Happy With E.J. Biggers
December 2nd, 2011
Joe has posted this before: He does not understand the vile hate many Bucs fans have toward cornerback E.J. Biggers.
Joe is of the mind that Biggers is a decent cornerback. No, he may not be Tramon Williams, but he is serviceable.
The only way Joe can figure out the loathing about Biggers is last year he had trouble with — GASP! — Calvin Johnson in a Bucs loss that doomed the Bucs’ playoff hopes.
Joe believes this is a straw man argument. What cost the Bucs the playoffs was a touchdown by Kellen Winslow that was robbed, as he was called for offensive interference despite being mugged in the end zone.
That took a touchdown off the board and the Bucs had to settle for a field goal and eventually lost in overtime.
Besides, Johnson burns receivers mostly every game, he is that good. Joe once saw Jerry Rice fry Deion Sanders. By the Biggers logic some Bucs fans have, that would mean Sanders was garbage.
Yes, Biggers is struggling a little bit this year, but it always seems like he is a step or a half-step away from a play. It’s not like Biggers is getting roasted like a hog on a spit.
Last year Joe brought word about how the football numbers crunchers at FootballOutsiders.com graded Biggers as one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL.
It seems like the Bucs braintrust is like-minded. Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune took a look at where the Bucs need to upgrade and the Bucs have no intention of benching Biggers.
The Bucs seem pretty happy with E.J. Biggers as a third corner, but Myron Lewis is struggling to earn playing time. So, the Bucs need at least one, if not two, starting-caliber upgrades here.
Joe agrees with this assessment. Myron Lewis is officially in Kyle Moore territory. Lewis is a good guy, make no mistake. But like Moore, Lewis struggles to stay healthy. When he does make it on the field (not often), his play offers much to be desired.
If Lewis is to remain on the Bucs roster for 2012, he must stay healthy. Otherwise, what’s the point in keeping a roster spot for the guy?
December 2nd, 2011 at 5:49 pm
I dont think Biggers is ‘that bad’ hes beened burned a few times sure but he has made some great plays as well. I dont see him as a liability. I also have never seen him quit on a play.
December 2nd, 2011 at 6:17 pm
There’s a reason why QBs, LTs, and CBs go in the 1st rd and are usually your highest paid players. It’s a passing game today. Biggers is decent, and decent is ok for your gardner, but not your brain surgeon! CBs are like surgeons in the sense that they have to be precise in their reads, their breaks, and their ability to cover the swiftest and most agile people in the game. Biggers can be a nickel back or a relief CB, but he is no starter and doesn’t possess the skills to have his own island. We need a Morris Claiborne, Dre Kirkpatrick, or Alphonso Dennard in next years draft – someone with surgical skills!
December 2nd, 2011 at 6:17 pm
The key here is that biggers is a number THREE corner however in this def ronde covers the slot and biggers covers the number one or two wr in three wr sets. Ronde needs to go and we need a guy who is capable of being a number one or two which allows biggers to cover the opposing teams te or number three reciever
December 2nd, 2011 at 6:44 pm
I think Biggers is a Great Player .. But not a Starter .. But he is also basically in his 2nd season. Barber and Kelly were both picked on the first few years at times too.
If Elbert Mack was a little bit bigger … I think he would be a pro-Bowler
December 2nd, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Biggers is a decent third corner with some upside. Lewis has disappeared this year after showing some promise last year. Mack has played well in limited opportunities. I like Gaitor to cover the slot as well. Talib is Talib…arguably the most talented corner in the league but he takes risks and has the occasional brainfart.
IMO all we need is to replace a retiring Ronde with Janoris Jenkins. JJ is a shutdown corner assuming his marijuana history checks out. If I see another post about Dre Kirkpatrick I’ll shoot myself. Janoris Jenkins shut down AJ Green and Alshon Jeffery…Kirkpatrick gets burned against Georgia Southern.
December 2nd, 2011 at 7:42 pm
……..we hate Biggers because he’s a bad corner that gets beat routinely. He was abused against Detroit last year, against ATL this year, against GB this year, beat on a TD to ROY FREAKING WILLIAMS.
And before you give me the crap about how good the players he’s against are, it’s the NFL, you play who you’re up against and don’t get an excuse because their good. The thought of Biggers being anything other than a below average corner is crazy.
December 2nd, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Doing better than, Ronde that’s for sure.
December 2nd, 2011 at 8:00 pm
Biggers gets burned sometimes … but usually responds with a pass knockdown and doesnt hang his head … He needs to get better and he will
K2 is obviously a pro evaluator cuz hes a soldier.
December 2nd, 2011 at 8:19 pm
He ran a 4.35 but the he way he gets beat, u will think he is a 4.7 corner…Not even close to be a starter for me or a corner sound enough to play man on man coverage in the NFL.
December 2nd, 2011 at 8:53 pm
jvato, it really doesn’t take a talent evaluator to see a guy getting 1) Picked on and 2) Beat constantly. He had a good game last week, I’ll concede that. Probably his best of the year.
December 2nd, 2011 at 8:55 pm
Biggers sucks, he’s a backup at the VERY BEST. And get rid of Lewis, it’s been two years and he can’t even see the field. Sorry, the team can only wait so long.
Keep Talib around and let’s see how his trial plays out.
Ronde Barber might be playing the last games of his career this month.
We need to get a top free agent CB in free agency this year and draft one in the 1st or 2nd round. Talib could be in prison and Ronde might be retired. Biggers obviously can’t start. Gaitor……well it’s rather unlikely he’ll be a big player or even make the roster next year. But I look forward to seeing him play hopefully soon.
December 2nd, 2011 at 9:03 pm
Joe you are out of your mind on this one. Matt Ryan (and others) walk up to the line of scrimmage and routinely check to a play for the receiver that Biggers is responsible for, and odds are it will be a positive play for the offense. We watched Brees do the same thing and Brady in preseason. Every OC and coordinator exploit this glaring weakness.
Against Tennessee Biggers probably had his best game defending receivers but he was lucky because at least 2 of those plays could have been PIs.
Now Elbert Mack, to my surprise, is playing pretty well – he is a better option than Toast Biggers or Clueless Lewis.
December 2nd, 2011 at 9:07 pm
@ Patrick, I dont think we need to break the bank on a corner in free agency. If we’re able to land Morris Clayborne in the first round that’d be huge. The way it’s looking we may land a top 10 pick, so we’d have shot of getting him. The only other option would be the outside LB from UNC. He’s a stud. Brown or something like that.
December 2nd, 2011 at 9:15 pm
Brain, this is your friend Macabee and as such, I don’t want you to shoot yourself. Now me, I’m a fellow that can be convinced with a good argument and certainly facts. Now here are a couple of facts. Dre Kirkpatrick is a Top 20 pick in every major draft website I’ve seen. Most notably, CBS, WalterFootball, ESPN, DraftCountdown, DraftTek, DraftSite, etc. Janoris Jenkins is not there and it may be because of his expulsion from UF and his eventual enrollment at North Alabama where many troubled athletes have turned there careers around – our own Preston Parker. As you suggest he may be a better CB than the ones I mentioned, but it might be difficult to get him in pewter and red because of the character issues we are already dealing with here. Now if you have other facts or more substantive information, I would be happy to change my opinion!
December 2nd, 2011 at 9:43 pm
So today I received a letter regarding my four season tickets for 2012. Perfect timing. I gave a friend my tickets for Sunday’s game and my daughter is going to the last home game against the Cowboys. My intention is to send a letter to the Sales Mgr that sent me the letter (Barbara Stevens) and copy the ownership with my desire to cancel my season tickets for 2012. I will tell them when I know the product they are putting on the field then I will decide if I want to renew. And if having Kregg Lumpkin for our 3rd down back is OK with ownership, then I will no longer be interested in attending all home games. I doubt the owners would spend money before knowing what kind of product they are buying, and I’m not either.
December 2nd, 2011 at 10:21 pm
@K2thesoldier Zach Brown! We need him in the first round. He is an animal and we need one of those in the linebacker position..badly.
December 2nd, 2011 at 10:43 pm
Kregg Lumpkin=perfect example of cheapness by our ownership.
December 2nd, 2011 at 11:24 pm
Mac,
Janoris Jenkins can really play. It is too bad he screwed up his UF gig, but the kid is a good CB. He would make a good Buc and fit right in with that crowd. I like him a lot.
December 3rd, 2011 at 1:51 am
BigMac, I know he can play and I hope Brain doesn’t think I was opposed to his choice of JJ. I would in no way hold his pass discretions against him. My point was simply given the issues that the Bucs have dealt with regarding character and the other CBs were on the board when Dominik picked, would JJ be the first pick? And as for Dre Kirkpatrick, even though he is physical and is good in man coverage, Brain is right, he has had problems in zone coverage, but he is 6-3, 200lbs and, as I said a Top 20 rated CB. Therefore it should be expected that his name will come up a lot.
December 3rd, 2011 at 3:07 am
Biggers is average at best. Deion Sanders got fried by tha best WR in NFL history. Nice stretch by tha way
December 3rd, 2011 at 7:36 am
Solid but shouldn’t be a starter. Maybe at nickel. I don’t hate Biggers, but his playing so much is because we’re very thin at corner.
December 3rd, 2011 at 7:51 am
Sorry Joe. It ain’t so. I remember in the preseason, Many of us ( Mostly me) were concerned about the secondary. We were yelling that they needed to sign a shut down corner. We wanted Nnamdi or Joseph. You laughed at the idea, and keep proclaiming our secondary was”a team strenghth”.
If you can’t still believe that. The Great Ronde- while still playing well, has lost a step. Hurting him on run defense. He’s old. Just like I said, it’s starting to show
Talib was horrible until the last two games. I think he was hurt. But the fact that he was forced to play just proves my point.
Biggers doesnt stop pass plays- he contains them. He let’s them cAtch the ball, then tackles them. Not a horrible strategy- but not one a starter can afford to take.
Skid Mack is the same. Flash of brilliance, followed by a flat footed beating.
Lewis doesn’t seem interested . .
Gaitor( get that man a Sandwich! Now!) is just to skinny.
Our safeties suck. TJax flashed. Then lost the ability to tackle
Our secondary is almost as big of train wreck as our horrible LBers.
You don’t get to be 31st in defense with a “great” anything. Our secondary sucks.
December 3rd, 2011 at 8:59 am
I’m not naming rookie names, but the fact of the matter is the Saints have a 6’8 TE who runs routes like a WO. The Bucs’ will play them twice a year, & more than likely, three times a year to go deep in the playoffs. Probably for the next 4 years. Other playoff contenders are utilizing the mismatch of athletic TE’s. It doesn’t matter how fast a CB is–How do you guard 6’8 with 5’10? (I say this realizing what a horrible waste M. Lewis was–who seems to have been picked on measurables.)
December 3rd, 2011 at 11:16 am
The best way to slow down any WR or TE is by consistently getting pressure on the QB. It starts and ends with the pass rush. A great QB will beat a good rush from time to time, but pressure causes turnovers, mistakes, etc, etc, etc….
December 3rd, 2011 at 11:28 am
Another thing that hurts this team, is Refs. They religiously pick on the Bucs. I swear they run around with their flags in hand much of time. No really, the Bucs commit some(keyword some) penalties, but they are the most penalized, and it is worse this year than last. I think it really started after Aqib got into it with the Ref in Baltimore. The Bucs have been almost blackballed by the Refs. I have watched since the beginning of the Season, CB’s maul, hold, illegally hit(beyond 5 yds) our WR’s and then our CB’s get called for anything, and K2 with that stupid pushoff call. No calls ever go our way. Never, ever, ever. It is so frustrating as a fan to watch. I would never give up my tickets because our team or coach sucked, but refs always screwing us time after time, that is a different story. A person can only take so much, you know. It is demoralizing to a team, and that POS, Roger Goodell won’t do a darn thing about it. I could see if it happened one game here or there, or one season, but it has been a trend of Refs sticking it to us for 7 or 8 years. I know longer but it has progressively gotten worse. It is tough enough to play 11 on 11, but when its 11 on 16, you can’t win. They hate the Bucs, they hate Raheem, they hate everything about our team.
December 3rd, 2011 at 12:27 pm
+1 on that
We’ve gone from Joe calling Biggers a top 10 corner in the league to agreeing with the assessment that Biggers is just a number 3. In my mind every #3 CB on every single team is replaceable if somebody better comes along……but our secondary was a “strength” so we sat tight.
Like I said in the offseason. You’re either getting better or you’re not, and this offseason the Bucs did not get better. I think the record reflects that
December 3rd, 2011 at 1:05 pm
If getting burned by NFL WRs is causing people to say that Biggers is a nickel corner at best, then where is the outcry that Talib is a nickel corner at best? Seriously, last year Talib got absolutely burned by Steve Smith, T.O., Mike Wallace, and others. This year he’s been burned by Pierre Garcon, Calvin Johnson (if he beat Biggers to win last year, you gotta admit he beat Talib to win this year). Talib gets beat as often as anyone. People talk about how poor his start was this year and how he’s “coming on” now, but last year he got burned regularly. It was just overlooked because he’d make interceptions (splash plays) to cover his inefficiencies. Getting burned for a TD is not made up for by intercepting a pass. Not all interceptions lead to scores, but all TD passes allowed ARE scores. I don’t care if everyone wants to bash Biggers for getting picked on or getting burned, but use the same thinking when you evaluate Talib.
December 3rd, 2011 at 1:18 pm
All the talk of drafting a CB in the first round…. we’re currently slated somewhere between 8 and 16. It’s very possible that both Claiborne AND Kirkpatrick will be gone before we get to pick. Now, the real question is…. Would you really draft Dennard or Jenkins (the 3rd or 4th best CBs in the draft) ahead of the 1st or 2nd best LB in the draft? Most mocks (and we all know they’re unreliable, especially at this point) don’t even have a LB taken until around 10th pick. So, top LB or 2nd tier CB?
December 3rd, 2011 at 3:00 pm
No BamBam, take the LB as you say.
December 3rd, 2011 at 3:14 pm
What are people’s thoughts on going after Asante Samuels from the eagles. I am sure they wont be keeping all 3 and he seems to be pretty good!
December 3rd, 2011 at 4:51 pm
BamBamBuc:
Lavonte David, Nebraska. Bucs need an outside linebacker who covers sideline to sideline and makes freaking plays, forces turnovers.
December 3rd, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Joe- spot on about David. The guy is fast and LIKES TO BLOW PEOPLE UP! He is a mako shark with that speed, and about the same temperament!
Guys- ist round, ya draft QBs, LTs, CBs, DEs and elite WR. Those with the rare talent to excel at those posistions go early- cause they are unique indeed. LBer, guards, Rts, and all but the most Unique DTs and Safeties go 2 down. Not as hard to find excellence at those spots
We draft a CB. If our office remains the same, it will be Alphoso Dennard. And he will be the best CB on the team, the day he signs.( only cause Ronde is getting old)
December 4th, 2011 at 1:59 am
I have seen E.J Biggers get burnt more than Cheech and Chong. A perfect example would be the ATL game. Every time there seemed to be a big gain it would be against Biggers. Biggers is a big drop off from Talib and that is the problem. He has been put in the hot seat. He needs to rise to the challenge and he is not doing it. I say the first round draft pick needs to address the CB position.
December 4th, 2011 at 7:29 am
The Bucs and some of the media seem to promote players who do not earn it. Just see how many times our secondary gets burned for a TD. One good play does not erase several bad ones. Fact is the Bucs have too damn many undersized defenders. Like Mack & Biggers. Please get serious.