Mark Dominik Eyeing Nick Barnett?
July 14th, 2011
The Barrett Ruud saga will not die.
Loved by nearly all NFLers both old and new but loathed by fans and someone with a powerful bullhorn, Ruud has become without question a lightning rod that stirs emotions — anger and praise — from the masses.
No one since Chucky, and perhaps no one since Father Dungy, has so divided the Bucs’ fan base, and emotionally so.
The rancor has become so pervasive, Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times believes Ruud is simply worn out from the vitriol and just wants to start anew and escape the haters.
That leads Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com to begin nosing around for Ruud’s replacement. He correctly suggests that having a rookie linebacker play out of position to replace Ruud and to call defenses and stunts is “dangerous.”
Joe would go a step further and call it “reckless.” And Joe doesn’t believe Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik is a reckless man; far from it.
So Yasinskas did some snooping and learned that the Packers may be shopping linebacker Nick Barnett. As a result, Yasinskas believes it’s not wholly impossible to see Barnett wearing pewter and red.
He’s currently property of the Packers, but there’s league-wide speculation that Barnett could be released or traded as soon as the lockout ends. He’s coming off a season in which he suffered a wrist injury and played in only four games. He’s expendable in Green Bay, but he could be valuable in Tampa Bay.
Barnett is 30, which falls somewhere between old and young. The Bucs are in a youth movement and throwing Foster into the mix wouldn’t be totally out of character. But making a third-round pick the quarterback of your defense without an offseason to prepare could be a little dangerous. The Bucs are very young on the defensive line and could have some other changes at linebacker.
That’s why it could make some sense to bring in Barnett or a guy like him. Barnett was a second-team All-Pro selection in 2007 and had some very good seasons with the Packers. He could provide some instant stability and leadership for a Tampa Bay defense that’s still looking to catch up to its offense.
Well, Joe’s reaction to this is, if you are going to land Barnett, what’s to stop Dominik from grabbing Paul Posluszny should The Poz bolt Buffalo? He’s younger than Barnett, though Barnett does have experience in a 43 defense prior to the past two seasons. The Poz hasn’t played in a 43 defense since his junior season at Penn State when he won the Chuck Bednarik Award for being the college football defensive player of the year.
The longer this asinine lockout stretches, the more imperative it is for Dominik to re-sign Ruud.
If Foster, a man with a lot of upside that has yet to play one snap of NFL football — look, Joe has absolutely nothing at all against Foster — is going to replace Ruud with virtually no offseason, no OTAs, no rookie minicamp and jump right in once a shortened (?) training camp gets underway, people will be pining for Ruud’s alleged ability to only tackle seven yards downfield.
July 14th, 2011 at 11:07 am
I like it! Always liked Nick Barnett.
July 14th, 2011 at 11:17 am
Id love to see this, on the other Hand id love to see Stephen Tulloch or the Poz as our MLB even more. preferably the former rather than the later.
Why have the Bucs not been linked to Tulloch? He is what the fans and team want… young, hits like a wrecking ball, tough as nails, not a diva, and briming with untapped potential…
Id love to see the LB corps of Foster – Tulloch – Black/Watson come season opener.
July 14th, 2011 at 11:38 am
They better think of something. Ruud is as good as gone, and the defense will collapse without him. Even if they find a replacement, still need at least one more Lb. I think Foster gets the sam spot, but still need a Wil.
Bullock is a great young LB. He could probably play sam or Wil. Would love to see him here. Barnett might have the speed to play MLB in the Tampa 2- Meybe.
July 14th, 2011 at 11:40 am
i agree Travis. although i will say Tyrone McKenzie’s name should be thrown somewhere in the mix, especially is Black isn’t resigned. coaching staff is very high on him, he seems to be taking on a bit of a leadership role and taking his job very seriously.
and on a side note, thank you for saying “corps” instead of “core”. i think you might be the first person on here who has used that properly lol
July 14th, 2011 at 11:40 am
People in Buffalo complain about Poz the exact same way we complain about Ruud here. They say hes solid, and gets lots of tackles, but is not a playmaker and his tackles are down field and not at the line. Not sure he would be an upgrade if their complaints are true…….
July 14th, 2011 at 11:45 am
Man, this will not go away will it? I haven’t liked him for years but Ruud isn’t going anywhere. He knows the system and its freaking July 14th already. Come on now; stop feeding the trolls. They will focus on getting the team ready by signing the veterans and rookies and by plucking people here and there to adhere to the new capp rules. They will get Poz or Barnett because they have to spend money now and our run defense has to be improved in order to get to the next level. Gentleman, Ruud is afraid to tackle and the Film Don’t Lie but he will still play until his replacements learn the system.
July 14th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
digital, you seem to be quite “out of the loop” frankly
first off Barnett is not a free agent, so he will not be here simply because “we need to spend money” If he is released that will be the case, but he is still under contract with the Packers.
Second off, even if management wants Rudd back for some unforsaken reason, he is not happy being the scapegoat, nor should he be. What player do you know has the opportunity to leave, but will stay where he feels unwanted by media and fans?
July 14th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
It is more the fans than the media…How is one affraid to tackle when they have over 100 tackles? You may not like where he tackles, but he does tackle. I will say it again, I guess the tape does not lie to fans, but it is like that dude from the old Saturday Night Live when telling the story to the so called experts. I know you guys will say Rah and Brooks do not count, but Kirwan, Steve White, etc all sing his praises as a tackler…they also point out he is doing the job the coaching staff is asking of him. I guess the tapes is a filthy lier to the people that have played the game, coached the game, etc. thank god the tape does not lie to the fans.
July 14th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
I’d rather keep Ruud.
I don’t understand why Ruud is so polarizing. He’s a solid linebacker but not a star (and never will be). He covers well. He calls the defense well. He helped cover up way too many big holes (elsewhere) in our defense. He tackles like a second grader. That’s Ruud in a nutshell.
July 14th, 2011 at 1:19 pm
If Barnett is not a free agent and the Packers are getting rid of him, it’s for one of 3 reasons, his contract is too high for the value, he’s too old, or he can’t play, any one of which is reason enough for the Bucs to say no thanks. We’ve got good linebackers, both Hayward and McKenzie can play the Mike, Quincy Black would be better at Will than he is at Sam. I don’t buy the hype that Mason Foster is destined to play Mike. His stated preference is to play Will, if not he has the size and speed to play Sam. If we had to get another Sam until Dekoda Watson can own the spot, Manny Lawson in SF is a 3-4 OLB looking for a 4-3 home and he won’t break the bank.
July 14th, 2011 at 1:45 pm
Capt Tim,
How long will it be before you realize (or stop calling their defense) that the bucs don’t run the Tampa-2 or cover 2 anymore? they don’t need cover 2 lb’s anymore.
July 14th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
Mcabee: Fortunatlly for us the reason the packers would be willing to release Barnett is for none of your listed reasons.
Rather because of the drama he caused last year when he was injured, in conjunction with them discovering their linebacker depth is ridiculous (Desmond Bishop is a future pro Bowler, Frank Zombo is solid, Clay Matthews is already top 10 LB in the league, AJ Hawk is Barrett Ruud 2.0, Erik Walden came on very strong at the end of last year, and they just drafted Ricky Elmore) You tell me who in the league has a deeper LB corp? No one is even close.
So if we were to throw a 6th rounder out there for Barnett thats a steal for us.
July 14th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
I used “corps” yesterday as in I don’t like our current LBer corpse.
July 14th, 2011 at 1:57 pm
I didnt even mention the Packers have serviceable linebackers in Brady Poppinga, Spencer Havner, and Brandon Chillar
July 14th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
Is this guy EVER healthy these days?
July 14th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Travis, nice try but you make my point. You just named 9 LBs that the Packers prefer to keep in place of Barnett, including Ricky Elmore who was drafted at the very end of the 6th round. He contract for 2011 is 6.01 mil plus bonuses. His play is not worth the value. Don’t take my words, read Mike McCarthy’s words. Click on the 4th bullet point under recent news. http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/1779/nick-barnett
July 14th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Barnett would only be the third best option after Tulloch & Poz respectively. I’m gonna bang the drum for Tulloch yet again: He’s played 16 games every season in the league with no injuries. His tackle count has increased every year and he had 169 last year (third in the league and fourth highest in Titans franchise history). He’s tough as nails. He hits like a Mack truck. He’s a fiery competitor. He weighs a rock solid 240lbs. He’s only 26 years old. He’s from Florida. He wears #55. Anything else? Oh, and he wants to leave Tennessee. His only weakness is his average-at-best coverage skills. Anyway…sign this guy!
July 14th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
Oh, and PFF rated Tulloch the #1 run-stopping LB in the NFL last season with a league-high 76 run stops. For everyone who hates Ruud’s lack of run-stopping ability what would you say to signing the best plugger in the entire league who also happens to be available in free agency? Seems a no-brainer.
July 14th, 2011 at 3:28 pm
TMAC
July 14th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
Hector- will you stop posting that- it makes you look like a dumbass! We played the Tampa 2 about 30% of the time last year. We played the Hybrid Tampa 2.2 about 48% of the time. Both use the MLB in exactly the same way.
So shut up already! Do I have to tell you that every damn post! Find something correct to throw out there!
July 14th, 2011 at 4:08 pm
Flyboy, A question for you. If you’re going for an under-sized ILB, who do you think Mark Dominik is likely to sign? Stephen Tulloch at 5-11, 241 and runs the 40 in 4.84 for 7-8mil or UFA Mario Harvey at 5-11, 257 and runs the 40 in 4.46 for the rookie minimum of about 300k?
July 14th, 2011 at 4:43 pm
Macabee…you cannot be serious with that comment can you? A proven still-young veteran who many believed was snubbed for the Pro Bowl last year and who is the top-rated run-stopping LB in the entire league versus an undrafted rookie? Seriously? At the MLB position? Come on, man…I shouldn’t even have to answer that.
July 14th, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Macabee: your above post is about the dumbest thing I’ve EVER heard….
You think measurables determine a player? You must have never watched football a day in your life then….
I guess Sabby Piscitelli was better than John Lynch too since Sabby ran a 4.4, meanwhile John Lynch ran a 4.7
Your out of your freaking mind…
July 14th, 2011 at 6:46 pm
Travis and Flyboy, my final post. Let me first show Travis some love and agree with him that measurables don’t determine a player, but they do often determine where a player is drafted and how much someone is willing to pay for that player. The NFL Combine is all about measurables and is the most significant factor in determining draft status which determines how much you will be paid. You may not agree with it, but the NFL loves it. And Flyboy my point was obviously not to compare an unproven rookie to a proven veteran, it was about the way Dominik is going about rebuilding this team. Up to this point it has not been his MO to go after expensive FAs, but to draft high potential young players and develop them the Buc way. Now that may change because of the proposed cash salary floor. So I will answer the question for you – I think Dominik would take the rookie!
July 14th, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Macabee…it’s not an either/or proposition here. Harvey may be invited to camp but that has no bearing on veteran FA signings. Many people, including EG in Joe’s post today, believe this year will be where you see a foray into the veteran FA pool by Dominik. It’s the deepest pool in recent memory and there’s already a young base in Tampa Bay. Perfect timing. So I don’t thin it’s mutually exclusive…you could easily see BOTH happen: the undrafted rookie AND the veteran FA signing.
July 14th, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Tim,
We play a hybrid defense with a mix of a lot of front. 3-4, 4-3, 3-3-5, and nickle and dime packages. yes the MLB is used as a coverage linebacker, but not in the so called tampa 2 or cover 2 as you say. they play a lot of cover 4 last year a a lot more man coverage. if you notice they MLB was not doing a deep drop down the middle of the field you clown. he was doing more under and flats coverage. but since you know some much i guess you already know this huh clown?
July 14th, 2011 at 7:39 pm
With no OTAs I am lead to believe that if Ruud bolts for more cash, then they might hand the middle over to Tyrone McKenzie. He is considered a very smart guy and a leader, as shown this offseason. I think McKenzie in the middle with Foster earning an outside spot with Hayes is the most likely starting 3 IF Ruud does not return.
I would not be surprised if Watson and Black start one of the OLB spots for a few games before Foster is inserted, but I kind of think they want Foster in right away.
July 14th, 2011 at 8:34 pm
Damn my night time schedule. I could have been up commenting on this all day. I’d trade Ruud for a tackling dummy if I could. Nick Barnett would be a huge improvement. Unfortunately it won’t happen. Ruud will be our middle linebacker for at least one more year.
July 14th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
Just like Coach Morris has said before, I will tolerate you until I can replace you.
If we bring in someone else a bit long in the tooth or experienced call it what you will. We have some youthful players who will learn to play in our system. How many seasons did it take for Ruud to replace Quarles? About 2 but he played some snaps during that time. I am not a fan of Ruud I want another MLB like Hardy Nickerson, a leader from his play and his desire to be the best. I just don’t see any fire in Ruud, so if we sign him or bring in someone else we should get one with some balls to be in our players grills giving them the business about being out of position and making tackles of his own.
July 14th, 2011 at 8:44 pm
Ruud is very durable and they don’t make a running back that he can’t bounce off of. Sorry, but I can’t give Ruud any love with all of his antics and whining. If he stays, which I doubt, and he lives up to all this darn hype, I’ll admit I was wrong. I think the more likely scenario is that he leaves, he’ll go somewhere and suck, and all the talking heads that love him today will hate him tomorrow. Then it’s back to the cornfields or whatever they do in Nebraska.
July 14th, 2011 at 9:01 pm
Te’o . TMac . Foster
2012
Holla!
July 14th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
LoL its Groundhog Day. A discussion about a respectable player dominated by a player that defines timidity in a sport that every play is the equivalent of a car collision. Well Bucs fans if the qb of your defense is wanting to leave because the fanbase is torn on his performance, what will he do with the fans of NY or Philly? His agent better hope Tampa wants his “jack-wagon” a$$ or someone will bee unemployed after next season.
July 14th, 2011 at 9:48 pm
Hector- you ignorant sl^%!( sorry Hector, as a Former SNL fan, I’ve waited a long time to revive that)
Do you know why it’s called the” Tampa 2″? Do yoou?? Quite apparently, you dooo not!
It’s called the Tampa 2 because the safeties each play a deep half of the field in zone coverage. And all the field is devided into Zones. We played man coverage less than 10% of the time last year. It doesn’t matter if we play 2, 3 , or 4 down linemen. It doesn’t matter how many of our poor LBers we have running and hiding. It’s the coverage type played by the secondary that makes it a Tampa 2 defense, and we played it, or it’s Hybred, the Tampa2.2, over 78% of the time. Raheem Morris is an apostle of Monte Kiffin. That defense, with Raheem’s unique twist, is’nt going anywhere
As a matter of fact, the Bucs defense, for all it’s statistical issues( Stats are for losers, anyway!), did score very highly in an important category. We are behind only the Steelers, Chargers, Falcons, and Vikings, in preventing Big Plays. That is a very important stat, that shows your Defense is good at maintaining it’s scheme, and solid tackling. It’s especially impressive, considering we were worst in the league the year before, when we constantly gave up huge pass plays( especially elite Talib!). The fact that everyone seems to have forgotten- even though it was a major concern going into the season!
July 15th, 2011 at 7:26 am
Taking Barnett would totally go against the philosophy the Bucs have been clinging to for the past 3 seasons. Why install a 30 year old MLB on the downside of the his career and take snaps away from a younger player that can get better and better. I’d rather stick to what we have on the roster, not including Ruud.
There is an UDFA by the name of Mario Harvey, he’s 5’11 250 lbs, runs sub 4.5 from Marshall, and makes tackles all over the place. This guy reminds me so much of London Fletcher (another UDFA) it’s ridiculous. Sign him! By the end of the season he may be our MLB.
July 15th, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Architek- again clueless, again not smart enough to listen to intelligent people, again convinced that you know more than the people who play or coach the game. How does a person get that delusional? Does drinking cheap beer, and passing out on the coach at halftime, give you the wisdom to challenge the opinion of , say Pat Kirwan or Derrick Brooks? Does playing Pee wee Herman ball 20 years ago give you the credibility to dispute Monte Kiffin or Raheem Morris? How does someone like YOU, think you know more about football the guys like that?? It can’t be easy, to display that level of ignorance, with such confidence, you must be either a used car salesman, or an evangelist! Whatever, try to restrain yourself for the post that make you look blatantly ignorant, for your sake! It’ll help your self image.
July 15th, 2011 at 6:46 pm
Cappy, buudy, everything you just posted describes me just as well as our in house Architek. LOL
You know how I feel about Ruud, and Kirwan, and I love Brooks.
But hey bro, we’ll agree to disagree, right?
Let’s see what happens this season. If Barrett stays or if he goes, and how he performs either way will be his swan song or rebirth, but right now I see him more as afterbirth, but I know you like him.
And quit knocking my cheap beer. Busch in a Glass tastes like Budweiser.
July 15th, 2011 at 6:47 pm
Oops, that was “buddy” but I had Ruud on the brain. haha
July 15th, 2011 at 11:03 pm
Alright, posers 😉
There are three possible ways it can playout:
1) Ruud gets resigned for a few years to give foster time to develop. The Bucs would have to be willing to eat the cap hit to cut Ruud early. I think this is a like scenario.
2) The Bucs let Ruud walk and have Ronde run the defense on field this year, letting foster play and learn on the go.
3) The Bucs have one of their other LBs step in as MLB temperarily, and slowly work foster into the starting lineup. It would have to be someone with at least a couple years exp…maybe Black.
The thing that will not happen:
The Bucs will not bring in a “temperary starter” through trade or free agency. Their goal is to get Foster as much playing time as possible while teaching him the ropes.
If they bring in someone, that will become harder to do because the new guy will want to start. They will try to handle it internally.
I do think it’s possible they will bring in a backup, but not a starter.