Hawk or Barnett?

[Smeefers]

So I heard on the radio today a caller say that the packers made a mistake by getting rid of Barnett and keeping Hawk. He said that the proof is in that we can't cover anyone over the middle of the field and it's going to hurt us down the line. What do you guys think?

[Joemailman]

Does the caller know The Packers won the Super Bowl with Hawk and Bishop at ILB? Barnett may be better in coverage, but the defense is better overall with Hawk and Bishop in there.

[HarveyWallbangers]

No to mention Hawk is 27 years old and Barnett is 30 years old. So, yes, I'd rather have Hawk.

[Brandon494]

You already who they are going to vote for. Nick Barnett is the better player IMO but hes older and more injury prone, Packers made the right decision.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Nick Barnett is the better player IMO but hes older and more injury prone

Probably only more injury prone because he is a little older. I'm fine with decision to keep Hawk over Barnett. Has anybody heard anything about how he is performing with Buffalo?

[pbmax]

I have read twice he is having a good year in Buffalo and seems a good fit. He is also probably more reliable in coverage.

That said, at the cost of the 4 LBs (Hawk, Chillar, Bishop and Barnett) Nick was the one who needed to go. Its too bad Chillar wasn't healthy, would have loved to see him on the field versus some of the offenses.

[gbgary]

You already who they are going to vote for. Nick Barnett is the better player IMO but hes older and more injury prone, Packers made the right decision.

i agree with this.

[mmmdk]

AJ Hawk

[Harlan Huckleby]

Hey, where is the lost love for Poppinga? He looked pretty good for St. Louis last week. He might be better than Walden, or maybe it is a tossup.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I have read twice he is having a good year in Buffalo and seems a good fit. He is also probably more reliable in coverage.

we'll have to see what Nick looks like in 2 seasons from now. TT was making a long term decision.

[Joemailman]

Hey, where is the lost love for Poppinga? He looked pretty good for St. Louis last week. He might be better than Walden, or maybe it is a tossup.

Walden is much better against the run than Poppinga was.

[RashanGary]

Hawk.

5-15 yards behind the line of scrimmage is the most complex area of the field to play. Hawk and Woodson lock down the middle of the field. Barnett was a bit of a dummy. We got better when he went out because the leadership went to Hawk and Bishop is just flat out more physical.

[bobblehead]

Walden is much better against the run than Poppinga was.

WTF?? Did you ever watch the NFCC 2007 game? Poppinga was a beast vs. the run. His problem was in coverage (and he was below average rushing the passer).

[Guiness]

The defense seemed to get magically better last year when Barnett went out, and Hawk took over the play calling. Impossible to tell for sure from where I am sitting, but it's possible he's a better defensive play caller. It's been said many times that he's a student of the game.

[bobblehead]

I have read twice he is having a good year in Buffalo and seems a good fit. He is also probably more reliable in coverage.

That said, at the cost of the 4 LBs (Hawk, Chillar, Bishop and Barnett) Nick was the one who needed to go. Its too bad Chillar wasn't healthy, would have loved to see him on the field versus some of the offenses.

This is a good post pb. I also would point out that ILB slow down around the age of 30 as a general rule. Even Ray Lewis slowed down, but he went from the best in the league to good. Barnett may be having a solid season, but you have to believe his good days are behind him.