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CraigMatson
Its just not wise to depend upon him being able to hold up physically.
U can't say how many of those snaps he was playing hurt can you.
He and Joyner are going to be the most likely persons an offensive coordinator are going to try to expose in a matchup.
Just telling it like I see it.
Barron vs a guard or TE or a agile or brutish RB is a mismatch unless he's shooting them down or by them near LOS.
Joyner getting backed up and posted up in size match up would be a weakness also.
What are the other options against us besides hitch screen or draw? .
There aren't many ways to attack our D besides the natural physical weakness in Joyner or Barron.
That's my take.
NFL players routinely say that they play hurt all the time. I can't say how many snaps any of the Rams players played hurt. So, we can't go by that standard.
Besides, I don't care if he's playing hurt; I care if he's effective. And he has been effective. We know this because 1) Wade heaped praise upon him last year several times, 2) PFF has rated him as among the best in run stops for the last couple of years, and 3) the Rams wouldn't pay him $10M this year if they didn't think he was.
He's physically held up fine in the past and there is no objective data to say that won't continue.
OC's can try to expose Barron and Joyner all they want. Truth is, there is no such thing as having a defense that can't be exploited somewhere. But those two guys have performed very well. You take the good with the bad.
I think this Barron being hurt thing is overblown. And it seems to me it's used by those who question how good he is. And that's fine. There can be disagreement on how good he is filling his role but to say there are health concerns doesn't seem to be supported by objective facts.
I just don't see these physical weaknesses in Joyner and Barron you speak of. Those two are undersized but they seem to be some of the Rams toughest defenders to me. And bottom line, they're getting the job done.
Joyner turned in a near all pro season. If that's what we're calling weakness that can be exploited, I'll take it.
