Walker Describes Biggest Challenge of Taking Over as Defensive Communicator

A week after being ejected at Buffalo, Green Bay Packers rookie linebacker Quay Walker is embracing a new challenge this week at the Detroit Lions.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The challenge for Green Bay Packers rookie linebacker Quay Walker this week won’t be so much about speaking Joe Barry’s language. It will be about speaking an understandable language.

With All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell out with a knee injury, Walker will be wearing the communication helmet – the helmet with the green dot on it – on Sunday at the Detroit Lions. It will be up to Walker to relay Barry’s call to the other 10 players in the huddle and help orchestrate the pre-snap adjustments.

“Sometimes, they’re long,” Walker said of Barry’s play-calls. “And then with my accent and how country it is, sometimes they don’t understand me. That’s about it. The calls, I try to say as best as I can and try to slow it down a little bit and get it out. But my accent sometimes makes it hard for people to understand me. That’s the only negative I have about me having the green dot is my accent. It’s hard for people to understand what I say sometimes because my words slur a lot from being Down South.”

Walker spoke with a bit of a smile on his face. The reality is he’s perfectly understandable – at least in the calm and quiet of a Friday locker room conversation with two reporters who aren't interested in rehashing last week's ejection. In the heat of the moment, however, it could be different, so speaking calmly and confidently will be the key when he’s in the huddle.

“It’s just different when you’ve got that green dot on your helmet, I’ll say that. It’s way different,” Walker said.

This will be a new role for Walker. There is no “green dot” in college. When Walker was at Georgia, for instance, the defensive coordinator would signal in the play to the two linebackers. One would direct the defensive line and the other would direct the secondary.

Barry on Thursday said Walker was given the communication duties for “four or five days during training camp,” just to give him a taste of it should he ever be thrust into that role. Well, he’s been thrust into it. Campbell suffered a knee injury before halftime of last week’s loss at Buffalo. He didn’t practice all week and won’t play at Detroit.

Walker’s happy to embrace this challenge after being ejected last week at Buffalo. While it was an immature play, a teary-eyed Walker handled it with maturity. He apologized to his teammates and didn’t dodge the media in the postgame locker room.

“He handled it like a man. He’s a stud of a kid,” Barry said. “Those guys play a very violent, physical, emotional game, and the things that take place down in and down out that they have to do, tensions are high and emotions are high. That’s not an excuse, by any means. You’ve got to play within the rules of the game. Before I had a chance to even go see him in his locker, he was in tears and apologizing to me.”

A big performance in a new role in a critical game would help put all that behind him. Walker’s career is off to a solid start. He’s second on the team with 56 tackles and has two of the defense’s four forced fumbles.

For eight games, Walker’s got to line up alongside Campbell. With Campbell being the veteran team captain, Walker’s been able to go line up and play. Now, with Isaiah McDuffie poised to make his first NFL start – 40 of his 46 career snaps on defense came last week – it’s Walker being asked to lead the defense against a formidable opponent. The Lions are only 1-6 but they’re averaging about 36 points per game at home.

“That’s a great offense we’re going up against. They’ve got real, real good skill players with the running backs,” Walker said of former Packers running back Jamaal Williams and former Georgia teammate D’Andre Swift. “You’ve got a power back and a back that I played with who can do it all. The offensive line, they’re probably going to be the best offensive line we’ve faced this whole year. They do a good job of communication. They play together so that’s a pretty good group that we’ve got coming up on Sunday.”

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