I think this sums it up perfectly regarding Barrington. Look at what adding HaHa did to the safety position, the entire position was night and day better than it was when MD was on the team.
One thing I noticed when looking at the end of year defensive stats was Burnett, HaHa and Tramon were 1, 2 & 3 on the team in tackles. IMO this speaks to how badly we need to address the ILB position. Too many RB's are getting to the 2nd & 3rd levels because we don't have competent ILB play. Now, Burnett's tackle numbers could and proabaly are inflated due to how he was used (more on the LOS/run support, he graded out as the #1 safety in run support according to PFF) but to not have one of the actual ILB's (Hawk, Jones, Barrington) in the top 3 in tackles on the team is a glaring problem IMO.
Well, we can't expect high tackle counts out of the ILB-by-committee. Nobody got sufficient snaps over the course of the season to accumulate tackle numbers except Hawk...872 snaps, 71.6% of defensive downs, 90 total tackles for 3rd. on the team...and I think we all agree he's a part of the problem that we'd all like to see solved.
Barrington didn't play much pre-bye week and ended up with 470 snaps, 38.6%, 52 total tackles. A full season of mostly 3 down work should put him over the 100 mark.
You also have to account for scheme. 3-4 ILBs are not typically among the league leaders in tackles...you've got two guys sharing the load, Sam/Will responsibilities notwithstanding. Going back to the last good defense the Packers put on the field in 2010, the top tackle counts were Hawk with 111, Bishop with 103, and Woodson with 92 playing a lot in or near the box as a kind of hybrid linebacker/box safety/nickel corner.
I think credible comparisons can be made between Barrington and Bishop in terms of size, physicality and athletic measurables. Barrington's a little quicker and a little better in coverage; Bishop was a little more intuitive and punishing when attacking downhill. But they're similar players in overall style and effectiveness.
A 3-down ILB is certainly a top priority. But with the plan evidently being to have Matthews continuing to take snaps there, I'd have gone with a DL, preferably a NT, as a priority over a third 3-down ILB even before Guion's troubles. Now it's a necessity.
D. Jones is bordering on bust territory as first round picks go. I've seen little to suggest he's more than a rotational player. A 3-4 DE who can pass rush from the 3-tech position in nickel who's not named Peppers (roles he played from time to time that should have been Jones' snaps) needs to be looked at. I liked Guion for that spot if the team secured a bona fide NT, but alas that's seemingly not in the cards.
Depending on how FA goes, one or more of the OT, slot receiver and cover corner positions might be elevated in need.
Even if Matthews were to go back to playing OLB exclusively, Peppers is no spring chicken. It's an impact position where the next guys up have not been particularly impactful.
Without Peppers, the search for the bookend starts all over again, and that could be as soon as 2016. Mysteriously, Perry plays one-trick bull rush, though we've seen him lean and win about once per year; he needs to develop more moves...spin, swim, burst-and-lean, something...which should have happened by now. Neal is a half-step away from being a pretty good OLB...he had an awful lot of "almosts" and "not quites" this past season.
If Peppers goes down or out, and Matthews is needed in the middle for whatever reason, having Perry and Neal outside will make the 2016 draft yet another case of defensive whack-a-mole.
Until the FA situation is resolved, priorities remain highly fluid.
