The Leader Of The Pack

I know it’s been a while since I’ve stopped by for a visit. I offer my sincerest apologies to all of our loyal readers as I’ve been spending time between work and physical therapy for a knee injury. However, I’m back from IR and, after watching six weeks of NFL football, my mind has been overflowing with IDP thoughts I’ll be blogging about every day going forward. 

Anyway, enough of the sob story, let’s move on . . .

It looks like we may have found the stud linebacker to own in Green Bay.  Surprisingly he’s an oldie but a goodie – Nick Barnett. 

The Packers’ inside linebacking corps was a mess in the preseason for IDP owners. Barnett was returning from knee surgery and he wasn’t even allowed to participate in training camp contact drills until mid-August. A.J. Hawk had moved to the MIKE in new defensive coordinator Dom Capers’ 3-4 scheme and was expected to have a breakout season. However, Hawk was a liability in coverage and, therefore, only a two-down linebacker which limits his fantasy value. There was a lot of hype about youngsters Brandon Chillar and Desmond Bishop and their preseason performances but, in the end, they weren’t considered ready to be full-time starters.

It took Barnett a few weeks to get into game shape.  The Packers limited him to only 40 snaps in the first couple of games and he played random series throughout.  Over the past couple of weeks, In Week 3, Barnett played on first and second downs but Bishop rotated in for him on third downs. In Weeks 4 and 6, Barnett was allowed to play on almost every snap and he’s contributed in a big way – 15 solos, four assists and a half-sack. Let’s not forget that Barnett was a Top 5 linebacker before he tore his ACL. From 2003-2007, he averaged 122 total tackles per season. It’s taken a while but it looks like Barnett is finally back in fine form. The fantasy owners that have stashed him away, in hopes of an improvement, are being rewarded in a big way.

Meanwhile, the steady decline of A.J. Hawk continues. After posting 8 solos and 2 assists in Week 3, Hawk has only registered 2 solos and 2 assists in Weeks 4 and 6 – including a donut against the Lions on Sunday. I’ve always thought that Hawk was overrated but his outstanding rookie campaign in 2006 still made him a relatively high draft pick in IDP drafts. However, the statistics don’t lie. He had 121 total tackles in 2006, 105 total tackles in 2007 and only 86 total tackles in 2008. At his current pace, Hawk will register only 73 total tackles this season. 

What’s the problem? It’s the same problem that Hawk has always had – he can’t shed blockers. In Hawk’s rookie season, he was able to freelance often from the weakside linebacker position. However, he’s been forced to play a more disciplined style the past couple of years and he simply can’t break off from a linemen who comes up to block him so he’s taken out of plays easily. After four years, I wouldn’t expect Hawk to get better at it. Perhaps a change of scenery will help but, for now, stay far away from this Buckeye.

Tags: A.J. Hawk, Brandon Chillar, Desmond Bishop, Dom Capers, green bay packers, Nick Barnett