Tag Archives: Barry Cofield
Three Redskins players who will have an impact on Sunday’s season opener:
1. Tim Hightower
Mike Shannahan loves to establish the run, and Hightower has been the Redskins’ most effective player this pre-season. He is by no means an elite player, but he has shown flashes of starter-caliber talent in the past, and on the current Redskins roster, that is enough to set oneself apart. Especially with Jonathan Goff out and rookie Greg Jones starting at middle linebacker, stopping Hightower will be key for the defense.
2. Barry Cofield
The Redskins made a splash by signing a talented defensive tackle to a major contract this offseason. Deja vu? Cofield will be expected to anchor the Redskins’ defensive line, something Albert Haynesworth either could not or had no interest in doing. Cofield is known for his run-stopping prowess, and you can be sure the Giants are going to try and pound the rock against a Redskins team they gashed on the ground last season, so Washington needs a big game out of Cofield. There’s no question that he will be amped to face his former team.
3. Reed Doughty
With Laron Landry almost certain to miss Sunday’s contest due to a slow-healing hamstring, Doughty is likely to get the start. The 28 year old from the small school of Northern Colorado University is actually a very solid backup and a tackling machine, having recorded over 90 total tackles each of the past two seasons. Still, he is the backup when Landry is healthy for a reason; he’s just not as athletic and doesn’t have Landry’s playmaking ability. How well Doughty replicates Landry’s performances will have a huge impact on the Redskins’ attempts to stop both the Giants’ ground and air attack.
Tagged Barry Cofield, laron landry, reed doughty, tim hightower, Washington Redskins |
DT Barry Cofield was drafted by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft
out of Northwestern. He came to the team with a lot of promise and, for the most part, delivered.
In his five years with the Giants, Cofield amassed 210 tackles and 10.5 sacks in 79 games for the Blue. He was a fan favorite, but the Giants decided he was not worth keeping…or they had no shot at keeping him. In Cofield’s final two years as a Giant, the team spent their second-round draft choices on replacements for him.
This summer, after waiting an extra year for free agency to arrive due to the lockout, Cofield was not seriously courted by the Giants, as expected. When the hated Washington Redskins threw a suitcase of money on his lawn, he had no choice but to defect.
“Washington gave me a great opportunity and showed me they really wanted me,” Cofield told Ross Leonhart of Redskins.com last weekend. “If you work hard and do all the right things, you want to be rewarded. That’s what the Redskins did for me.”
Tagged Barry Cofield, New York Giants, Washington Redskins |
According to multiple sources, including the Washington Post, the Redskins will sign former Giants DT Barry Cofield to a six year deal that will pay him $12.5 million guaranteed.
The Redskins don’t have a history of overpaying big defensive tackles, do they?
The writing was on the wall…we all knew Cofield would not be a Giant this season, but it’s a shame that he had to sign within the division. Cofield was a very good player for the Giants last season, but Jerry Reese refused to break the bank, and instead drafted a DT in the second round of the last two drafts.
Tagged Barry Cofield, redskins |
With all of the speculation regarding Steve Smith, Barry Cofield and Ahmad Bradshaw‘s impending “unemployment,” several key Giants free agents have been overlooked.
When the calamity ensues an hour and 4 minutes from now, don’t forget about Dave Tollefson, Jim Sorgi, or Derek Hagan.
As you all know, I am certainly a Hagan fan and I think the Giants would be wise to keep him. He isn’t flashy, but he catches the ball and moves the chains. With Smith’ s health in question and the memory of last year’s WR injury bug still fresh in my mind, I can’t recommend letting him go elsewhere.
Another guy to keep an eye on is LB Chase Blackburn. I expect the Giants to bring in LB reinforcements via free agency, but Chase is an experienced backup and leader on special teams. He’s the type of player you want on your team and his toughness/work ethic is invaluable.
Obviously much, much, much more on this later.
‘Tis the season folks…enjoy the ride.
Follow me @DanOrlando_FB
Tagged Ahmad Bradshaw, Barry Cofield, Derek Hagan |
According to Adam Schefter’s Twitter, “if and when an agreement is reached,” players with four, five or six years of NFL service will be unrestricted free agents.
This is major news, and it appears the talks are progressing. If true, there will be a massive unrestricted free agent group once the negotiations are concluded, including several key Giants players such as Steve Smith, Ahmad Bradshaw and Barry Cofield.
Tagged Ahmad Bradshaw, Barry Cofield, Steve Smith, unrestricted free agents |
Giants defensive tackle Barry Cofield is featured in one of ESPN.com’s “Faces of lockout” stories where he talks about the effects of the NFL’s labor issues:
The most difficult part to swallow for the New York Giants’ defensive tackle is the uncertainty. While the future of the NFL hangs in the balance this summer, the earning potential of fifth-year players like Cofield will be determined as well.
After producing the best season of his career with 54 tackles and four sacks while playing on a one-year restricted free agent tender in 2010, Cofield is finally ready to cash in on his first big contract. But the lockout has left his status up in the air. Like some other fifth-year players, Cofield could become an unrestricted free agent. Or, depending on how it all plays out, the 27-year-old could be a restricted free agent again.
“It is rough,” Cofield recently said. “Being restricted last year, it wasn’t as frustrating. I don’t know. Just to have it happen one year, I took it in stride. I was looking forward to the next season. But now with all the labor strife, and the prospect of being restricted again, it is starting to weigh on me.”
Click here for more.
Tagged Barry Cofield, New York Giants, NFL Lockout |
Barry Cofield wants nothing more than to return to the Giants, but he understands that might not happen. Cofield needs a new contract and the Giants just used their second round pick on defensive tackle Marvin Austin. The lockout adds even more uncertainty.
“It definitely does make you think that maybe they are preparing for life without me and if that is the case, then so be it,” said Cofield according to ESPN New York’s Ohm Youngmisuk.
“I would love to be back with the Giants. Hopefully we can work out a long-term deal. That would definitely be my first choice but you don’t always get to script it. You don’t always get that fairy tale Michael Strahan ending.”
More from Ohm Youngmisuk’s article:
After enjoying his most productive season as a pro with a career-high 54 tackles and four sacks, Cofield is looking to finally cash in after having to play under a one-year restricted free-agent deal.
But Cofield, 27, is one of many players who might be a restricted free agent again depending on what the collective bargaining agreement will be for the 2011 season.
The defensive tackle, who has been a bargain for the Giants as a starter for all of his five seasons, reiterated that he does not want play under the RFA one-year tender for the second straight year. The Giants tendered Cofield in case he is a restricted free agent. If he is asked to play for his tender for a second straight year, Cofield said he will consider requesting a trade so he can try to secure a longer contract.
“Hopefully I can work something out with the Giants,” said Cofield, who was nearly traded to New Orleans during last year’s draft before he and the Saints were unable come to terms on a new deal. “And if not, hopefully they will give me my chance to get out there and test the waters.”
Tagged Barry Cofield, New York Giants |
6. Barry Cofield
I knew he was a good player, but this year, Barry Cofield raised his game to another level.
A former 4th round draft selection in 2006, Cofield has always been an effective run-stopper who showed great promise in his first three seasons. And then, in 2009, Cofield struggled in a new system under defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan. Cofield also struggled to find playing time, despite injuries to fellow DTs Chris Canty, Rocky Bernard and Fred Robbins.
But this season, Cofield returned to his previous form, and then some. He grabbed a firm handle on a starting job, and did not relinquish. He was great against the run, totaling a new career high with 54 total tackles. He also did a better job getting after the quarterback, setting a new career high with 4 sacks.
With big names like Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck, it’s easy to forget how important Cofield was for the Giants’ defensive line. His consistent play in the middle freed up the rest of the Giants’ pass rushers to get after the quarterback. The 27 year old will be a free agent this off-season, and with the season he had, Cofield is going to get his money one way or another.
Tagged Barry Cofield, pleasant surprise |
Giants MLB Jonathan Goff was featured in his hometown newspaper in Salem, Massachusetts this week. He is intent on coming back a year better and a year wiser to lead the Giants defense back to the playoffs in 2011.
“I want a ring,” said Goff, whose Giants went 10-6 this past year but missed the playoffs for the second straight year. “That’s why we play the games. There were high points and low points this season, but overall we did have a decent year.”
Tagged Ahmad Bradshaw, American, Barry Cofield, football, Jonathan Goff, New York Giants, New York Giants Blogs, NFL, Sports |
Some readers asked us to voice our opinion on what we thought the Giants might do in the off-season. Right now, the financial landscape and structure is status quo (and the players would like to keep it that way) but the new CBA has yet to be negotiated. What that will look like is any one’s guess.
Tagged Barry Cofield, Chris Snee, Eli Manning, Jonathan Goff, Kareem McKenzie, Michael Boley, New York Giants Blogs, Plaxico Burress, Rich Seubert | ← Older posts
