flgreen Posted October 20, 2014 Share Posted October 20, 2014 Antwan Barnes Is Back in the QB Hunt Randy Lange Editor-in-Chief, newyorkjets.com @rlangejets Blog: Randy's Radar Jets LB Didn't Sack Brady but He Pressured Him Hard in His 1st Game in More Than a Year A stat line of one solo tackle and one quarterback pressure isn't a lot to write home about. Unless you're Antwan Barnes and you're playing in your first football game of any kind in 53 weeks. "It was pretty good," Barnes, not a demonstrative kind of guy, said with a small smile when I talked with him in the locker room after today's practice. "I still had some cobwebs I had to shake out, but as the game went on it went well." Think about a year's worth of webs. Barnes went down with a knee injury in Game 6 against the Steelers last year and onto IR on Oct. 9, 2013. He's been relentlessly rehabbing ever since. He said at the end of the full-squad minicamp in June that "everything's going according to plan" but that he still was only a little more than 70 percent back. He began the summer on the preseason Physically Unable to Perform list, then at final cuts went to Reserve/PUP. That meant at least six more weeks out of sight, out of mind. Yet after those first six weeks of the season went by, Barnes was ready, and we were ready to activate him. He dressed for the Patriots game and participated in 14 plays on defense and two more on specials. His biggest contribution Thursday came late in the first half. He pursued and dropped Tom Brady just after the Patriots QB rolled right out of the pocket and threw the ball away. Ref Bill Leavy's crew allowed Barnes' hit, but then first-year OL Jordan Devey, sticking up for his QB, gave Barnes a late shove to the Gillette Stadium turf. The fall might've been Emmy-worthy, but all Barnes wanted was for Devey to get the 15-yard unnecessary roughness statuette, and the officials obliged. The play also accomplished something else for Barnes. "Up to that point, I was kind of tense," he said. "But after that, then I kind of loosened up a little bit." "He was typical Barnes, coming off the edge," DE Muhammad Wilkerson said. "He's just another piece that we're able to add to our defense." "That's what I was working towards," the 30-year-old linebacker said of finally playing in a game again. "It seemed like forever. And that was one of my main reasons for coming back, because I wanted to get back after it. Quarterbacks are always my motivation." Next quarterback up for Barnes and company: Kyle Orton, who's taken over Buffalo's offensive reins. "I played against Kyle a couple of times, especially when I was in San Diego and he was in Denver," the LB recalled. However, the only Broncos QB he sacked as a Charger was a then-future, now-former Jet, Tim Tebow in 2010. What's ahead for Barnes? "Pretty much it's all about just getting the knee stronger and going along with whatever the trainers have got planned for me." And of course getting a few QB pelts for his wall this season. They're always motivation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadetree Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I've been looking at this thread and laughing. No one responds to the positive news about a tough nosed player that truly cares about football? I guess we'd all rather be bitching and moaning and carry torches an pitchforks around town!! Haha. I really like Barnes..a bright spot in a weak LB corp. There's lots of talk about the weak DBs, but our LBs are cause for concern as well. We will waste a great DLine if we don't improve both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T0mShane Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I've been looking at this thread and laughing. No one responds to the positive news about a tough nosed player that truly cares about football? I guess we'd all rather be bitching and moaning and carry torches an pitchforks around town!! Haha. I really like Barnes..a bright spot in a weak LB corp. There's lots of talk about the weak DBs, but our LBs are cause for concern as well. We will waste a great DLine if we don't improve both. The last Randy Lange "article" was about how Greg Salas is a league leader in YPC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadetree Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 The last Randy Lange "article" was about how Greg Salas is a league leader in YPC. Ha... This thread went 2+ hrs without a response. Its too easy to be a negative jets fan. too too easy. Man, won't it be great when we have a JETNATION full if "this guy is great" and "future HOF?" and "he's a top 5 QB in the league" threads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Integrity28 Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Ha... This thread went 2+ hrs without a response. Its too easy to be a negative jets fan. too too easy. Man, won't it be great when we have a JETNATION full if "this guy is great" and "future HOF?" and "he's a top 5 QB in the league" threads? That sh*t happens every May, who are you kidding? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadetree Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 That sh*t happens every May, who are you kidding? Haha...I guess you're right...not many "future HOF" and "top 5 QB" threads around here, but I get your point. I always think of the jets when I listen to my NFL POWER AND THE GLORY CD (looooser)...there's a John Facenda bit about how every team is great in August ('summers green field')...haha...that's us, effin awesome in August !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nj meadowlands Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Barnes was my bright spot in that one thread about the game last Thursday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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