With just a few weeks of quiet ahead of us, we?re continuing to focus on major roles for the Jets in 2007, continuing this series of major contributors on the Jets with the new Fullback, Darian Barnes. Depending on Pete Kendall?s situation, this is the only spot on the roster where last year?s starter isn?t at least back on the team. After the loss of Jerald Sowell from the Jets, two years ago, B.J. Askew held the role in 2006 as the top fullback on the Jets? depth chart. Askew?s play was uninspriring and the Jets chose not to retain him. As a veteran minimum type guy, Barnes can contribute, but it?s hard to say how much. With only five carries and fourteen catches over a career of 55 games, Barnes seems to be a pure thumper-style player, which the Jets will always carry, but likely to never give a star role under this scheme. Having gone back and watching the first game against the Jets last season, Barnes performed admirably in sealing some runs for Ronnie Brown and the Dolphins. Also, I am sure that Tannenbaum put a call into his old mentor, Bill Parcells, who had Barnes on his team in 2004 to see what his thoughts were. Fullback, at present doesn?t seem to be a critical role in Schottenheimer?s offense, at least not now. Of course Schottenheimer does use the player, but more of as a specialist than Paul Hackett ever did, where Fullback was a fixture on the field. Schottenheimer is clearly more inclined to move players (be they TEs, WRs or H-Backs) out of the backfield than keep them in it, specifically in pass first situations. I think the simple reason is that adding another back to the ?box? can create more defensive pressure and dilute the chance to spread the field. Or if the Jets want to run, taking advantage of running against a thinned out defense in spread sets, something the Jets are more likely to do in 2007 with Thomas Jones. I do think that the Jets will see an emergence of the more versatile H-Back role, specifically in the form of Stacy Tutt, but we?ll get into that more in another post ? Posted: July - Jetsblog
I read somewhere that Barnes actually has very good hands and could make alot of plays on screens and dumps. Don't forget about Sean Ryan , he lined up in the backfield too last year and did a decent enough job too.
Was that the guy who fumbled in the Titans game last year...if so I'll pass on him, he doesn't looked slow as heck out there. I look forward to seeing what Stacy can do this year.
I loved Sean Ryan the few times he was in there. Fiesty fiesty fiesty. Barnes I'm intrigued by - he's kind of our poor man's Lorenzo Neal. But Stacy Tutt is someone I will be watching. Nothing like getting a converted QB in there at FB to really give you some options.
I played with Barnes in HS so I'm excited that he's on the team. I knew him as a very very fast guy it's amazing how much speed there is in the NFL when this guy who was a top 5 100 meter guy in Ocean County is slow. I wanna say he ran around a 10.5 which is pretty quick but a guy like Brad Smith with training could likely get under 10. I'd say career highlight for Barnes would be making a tackle in the Superbowl with Tampa or catching a TD on Thanksgiving with Dallas against Chicago. He's a good guy and obviously a guy I'm rooting for but I don't forsee him being more than just a banging lead FB. He may get the occasional ball thrown his way but I wouldn't expect too much of that.
