Kerby Joseph Reveals Biggest Lesson Learned Rookie Season

Kerby Joseph was a guest on SiriusXM this week.

Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph has a knack for being around the football. 

Detroit's personnel department were thrilled to draft a safety with real ball-hawk potential. After being selected in the third-round, general manager Brad Holmes raved about Joseph's college film. 

In his rookie season, the 22-year-old recorded four interceptions, including three against future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. 

Appearing on "Movin' The Chains" earlier this week, Detroit's talented safety shared on SiriusXM radio what he needed to learn early in his career, how his relationship with defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has grown and just how difficult it was to wind down following the conclusion of his rookie campaign. 

Communication is paramount at safety position

Early in his career, the young defensive back needed to find his voice and worked to communicate effectively, especially given the demands of playing an integral position in Glenn's defense. 

"You got to talk. Boy, I will tell you, if you don't talk, the stuff starts to go left," said Joseph. "My biggest thing I had to figure out was, just learning how to communicate with everybody, because nobody knew my voice, for real. So, I had to get the guys accustomed to my voice, hearing my voice on the field and stuff like that. Especially as a young player, as a rookie playing the position, playing the position I play, I have to be able to clean up mess and get stuff right. So, that was one thing I had to get myself ready for when I first started, when I played the Seahawks."

Special connection with Aaron Glenn

Part of the reason for Detroit's success has been the coaching staff, which is made up of several former NFL players. 

For Joseph, the respect and fondness he has for the former NFL defensive back has made playing on the back end rewarding. 

"I want to say, AG really just relates to me," Joseph explained. "I'd say me and AG got a real certain connection. That way, he could talk to me and I could understand where he is coming from. And he understands the players that he has in the room and what he could do, what he has. He is just, he's just a great coach. He knows how to coach and he knows how to explain. He knows how to understand. And that's what makes the defense so great. We understand each other and we're able to connect with each other. Not even from the players, but to our coaches standpoint." 

Moving forward, head coach Dan Campbell would like the emerging safety to stay within the confines of his assignment on each and every play, as young players can oftentimes try and do too much. 

“We see the plays he is capable of and now it is just being consistent, over and over. Here’s the thing a little bit with Kerby: Because he’s instinctive, he’s a good athlete, he’s rangy, there are times where he could veer off a little bit and maybe go out of the wheelhouse of what we want. Just a little bit," Campbell said during OTAs. "But that is all part of being a young player that has some ability and is learning to grow. And so just the consistency, just do your job, be conscious of your landmarks, understand what is going on beneath you. But, man, there is a ton of growth still with this player. That is what’s exciting.”

Trying to wind down in offseason

After the conclusion of the season, the young, energetic Joseph struggled to wind down and actually take time off. 

Players can oftentimes want to train all-year long, but Joseph did attempt to take seven days to relax, a feat he actually found challenging. 

"One thing I did in the offseason was just relax, because I never really relaxed before," said Joseph. "I kind of have just been working hard all my life. I never really took no time to actually sit down and just actually just take a breather for a second.

"So, I took a breather for a week, but it was hard for me to take a breather. But, I couldn't stop. I couldn't sit down."