The departure of Nick Barnett for the Buffalo Bills has left the depth at inside linebacker for the Packers a little thin. Packers bloggers weigh in...
Jermichael Finley and Nick Barnett have taken their objections to being left out of the Super Bowl team photo public. That and more in today's Daily Links...
Updates on the status of Aaron Rodgers, Jermichael Finley, Nick Barnett, Clay Matthews and others were given by head coach Mike McCarthy this afternoon.
Nick Barnett has his best statistical season as a pro in our best-case scenario while A.J. Hawk plays himself out of a job in Green Bay in our worst. Read on to find out what else could be in store for the insider linebackers this season.
Been meaning to post this for awhile, pretty much since Jason Wilde mentioned it on one of his many radio appearances shortly after the NFC Coaches breakfast. Of course, waiting has meant that I've been beaten to the punch, so to speak, by Brian - among others. Yes, Mike McCarthy mentioned having Brandon Chillar (been there, done that) and Nick Barnett rush the passer from the outside.
McCarthy:
We’re going to try to be creative with those guys, keeping those guys on the field in sub. I think both Nick and Brandon Chillar have outside pass-rush ability. I’m not saying we’re going to do it all the time, but it’s definitely an option for us that we’ve talked about.
I'm not sure I'm completely sold on Barnett rushing from the outside linebacker position. What I like about what Barnett does in the A Gap blitzes is how he uses his athleticism to weave through the wash and get to the quarterback. When presented with a one-on-one matchup, he rarely wins and usually does his best A.J. Hawk impression, giving his man a shake - which does nothing - and then barreling into the guy, completely negating himself in the process.