Hawks need to draft LB

They were HORRID at defending the edge on running plays. They need someone young with speed to protect the edges. Willie Gay would be perfect if available, and of course Simmons, or Murray. I would be surprised if the don't address the position.

Barton may improve but watching him get trucked by Aaron Rodgers of all people was hard to watch. Wright has lost a step......We need to be able to set the edge with a speedy, sure tackler.

It's hard to tell without all the testing data available for this years draft prospects, but Zack Baun, Josh Uche and Terrell Lewis certainly look like they run well and can play on the edge with some juice.

Largent80":33dvbvvl said:

Barton may improve but watching him get trucked by Aaron Rodgers of all people was hard to watch. Wright has lost a step......We need to be able to set the edge with a speedy, sure tackler.

Click to expand...

Not saying I don't believe you, but I just watched the highlights of that game on youtube and I didn't see it happen. That would be highlight worthy, right? I don't remember it happening, either. But either way, it's his first year...Maybe cut him a little more slack?

Largent80":2vtmqwtu said:

Barton may improve but watching him get trucked by Aaron Rodgers of all people was hard to watch.

Click to expand...

I would try to cite different examples of why he may not fit. We don't know how players are taught in the NFL about that kind of situation. QBs, while technically not protected in that situation, are still kind of considered verboten when it comes to taking shots like that.

How many times have we seen Russ become a lead 'blocker' on runs, and opposing players don't just drive him into China. It's not merely Barton who does this. The value of taking on and getting a legal hit on a QB -- yet incurring a 15 yard uneccessary roughness flag because one of several refs may not care about the distinction is perhaps not totally worth taking the shot.

The way QBs are protected, and in particular Aaron is protected, merits strong consideration. We all know QB superstars are not allowed to get blasted needlessly. A point of emphasis that very good QBs take advantage of (Wilson included).

I'm not willing to impugn Barton's ability in that specific circumstance.

Attyla the Hawk":moj73gv6 said:

Largent80":moj73gv6 said:

Barton may improve but watching him get trucked by Aaron Rodgers of all people was hard to watch.

Click to expand...

I would try to cite different examples of why he may not fit. We don't know how players are taught in the NFL about that kind of situation. QBs, while technically not protected in that situation, are still kind of considered verboten when it comes to taking shots like that.

How many times have we seen Russ become a lead 'blocker' on runs, and opposing players don't just drive him into China. It's not merely Barton who does this. The value of taking on and getting a legal hit on a QB -- yet incurring a 15 yard uneccessary roughness flag because one of several refs may not care about the distinction is perhaps not totally worth taking the shot.

The way QBs are protected, and in particular Aaron is protected, merits strong consideration. We all know QB superstars are not allowed to get blasted needlessly. A point of emphasis that very good QBs take advantage of (Wilson included).

I'm not willing to impugn Barton's ability in that specific circumstance.

Click to expand...

:ditto: Yeah, what he said. I'm looking forward to seeing Barton and BBK moving forward. Not saying to skip drafting at LB this year, but we have other more pressing needs IMO.

Nowhere did I say Barton doesn't fit. If you look at the actual play Aaron Rodgers embarrassed him. Ok that's one play.

The guy needs to show a lot more in games overall.

Regardless of if he does it or not the Hawks need to draft a speedy linebacker that tackles well. It's pretty easy to see. Just look at every game from last year.

UDFA Danta Olson Montana 6'3" 237Buck Bachanan award winner.

sutz":2xeh9uk9 said:

Attyla the Hawk":2xeh9uk9 said:

Largent80":2xeh9uk9 said:

Barton may improve but watching him get trucked by Aaron Rodgers of all people was hard to watch.

Click to expand...

I would try to cite different examples of why he may not fit. We don't know how players are taught in the NFL about that kind of situation. QBs, while technically not protected in that situation, are still kind of considered verboten when it comes to taking shots like that.

How many times have we seen Russ become a lead 'blocker' on runs, and opposing players don't just drive him into China. It's not merely Barton who does this. The value of taking on and getting a legal hit on a QB -- yet incurring a 15 yard uneccessary roughness flag because one of several refs may not care about the distinction is perhaps not totally worth taking the shot.

The way QBs are protected, and in particular Aaron is protected, merits strong consideration. We all know QB superstars are not allowed to get blasted needlessly. A point of emphasis that very good QBs take advantage of (Wilson included).

I'm not willing to impugn Barton's ability in that specific circumstance.

Click to expand...

:ditto: Yeah, what he said. I'm looking forward to seeing Barton and BBK moving forward. Not saying to skip drafting at LB this year, but we have other more pressing needs IMO.

Click to expand...

Barton should be better and BBK for sure.I think with added weight
he can be a force.I don't think LB is what we need most either.

I don't see us taking a LB before the middle rounds at best. Just not a real need compared to the lines, RB and maybe WR.

I actually agree. I think wright is too slow at this point and bbk and Barton didn’t really show much last year and Kendricks wasn’t great in my opinion. He was good sone games but horrible others...

With the Dunbar trade I think CB is set and flowers can fill in for injury. Same with Blair at safety or he can beat out mcdougald maybe but LB was a problem last year just like our D line. I honestly don’t think there’s a good edge rusher in the draft that’s a lock to make a difference but with LB at least you can throw a few of these guys in there. And we’ve got more o line bodies than we know what to do with so don’t know if they go heavy there.

Are you saying that they struggled setting the edge? Is that the Linebackers job?

And yes, let's draft more LBs because our rookies didn't play up to snuff. Just exactly how much playing time did those rookies get on the field?

If you watch game tape, the LB position did not contain on either the L or R side worth a CRAP. And yes, that is one of their responsibilities.

We had terrible containment on the line which didn't help but Wright doesn't have the speed needed to do the job anymore.....Hence I think they need to address LB......Barton may or may not develop and BBK is a special teamer that is a little light to be a regular LB.

In my opinion, one play doesn't define a player or a season.

That would be a myopic view ....... 20/800 at best.

Like I said before. Barton was a rookie and played like it all year, he had more than 1 ONE play that was bad or catastrophic for the defense. The Rodgers play was just embarrasing.

Draft an LB...End of story.

Largent80":2b8e1sdi said:

Like I said before. Barton was a rookie and played like it all year, he had more than 1 ONE play that was bad or catastrophic for the defense. The Rodgers play was just embarrasing.

Draft an LB...End of story.

Click to expand...

Do you say "ell bee" out loud?

I agree with Largent80, LB is a need. Wright hasent just lost a step, he's done. Wags has lost a step. Kendricks was pretty bad too. As for Barton, yeah he's a rookie, but he showed absolutely nothing when he was on the field. The position needs serious attention.

OLB is a need (they need to find a replacement for Kendricks as it seems they are not looking to re-sign him at this point) and I agree with L80 that Barton is not the answer at that position. His draft profile projected him as an inside LB. To me, he just isn't fast enough for outside LB spot. He's probably a better fit as Wagner's backup at MLB.

Cody Barton's draft profile - https://www.nfl.com/prospects/cody-barton?id=32194241-5276-3281-9024-f13315a94333

Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma would be great if he should fall to 27th pick and the Seahawks don't trade down. Other nice choice could be Patrick Queen, LSU. Both these guys are in the 4.5 40 yard range. As L80 mentioned in an earlier post, Willie Gay is another potential pick and could drop to middle of the draft round 3-5. He probably would be a steal should they get him. Ran 4.46 40 yd at the combine.

One of the things that really stood out last year was the lack of team speed on defense. That needs to change. They need to get faster. 49ers, Rams, and Cards all beat them with speed. Each of the rivals has improved their overall team speed on offense. The Seahawk defense has not kept up with that. Furthermore, they struggled to keep up with the Ravens and Saints' offenses due to team speed (at home).

I am generally of the opinion rounds 3-6 should always include at least one linebacker. Depth is always needed as are special teamers. I could see them not doing it this year because they did go a little LB heavy last year, but as a general rule it is always a good idea to add a linebacker.

My biggest beef with BBK and Barton is theyre too slow. The game us getting faster and faster. Neither one of those guys is catching Kyler. Whats discouraging is Carroll after the Rams lost said, "we just looked slow." Yet, we have done nothing to chanfe that.