successfully with Darrell Henderson leading the charge.

Then Week 8 hit and that balance went out the window. Sean McVay went back to his old ways of leaning heavily on the arm of his quarterback, which got the Rams in trouble often last season. Goff threw the ball 61 times against the Dolphins, with the Rams running it 29 times. Now, 29 rush attempts still seems like a lot, but considering they got off 92 plays, the balance simply wasn’t there.

And when looking at the team they were facing, there’s no reason the Rams should’ve thrown the ball 61 times.

Coming into Sunday’s matchup, the Dolphins ranked 30th in yards per carry allowed. They were giving up 5.0 yards per rush attempt, getting gashed regularly on the ground. The strength of Miami’s defense is in the secondary where Byron Jones and Xavien Howard comprise arguably the best cornerback tandem in the NFL, both ranking in the top 11 in completion percentage allowed. Add in the fact that the Dolphins blitz the fifth-most in the NFL, and all signs pointed to this game being a ground-and-pound effort by the Rams. But again, McVay had other plans.

It’s easy to say, “But the Rams were down by 21 points in the first half.” Well, it was the passing game that dug them that hole, with Goff committing four turnovers on plays where he was under pressure almost immediately. And it’s not as if the Rams weren’t having success on the ground. Henderson was averaging 5.9 yards per carry before getting injured. Malcolm Brown had 40 yards on 10 attempts, and Cam Akers looked good on his nine carries for 35 yards.

What made matters worse was how quickly McVay abandoned the run after it seemed to get going. Henderson opened the game with back-to-back carries of 4 yards. After that, McVay called three straight passes, all of which fell incomplete. On the third drive, Henderson gained 18 yards on the first play. He didn’t touch the ball again on that possession. Brown took over and had a 6-yard run on first down, but McVay once again called two straight passing plays that both fell incomplete and ended the drive.

There were only four instances where the Rams ran the ball on back-to-back plays. And each of those times, Henderson or Akers kept the offense ahead of the sticks with runs of at least 4 yards every time. Henderson had back-to-back runs of 4 yards to open the game. Later on in the first, he had runs of 4 yards and 7 yards on consecutive plays. In the second quarter, Akers had consecutive runs of 10 yards and 5 yards, then in the fourth quarter, he went for 4 yards and 5 yards on back-to-back plays, which was followed by a 2-yard run on third-and-1.

Again, you could say the Rams were playing from behind for most of the game, but had they stuck with the run early on instead of trusting Goff to beat zero-coverage blitzes every time, they probably wouldn’t have dug such a deep hole.McVay’s refusal to trust the running game has become a gripe of Rams fans everywhere, especially given how well the team has run the ball this season. Early in the season, it looked like the ground game would be their identity. But recently, he’s abandoned the rushing attack and once again gotten off-balance.

Hopefully he recognizes this trend during the Week 9 bye.

OnceARam said:

It was also 160 degrees on the sideline during the first half.

Just saying...

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All the more reason to run the ball down their throats...

This pandemic season, with the schedule shuffling... it probably makes sense.

It might offset the “unfairness” caused by the rescheduling that is simply required for the season to work.

So far, the unfairness doesn’t appear too bad... but when it comes down to making the playoffs, one game is a big deal.

It might make sense to insert this change proactively.

With bye week at midpoint of season, Rams get time to reflect and prepare for crucial stretch

Similar to last year, the bye week falls right at the halfway point of the 2020 season for the Rams.
A 5-3 through the first eight games provides confidence, but they also recognize that there's still room to improve as the second half of the season approaches.

"We've got some time to reflect, get away from it, come back," Rams quarterback Jared Goff said during his postgame video conference. "We're 5-3, we're right in it. We've got to win some games though. Got some gritty games coming up and we'll be ready."

From wide receiver Robert Woods' perspective, the common thread between Los Angeles' wins and losses in the first half of the season was the offense's ability to get off to fast starts and sustain that tempo throughout the game.

In the their first four wins, the Rams scored a touchdown on their first offensive possession in each game, averaging 8.5 plays and 4.5 minutes on each of those possessions. Their fifth win – Week 7 against the Bears – was an exception; however, they bounced back and mounted a five-play, 2.5-minute, touchdown-scoring drive on their second offensive series.

In their first two losses, the Rams didn't score until the second quarter. In their third loss, a sack-fumble by defensive lineman Aaron Donald set up a three-play, 15-yard touchdown-scoring drive, but the Rams' own turnovers made it difficult to replicate that success.

"I've been saying the same thing for a while now, got to start fast and play consistent throughout the whole game," Woods said during his postgame press conference. "You see our defense playing and play well. It's really just playing consistent, starting fast."

Week 8 aside, the Rams have otherwise been able to overcome deficits and slow starts thanks to the performance of their defense after halftime.

The Rams' defense has allowed seven or fewer points in the second half in seven of their first eight games, also coming up with timely turnovers that have helped spark rallies or clinch victories.

That said, it's not a reason for L.A.'s defense, offense or special teams to be complacent during the bye week.

"I think that Woods said it best, don't take this week off, find something you can get better at, watch film, just improve your game," Rams defensive lineman Michael Brockers said during his postgame video conference. "Don't take this week as a week off to do whatever you want to do. Actually stay in tune, stay with it and come back ready to go."

As Goff alluded to, Los Angeles' record has it positioned a half game behind Arizona for second in the NFC West standings entering Week 9. Those standings overall: 6-1 Seattle, 5-2 Arizona, 5-3 Los Angeles, 4-4 San Francisco.

At the same time, the Rams face the Seahawks, Buccaneers, 49ers and Cardinals – all of which have a combined 20-9 record – coming out of their bye week. With that kind of stretch on the horizon, now is the time to rectify mistakes and prevent them from repeating down the road.

"We won five out of the eight, probably could have won six, maybe seven, depends on who you ask," Rams safety John Johnson III said. "We're playing some good football, we're seeing some good flashes but we really want to play our best football in late November and December, so that's what we're working towards."

dieterbrock said:

I liked him too, and I've been a day 1er on Goff. Still, I never felt the disdain for him like many here, even when he and I debated Goff, and QB play in general. Seemed like an overall good dude IMO

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My disdain was never for his unconventional takes.
It was for his antagonistic and sometimes flat out insulting behavior.
But I also thought he was an original thinker and a creative mind. He just couldn't stop the persona he created from becoming a troll.