bradjock Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 Lovie Smith announced this at the combine. He's no longer thinking about it, but he's going to make it official. Damn that sucks. I was really hoping after a couple of months off he'd reconsider. So that brings our money we have to spend to 31-32 million. Any thoughts on who we should spend it on now? (Other then St. Clair which has immediately become urgent.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chwtom Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 Lovie Smith announced this at the combine. He's no longer thinking about it, but he's going to make it official. Damn that sucks. I was really hoping after a couple of months off he'd reconsider. So that brings our money we have to spend to 31-32 million. Any thoughts on who we should spend it on now? (Other then St. Clair which has immediately become urgent.) On thr bright side, he let the team know early enough that they won't lose out on any top tier free agents, they will have plenty of time to scout the position at the draft, they just gained 4-5mil in cap room, and his play was deteriorating quickly, so we should be able to upgrade our talent there. I vote we sign Khalif Barnes, as he is a very strong, able run blocker who would be a fierce RT, imo. I know some people don't like him, but I do. I'm not sure I agree that re-signing St Clair is a priority. Getting paid seems to be his priority (I don't fault him for that), and he is a jack of all line positions, but a master of none. He is not of the sort of talent that I pay retail for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hochuli 3:16 Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 On thr bright side, he let the team know early enough that they won't lose out on any top tier free agents, they will have plenty of time to scout the position at the draft, they just gained 4-5mil in cap room, and his play was deteriorating quickly, so we should be able to upgrade our talent there. I vote we sign Khalif Barnes, as he is a very strong, able run blocker who would be a fierce RT, imo. I know some people don't like him, but I do. I'm not sure I agree that re-signing St Clair is a priority. Getting paid seems to be his priority (I don't fault him for that), and he is a jack of all line positions, but a master of none. He is not of the sort of talent that I pay retail for. Khalif Barnes was f***ing terrible last year for the Jags and racked up plenty of false starts. Sure, that is due to a lack of concentration but then why would it change here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradjock Posted February 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 Khalif Barnes was f***ing terrible last year for the Jags and racked up plenty of false starts. Sure, that is due to a lack of concentration but then why would it change here? Didn't Jacksonville lose their center, LG, RG, and back-up guard by the 2nd week of the season? Khalif Barnes is 26 and he's actually a LT. He's considered to be an upgrade over St. Clair. I'd be happy as hell if we signed him. Here's what ESPN has to say about Barnes: Barnes has anchored the left side of the line for the past four years. He has excellent size for the position and is a fluid, easy mover who is an adequate knee-bender with excellent body control and balance. He has above-average, small-area quickness and comes off the ball with good pad level. He gets a good fit with his hands to control and steer opponents on by the hole. He has good lateral range in pass protection and can ride the rusher on by the pocket, but will let his weight get a bit high at times and is inconsistent when it comes to reacting or adjusting to counter moves. He does a good job of bringing his feet with him on drive blocks and he understands angles and blocking schemes. He can struggle on the second level when trying to block linebackers and adjusting in space. He could show more of a nasty temperament as he tries to finish his blocks off. He is quick to pick up unblocked opponents and is a quick decision maker. While he is not a dominating blocker, he does more than just hold his own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chwtom Posted February 21, 2009 Report Share Posted February 21, 2009 Khalif Barnes was f***ing terrible last year for the Jags and racked up plenty of false starts. Sure, that is due to a lack of concentration but then why would it change here? In what way was Khalif Barnes terrible? The Jags had the highest YPC behind him of any LT in the NFL. That is a pretty darn good run blocker. He probably is not quite quick enough to play LT, and the false starts are a function of him trying to compensate for that and get in front of speed rushers more than any concentration issues. IMO he is a perfect fit for us at RT where his run-blocking abilities would shine and any deficiencies in his quickness would be masked by the TE help and fewer edge rushers that line up against the RT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hochuli 3:16 Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Suit yourself. Obviously, I'm not a big fan. But Angelo does like the cheap but solid-at-best FA's who can come in, contribute, and not cost too much. I wouldn't mind Barnes, but right now, I'd take Ray Willis, formerly of the Seahawks, to play RT for us. He played 10 games last year off the bench and only gave up 1.5 sacks at RT for Seattle, and just like Barnes, he'd probably only cost $4-5 per year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BearSox Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Kahlif Barnes was pretty terrible last year and a good indication of that is how LT will most likely be the Jags no. 1 pick this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradjock Posted February 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 The Sun Times and the Tribune's report today indicate that Smith's comments weren't as definite as the SCORE led me to believe. Apparently there still is a slight chance that Tait could return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hochuli 3:16 Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Barnes was tied for 24th among LT's giving up 7.5 sacks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chwtom Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Barnes was tied for 24th among LT's giving up 7.5 sacks. Yes but he was 1st among LTs in yards per cary by RBs behind him. We're not signing him to play LT and be a premier pass-blocker, we'd be signing him to play RT and be a premier run blocker, which he already is. On the right side he wouldn't have to face the same kind of edge rushers that LTs do, he wouldn't be protecting the QBs blind side, and he'd have the TE to help if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowlingtwig Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Yes but he was 1st among LTs in yards per cary by RBs behind him. We're not signing him to play LT and be a premier pass-blocker, we'd be signing him to play RT and be a premier run blocker, which he already is. On the right side he wouldn't have to face the same kind of edge rushers that LTs do, he wouldn't be protecting the QBs blind side, and he'd have the TE to help if needed. Great point Milwaukee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChileBear Posted February 22, 2009 Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Yes but he was 1st among LTs in yards per cary by RBs behind him. We're not signing him to play LT and be a premier pass-blocker, we'd be signing him to play RT and be a premier run blocker, which he already is. On the right side he wouldn't have to face the same kind of edge rushers that LTs do, he wouldn't be protecting the QBs blind side, and he'd have the TE to help if needed. Solid arguement MLWBear. I think Barnes should b on JA's radar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradjock Posted February 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2009 Solid arguement MLWBear. I think Barnes should b on JA's radar. Agreed Chile. Especially since right now he's the best offensive tackle available. He's younger and considered better then St. Clair. The only argument for not making every effort to sign him would be that you want to draft an offensive tackle in the first round. The danger with this is: 1. According to some mocks there will be a run on OT's early, and there might not be one worth the pick available when the Bears draft. 2. You can never count on a rookie. Can you imagine if we were starting a rookie RT, and Chris Williams at LT? Yikes. It could work great, or it could ruin our season. On hindsight, I'd wished we'd have taken Barnes in 2005 in the 2nd round instead of Bradley. I'd be thrilled if we signed Barnes and St. Clair. Then we could focus on drafting a DE or WR in round one. There are quality offensive tackles we can sign right now, but there's not much for DE's or WR's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted February 23, 2009 Report Share Posted February 23, 2009 Thank you Mr. Tait! When you came here, we were in desperate need, and we couldn't have made it to the SB w/o you... St Clair is a MUST... Lovie Smith announced this at the combine. He's no longer thinking about it, but he's going to make it official. Damn that sucks. I was really hoping after a couple of months off he'd reconsider. So that brings our money we have to spend to 31-32 million. Any thoughts on who we should spend it on now? (Other then St. Clair which has immediately become urgent.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradjock Posted February 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 Thank you Mr. Tait! When you came here, we were in desperate need, and we couldn't have made it to the SB w/o you... St Clair is a MUST... Tait is a class act. At training camp, no player signed more autographs then he did. I remember thanking him and he stopped, looked me square in the eye, and said, "thank you I appreciate that." We need St. Clair AND another offensive tackle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madlithuanian Posted February 24, 2009 Report Share Posted February 24, 2009 That is a great story! I'm glad you shared that! Tait is a class act. At training camp, no player signed more autographs then he did. I remember thanking him and he stopped, looked me square in the eye, and said, "thank you I appreciate that." We need St. Clair AND another offensive tackle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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