My favorite part about being in the Bloguin family is that I get to talk to other bloggers about their teams. So, whenever the Bills or Sabres sign someone, I alway reach out someone who covered their team. So, is Nick Barnett over the hill? Is he better than Poz? What does he bring to the table? Lets have Jaymes Langrehr of The Brewers Bar answer these questions. His site is mostly dedicated to the Brewers, but he occasionally will write about the Packers.
1) What are Barnett’s strengths and weaknesses?
He always struck me as a guy who was better against the pass than against the run, but was always in the camera shot when the ball carrier was eventually brought down. For awhile, he was the best player on some really bad defenses in the early 2000s, which is why it was sad to see him break down physically by the time the team got competitive again. He’s always been a solid linebacker in coverage, and he was a bit of an ironman until the past few years when he had some bad luck with freak injuries. I would hesitate to call him injury prone now, but he’s 30 and the injuries he has suffered tend to quicken the aging process.
2) The biggest concern for Bills fans is Barnett’s ability to stay healthy. Should we be concerned that he’s missed 19 games in his last 3 years?
I’d be a little concerned, but more about the ACL injury he had in 2008 than the wrist injury last year. He just isn’t as quick as he used to be, and while I would say he’s still an above average player overall, I don’t think he’ll ever be a 90-100 tackle guy again. He’s more of a complimentary piece now than he was at the start of his career.
3) How did Packers fans or his teammates view Barnett? (IE: Leadership, play-making ability.)
He’s very passionate, and has always been engaging with fans. He’s a good follow on Twitter (@NickBarnett), and last year was basically a social media rockstar when he started printing and selling t-shirts that read “XLV or Die” — they were a big hit with fans and players. He’s never been afraid to speak his mind, which sometimes got him into some trouble, but nothing like some other players in the league. When he said controversial things (like causing the whole Super Bowl photo stir), it was mostly innocent — he wasn’t out there trying to promote himself; he was legitimately sticking up for the players he felt didn’t have a voice. For that reason, I don’t think you’ll find a teammate say anything bad about him. He was the vocal leader of the defense for years until Charles Woodson ultimately took over that role, and he carried it well.
4) Do you think the Packers gave up on him too soon?
There’s a chance Barnett still has something left, but everyone involved knew Barnett’s days with the team were done when he missed virtually all of last season the defense never skipped a beat. Desmond Bishop emerged as the heir apparent at his position, and A.J. Hawk had a very good year at the other inside linebacker spot. Hawk was originally due a $10 million roster bonus for this upcoming season, so for much of last year we all basically knew that only Barnett and Hawk would be returning. Hawk was the first to re-do his deal, so he was the one who stayed.
I know some people who thought the team was cold in its handling of Barnett and some of the other veterans that were cut loose following the Super Bowl run, but the Packers seem to be taking a New England-style approach: let other teams pay your role players in free agency, and replace them through the draft.
5) The Bills run a hybrid defense, which means they run variations of a 3-4 to 4-3 defense. Which system does Barnett fit better and why?
It’s hard to answer the 3-4 question, since he ended up only playing about 20 games in the system. His production did drop when the Packers made the switch from 4-3 to 3-4, but it’s hard to tell if that was completely system-related, or if he was rusty after coming off of the knee surgery. He’s probably a more natural fit in the 4-3, but he’s still good in a 3-4 setting.
6) Our last inside linebacker was Paul Posluszny, and the biggest knock on him was that he couldn’t cover backs out of the backfield and never made tackles behind the line of scrimmage, can Barnett do that?
In his prime, he was a very good coverage linebacker, doing a good job of shutting down backs and dropping back in zone coverage. He is a step slower now, but the cover skills and instincts are still there. As far as making tackles for a loss, again, it doesn’t happen as much as it used to. I would definitely consider him an upgrade over Posluszny at this point, though.
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