"I hope so," he said. "Thats up to the players. If (Hawk) plays the way he did this year theres no reason he shouldnt be (a three-down player). (Desmond) Bishop played very well, too. We line up tomorrow, its A.J. and Bishop, and thats the way we finished."

Obviously we were not lining up the next day. It was March.

Asked where that leaves Barnett, McCarthy said,

"We have to see how (Barnett) comes off the wrist, same thing with Chillar. Thats his third shoulder surgery. You know how these things go. I'm glad we arent playing this week. The season we had, I spent too much time with the doctors."

He was more doubtful of Chillar because of the multiple surgeries on the same shoulder. With Chillar in doubt, would they dump Barnett and lose all their veteran depth?

I would say it looks like we have to see how Barnett comes off the wrist to determine where he is in the depth chart. Because that is what MM said. He also said that without Barnett and Chillar healthy, AJ and Bishop are starters. Which leaves the real question, what if Barnett and Chillar were healthy. "It is up to the players".

As far as the salaries, there is a lot of different ways to report it. Base, Cap, Signing bonus, Incentives etc. I wasn't about to spend days researching it so I just went to a couple sites and put what they had.

It is the way I read it. Again, I am not advocating, not that it would have any impact, for keeping Barnett. I just think that like last year, we will keep the depth. If we had better waiting in the wings, I would want them in. I don't care what their names are. Bishop Barnett Francois or Wilhelm. Put the best guy in, keep as much depth as possible.

The difference for me is, if Barnett isn't the best one, and we have good depth so we don't need him, I won't be angry or disappointed. Who will be angry or disappointed if Bishop isn't the starter? Leave your antipathy for Barnett aside and disregard your regard for Bishop and it may be closer than you like to admit.

As alway time will tell and it isn't up to us, so no use in getting upset about it.

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It has nothing to do with "antipathy" for many of us with regards to Barnett. Many of us just think that Hawk and Bishop are better players. If Barnett can prove them wrong, great, but I don't expect it to happen.

One could read in between the lines of a press conference all they want but it's not time well spent because one never knows what angle the speaker is using. He has no reason to state reality or his true thoughts. It's not going to benefit him in anyway. He is likely saying whatever is the most PC or strategic. This staff does that often, if not all the time, so I'm not going to read in between the lines of a few quotes. I know it's a boring off season, but c'mon.

I understand what you're trying to say as you've said it several times now. But the fact remains that I'm convinced Hawk and Bishop are better players in this scheme and at best, Barnett would be an expensive backup.

That's where I'm at too. I actually like Barnett just fine. He's kind of a hot dog, but he's not horrible or anything. There were a few people here who wanted Bishop to start ahead of Barnett before last season. I kind of dismissed that point of view as "grass is always greener on the other side" type thinking, then when Bishop got the chance to start he made me look foolish.

It's a familiar story in the NFL: younger guy replaces established veteran who many fans thought could not be replaced, and younger guy turns out to be better.

(doddpower, you have an error in your last sentence. It should say "Hawk and Bishop," not "Barnett and Bishop.")

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Thanks Greg!!

That's what happens when I'm posting around 0100 after I've been up since 0500 and have to wake up at the same time again the following morning. Should be fixed now.

You're right, many wanted Bishop starting for a long while but I wasn't so sure myself. Barnett used to be one of my favorite players. However, he has been moved to third on the depth chart and rightfully so. If we do keep him, I would love to see some of our packages with Hawk, Bishop, Barnett, CMIII, Shields, Woodson, Williams, Collins, Burnette, Raji, and Neal. Could have some great potential in certain run/pass scenarios.

I can tell you in a nutshell why Barnett is a liability on this team. His ego writes checks his ass can't cash. He thinks of himself as a superstar but has yet to be named all pro. That's why I don't care for him.

When Matthews does his predator pose - he's earned the privilege because he just made a superstar's play. When Barnett whips out the samurai pose on a routine play, he looks like a jackass.

Plus Hawk and Bishop are more lunch pail guys which is what you need in the middle of a 3-4.

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What most of you don't know is that upon clicking Submit --- DakotaT jumped up and drew a samurai sword from its holster and sliced the air fanatically while shouting TACKLE FOR 6 YARD GAIN!

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