Nick Barnett Pines For The Bucs
July 26th, 2011Showing up to Lambeau Field this morning, soon-to-be free agent linebacker Nick Barnett learned from Packers general manager Ted Thompson that his days in Green Bay are done, short of him re-signing for the league minimum.
If the Packers cannot find a suitor in a trade for Barnett, he will be released, the ninth-year veteran said.
The Packers starting inside linebacker appeared on “The Blitz” with Adam Schein and Rich Gannon, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio, and said there are four teams he wants to play for:
San Diego.
Tampa Bay.
Philadelphia.
New York Giants.
Barnett said he wanted to play for one of those four teams, if released, because “those teams are one step away from a Super Bowl and I want to play in a Super Bowl.’
Gannon asked Barnett whether with a new defense and unable to practice with his new team until Aug. 4, if that was enough time to learn a new defense. Barnett didn’t think that was much of a factor.
“If I was in my second year, yeah, but this is my ninth year,” Barnett said. “Picking up terminology, having gone through four different coordinators and playing a 4-3 and a 2-3, I can get the terminology down.”
Asked if he was healthy by Gannon, Barnett emphatically barked, “110 percent healthy!”
Though few knew whether Barnett would be cut or not, Barnett to the Bucs is not really a novel concept. If Barrett Ruud truly is fed up with the haters in the area and wants a new home, and Paul Posluszny is locked up by the Bills, Barnett wouldn’t be a bad addition by the Bucs.
Barnett to the Bucs is hardly a novel concept. The way Joe looks at it, sans Ruud, the Bucs could do much worse than Barnett.
July 26th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
This could be the nasty we have been looking for!! If Ruud balks at our offer I say make a run at him
July 26th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Moving this to this post Joe, where it fits better.
ESPN’s rankings of FA LBs.
91 Tamba Hali—– LB Franchised
84 Paul Posluszny- LB UFA
80 Quincy Black— LB UFA
80 Manny Lawson- LB UFA
80 Takeo Spikes– LB UFA
79 Stephen Tulloch- LB UFA
78 James Anderson- LB UFA
77 Stewart Bradley- LB UFA
77 Clint Session—- LB UFA
76 Kevin Burnett— LB UFA
76 Ben Leber——- LB UFA
75 Stephen Cooper- LB UFA
75 Justin Durant—– LB UFA
75 Kirk Morrison—- LB UFA
75 Barrett Ruud—- LB UFA
74 Antwan Barnes- LB UFA
74 Rocky McIntosh- LB UFA
73 Julian Peterson– LB Released
72 Zac Diles——– LB UFA
72 Leroy Hill——- LB UFA
Sign:
80 Manny Lawson- LB UFA (San Fran)
and
77 Stewart Bradley- MLB UFA (Eagles)
And I would be happy.
Both Singletary and the Eagles know LBs. Plus, these guys would be nice additions/replacements.
July 26th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
I say try to sign him for a couple of years until our young linebackers are ready to take over. (does he or can he play middle linebacker?)
July 26th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
Who cares what Ruud thinks. Sign Barnett and tell Ruud he gets the minimum for minimum bone crushing tackles.
July 26th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Although many Bucs fans don’t realize they have the next Monte Kiffin or Dick LeBeau in the making with Raheem Morris, the NFL players know exactly what he’s becoming and they want to play for him. Notice how the other teams on that list have strong defenses with strong coordinators? Yep…that’s right, Morris haters. Read ’em and weep.
July 26th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
Ill take him. Im a Ruud fan, but I think Collins and Stewart Bradley of the Eagles would make for a nice competition for our defensive QB.
July 26th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
I like Barnett. But I trust Mark Dominick. If he’s the right guy, we’ll get him. He’s had someone in mind for a while
July 26th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
Barnett* not collins. lol.
July 26th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
If Ruud and The Poz are gone, I don’t see any other reliable choice. Maybe Tulloch?
July 26th, 2011 at 1:11 pm
http://www.pewterreport.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=7062:&Itemid=15
Benn passed his physical today.
July 26th, 2011 at 1:14 pm
That is a list of UFA not all free agents. Nick Barnett is not a free agent yet. He has not been released by the Packers.
July 26th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
So far we’ve signed the following players:
QB Mike Coughlin, Boise State
RB Armando Allen, Notre Dame
WR Raymond Webber, Arkansas Pine-Bluff
WR Detron Lewis, Texas Tech
OL Matt Allen, Texas A&M
LB Derrell Smith, Syracuse
LB Nick Reveiz, Tennessee
July 26th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
Oh, and:
RB Mossis Madu, Oklahoma
July 26th, 2011 at 2:11 pm
he puts up similar stats in runstopping and pass defending as ruud so why upgrade to an older and similar model? (im basing my comparison off of footballoutsiders comparison rating of ruud and barnett
July 26th, 2011 at 2:18 pm
Dan Says:
July 26th, 2011 at 2:11 pm
he puts up similar stats in runstopping and pass defending as ruud so why upgrade to an older and similar model? (im basing my comparison off of footballoutsiders comparison rating of ruud and barnett
STATS mean nothing. Barnett can plug a hole, Ruud can’t. It is that simple. Maybe they have the same number of tackles, but WHERE are the tackles occuring?
The Bucs gave up 4.7 yards per carry last year.
They got Clayborne, Bowers, Foster, a year under the belt of McCoy…
but these are all unknowns. THEY NEED guys who can stop the run and get after the QB.
I don’t know if he is a guy like that, but he can’t be any worse in the run than Ruud was…. that is almost impossible.
July 26th, 2011 at 2:50 pm
Four more guys signed:
Corey Brandon (OL, Oklahoma)
Brandon Heath (LB, Louisville)
Josh Jasper (K, LSU)
Christian Yount (LS, UCLA)
July 26th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
You guys are insane. Are we here trying to predict what the Bucs will do or what we wish they would do?
You are all forgetting the 28 rule.
Simply put, in order for the Bucs to even consider a free agent, he must be 28 or younger. That’s not a written rule, but it is the view of dominick and Morris. The only exceptions would be guys already on the roster or maybe…MAYBE…Tiki Barber.
But all that aside…
It makes no sense to sign Barnett. You guys are buying the hype. He is no better than Ruud and at least Ruud knows the system.
There are a couple MLB out there if Ruud decides to walk, but Free Agents are not the only resource this team has. There are also trades.
We have a decent QB sitting on our roster (Johnson) who could be traded to a good backup veteran MLB that is under 28 years old. There are plenty of teams that need QBs at this point.
I agree with Joe on this…the Bucs will do their best to resign Ruud.
Quincy Black might be able to fill in at MLB until Foster is ready as well. (yeah, I’m crazy)
@FLBoyInDallas
Thanks for the updates 🙂
July 26th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
“who could be traded to a good backup veteran”
Should have been:
“who could be traded to a goodteam for a backup veteran “
July 26th, 2011 at 4:09 pm
Mackenzie is the man who will start at mlb
July 26th, 2011 at 4:20 pm
Cool. Listening to Mark Dominik live and he just said Brian Price will definitely not start the season on the PUP list. Said he’s healthy and moving well but just needs to lose a little weight and get in shape.
July 26th, 2011 at 4:22 pm
Reading between the lines, Dominik also just said that Barrett Ruud will NOT be re-signed. Big risk but exciting news at the same time!
July 26th, 2011 at 5:34 pm
Just out of curiosity, what’s a 2-3 defense?
I’m assuming that’s a typo (supposed to be a 3-4?)…
July 26th, 2011 at 5:50 pm
Actually we played a 2-2 defense in 2009: Our defensive line had the total talent equaling 2 linemen from any other NFL team and our LB corps might as well have been just 2 guys on the field as well. Hence we played a 2-2 under Jim “Worst Experiment Ever” Bates.
July 26th, 2011 at 5:51 pm
M. Wesley…..thank you……there is no way Foster beats out TMac for the MLB. Foster is going to fill the Sam, not sure how the Will is going to shake out though.
July 26th, 2011 at 7:10 pm
The Bucs could definitely do worse than Barnett…………
They could keep Ruud.
What a Ruud Awakening that would be for all of us Haters.
Bubbye Barrett………….
Crybaby.