Scouting Report Kirk Barton T Bears
Football players don't show any emotion except concern when
a teammate gets hurt. But in Kirk
Barton's efforts to make the Bears got a little easier when the team's 1st
round choice Chris Williams developed back problems. He is expected to be out at least 3
months. We all wish the best for any
player's recovery but this is an important opening at a critical time for
Barton.
By Bill Smith
St. Clair against Barton
Journeyman
John St. Clair took over at LT in the first preseason game against the
Chiefs. St. Clair did so well that just
after the game a report from David Haugh, of the Chicago Tribune, reported Chicago Bears could move OT John Tait to left
tackle because of the injury to Williams.
That would pit Barton, the second team RT against St. Clair for the
starting RT position.
Barton
played well against the Chiefs. He
played the last 3 quarters of the game against a couple of fairly well regarded
reserve players. The Bears do not tend
to pull their tackles so one of Barton's greatest strengths, his speed, is not
being utilized. On a screen pass Barton
did get a chance to use his speed and got blocks on both the second level (LB)
and third level (S). Barton does well on
drive blocks pushing the DE out of the hole consistently. However, on a critical 3rd down,
he got high and was pushed back into the runner preventing the conversion.
Barton is a
smart player and uses his instincts to help him accomplish his goals on any
given play. Many of his drive blocks
just pushed the DE inside and blocking the opponent’s access to the
runner. That works just fine. It also frees him up to get down field to
block at the second level.
QB Protection
In
protecting the QB, Barton is improved. Chicago was tied or behind
a lot in the game so Barton was able to demonstrate his pass blocking
often. He did well. He never let his opponent put pressure on the
QB to the point where the DE got scouting points. He also scored scouting points in 13
plays. That shows both quality play and
consistency which is critical if the Bears want to move the ball in 08.
Barton at Right
Tackle
Overall
Barton showed he can be a starting RT if he is given the chance. The current situation of the Bears indicates
he may get it.
Barton scored
24 points in his 3 quarters of play or a 32 point equivalent for a full
game. Grade A.
Bill Smith is a
former coach of several semi-pro teams and has scouted talent. He is a senior writer for http://BrutusReport.com. He has
also published several novels on http://ebooks-library.com/index.cfm and
edits http://fryingpanpolitics.blog.com