How badly does Josh Barrett WANT it?

Josh Barrett is a smart guy.

Josh was one of only eight active players at ASU that earned his degree prior to his senior season. He graduated with academic honors and has stated that he would like to pursue dentistry when his football career is over.

Josh Barrett also has the physical size and ability to play safety in the NFL. At 6’2″ and 223lbs he has impressive weight room strength and unbelievable speed (he posted the top 40-yard dash time for safeties in the draft @ 4.35).

However, injuries and rumors about his level of passion for the game dogged his college career…

MORE INFORMATION, OPINION & VIDEOS AFTER THE CUT

He made his debut at ASU during their season opener, but suffered a right shoulder injury that cost him the rest of that year. The next year, 2004, he was limited by the same shoulder injury to only 10 games (starting only 4 of them). He managed only 17 tackles that year.

2005 & 2006 were his best years posting 119 tackles (84 solo), 10 pass deflections and 4 interceptions during those seasons. He was also named the team’s Defensive MVP.

However, injuries plagued his senior year again as he suffered a pectoral muscle strain, a quad contusion and a right knee sprain. He managed only 38 tackles (25 solo), a sack, a fumble recovery, 7 passes deflections and an interception.

That left his total career starts at 27 games out of 47. He totaled 174 tackles (121 solo), 3 sacks, 17 pass deflections, four fumble recoveries and 6 interceptions.

It was not, unfortunately, his injuries alone that caused his draft stock to plunge. During his senior year, there are a few reports that he was benched in favor of a freshman because of a conflict with his coach. Some fans have claimed this benching was purely about his injuries, but as we all know there are two ways a player can deal with a coach’s harsh words about injuries. You can either pout about it (and get canned like Maurice Clarrett) or you can get out on the field and power through it (like Brandon Marshall during last year’s camp).

In Barrett’s defense, he did come back after being benched for three games more humble and willing to work (at least until more injuries sidelined his last couple of games).

Here are some things from Barrett’s scouting report that have me excited to see him on the field:
* Has a tall frame with decent overall muscle definition and long arms
* Has good field intelligence and won’t have issues digesting a complicated playbook
* Has plenty of speed to run with TE’s and can cover WR’s better than most safeties
* Smart and instinctive enough to make the defensive calls
* Has the hand strength to lock on and drag down the receiver
* Effective gunner on special teams

And then here are a few things that have me worried:
* He doesn’t have soft hands which can cost him interceptions
* Has impressive workout numbers, but they fail to translate to the football field
(that is the now famous “looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane” comment)
* Can take plays off – averaged just 3.7 tackles per game during his career
* He will dive at runners or take a side rather than square up – may avoid major collisions
* Occasionally he can make poor reads – is prone to biting on play-action
* Has a litany of injury problems that lead to durability issues

My biggest concern with Barrett is probably not his injuries. It’s rather the issue Earl mentioned the other day — does Barrett have the necessary burning desire to play football at this level. He has the physical abilities to succeed. He’s smart enough to learn any playbook and pick up skills from his elders on the team. And finally, he will have access to some of the best coaches in the league.

I think the question will be: Does Josh Barrett WANT it badly enough?

Here is nice Josh SackA college package on Josh Barrett