The Eagles' offense is playing Kenjon Barner's tune

KENJON BARNER is one of the guys who will save rookie quarterback Carson Wentz . . . and then might take him to an art-house flick, or maybe a Rascal Flatts concert.

Barner is the No. 2 running back in the Eagles' three-back attack, the lightning to Ryan Mathews' thunder, the setup man for tiny specialist Darren Sproles.

In 2012, he gained 1,776 rushing yards and scored 21 rushing touchdowns as an All-America senior at Oregon, where he also was an accomplished sprinter.

However, at only 5-9 and 185 pounds and coming out of a gimmicky offense, NFL execs considered him little more than a kick-return prospect and so shied away until the sixth round, when Carolina took him and hardly used him.

He gained 10 pounds of muscle, and former Ducks coach Chip Kelly traded for him in 2014. The Birds re-signed him in 2015 and he got into 10 games, managed 34 rushes for 124 yards, and caught 11 passes. That got him invited back for 2016, and a fine preseason earned him a roster spot.

This all brings us to the Eagles' opener, in which Barner gained 42 yards on four carries as part of the run-first initiative that the Eagles will use to keep teams from beating up and befuddling Wentz.

The three-headed rushing attack combined for 131 yards on 31 carries, a healthy 4.2 per-carry average, enough to keep the Browns honest and give Wentz time to operate in his debut.

The games only get tougher, so the backs will continue to carry the load - after which Barner, who's from Southern California, might help his quarterback wind down with some yoga.

Or maybe with some Christian country music, if only because it's too late to take in some of "The Music of the Night." (Phantom closed in Philly in April.)

Well, there's always the movie. And the Sixers. And maybe Nickelback will extend their European tour to the States.

Seriously.

Marcus Hayes talked with the highly eclectic Barner last week.

You're undersized for an NFL running back. You love basketball, and you're probably a Lakers fan. There's a certain newly-minted Hall of Fame player, whose signature moment came when he stepped over Tyronn Lue, with whom you might feel a connection, isn't there?

Love it. Love it. If I could play basketball I'd be a point guard, all day. I liked Iverson, but I'm talking Kobe over anybody.

Still, I was pumped about [the step-over in the 2001 NBA Finals]. You appreciate greatness ... A guy that little doing what he did? He deserves the Hall of Fame.

You seem to be pretty evolved for a young football player - like a lot of Ducks, to be honest. Do diverse guys go to Oregon, or does Oregon make you diverse?

For me, it had nothing to do with Oregon. My mom and dad were telling me stories when I went home last weekend: I was singing different genres of music when I was 2 years old.

I got into country music in 2004, when I heard my first country song, "God's Will," by Martina McBride. Before that, I really got into alternative music, in 2003, when I went to Minnesota. My cousins were listening to Linkin Park and Yellowcard, Blink 182. Oregon had nothing to do with it.

I like music that will take me somewhere. Tells a story. Make me think. Make me contemplate different aspects of life. I don't like some of the garbage that's out today... I love love songs. I'm a hopeless romantic. Love chick flicks. Stuff like that.

One of my favorite movies is Phantom of the Opera. I know that soundtrack pretty well. Rent. I guess I'm not your typical guy when it comes to entertainment.

All of that sounds meritorious . . . but Nickelback? Hoobastank?

Love 'em. Love 'em. I think they make great music. Thought that for awhile.

I've met some people from Canada. They absolutely hate Nickelback (an Alberta band). Absolutely hate them. I'm like, "Wow. Maybe I'm doing something wrong."

Musical diversity isn't your only cultural tributary.

Nope. Took ballet my senior year in college, but I haven't done that since. I definitely keep up with my yoga, back home to California. I go to The Yoga Den, in Corona. I'm looking for a place here.

I do hot yoga. Vinyasa 1. Vinyasa 2.

AiReal yoga. All that. It helps with flexibility, but it builds muscle endurance too.

Do you understand why it's taken so long to get a real shot in the NFL? You were productive in college, moonlighted as a sprinter at Oregon and ran under 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash on your pro day workout, yet you didn't get drafted until the sixth round. What gives?

That's the NFL. They like different things in different guys. This is the path God gave me. I wouldn't change it for anything.