Am I the only one who thinks Barker needs alot more experience in leading the defense? I mean come on, they were wide open a few times out there and I think someone with more experience under his belt could have made a huge difference. Did Beveridge deserve his job taken away due to injury?
He played well Enough to start Durring the Time Sandy was gone to Start
We all Knew Dylan was going to take over one day ..
This will just help him Become a Better Player for 2010 and Beyond.
I'll have to watch the game back but Barker is actually a presence on the field vs Sandy who is there just to take up space.
I would be surprised if the Cats brought Sandy back. Barker is better than him on both defense and special teams.
Barker is doing an excellent job. Next year will be even better.
The game was lost on the defensive line. Give any QB the time Printers had and you will almost always lose. Beverage lost his job by injury AND ability. Barker is better and when given a chance forced Marcel to keep playing him.
Exactly right on all counts.
I think Dylan is doing an ok job based on his lack of experience, but I can see that there is a lot of room for improvement as well. I think he's got the basic skills needed and with a little more experience and time he can develop into a great safety. He has made some rookie mistakes, but that is to be expected.
Kudos to Coach Marshal for using a 2 safety set at times, Beverage is a valuable vet and Barker is his heir,Cant help but wonder how Beverage would have played B.C,s big draw play in O.T....
Will be interesting to see who starts next season. I'd almost keep starting Beveridge then just to let Barker not get tired on defence so he can keep dominating on STs and have Barker become the starter in 2011, but there's probably 100 different opinions out there.
Whoever wins the spot in camp should get the start.
X2
Even if Barker is the for sure the #1 guy next year they need Beveridge for depth. He is the longest serving Ticat and isn’t going anywhere. Get real.
Beveridge is too slow to play safety. Barker has made more plays in his short time than Beveridge has the last 2 years starting.
Why keep a guy who isn’t going to play on a regular basis when you could get a younger and cheaper guy as a back up. He’s a veteran but so what? He’s been in the league 7 years and if he can’t keep a starter’s job at this point, what’s the point in keeping him as a back up only. We have enough veterans on this team who are only used on special teams, Mariuz, Barrenechea, etc.
If he was “too slow” he would never have been paid to play pro ball in the first place.
Please define the free safety position for me so I can see if you even have any idea what you’re saying. Opinions are one thing but when they’re nothing but ignorance then you need to rethink things a bit.
It did take Sandy 5 years to finally become a starter.
I need a safety who is quick and can read where he needs to shade to. I have not seen Sandy at all this year in the right place at the right time. Sure it's a guessing game due to 1 safety and a big field but on long plays I always see Sandy in chase position. With Barker I see him step up to make tackles.
I also want a guy who punishes people for going over the middle or for being near him ala Hitchcock. Sandy has only made a couple bit hits but Barker has made some nice hits.
Barker has more of a nose for the ball.
Is it harsh to say we should cut Sandy? Yes. We need to see what our other options are but for a guy to be in the league for 7 years and took him 5 to start and he's already been replaced by a guy who sat out for a full year with a broken leg pretty much speaks for itself.
Sandy plays like Wayne Shaw did and we ran him out of here on a rail.
Football is a business. If you aren't winning business isn't good. Does Sandy Beveridge help you win on defense? No cuz Barker has played just as well and if not better. Does Sandy Beveridge make a huge differnce on special teams? Not really as Barker led the lead in ST tackles.
The key to building for success 5 years in a row is to get younger where you can. Clearly we can get younger at the back up safety spot.
Sandy's a nice guy and has put in a lot of time in Hamilton but unfortunately he's not needed here.
You talk as if he plays for you and you're his coach. Like you almost think you have a say in his future. It's a bit odd.
Anyway.. I don't want to argue with a fellow Cat fan. We can agree to disagree.
I am just passionate. I want this team to get better. Unfortunately I don’t see a future with the Cats for Sandy. He’s been here for 7 years and I can’t remember 1 play that he has made that I remember.
I hope I am wrong and if he stays he helps us win a Grey Cup. I have no problem with that. If the coaches like what they see, all the power to them to keep him.
There are 2 really big plays by him that standout in my mind. Both were in 07 when he was the nickel.
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He delivered a huge hit on Terrance Edwards in Ivor Wynne. Edwards was checking his mouth for blood afterwards it was so hard.
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In Edmonton (can't remember the receiver) Sandy both delivered a huge blow and knocked the ball out.
Those are 2 big plays. He made a few good hits this season.. just nothing spectacular. Most plays are not amazing though. Thats what makes the big ones so big. As far as fundamentally doing what a safety should do I think Sandy does a much better job that Smith ever did. I agree Barker has more talent though. Plus Obie likes hard working dedicated guys like Sandy that are also heavily involved in the community. Sandy had a career year this season though. Over double the tackles he has ever had and his first INT's since 2003.
Most. Ignorant. Post. Ever.
Wayne Shaw is probably the worst safety I have ever seen. He not only wasn’t there, but when he was he ended up falling flat or playing the ball instead of the man or something like that and giving up the big play. Say what you want about Beveridge, but he plays with a lot of heart and he has made a few big plays this year. More importantly, people rarely get past him and bust long plays for touchdowns.
Wayne Shaw also didn’t play special teams.
While I love what Dylan Barker has done some far (even though there have been growing pains), there is no need to compare Sandy to Wayne Shaw to get your point across. The two are not even in the same stratosphere, and Sandy wasn’t the real reason our secondary was as bad as it was.
Did Dylan replace Sandy as defensive captain?
Isn't the captain the one responsible for doing
a head count to see that 12 men are on the field
If it was Barker then,
he made a rookie mistake
on that first play of overtime.
P.S.
Marcel just recently said how important Sandy is on Defence
It is odd that it was decided to give him
playing time mainly on special teams.
Maybe it had something to do with the fear
he would re-injure himself during the game
or that his leg injury would slow him down
[further...for all you critics of his speed.]