Breaking news from Jarrett Bell of USA Today

[SkinBasket]

From Jarrett Bell of USA Today:

"If A.J. Hawk becomes the next Ray Lewis or Brian Urlacher, he was worth the fifth pick."







No shit?

Once again, some of these people get paid to write this insightful journalistic brilliance.

[MJZiggy]

Oh Good God!! Honestly, I could (and have) write crap like that in my sleep. That's it. I wanna be a pundit when I grow up.

[FavreChild]

When he was a kid, Jarrett Bell probably got the comment "Lacks original thought" on all his papers for school. Which inspired him to become a journalist.

[swede]

Agreed. Further, how could anyone compare Urlacher to Lewis?

AJ will be better than Urlacher.

He'd have to be mighty good to be better than Lewis.

[mraynrand]

What has Urlacher done? Really. I recal very clearly how a beat up Packer O-line absolutely humiliated this guy at Lambeau in 2002. I see Barnett and Urlacher as being pretty close in talent and acheivement. Perhaps U is a little better in coverage and a bit better in moving through blocks. That's about it.

[Deputy Nutz]

I thought it was poetic.

[Partial]

Agreed. Further, how could anyone compare Urlacher to Lewis?

AJ will be better than Urlacher.

He'd have to be mighty good to be better than Lewis.

Come on now, you guys are getting carried away. Urlacher is ridiculously good. He is definitely a top 5 linebacker in the NFL with his current defensive line in front of him, but then again so is Lance Briggs.

Lewis has looked like shit since he lost goose and sam adams. Coincidence that Urlacher looks amazing when he has titan-sized quality tackles in front of him and Lewis looks like shit when he doesn't? I think not.

It's all about the DTs.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Come on now, you guys are getting carried away. Urlacher is ridiculously good.

Ya, I'm glad u make this point, I didn't want to spoil the party.
Urlacher sometimes gets blocked, he's kinda top heavy. But that is the extent of his shortcomings. Mostly he swoops around like the original Mad Stork, Ted Hendricks.

Urlacher is the most underrated overrated player in the NFL. He has been called "overrated" so much that he is now grossly underrated.

[Deputy Nutz]

I think laying it on the defensive tackles is a bit overdrawn. Some of us played high school football and college football, and I know that linebackers are taught and schooled on taking on blocks at the point of attack and also defeating those blocks to make the play. Sure it is easier to make plays at linebacker when you don't have to worry about a guard coming across you, or a fullback engulfed by a pile created by a defensive tackle, but good and especially great linebackers are the ones that take on blocks, defeat blocks and then stack the running back in the hole. It is called playing football.

Our middle linebacker currently, does not do this conistently, and if a blocker of more than 230 pounds gets free on Barnett he is usually getting his back dirty. Barnett constantly gets layed out when he is asked to take on a block. At times I can't believe that he is a professional football player. He either runs around them, gets walled off completely and has to make the play 8 yards down field, or he is knocked on his ass. I am currently a member of Wist's club although every year I throw my hat into Barnett's corner.

Move him to strongside backer and move Hodge into the starting rotation. From what I hear about the Packers schemes is that their really is no strong or weakside linebacker. It is left and right. If you're on the strongside of the field so be it on one play, and on the next play it could be reversed.