He's also becoming more willing to share that knowledge and that banter with anyone. On Tuesday, that meant hyping up the youth football players from the Police Activities League who scrimmaged at the end of Panthers practice.
"I just love ball, so like even when the little kids were out there, I was yelling, running around with them, I don't know, I love football," Horn said. "I love anything where the competitive nature comes out. So yeah, that's just who I am."
That nature is part of what made last year's Pro Bowl recognition sweet for him, but it also has a carryover effect for the entire roster.
Idzik said whether it was Derrick Brown pushing his linemen to perform, or Horn and Jackson challenging receivers, that kind of intensity matters. So when Horn isn't practicing, Idzik will find him and steal a few moments for debriefing, which he then carries back to the receivers.
"I love those guys; when we're in special teams period, they're over there doing their individual work while we're working with the quarterbacks, and not only do they bring a physical style that challenges our receivers and prepares them. I think TMac (Tetairoa McMillan) early on had a great experience with those guys; you're not always going to get holding calls. These guys are vets, they're wily vets, they can hide their hands. So it's teaching him the physicality of the game before he even steps on a gameday field.
"But then also I get to pick their brains. Hey, what do you see there? How do you squat on that one, and then they're talking to me about splits, they're talking to me about things that we presented earlier in practice or earlier in camp, and we get to talk about our offense from their point of view, which is invaluable."