VS

Training Camp Battles: Left Tackle's Khalif Barnes versus Richard Collier

Introduction:

In this week's incarnation of Training Camp Battles, Collin and I attack the most important position on the Offensive Line, the Left Tackle.  Khalif Barnes was the Jaguars second round pick in the 2005 draft.  Barnes was projected as a first round talent that fell to the Jaguars in the 2nd round.  Pro Football Reference lists Barnes as one of the best Jaguars draft picks of all time , and he offsets the failure of Matt Jones as an early draft pick.  Barnes is not without his share of trouble however, his incident with the Jacksonville Sherrifs Department is one of the ugliest to face the franchise. Of course, there was also the incident about his crashing a car into a tree, reporting it stolen, and then changing his story, but that's aside from the point.  

One of the under-reported aspects of the Barnes DUI was that it forced the Jaguars to release Khalif's friend from the University of Washington, Rich Alexis, so they could sign another left tackle from the practice squad.  Now, I'm tainting the Head-to-Head analysis by adding in all these off the field problems.

Of course, Richard Collier isn't completely clean either, he was arrested and pleaded no-contest to a DUI charge in 2007.

Moving back to the on the field performances, there's a big difference between the two players.  Barnes is a top of the draft prospect that's been frustrating enough to Jack Del Rio to be deactivated at times last season.  Richard Collier is an undrafted free agent from Valdosta State University, a small school just north of the Florida-Georgia Border.  Physically, they are a bit different.  Barnes is 6-5, 325, whereas Collier is a taller but seems thinner 607, 345.  Barnes, is quicker on his feet, which is critical when facing the ultra-fast defensive ends of the AFC South, but Collier seems to have more physical power in manhandling the ends. 

Jack Del Rio has made Collier the de facto starter during OTA's and Minicamp, creating a competition during camp that is one of the most important battles of the whole offseason.  We're talking about the left tackle position, one that is considered the most critical on the offense after the quarterback, and one of the most highly paid.  Barnes is in a contract year while Collier just signed an extension.

Let's get into the head to head.  Collin will start us off defending Khalif Barnes as the opening day starter, I will close us up with my defense of Richard Collier as the new Jaguars left tackle.  Then you, the reader, will decide (either through persuasiveness of arguement  or your opinion of the player) in our poll who should be the starter.  I'm sure Jack Del Rio will decide based on our results.

Defending the Incumbent: Khalif Barnes

I’ve been the first to be critical of Khalif for his behavior and have really had my doubts about his character. Recently though, it appears as though Khalif has been on a PR campaign of sorts. He’s doing all the little things right, charity work, making donations, and spending extra time with fans. Barnes has been staying to sign extra autographs and generally chat it up with those who attend the public practices. It’s a contract year for Khalif Barnes and he clearly wants to stay in Jacksonville. The issue is three-fold for our friend KB. Don’t get hurt all year long because you’re not getting an extension before the season is over. Don’t get arrested because if you aren’t cut on the spot, you won’t get an extension. Finally, don’t lose you’re spot to Collier because he’s going to be cheaper and you won’t get an extension.

All that being said, Barnes’ ability on the field is unquestioned. He has been a stalwart left tackle during his entire tenure with the team and is known for his ferocious and physical playing style. His mauler mentality goes beyond what’s normally expected for a left tackle, which further compliments the Jags grinding style of offense.

Khalif’s got the size (6-5 325lbs), speed (4.85 40yd), and youth (26yrs) to play well. He hasn’t been hurt badly except for a wrist injury in college, and has solid footwork. Competition separates the wheat from the chaff and the lack of it may have led to Khalif slacking off a bit.

Suddenly it seems Khalif senses his position in jeopardy and will defend it accordingly. Collier has been named the “starter” after the first mini-camp, but that is nothing more than a tool to motivate Barnes. He’s got to start to earn a big contract somewhere next year because no team wants to pay a back-up starter’s money. He knows this and will be back after the break in beastly form.

Collier has been like a sponge soaking up everything the coaches throw his way. He’s developed at a faster rate as a result of this determination. The team is obviously very impressed with Collier and gave him the nod to boost his morale as much as challenge Khalif. The left tackle position requires extremely quick feet due to the fact that a defense’s best rushing end is typically stationed there. This makes the position slightly more demanding than right tackle because the QB’s blind side must be protected. The fact the Collier is being considered for the position speaks volumes to how vast his improvement has been. This is going to be a fun one to watch!

Khalif Barnes is working on his image; if he can stay out of trouble then I’m willing to give him another chance. The NFL’s new policy to fine a team based on something a player does now makes character an even bigger issue for a front office to consider. Barnes should win the spot soundly come training camp. He’s got his head in the right place and his experience and ability should be able to overcome Collier’s surge.

Defending the Upstart: Richard Collier

The Left Tackle position is the most important on the line.  This position usually defends the quarterback from the best pass rusher the defense can throw, so having a consistant player is critical.  There's little room for error when you've got Mario Williams and Dwight Freeney heading at you down after down.

With the importance of the Left Tackle, it's obvious that the Jaguars do not see Barnes as the long term solution at his position.  The Left Tackle is typically the highest paid position on the line, were the Jaguars to want to secure Barnes for the long haul, they certainly wouldn't wait until after the season when his contract expires.  Barnes, whether he deserves it or not, has vocalized his dissatisfaction with being in Jacksonvile, and were he to be in the teams plans, he'd be resigned.

Seriously, why would the Jaguars wait until he's an unrestricted free agent to extend his contract.  The cost would increase by a large margin and he'd more than likely be lost to another team.  Frankly, no team in the NFL would let their starting left tackle hit the free agent market unless they thought he wasn't the answer at the postion.  In this case, the Jaguars have a bigger, stronger, and in this case, better suited player at the position.  While Collier lacks the draft selection of Barnes, he's shown the Jaguars that he is a legitimate contender at the position.

Sure, Barnes has more experience at left tackle, but since the Jaguars have clearly given up on him as a long term fixture at the position, they should put Collier in the starting spot and use Barnes as a backup.  Should Richard fail, they've got a solid backup, but it's better to give Richard the safety net of Barnes this season rather than leave him high and dry next year.  Yes, despite all the hype of the 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars, we have to consider the state of the 2009 and beyond Jaguars, and Collier is clearly the starter of the future.  Should he prove his worth in Training Camp, he should be the starter, no matter what.

It's all a matter of keeping an eye on the future. The Jaguars offensive line is deep enough where starting Richard should work well enough for the team to excell.  While there may be a drop off in performance, the mobility of Garrard combined with the rest of the line should compensate.  Collier will only improve as a player as time goes on, and the more games he gets now, the better he'll be in a playoffs type situation in January. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars completed their offseason training activities yesterday with a final practice.  With this, the Jaguars now have 45 days until the opening of training camp on Saturday, July 26th.  Most players and coaches will take a vacation and spend time with their families as what promises to be a very long season.(February, perhaps!) It's time well deserved, as there's very little idle time between the end of the season and the start of draft season. 

Interestingly, I'm less morose about the beginning of the "dead zone" than usual.  I typically dread the end of OTA's and minicamp because it's the end of any real Jaguars news and other sports are either ending (basketball) or mind-numbing (baseball).  This time, I feel anxious about the start of training camp and the season, but there's something reassuring about all this time away from the team.

Maybe it's all the questions that I need to sort out.  Questions about the roster, questions about the playbook, questions about the state of the team.  The 2008 Jacksonville Jaguars are in so many ways a different team than we're used to.  While the Jaguars always suffered from roster shifts, free agency, etc, I can't recall a year of such a drastic remaking of the team, from the coaches to the players than this offseason.  I think that's why I'm ready for a few weeks to make sense of it all. 

During the next six weeks, Big Cat Country is going to take an exhaustive look at our roster, our coaches, and what we project to be the playbook.  They'll be an interview here and there, some special guests, and hopefully the best Jaguars coverage you can find.  We'll have some fun, of course, but we'll be keeping a close eye on the calendar.  July 26th, so close, yet so far away.

Let's take a quick look at what we know after OTA's and what is still uncertain:

We Know:

1. David Garrard is on his game.  Recent Jaguars history has shown us that our passing game is slow to develop.  Not this time, David's throwing freaking lasers, our receivers are catching passes, and things are on track.

2. Gregg Williams is experimenting with the attack.  The Jaguars "new" defense, so far, is blitz heavy.  It's unclear if this is a way for Gregg Williams to figure out what his players can do or if it's a sign of things to come.  It's obvious that the defense we fielded against the Patriots in the Playoffs is dead and gone.

3. Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves are fast.  It's hard to measure their impact in their shorts and t-shirts, but speed is obvious.  In fact, the entire defense reeks of speed from top to bottom.  Can you find a faster defensive group than Harvey, Groves, Mathis, Durant, Peterson, and Nelson?

4. Richard Collier and Justin Durant are rapidly replacing Khalif Barnes and Clint Ingram at their respective starting positions.

We Don't Know:

1. Our wide receivers: I can tell you for sure that Porter, Williams, and Northcutt will be our X, Y, and Slot receivers accordingly.  I can tell you with a strong degree of probability that Troy Williamson and John Broussard will be one of the two remaing roster spots.  Matt Jones, Mike Walker, and the rest of the bunch are competing for one remaining spot, as carrying six receivers is foolish.

2. Can Troy Williamson keep on catching when the pads are on and it really matters.  Yes, Troy has excelled during practice, but he's looked pretty good in Vikings OTA's as well.  In fact, we've got questions about all the first round reconstruction projects.  Is Jimmy Kennedy going to turn it on at defensive tackle?  Will Matt Jones turn his career around and finally take the next step?

3. Will the Jaguars actually bring the heat?  Yes, our defense looks fast, but how will it translate in the pads on environment of camp and the preseason? 

4. Will the Jaguars make it to September without major injury?  No matter how important practice is to developing a playoff team, the most important thing is for the Jaguars to start the season fast and healthy.  The AFC South will be decided in the first four weeks of the season, starting slow and injured greatly effects our ability to win the division.

That's my quick take.  We've got weeks and weeks to flesh this out further, so be prepared for more analysis.

I'd like to know what you'd like to know about the Jaguars during the dead zone?  What would you like to discuss, debate, analyze, etc?  What questions do you have about the 2008 Jaguars?  I'm happy to explore any topic, so let me know what you're thinking!

-Chris