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Markus Bailey feels like he’s had only a ho-hum camp so far.
That assessment, however, came as a bit of news to co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Nick Holt.
“I think he expects a lot,” Holt said of the sophomore linebacker following Saturday’s practice. “I think Markus probably thinks he should have four interceptions every day, five tackles, and maybe I tell him, ‘Hey Markus, you haven’t had an interception yet (in camp).’ So maybe I’m putting too much pressure on him.
"But it’s only the third day of practice. Markus needs to relax and play ball. Good things happen when you play really hard and Markus plays really hard. He’s smart. He’s had three good practices, so don’t let him fool you.”
Probably a sign of the standard Bailey has set for himself, particularly after a breakout 2016 season — he was only a redshirt freshman — in which he had a team highs of 97 tackles and four interceptions, along with six tackles for loss.
By the end of the season, Bailey was playing the position better than anyone has at Purdue in the last decade.
The high expectations are understandable. After the spring, Holt compared Bailey, because of his natural instincts and play-making ability, to other greats he’s coached before, like Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews and Lofa Tatupu. Bailey isn’t there yet, Holt said, but he sees the potential.
And to Bailey, that means showing it, not only on Saturdays in the fall but right now.
“I need to produce more and make more plays on the field,” he said. “I’m not completely satisfied with what I’m doing. I think I’m understanding the plays and the scheme more and seeing things quicker, but I just have to make more plays. I hold myself to a higher standard.”
Bailey’s doing so while crossing training, playing multiple positions in the Boilermakers’ linebacker corps. The 6-foot-1 235-pounder is the starter on the weak-side, but he’s getting repetitions on the strong-side, as well.
He can be effective at both, and needs to be, considering the Boilermakers want to be able to get their four linebackers on the field as often as possible. Sometimes, that’ll be Bailey, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Danny Ezechukwu and T.J. McCollum at the same time.
In those instances, Bailey is at the Sam, allowing McCollum — the former Western Kentucky inside linebacker had about 200 tackles combined the last two seasons — to get into the game at Will, with Ezechukwu moving down on the line.
It can be an effective combination, particularly in that it arguably gets Purdue’s four best defenders on the field together. But it also puts Bailey at strong-side linebacker, where he has the least experience in his first couple seasons at Purdue.
But he's willing to learn it.
“Wherever (Holt) wants me to play, that’s where I’m going to play,” he said.
The shifts require different skillsets. Inside at Will, Bailey’s strengths are his ability to quickly identify a play, then negotiate through blockers to get to the ball-carrier. And he’s been good at reading a quarterback to make plays inside the box.
At strong, Bailey has to play more in space, potentially waiting on a ball to come his direction. But he’s more than capable of doing so; last season, he showed the ability to stay in passing coverage, making one of his interceptions as he chased a receiver up the seam.
“I’m not satisfied with (only) basic plays, like I just made a tackle or whatever,” he said. “I want to get turnovers, get TFLs, get sacks, and I need to start showing those things at practice more. I hold myself to a higher standard.”
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