GREEN BAY, Wis. -- It would be hard for the Green Bay Packers to ask much more from Sam Barrington off the field. In only three NFL seasons, he’s already been the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton man of the year award, was honored by Pop Warner with its Humanitarian Award and is active in the Dreambuilders Foundation.
Not bad for someone who only played 15 snaps last season.
To this point, Barrington has done more off the field than he has on it. Barrington and the Packers are banking on that changing this season.
Two weeks into OTA practices, Barrington still is limited in what he can do in his recovery from foot surgery, which stemmed from an injury he sustained in last year’s season opener. He won an opening-day starting job last season at inside linebacker next to Clay Matthews and now that the Packers have moved Matthews back outside, it’s incumbent upon Barrington to show he can not only win the job again but also stay healthy.
"Two years ago, Sam played very well for us in the second half of the season,” Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers said. “We thought he was really on the right track. He had the unfortunate injury there in probably the first 10 plays of the opener last year, but Sam's a guy who spent all year around here. I think he absorbed as much as he could not being on the field.
“I know he's probably more excited than anybody to be back out there working again. It'll be fun to see Sam going through training camp. He's been around here now that he knows the defense."
Barrington stuck around Lambeau Field all last season and watched the Packers try several different options in his place -- Nate Palmer, Jake Ryan and Joe Thomas. Capers eventually settled on Ryan as his starter and Thomas as his dime linebacker, which allowed Matthews to move outside on third down.
The Packers cut Palmer this offseason and drafted Blake Martinez, an inside linebacker, in the fourth round. But when OTAs started last week, Barrington remained on the sideline awaiting medical clearance to return.
“It takes an immense amount of patience,” said Barrington, who was not cleared to return for the start of OTAs. “You’ve got to be patient and within that patience, you’ve got to find ways to get better every day. It’s been an interesting journey. It’s not over. I’ve got some more patience to display. But I’m having fun with it.
“I’m looking forward to being all the way out there. I didn’t leave last season, so I’ve been around all of these guys, it’s not like I was gone and came back so it’s been the same atmosphere as it was last season.”
At last week’s OTA, the No. 1 defense featured Martinez and Ryan as the two inside linebackers while Barrington watched.
“My No. 1 job is to be a great teammate,” Barrington said. “That comes in all different shapes and forms. My job is to be a great teammate and help out wherever I can right now.”