Bailey's versatility, leadership comes to forefront for Purdue

“He told me to go to Sam on our 3/4-look package, where I’m up on the line of scrimmage,” Bailey said. “Because of the personnel we have, he wanted me to be up there. It’s funny because the play that he called, I got a sack on it. (The offense) called a bootleg and he called a blitz; I think Coach Holt knew the play.”

Or Bailey simply made a great read and a great play, something he’s become adept at doing no matter where he lines up. Most frequently this spring, the 6-foot-1, 235-pound junior will be on the weakside, an interior position in Holt’s scheme, but he has moved to the middle and strong occasionally.

He’s versatile, to say the least, because he’s Purdue’s best, most athletic defensive play-maker. Last season, Bailey had 89 tackles, 11 for loss and seven sacks, along with collecting three turnovers, and that productivity came as what is supposed to be the least productive of the three linebacker positions in Purdue’s system. Playing primarily an interior position a year earlier — Purdue really didn’t have a strong-side ‘backer consistently in ’16 — he led the Boilermakers with 97 tackles, six for loss and he had four interceptions.

It’s there, on the interior, that Bailey feels more comfortable.

“At Will, I feel more instinctive in there, I can see things better, I can call out plays,” he said. “And since I’m pretty quick, I can get off blocks a little bit differently than other guys, with the O-line trying to get to me. It’s a position I like to play.

“I still need to get back in to it. There’s things I had (missed assignments) on, so I need to get more reps this spring but I’m excited to see what I can do at that position.”

It comes with more responsibility. Because Bailey is now Purdue’s most experienced linebacker — it’s not close really, with only sophomores Derrick Barnes and Cornel Jones having played sparingly last fall — he’s relying the defensive play calls to his teammates.

Bailey’s not generally been a vocal leader in the past, he’s not needed to be, with fellow linebackers like Ja’Whaun Bentley and Danny Ezechukwu. But now those two are departed, and Bailey is filling the void.

“It’s never been natural to me, but it’s feeling more natural than it ever has this year so far,” he said. “Because of the respect that some of the other guys have given me. They’ve seen what I can do. I’ve played a lot of snaps. I try to genuinely help them out and give them insights to what I’m thinking about. There’s a mutual level of respect.

“And I know what I’m doing and know what the other guys are doing. I can get them in line.”

Barnes, who is the starting middle linebacker this spring and very possibly will be in the fall, too, says he appreciates having Bailey lined up to his right.

“He knows everything that’s going on, which helps me,” Barnes said. “… It teaches me how to become a player like him. I definitely look up to Markus; he knows everything that’s going on, and when I make a mistake, he knows exactly what I did wrong, being out of position. He just makes me better every day as a player.”

Bailey is embracing the added responsibilities, but he knows they come with added pressure, too. He says he can’t miss assignments or have a lapse or lighten up on a workout; everyone is watching all the time.

“I have to make sure I know what I’m doing, and not only me but I have to make sure I know what the D-lineman are doing and the Mike and Sam are doing, so that our defense can be a good defense,” he said. “You don’t want to have a drop-off. There’s a lot of questions coming into this season — Can our defense do what it did last season? — I’m trying to make sure I’m doing my part so we can keep the tradition that we built last season, playing great defense at Purdue.”

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