CHARLOTTE— Coming into the NFL can feel like entering an entirely new country. The people are new, the buildings are different, and while you may have enough basis to understand the terminology, it’s not your first language. There’s no Rosetta Stone for the league, so having a translator can be a lifesaver.
For two Panthers rookies, Trevin Wallace and Michael Barrett, they’re acting as each other translators.
“We’re both from South Georgia and so we kind of speak each other’s language a lot,” Barrett said. “Having somebody there that’s where you’re from and kind of going through the same thing as you, it makes it way easier, just knowing you’re not alone, having him there, quizzing each other.”
The linebackers didn’t play with or against each other in high school, living around two hours from the other. But after going to Kentucky (Wallace) and Michigan (Barrett), realizing how big the world can be, getting thrown together at rookie minicamp was akin to finding someone from home.
“As soon as we got here, obviously, we had to get to know each other and talk,” Wallace said. “But when we got here, it was like helping each other out like, hey, guess what this is because, the terminology is different.”
The South Georgia duo will sit opposite each other, tossing terminology and plays back and forth, not moving till the other has it down pat.
“Honestly, after every meeting we’ll go in and just quiz each other,” Barrett shared. “‘What did you say about this and this and that?’ And that definitely just helped us learn fast, being able to communicate better, get more comfortable with the defense and things like that.”