Faceoff - LB Nick Barnett, Green Bay Packers

Posted 7/19, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Upside - by Sigmund Bloom

Nick Barnett endured his worst season as a pro last year, and became yet another name on the "off the field news" list this offseason. These are only reasons that you should be able to get Barnett as a great value this year. He's still one of the better young linebackers in the league, and the team made a huge commitment to him in the offseason. Barnett might not ever again be the top 15 stud he was 2004 and 2005, but his situation is still very good, and you should be happy to land him as your LB3.

There's no denying that Barnett was a disappointment last year. He finished 46th overall among LBs in FBG scoring, and failed to top five total tackles in eight of his fifteen games, which is very poor for a three down middle linebacker. Barnett also had to deal with talk of him moving to the strong side to accommodate up and coming rookie Abdul Hodge, another natural middle linebacker. Barnett also had the weight on his mind of having no extension done with only 2007 left on his rookie deal despite being a huge bargain for the Packers during the first three years of that contract, and the troubling possibility of being paid as a strong side backer instead of the QB of the defense. Fast forward, and Hodge floundered in the one chance he got to show what he could do in the middle, starting in place of an injured Barnett, and Barnett got his extension in the offseason.

Barnett's play also suffered due to that injury that caused him to miss week 12. Barnett's right hand was broken, and late in the season he played with a club instead of a hand, which made it much more difficult for him to wrap up and make big plays. He had no sacks, interceptions, forced/recovered fumbles, or passes defended after breaking the hand.

Barnett has his long term deal (6 years, 35 mil, 12 guaranteed), a healthy right hand, the best partner in crime he's ever enjoyed playing next to in A.J. Hawk, and the Packers even drafted a wide body DT to keep blockers off of Barnett (Justin Harrell) in the first round, who they plan on using in a rotation right away. An offseason incident at a nightclub saw Barnett put in jail and being accused of battery, but the owner of the nightclub has come to Barnett's defense, saying he was provoked into the incident. Unless there are other incidents that we are not aware of, a suspension from Roger Goodell is unlikely. Things are looking up for the Packers budding star at middle linebacker, and if you can get him after LB25, things will be looking up for your IDP squad.

Downside - by John Norton

This is the same Nick Barnett who averaged nearly 90 solo tackles and a top 15 rating over his first three years in the league. Unfortunately it's not the same struggling Packers defense that helped him to be so productive. Over the past couple of off-seasons the club has put a lot of effort into improving defensively, and the effort has paid off. The proof is in the pudding. In '05 Green Bay defenders were credited with approximately 768 solo tackles and 288 assists. In that season Barnett's totals were a career best 92-47-2 and he finished among the fantasy games top 10. Last season the team's overall improvement cut the number of defensive snap considerably, thus Packer defenders recorded just 710 solos and 272 assists. Cutting 58 tackles of the team total is like playing one less game. That alone made a significant impact but it's certainly not the only factor that contributed to Barnett's slide to a dismal 61 solo tackles last year. The talent level of the players surrounding him has improved immensely. Everyone looks at A.J. Hawk as the guy who stole Barnett's fire. While it's true that Hawk's presence was a significant factor, he's not the only one hurting Barnett's numbers. Nick Collins has emerged as a very solid safety, Charles Woodson was the first Packers corner in years to reach 50 solo tackles and Aaron Kampman was among the league leaders in tackles by linemen. Barnett is still a very good linebacker and his numbers should rebound a little, but he's no longer in such a target rich environment and the competition for tackles is much tougher. He could make 80 tackles and a hand full of big plays but Barnett's days as a top 20 linebacker are probably behind him.