What About Antwan Barnes?
by Markakis and Wieters 4 Life on May 6, 2009 11:24 AM EDT
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PrintWhy do people keep forgetting about Barnes? He has a ton of talent, and is a good pass rusher. Why is he never mentioned, and is always forgotten. I think he has the possibility to take Jarret Johnson's job next yr (if Kruger stays at DE.) Where is the love for him, and why isn't there any for him. I know we love Jameel, but what about Antwan!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_vYB3walr4
The opinions posted here are those of the administrator of this blog and his loyal readers. They are in no way official comments from the team, and should not be misconstued as such, even though he thinks he could do just as well or even a better job!
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He is a very good talent
But does not really know how to control speed. He over shoots nearly every sack he goes for. I think he could still have a chance to be a part of the defense, but he needs to, in a weird way, slow it down a bit.
If Barnes can learn to harness his speed the right way, then he could be very good. But McClaine looks to be the guy right now, and I am very excited for that.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Yeah,
But McClain showed those same problems last yr. And Barnes has more experience and looks to be better in pass coverage
by Markakis and Wieters 4 Life on May 6, 2009 11:40 AM EDT up reply actions
I think we have 2 guys for pass coverage at LB
Right now I see JJ and Gooden doing most of the pass coverage duties. JJ already does cover TE and teams 4th WR some times and from what I have heard from the players and coaches, Gooden is the most ridiculous athlete of all the Linebackers. So he could very well drop back a few times.
Whatever happens, happens bro. If Barnes can do his thing, god for him. I hope he can showcase the speed he has.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
I haven't seen Gooden enough to know whether he is good in coverage
But that does seem our major defensive weakness, middle of the field pass coverage.
by Markakis and Wieters 4 Life on May 6, 2009 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions
I like Barnes
But he is behind Jameel McClaine for now. He does have a shot but we have so many young, talented LB’s in Burgess, Gooden, McClaine, Phillips, and Barnes, that he needs to really show something in order to get on the field.
Barnes would make a good weak side linebacker.
Unfortunately for him, we already have one of the best weak side backers in the league… Suggs. I don’t think that Barnes is big enough to play the strong side. That’s why they like Johnson there. He’s a converted defensive lineman. Kruger may eventually take over for Johnson if he can’t effectively play the five technique. Kruger is also surprisingly good in coverage.
I like Barnes to
The man invented the records that he holds at FIU. He is behind Jameel right now though. McClaine saw more of the field last year then Antwan, and Jameel was an undrafted rookie FA, the only one to make our team. So the coaches have a lot of love for Jameel.
Barnes does have a weird body type though. He really does not look like an outside pass rusher. I dont know.
I am still a Barnes fan, and if he can step up in this veryyyyy deep group of LB’s we have, then good for him. Anyone who can go out there and make plays, I am all for it.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Yeah, but the reason McClain got more time is b/c
Barnes was injured. I am sure he was injured for all of the play-offs, not sure about som of the regular season.
by Markakis and Wieters 4 Life on May 6, 2009 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Barnes played 13 games last year
McClain played 16. McClain had to have bee doing something right.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
He was on special teams almost all of the season
And only got a couple of mins at DE/OLB. Though mostly in the postseason w/ Barnes and Suggs injured
by Markakis and Wieters 4 Life on May 6, 2009 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions
He's right.
Barnes was injured in camp last season, and I believe that it hampered him all season. Last season was suppose to be a break out year for Barnes. I remember the coaches talking about him. I like McClain too. Between these two guys, we have excellent depth a linebacker, and perhaps, another future star on our defense.
Plus we have Gooden, and these two new guys, Ellerbe and Phillips :)
by Markakis and Wieters 4 Life on May 6, 2009 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions
I think Wieters should play MLB
And no, I’m not talking about Major League Baseball, even though he needs to get in there quickly also.
Adam Jones could be a positive at WR, don’t you all think so?
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Jones Would be a good complement to Reed At FS
Roberts though with hsi great MLB base stealing… he’d be our WR
by Markakis and Wieters 4 Life on May 6, 2009 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Wes Welker like
Mora would be like Mason cause they are both 80 years old
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Yeah, but both can still play
Did you see we are bringing in like 4 WRs to mini camps
by Markakis and Wieters 4 Life on May 6, 2009 2:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes I did
We got Eron Riley, the rookie from duke who is a spinning image of Darius Heyward-Bey. Then we just picked up Kelly Washington, who was a solid 4th WR for Cinci.
These signing will only make the guys who are already here work harder at being a stud WR for us.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Mason is a top 15-17 Reciever in the NFL
And a top 3 possesion reciever.
Clayton though is the weakness. I know there must be a reason why Riley wasn’t drafted, but I just can’t find any. With that height and speed, I think it is a great UDFA signing
by Markakis and Wieters 4 Life on May 6, 2009 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Clayton is not a weakness
I think he is a great WR. People talk bad about him cause he was drafted first round and does not put up 80+ rec 1100+ yards and 10 tds a year, but he makes the catches when they are thrown his way.
Is it strange that we saw the best of mark this year in a cam cameron offense an joe flacco at QB? I think it is. We used to have kyle boller and steve no air mcnair at QB with fucking Brian Billick calling the plays.
What we saw out of Clayton last year was just a slight glimpse of what is to come. I see his career sky rocketing now with this new team.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
I don't think he is great
I think he is solid. Top 45ish… But he isn’t the deep threat that would make Flacco the best he could possibly be IMO. Though i’d love him as a 3rd reciever…
I’ve been getting into some good sports talk today…mostly football too at another web site :)
by Markakis and Wieters 4 Life on May 6, 2009 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions
I mean
Yea, we all want the deep threat, including myself. But I have come to realize now that if you can just make the catch and run the correct route when asked to do so, then that is fine with me. Clayton caught a good amount of deep passes last year for some big time yards.
He had longs of 47, 53, 70, 37 and 48 in different games. And in all but 2 games did he not have a catch going over 10 yards. Most of them in the 15-19 yard range. He averaged 17 yards a catch last year. That is pretty damn good in my opinion.
I will agree that he is not the typical deep threat this offense lacks, but he can indeed make those plays for sure. I do not think the team is looking at him to be a deep threat. He is a very solid and reliable possession guy.
I think D-Williams and or Marcus Smith step it up this year as our deep threat. Hell, even Yamon Figurs might get a couple shots.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Jerry Porter?
Bringing him in as well as D.J. Hackett. All those guys came in to the league with good potential. Maybe we can get lucky and one of them will turn out to be a late bloomer.
Eron Riley :)
Yeah, hopefully D-Will can step up, though look for Marcus Smith to become more of a Mason type player, btu w/ more size
by Markakis and Wieters 4 Life on May 6, 2009 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions
like the smiley face
Smith can go across the middle. He is not afraid of contact and has huge size for a WR considering he was recruited to New Mexico as a RB.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
I never knew much about him
He just seems like a possesion guy to me. It’s good if he goes across the middle
by Markakis and Wieters 4 Life on May 6, 2009 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions
great?
you’re too easy with that word. clayton has barely had a handful of great games let alone being called a great WR. Right now Mark Clatyon is a middle of the road starter in the NFL. Has not lived up to his 1st round billing, but not the bust that many would like to call him. Needs to learn how to play hurt. Needs to learn how to step it up in the big games like his partner in crime Mason. When he can become “the” go to guy and puts up a handful of 75+ catch/1000 yard seasons we can have a discussion about calling him a great receiver. And even then, you may only be able to call him great in relation to the other Ravens receivers. Too much hyperbole. Mark Clayton is a good guy, but he is NOT a great WR.
Ease up...
I don’t understand why everyone is so hard on Clayton. He is only 26. He has a LONG career and his best football ahead of him. He went through a nasty divorce in 2007 and is just getting back on track. I think that last season was an indication of the good things to come. I don’t think that he’s a great player yet, but I also don’t think that it will be very long. Flacco’s development can only help.
ease up?
i wasn’t aware that i was being harsh. just keeping it real. Mr MaLor made a statement that he thought Mark Clayton was a great WR. There is zero data to back that statement. I hope he has a long and great career. He seems like a quiet, nice man and I hope like heck he succeeds. But I don’t think that you can call Mark Clayton a great WR by any stretch of the imagination and that includes if you wear purple colored glasses like we all do.
Stats dont make you great or not
From the things I have seen him do, he has made some great plays. He has not had the ball thrown his way enough for him to be an 80+ catch guy. That is Mason’s job. Very rarely do teams have their 2nd WR get above 60 catches.
I think you are being very harsh. Its not like he had 100 balls thrown his way and he dropped 50 of them to only get 50 catches.
So what do you call him. Cause he catches nearly everything thrown his way.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
If he catches nearly everything thrown his way, I’d call him “reliable”, not “great.” ppdoc is definitely not being overly harsh; in fact, he explicitly said that Clayton was not the bust that many believe him to be. In order for Clayton to be great, he’s going to have to actually step up his game and be our go-to guy when Mason’s arm falls off next season. Great wide receivers don’t play in the shadow of injured 30-somethings.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
Actually agree.
Clayton has a “great” skill set. If he played for the Saints or the Colts, he may have been a great WR already. The problem is… He played for the Ravens under Brian Billick during the majority of his career, and last season, we ran the ball to help Flacco’s development. Our offense has not been conducive to Clayton’s “greatness” as a WR. You could not expect Larry Fitzgerald to put up excellent numbers in that offense. I think that’s the point that we’ve been making here.
On the other hand, I see your point. He is not great right now and has done nothing to warrant that distinguishment. I still have great expectations for Clayton’s career. I plan on buying his jersey if Ozzie resigns him after next season.
Injured 30 somethings who still put up 80 + and 1000+ yards
Not exactly shadowed in my opinion.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Flacco throws balls
like any young QB. He looks at #1 and then go through he progressions. It was always number one last year. He has an incredible arm and most of the time it found Mason. His hands are like crazy glue. So, Clayton, although not living up to the first round pick status, does not get seen on every play—only if Mason doesn’t get open. Let us not forget that Joe is not yet Farve or Brady. I love you all.
by Ravens Boner on May 10, 2009 11:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Really liking the Porter and Hacket pick ups
I think Porter is still a very good WR and was just in the wrong system in JAX. He did some really good things in Oakland.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
They aren't signings yet
we’ll see how many make the team
by Markakis and Wieters 4 Life on May 6, 2009 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions
I know this
I didnt say they were, but they are just pick-ups “off the street.” I think Porter has a very good chance of making the team.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Barnes vs. J. McClain
is not a fair comparison. Barnes is a classic speed rusher like Boulware was. McClain is more of an inside guy and neither is going to drop back into pass coverage. They really play different positions. You can compare Barnes to Prescott Burgess or McClain to Jason Phillips or maybe even T. Gooden, but I need to see and ear more about Gooden before defining his role. Right now J. Johnson and Suggs are the only LB’s dropping back into coverage with any success other than Ray. God help us if we have to rely on our LB corp to cover guys.
Rexx
Do you think Johnson could move to an ILB position
Then we could move Barnes to OLB/DE Hybrid type position… Or Just start Gooden at ILB
by Markakis and Wieters 4 Life on May 6, 2009 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Johnson is not a ILB.
He is not of sure of a tackler as Ray or even Gooden (will be). He is a very good athlete and can hang with the TE in coverage. Also a great pass rusher and since he has the instincts of a DE from playing the position at Alabama, it would not be a smart move to take away most of his pass rushing abilities by moving him to ILB
I like JJ at OLB. Gooden and Ray will handle the middle as well as anyone in the league.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
JJ as an ILB
No way. Johnson is really not cut out to be an ILB. He is too big (with due respect to Levon Kirkland the biggest MLB in history) to effectively play the position. He can’t cover that much of the field with his size.
I did forget he'd started out as a DT
That was my bad
by Markakis and Wieters 4 Life on May 6, 2009 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Johnson is not on my list
because he is thought to be headed in the same direction as Bart did. Not necesssarily the Jets, but when his turn at FA comes up, something tells me Ozzie is not going to bite- once again correctly.
Rexx
I dont think we have to rely on the LB for pass coverage anymore
This really may be the best 2ndary we have seen since the 2000 defense. We have some of the best athletes in the league playing CB for us. Then the versatility of Ruki and Zbi. Really excited for this 2ndary.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Yea, but they seem to be more of a deeper coverage secondary
I really think that teams will be trying to run a Titan type offense against us (throwing wise), and if we don’t use a LB in coverage we miight get beat over the middle
by Markakis and Wieters 4 Life on May 6, 2009 6:25 PM EDT up reply actions
With faster CB's now
We can compensate for the Chris Johnson type players. I think this team has taken a lot away from the Titans game. We should have either lost by a shitload, or won by a shitload. We did not outplay that team, they just made more mistakes.
Teams can go ahead and run the Titan style offense. Cause when Flacco gets 7 on the board in the first 3 min of the game, the other team will be struggling to get 3 on our defense over a 6-7 minute span.
I am ready for anything and everything. 19-0 here we come.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Jameel
Rexx, I’m pretty sure they project Jameel McClain as an edge guy and not so much in the middle. He was a DE in college and so far has transitioned nicely to the hybrid outside spot in the Ravens D.
See this article as well.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.tweeners24apr24,0,4848835.story
I agree.
However… If you know anything about the Ravens, they aren’t exactly conventional. If McClain can play Bart’s role better than Gooden, I’m sure that he will play. The Ravens used Scott to shoot gaps and blow up blocking schemes more than anything. I can see both Gooden and McClain excelling in this role, but McClain plays with the same reckless abandon that I saw in Scott. Don’t get me wrong. I actually like Gooden more than McClain. I just think that McClain is in the mix to start.
In an interview on Wednesday...
Harbaugh stated that Gooden and McClain would compete for Scott’s old position.
Who will get the first shot at replacing linebacker Bart Scott?
Tavares Gooden and Jameel McClain. They’re both competing for the spot next to Ray [Lewis]. The one thing about this league is you have to turn guys over. You have to put a younger guy in there and give them a chance to do it.
There’s the official answer.
I am rooting for Gooden
But if McClain beats him out, good for him. I would be all for seeing him on the field, cause I know Gooden will still see a lot of action and could possibly take over Ray’s position very soon. Then we have Gooden and McClain next to each other.
McClain is playing with a huge chip on his shoulder to. He was undrafted and grew up in foster homes his whole life living in Philadelphia.
This competition is only going to make these guys that much better, but lets go Gooden!
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Both were DE at college
And moved to OLB at pro…
They play the SAME position.
THE MEXICAN RAVEN
by JORGE NITALES on May 8, 2009 1:54 AM EDT up reply actions
I remember last preseason
When Rex Ryan was talking about how Barnes was going to be his next Adalius. I think the staff sees potential in him but he was hampered last season by injuries. Remember how he was blowing by those Patriots tackles in that crazy Patriots game? That’s some speed. More than I’ve seen from McClain.
They both bring great stuff to our defense
Barnes is a ridiculously fast pure edge pusher. McClain seems to be a little bit more athletic all around and can play more roles.
I think they both fit well in this defense in different roles.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
McClain
What I really like about McClain is that he seems to always be around the ball. He really does remind me of AD to some degree in that capacity. I’ve thought that JJ was a really good draft pick in the 4th round. He really likes it here and I hope he stays, but it would not surprise me at all to see him end up as a JET as it was Rex Ryan who really made him into the NFL player that he is. The good news is that the Baltimore Ravens are Linebacker U. With the exception of Ray Lewis most of them are interchangeable.
I stand corrected, position-wise
but I always thought Burgess and Barnes were leaner speed guys while McClain was more stocky like Ray. I’ll take any of them over most others on opponents rosters and I haven’t even mentioned T. Gooden, Jason Phillips and Dannell Ellerbe, who I think will be good or better LB’s here.
Rexx
They pure LB's here are
Gooden, Philips, and Burgess. The outside edge rushing LB’s are McClain and Barnes.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
Butter sandwich Barnes
Barnes forgets how to tackle in games. Did anyone see him in the preseason last year? I was embarassed for him. He throws his body sideways, providing an ankle-high hurdle for rushers. That’s what he calls a tackle. Time has passed since then, and I’ve lost track of our man. I had hopes at first, but unfortunately, he will be a career backup. Ok, Barnes is a speedy guy, but he plays with reckless abandon (of fundamental linebacking (sp.)). But McClain is a versatile guy who can fill some holes. We brought in some versatile rookies as well, and Tavares has earned a starting role. Are there seriously any Barnes fans out there?
Don't feel bad
most every other LB in the league is as well, and luckily we won’t see him until the Super Bowl, which bodes fine by me!
Rexx
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