If you look at the Packers linebacking corps, it is a definite strength of their defense. They have superstar Clay Matthews as their LOLB, former Cowboys 6th round draft pick Eric Walden as their ROLB (Frank Zombo was the starter but he got injured and Walden was surprisingly good in the playoffs but they still might try to upgrade). At the inside spots they have Desmond Bishop penciled in at one spot and the other spot will either go to A.J. Hawk or Nick Barnett.
While you are probably thinking "How is A.J. Hawk gonna compete for a starting job when they just cut him?" Well the reason they cut Hawk was because he was due over $10 million this year in the last year of his rookie contract, and there are not many ILB's in the league worth that much money, especially not A.J. Hawk. So the decision to release him was strictly based on the economics of it.
Now the Packers still have Nick Barnett under contract for 2011 at a total cost of about $6 million. He only played in 4 games last year before breaking his wrist and being placed on injured reserve. The wrist injury is not going to be a concern going forward, but his contract dollars will be.
With Desmond Bishop already guaranteed a starting position at one ILB spot, Hawk and Barnett will be battling it out for the other, but they will probably not be battling it out in the way most people would expect, on the football field. They will most likely be battling it out in the negotiation room. Both players were drafted in the 1st round (Hawk #6 overall & Barnett #29 overall), about the only noticeable difference between the two is that Hawk is a 27 and Barnett is 29 years old. I believe that Hawk is a better linebacker, while he has never been the "difference maker"/"high impact" player most teams hope for when they draft a player #6 overall, he has been a steady tackler and I feel he has improved in the last couple of years to be one of the more reliable ILB's around (I know that most people won't agree with me on that but in the games I have seen he plays steady).
Currently the team is negotiating on a new contract with Hawk and if they can sign him to a decent deal then I believe that Barnett will be shown the door, and since Hawk does not seem to be a player driven by money it would be surprising to see him not come to terms with the Packers before tomorrow at midnight eastern time when the league will shut down. The Packers are notorious for not overpaying their players, and really even underpaying them, and since they already have Barnett under contract they may really lowball Hawk and then hope Barnett will restructure his deal, basically I do not see them paying much more than their initial offer to Hawk and may try to get him in an incentive laden deal expecting him to only be a backup and then having a way above average LB on the cheap as a backup.
Since I am a diehard Cowboys fan, I believe that A.J. Hawk would be a perfect complement to team with Sean Lee as our ILB's for the future. Hawk is a smart, instinctive, and somewhat conservative LB (from what I have seen) and would partner up well with the hard charging but over agressive Lee. And we all know that Bradie James (while a fan favorite and solid tackler) has never been a good fit in the 3-4 scheme and last year I believe we saw the beginning of the end for the productive Cowboys linebacker and we all know that Keith Brooking is all but done unless he is willing to accept a pure backup role. Also the ILB's were one of the many weaknesses of our defense last year and an area that Roby Ryan is sure to try and upgrade. Unfortunately the near certain labor stoppage is sure to make a transition harder for any player and team which means that most players will probably stay put on the same teams. But there is nothing keeping people like me from dreaming.......
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