Cody Barton, Bobby's heir apparent?

[toffee]

On this SI article, with Brooks, the two together or one of the two could be replace Bobby . A bit shocking to me, but they make a solid case that Barton did do well enough last season.

But at the end of the day, with the front office choosing not to draft a linebacker in April despite a deep class at the position, the Seahawks clearly have put all of their chips on the table betting on Barton. A capable playmaker defending the run as well as the pass with his safety background, teaming him up with Brooks gives the franchise not only a quality linebacker duo in the present, but potentially a very good one for years to come after moving on from Wagner.

Seahawks 2022 Training Camp Preview: Can Cody Barton Help Fill Bobby Wagner's Big Shoes? - Sports Illustrated Seattle Seahawks News, Analysis and More

After waiting for his turn behind Wagner during his first three NFL seasons as a special teams stalwart, Seattle will be counting on Barton to prove he has what it takes to be an every down linebacker in the league as he approaches free agency next March.

www.si.com

 

[sutz]

Not just Wags. Barton-Brooks are replacing Wagner-Wright.

 

[sdog1981]

With the switch to a 34/24/33 front, I have a feeling Brooks will be on the field more than Barton.

 

[TwistedHusky]

Stuff like this is really unfair. You don't replace historically great players.

There is no new Marshawn Lynch and there won't be another Kam Chancellor.

You just find someone else to play the same position now they are gone. But you cannot replace them. Ever.

No matter how great our FS is, he won't ever be as a good as Earl. Nor is it fair to compare him.

Bobby was historic. Nobody is replacing him.
All you do is set up weird unreachable expectations for the next guy.
Hell, the next guy probably won't be as good as 'bad' Bobby was. But old players get injured and are expensive, so you do what you can.
It isn't to say that the next guy cannot bring some great stuff to the table, Mike Cameron was an exceptional CF...but he NEVER replaced Griffey. Eventually they got someone else and for people that still care about the Mariners...it worked out kinda.
We are not replacing Bobby. No MLB will for a while.
The next guy might be solid maybe even very good. That is all we can really ask.

We might have a great talent at scouting good LBs to find another strong replacement, (not sure I buy this but whatever) so maybe we can get another solid to tremendously good player. But the odds are closer to solid, if that.

Which is all that is fair to ask.

 

[Cyrus12]

Barton is jag imo.

 

[jammerhawk]

Cody Barton is certainly not Bobby Wagner. However, Bobby Wagner's skills were declining and he just was not worth $20 mil/year any longer and his role would have changed from being a pure 4-3 MLB in a classic mold to being an ILB in 3-4 scheme which involves less skill to perform. In short Wagner was surplus to need and the team was able to save a considerable amount of cap in releasing him which they did in an unfortunate ham handed way. His release was still early so Wagner had a genuine ability to sign elsewhere, in that the team did right by him.

My suspicion is that Wagner is closer to the end of his career than many here will admit and it was simply the right time to let him go albeit with some sadness at losing a key part of the historical D that powered the XLVIII Championship team. OTOH as his role would be diminished in the present scheme my further suspicion is he'll be missed less than many suspect and that Barton will be adequate for now in his place as a 3-4 ILB.

I truly respected the heck out Wagner and thought he was the best MLB the Hawks have ever had, and one of the best ever.

Father Time however is usually undefeated and here he won.

 

[TwistedHusky]

Maybe but if Bobby costs the same as Cody would you take him or Cody? I suspect it would be Bobby.
Even the much less effective version of Bobby is probably as good or better than Cody.
So replacing Bobby isn't happening. We are just filling the hole his leaving created.
I haven't seen a whole lot yet from Cody to expect anything above average.

Getting rid of Bobby was probably more financial than a best player decision.

 

[AgentDib]

I disagree completely that the Seahawks ignored the position; Inside Linebacker should be a competitive group in camp. BBK and Rhattigan will likely take some time to recover from their respective ACL injuries and so that does open the door for some more guys to see playing time.

Joel "Iggy" Iyiegbuniwe (pronounced ee-ay-buh-KNEE-way) is a FA addition who will compete at both spots and likely be the first man off the bench. He can play mike, brings familiarity with Desai, and was a key special teamer in Chicago.

Tanner Muse is a former third round pick who won the national championship at Clemson as a team captain. He didn't catch on with the Raiders partly due to injuries. We signed him to our practice squad last season and elevated him three different times last year where he played heavy special teams duty each time. He still has one year of practice squad eligibility left but he has a good shot of starting the year on the roster.

Levi "Vi" Jones was a priority UDFA that many people thought would be drafted. He has two older brothers in the NFL along with both his dad and his uncle, so he joins the program with a head start compared to most rookies. He's an excellent tackler and can pass rush a bit. Nobody would have blinked if we had drafted him in the 6th, but because he was a UDFA national media will ignore him.

Lakiem Williams is a hometown athlete from Spanaway who was a UDFA a couple years ago and has been on and off the practice squad since. He's undersized but plays hard and could make the team with special teams contributions.

 

[keasley45]

There were quite a few plays last year I saw the MLB flying around like he was shot out of a cannon and thought ' Bobby's on it today' and realized he wasn't in the game or wan out injured and it was Cody.

I dont think the dude is Bobby, but he certainly surprised me last year.

 

[nanomoz]

I think he might be on the field 40% of snaps. But probably not. Brooks is the Mike. And OLBs will be like edges. If they run nickel or bandit Brooks will be the only interior linebacker on the field. And we might even see Jamal Adam's employed like a robber, with Neal and Diggs also on the field.

 

[flv2]

Wagner's contract with the Seahawks was for $16.6M in 2022. His last 3 year extension averaged at 17M per season. He is likely to earn $12M, (including incentives), for the 2022 season with the Rams.

 

[toffee]

Bobby called all the plays for the defense, between Barton and Brooks, who has the high football IQ for play callings and adjustment shoutings?

 

[hawkfan68]

Hopefully Barton plays better with an increased load that he’ll be getting this season.
The bigger concern is they have no depth at inside LB. Brooks, Barton, and then who. They have too many edge/OLB type of players on the roster. It would be nice to sign a vet inside LB, like KJ Wright.

 

[Own The West]

Bobby called all the plays for the defense, between Barton and Brooks, who has the high football IQ for play callings and adjustment shoutings?

Brooks has been calling the plays since Wanger left in week 16 last year.

Keep in mind we're not replacing Wagner. We'll have no MLB this season, but two ILBs. Different scheme, different play style, different assignments. Barton and Brooks are both known for their speed. They should be fun to watch.

 

[DanejaHawk]

No MLB just walks in as a 1-to-1 replacement for BWags. That man is in the conversation as possibly the best to ever play the position. But as far as replacing genrerational talent goes, I do believe an ILB battery of Barton and Brooks in a 3-4 is a pretty decent transition.

After a rookie and sophomore season plagued with nagging injuries and being buried behind Bobby on the depth chart, Barton acquitted himself admirably with starting reps the last couple games of the season last year. He flat out makes plays. He doesn't possess Bobby's top end speed, but has above average short area quickness and strength. He diagnoses incredibly well, is a sure tackler, and imo from what I've seen he's the best coverage LB on the squad by a wide margin.

As a downhill player Brooks is a monster. Every bit as athletic as Bobby, is very adept at working through traffic, and looks as though he has potential to end up a better tackler. The tandem of Barton/Brooks in the middle seems like it could be really, really nice.

 

[keasley45]

Bobby called all the plays for the defense, between Barton and Brooks, who has the high football IQ for play callings and adjustment shoutings?

Q Diggs