In today's "Five Minutes with Roob," Reuben Frank chats with Eagles return specialist and running back Kenjon Barner:
Roob: We’re here with Eagles return specialist and running back Kenjon Barner. Welcome back to Philadelphia.
Barner: Thank you, thank you.
Roob: I've got to ask you. You were on the street without a job until the Eagles called you. You handled that really well and you had a really positive attitude after the Chargers let you go. What was that period of time like for you?
Barner: I said it before and I will say it again. God has a plan for your life, I trust that, and I wholeheartedly believe in that. When I got released, the next day I was out having fun on the lake with my friends and enjoying time with my family. Just patiently waiting because God has a plan and just trusting in that.
Roob: Now since you have been back you have been returning punts. I think you are fourth in the NFL in punt return average. What is the key on those returns for you? Is it vision, is it instinct?
Barner: It is all of the above, man. Trusting in the guys in front of me, not forcing it and letting the game come to you. Being patient and when you see something out there, hit it and be aggressive. Go out there with the mindset of making a play and making it.
NFL
Roob: When you look at this group of running backs with LeGarrette (Blount), Wendell (Smallwood), Donnel (Pumphrey), Darren (Sproles) and obviously Jay (Ajayi), as well as Corey (Clement) and you. There are obviously a lot of talented guys here. What is the key to making this thing work? You guys seem very unselfish.
Barner: That’s it. Just staying unselfish. Just knowing what we have within our room and what we have within our team and knowing what our team is about. This team is not a “me” team. It isn’t an individual-based team. We are a team and the true definition of a team, more of a family than anything. So constantly remembering that and reminding each other of that and not counting our reps but making our reps count whenever they come.
Roob: Now the Dallas game you get the first touchdown. It is interesting with all of the running backs you were the guy they started the game with. I guess it is tough on the defense because they don’t know what is going to happen and it must be fun for you guys? What was that like for you to start the game like that? That was a great catch by the way.
Barner: Man, it was a lot of fun. I mean any time you can do that against the Cowboys is a lot of fun and to contribute to a win. It is tough for a defense. I believe it is tough because you don’t know what exactly to game plan for or who to game plan for. Now watching film, guys are obviously going to run this type of play, run that type of play but then we switch things up. So I think it is definitely tough to game plan for our running back group.
Roob: I want to ask you something not football related. I was reading your bio and in everyone’s bio, it says what kind of music they like. Some guys like country, some like hip-hop and some like R&B. You listed among your favorite bands Rascal Flatts, Nickelback and Miguel. Now that is about as diverse as you can get without including some opera in there. Do you like all kinds of music?
Barner: I love music, man, and I always have. My parents listened to a lot of different music growing up. As I got older, I started to venture into alternative music, country music, classical music, musicals and stuff like that. I have a wide range of musicality on my iPod and I love it. Music can take you somewhere and I love music that does that.
Roob: Do you play an instrument?
Barner: Play the piano. I started playing that in college. I was in the band in the sixth grade and I played the bass clarinet but I don’t remember how to play it. I messed around with it a little bit.
Roob: Do you let the guys know you are a Rascal Flatts fan or do you keep that to yourself?
Barner: I let it be known. You get in my car, whoever gets in my car, you will never know what you are going to hear. Everybody here knows I am a country music fan and I love it. I prefer to listen to it over a lot of other brands of music.
Roob: I assume you are a guy that takes things one year at a time. You started in Carolina, you come here and then you are on the street, then you come back here and play well in 2015. Come back here, go to the Chargers, come back here. How important would it be for you to find a home and be here long term? Is that what you are after?
Barner: Obviously that is important. I’ll let tomorrow worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow has enough worries of its own. My job is to worry about the things that I can control. Right now, the only thing I can control is the way I play, the way I go out there and perform, and anything outside of that is out of my hands. That is not something I stress myself or concern myself with. That is something this organization has to make a decision about or 31 organizations out there have to. You go out there and do your job and let the chips fall where they may.