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How Zach Baun and Nakobe Dean’s friendship off the field helps them on the field originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
His first day in Philly after signing with the Eagles, Zach Baun drove over to the NovaCare Complex to see his new workplace, and the first person he ran into was Nakobe Dean.
“He was hanging out in the locker room,” Baun recalled. “First dude I met on the team. So he just said to me, ‘Let’s get to work.’ And it just went on from there.”
That was back in March, and there were huge question marks around both guys. Kind of like the linebacker position most years around here.
Baun had never played off-ball linebacker, other than a handful of snaps with the Saints. And Dean was going into Year 3 having barely played as a rookie and missing most of last year with foot injuries.
So both got to work not just figuring out their roles and learning what new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio wanted out of them but learning to work together. Because you can have two gifted linebackers, but if they’re not locked into each other, it won’t work.
“That doesn’t come natural at all,” Baun said after practice Wednesday. “It’s something you have to really work at. And obviously it helps that he’s one of my closest friends on the team, you know? So we talk all the time. If I’m here, I’m probably with Nakobe. And just spending quality time connecting off the field as well.
“We sit close to each other in meetings, we sit in special teams meetings together,” Baun said. “We’re working out together, our lockers are right next to each other. I think that’s really crucial to the production. Our whole linebacker group is really close to each other.”
It hasn’t been perfect and Baun and Dean both had some ups and downs earlier in the year, Baun dealing with cut blocks and Dean with tackling.
But this past weekend, in the Eagles’ win over the Bengals, they were the top two-rated linebackers in the entire NFL, according to Pro Football Focus….
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/zach-baun-nakobe-deans-friendship-040543195.html
Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia
Publish date : 2024-11-01 04:05:43
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