The Rhinelander Daily News - Online news and information for the Rhinelander, Wisconsin region

GREEN BAY — Even walking on crutches, injured Packers linebacker Nick Barnett had a smile on his face in the locker room on Sunday following his team's 37-3 annihilation of rival Chicago at Lambeau Field.

“I'm excited for these guys today. They did a great job, man,” Barnett said, adding that he knew such a performance was on the horizon. “When this game started, I called out to my friends and told them the score, I said it's going to be 35-9. I wasn't right on, but I was close.

“I felt our defense was going to step up an play good, so it was good to see. Especially when you're down and you get to see your team kick ass, it's a good thing to see.”

With Barnett being lost to a season-ending knee injury last week the Packers had to reshuffle their defensive deck against the Bears, moving linebacker A.J. Hawk into Barnett's vacant middle linebacker spot and having Brandon Chillar takes Hawk’s place at weakside linebacker.

And yet, despite the new look, the Packers defense turned in one of its most impressive performances of the season, particularly against the run, where the team had struggled.

Bears rookie running back Matt Forte had his moments, but still only managed 64 yards rushing and 40 yards receiving on the day, a far cry from his capabilities.

Meanwhile, he accounted for almost half of Chicago's total offense as Green Bay surrendered only 234 total yards to the Bears.

It was the second-best out-put allowed by the Packers this season, trailing only the 177 yards given up to a very injured, and much weaker Seattle team in Week 6.

“We were very pleased with the way the defense played,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “A.J. Hawk managed it very well for the first week at middle linebacker. The communication and the sideline communication was very smooth.”

Playing in the middle linebacker position for the first time since the 2005 Fiesta Bowl when he was still at Ohio State, Hawk led the team in tackled with seven and spurred a very solid defensive performance all-around, highlighted by the team's league-high and team-record seventh defensive touchdown of the season, when Jason Hunter returned a fumble 53-yards in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

"Our D-Line played great today, I felt pretty comfortable most of the game, from the start," Hawk said, adding that having the Bears catch-up mode for most of the game was also helpful. "It helps to have us come out and start pretty fast and make some big plays early. When they control the line as well as they did it makes it a lot easier."

Part of the reason Hawk was able to make such a seamless transition was advice and scouting from his teammate Barnett, who had a hand in the victory despite never setting foot on the field.

"Leading up to this game I watched a lot of film on how he played linebacker on what he's been doing for the last five years here, to really see how I needed to play," Hawk said. "Asked (Barnett) a lot of questions and really picked his brain too."

And while Barnett was more that happy to savor in the victory and maybe his defense's best performance of season, he was quick to point out that he wished he could be on the field for the victory and not the sidelines and that upon his return he will back with avengence.

"Little bittersweet. Let's be real: everybody knows when you're hurt they would love to be in the game and when people win you are like, 'Damn, I wish I could've been a part of that'," Barnett said. "I'll tell you right now: It's going to be a problem for everybody. It's going to be a problem for our team, our running backs; it's going to be a problem for opposing running backs. Because when you are held out of something you love, when you come back you're ready to go."

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Comments »

Buckeye47 wrote on Nov 17, 2008 10:03 PM:

" I agree...Hawk at 6'1" 248 with great sideline to sideline speed should be the MLB for the pack for years. I thought Barnett was great at OLB in his first couple years. I am pumped and ready for the rest of the year;) "

Dee wrote on Nov 17, 2008 1:43 PM:

" The Pack is back.They have a hawks eye on the NFC North.CAN YOU SAY DEFENSE..... "

Mine wrote on Nov 17, 2008 9:42 AM:

" I think a switch at MLB should have been made along time ago. Barnett and Hawk should switch positions mainly because Barnett has shown that his size is not allowing him to be a productive run stuffer. Hawk fits the MLB position better, and it showed today. "

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