N.Y. Times Article: Barrett

Discussion in 'New York Jets' started by hwismer, Sep 30, 2006.

  1. hwismer

    hwismer Active Member

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    Veteran Cornerback Continues to Prove Himself

    By JOHN ELIGON

    Published: October 1, 2006

    David Barrett stood at his locker at the Jets? training facility in Hempstead, N.Y., last week, and the same question came his way about four times in 15 minutes.

    at do he and his teammates in the Jets? secondary have to do Sunday to stop quarterback Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts? high-powered offense?

    Every time the question was repeated, Barrett looked to the ground and laughed as he leaned on his locker, buttressed by his bulky, outstretched arm. Barrett had no concrete answer, but he was polite with each response, saying the Jets would do whatever it took to get the job done.

    Barrett?s mellow reaction to what could have become a bothersome line of questioning was fitting. Those close to him say he is a laid-back presence who knows how to laugh as he quietly goes about his business.

    That attitude has come in handy for Barrett under the first-year coach, Eric Mangini, who does not guarantee starting jobs. Mangini keeps the competition for starting spots open during practice each week.

    Barrett, a cornerback on the right side, has been a firsthand witness to Mangini?s ways. He came off the bench in the Jets? first two games but started in last Sunday?s victory over the Buffalo Bills.

    Will Barrett be trotting onto the field Sunday when the Jets? defense enters for the first time?

    Barrett said he usually does not find out until game day. And he seems to accept that.

    ?It actually keeps us refreshed, keeps us ready and keeps us focused on what we got to do out there on the field,? Barrett said.

    Despite his consistency throughout his career, Barrett will have to continue to prove himself week in and week out this season.

    Mangini said, ?Each week, what we?re looking for is the group that is going to give us the best chance to win and what role they play on the defense, how they fit into the defensive plan.? Barrett?s reserved demeanor is emblematic of his career, one in which he has mostly flown under the radar despite playing bigger than his 5-foot-10, 195-pound frame.

    The Arizona Cardinals selected Barrett, a former Arkansas Razorback, in the fourth round of the 2000 draft. He spent his first four seasons with the Cardinals. Unable to come to terms on an extension after the 2003 season, Barrett left for New York. He is in the third year of a six-year deal with the Jets and is paid roughly $3.5 million a year.

    Barrett has often played in the shadow of other cornerbacks. In Arizona, he was overlooked for Duane Starks. Last season, Ty Law was the Jets? prized player in the secondary.

    None of this has stopped Barrett, who has 15 career interceptions, from being a steady contributor. For three and a half seasons, from 2002 through the middle of 2005, Barrett started every game in which he played.

    That streak came to an end last season, when Barrett was poked in the eye during a game against the San Diego Chargers, leading to a burst blood vessel.

    Doctors told him that an aggravation of the injury could make him blind in that eye. So he sat out three games and slowly worked his way back into the lineup. Justin Miller took Barrett?s starting spot for the rest of the season. Miller also started the first two games this season.

    Barrett said he was back to 100 percent and had not allowed the injury to affect the way he approached the game. He has made that apparent with his play.

    Two of his five interceptions last season came after the injury. This season, Barrett is tied with Andre Dyson for the team lead with two interceptions.

    Jets wide receiver Laveranues Coles calls Barrett the ?little linebacker? because of his short and stout build. Coles said that build made Barrett deceptively strong.

    Barrett?s agent, Drew Pittman, said in a telephone interview: ?David has always made plays. He?s always played bigger than his height. He?s a very strong guy, and he?s good at knocking receivers off their routes.?

    Barrett may play rough on the field, but this past summer, he showed a softer side. He was asked to volunteer on an episode of ABC?s ?Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,? in which a team rebuilds a house in a week.

    Along with a teammate, tackle Adrian Jones, Barrett went to a home in Bergenfield, N.J., expecting to do some heavy lifting. Instead, the show?s producers asked the football players to help them fold hundreds of origami flowers.

    ?The concept of a football player doing origami is right out of a comedy sketch,? said Diane Korman, the show?s senior producer. ?David was willing to step up to the challenge and do origami, something he?s never done before, and he did it with a smile on his face.?

    Barrett hopes his performance against the Colts will also result in smiles on the Jets? sideline.
     
  2. hydro51

    hydro51 New Member

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    still has poor cover skills to me.
     
  3. hendersg

    hendersg New Member

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    I agree, he hasn't really shown anything since he's been here.
     
  4. Youth Is Served

    Youth Is Served New Member

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    I tend to disagree with both of you. Barrett has been overlooked since he came here in NY. His first season with the Jets I really feel like he has played solid. He is better suited for the #2 role which he is at now. But I still feel him and Dyson make a very solid team.

    Youthâ„¢
     
  5. Gator

    Gator Active Member

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    He leaves such a big gap that he's the first thing teams go after. Peyton and the Indy coaching staff probably did evil Darth Vader laughs in the film sessions this week.

    One thing in his favor is that he catches potential interceptions which is huge. He has good instincts to the ball when it comes his way.
     
  6. EcKo151

    EcKo151 Active Member

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    Barrett is solid. He isn't flashy, but he doesn't have to be...He doesn't get as much as advertised, and he has pretty good speed. He keeps up with alot of speed receivers...

    Just a solid player...Has his knocks, but has his positives...
     
  7. BadgerOnLSD

    BadgerOnLSD Banned

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    I'm not sure I recall Darth Vader ever laughing.
     
  8. Gator

    Gator Active Member

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    Me neither come to think of it, but if he did laugh it would be really evil.
     
  9. The Uniform Bomber

    The Uniform Bomber Spivey's Agent

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    really? you'd never know by the way he always plays 12 yards off the WR.


    cheers
     
  10. IrishSteveZ

    IrishSteveZ New Member

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    Hasn't shown anything? Barrett was one of our best players in 2004, he was without a doubt a shutdown corner the last 10-12 games of the season.
     
  11. ScotsJet

    ScotsJet Active Member

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    I'm most concerned. Evil Darth Vader laughs? Origami? What kind of a thread is this??
     
  12. BadgerOnLSD

    BadgerOnLSD Banned

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    And he came up big in the playoffs.
     
  13. luckiestman

    luckiestman New Member

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    he has flaws, but he rocked out in the game hermy and dougy blew
     
  14. Royal Tee

    Royal Tee Girls juss wanna have fun
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    Barrett gets a raw deal Here.
    You guys see him play 10 yards off? Hello! Thats not his call !!
    How many times have you seen him Slap the Ball away from the WR streaking down the Field? Plenty
    He is a Player.

    There were times that He appeared to get Burned in the Cover 2.
    Well you know what?
    The CB's get safety Help Over the Top in a Cover 2.

    Why dou think Aaron Glenn used to get so Pissed at Damien Robinson?
    Cause He Fuckin Sucked and played as if he didn't even know the cover 2!
    SEE: OAKLAND PLAYOFFS

    Same thing Happened to Barrett. Let's not forget. It was Just a few Years ago that we were swappin safeties like underwear.

    Barrett is a Solid CB.
     
  15. InChadWeTrust

    InChadWeTrust New Member

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    It drives me nuts how far off he plays on WR's, because every time he's positioned like that the QB will throw to that WR on a curl route that goes for like 6 yds every time.
     
  16. Royal Tee

    Royal Tee Girls juss wanna have fun
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    Drives me nuts too.
    But that's what the DC calls. It is Not the call of the CB.
     
  17. Imagesrdecieving

    Imagesrdecieving Well-Known Member

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    I think Barrett's skills suit zone coverage moreso than man-to-man. As the game plan and scheme call for it he should be used.

    Man-to-Man he gets picked on. He won't give up the big play - but he also can't seem to stand his ground and deny his man the short stuff. The team really needs Miller to mature and grow into the player that his talent level is befitting of.
     
  18. gustoonarmy

    gustoonarmy 2006-2007 TGG.com Best International Poster of the

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    If Mangini says hes good enough to play thats good enough for me. I like Barrett and some of the remarks here are not justified. The one area that he lacks is his speed which could be the reason he lines up 10 yards off.
     

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