Why Joplo Bartu Must Remain Starter over Kroy Biermann Moving Forward

January 15, 2014   ·   Murf Baldwin   ·   Jump to comments

A silver lining, among multiple, for the Atlanta Falcons in the debacle that was the 2013 season has to be the play of rookie linebacker Joplo Bartu. As an undrafted free agent out of little-known Texas State University, Bartu found his way into the Falcons' starting lineup due to multiple injuries.
Bartu showed his versatility by filling the void at both outside linebacker spots after injuries to incumbent starters Kroy Biermann and Sean Weatherspoon.
In defensive coordinator Mike Nolan's multiple-scheme defense, Bartu is truly the hybrid that can be moved around the formation in an attempt to create mismatches. He's athletic enough to be left alone in man coverage on tight ends, explosive enough to shoot gaps on blitzes, and savvy enough improvise on broken plays.
Alongside Weatherspoon and fellow rookie linebacker Paul Worrilow, the Falcons' brass may have uncovered one of the league's next best linebacker corps—that should still include Biermann, but only ...

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