Where’s The Depth At Cornerback?
August 30th, 2012
The Bucs entered this offseason with major concerns at cornerback, with most of those surrounding Ronde Barber’s age and Aqib Talib’s legal troubles.
Concerns remain, except their scope has changed dramatically.
Barber’s a safety and Talib is healthy and free from legal troubles, but the depth is downright scary.
E.J. Biggers remains injured and isn’t expected to practice next week. Myron Lewis is not a good football player. And Anthony Gaitor and Leonard Johnson are as green as can be, as well as undersized. Brandon McDonald, a veteran pickup last week, is hardly inspiring, but at least he’s got experience.
Who’s the nickel cornerback on opening day?
The Bucs, as the roster sits right now, are a cornerback injury away from a serious problem.
August 30th, 2012 at 10:36 am
This is why I think Tandy makes the team.
August 30th, 2012 at 10:38 am
Tandy’s a safety. And not a very good one. But a very good tackler.
August 30th, 2012 at 10:42 am
im really hoping Myron Lewis get axed!!! the kid got all the chances and show squat!!!!! next draft we need to picks!!! including hopefully David Amerson!!!!
August 30th, 2012 at 10:42 am
hey joe,
are you going to do an article like this on each position? it seems like every position is “injury away from a serious proble,” except maybe rb.
August 30th, 2012 at 10:43 am
just a personal opinion, but I like biggers. he stood in well for talib. he has been burnt, but has done well when it matters. not like lewis, who everytime someone gets burnt, you look and see lewis’ #.
August 30th, 2012 at 10:43 am
The secondary is in trouble without a cornerback injury. The lack of depth is going to be exposed whenever the Bucs play any team with a pass heavy offense.
Not only is there no depth but the starters haven’t proven they’re dominant corners at all. Talib has shown flashes but inconsistantly. Anyone expecting Eric Wright to play at the level he’s being payed is going to disappointed. Hes a decent corner at best.
For a team with the worst defense in team history, not nearly enough was done to improve it IMO
August 30th, 2012 at 10:44 am
*two picks!!
August 30th, 2012 at 11:01 am
Tandy played CB in college and could serve as a 4th cb in a pinch. Not saying he will be great but does serve some depth at CB and S.
August 30th, 2012 at 11:14 am
I also thought there would be alot more turnover on the roster. I like the additions of Jackson, Wright, and Nicks; but it seems as if we should have spread out some of the jack to upgrade multiple positions. We will see how it all shakes out, but we do look extremely thin in some areas.
August 30th, 2012 at 11:16 am
Gaitor can play. I think he will push for starting time as the season goes on.
August 30th, 2012 at 11:18 am
@lurker
I was thinking the same thing.
August 30th, 2012 at 11:27 am
The Bucs have horrible depth at every position. This is news?
August 30th, 2012 at 11:29 am
Baker was doing everything last night throw him bone.aalso black can play too
August 30th, 2012 at 11:30 am
It will take time for Schiano to build depth. We’re not going to the Super Bowl this year so give it a few years. We’ll be in every game this year as long as we don’t have a rash of injuries. We’ll build depth over the next couple of years as these young players become vets who can school the upcoming drafts.
August 30th, 2012 at 11:36 am
sigh
August 30th, 2012 at 11:39 am
Well its time to get anthony some experience thats all. Ej will be back so he has tons of experience and leonard johnson can sit back and be eased into the action. We don’t need it all in one season guys!!
August 30th, 2012 at 11:45 am
Lynch seemed to think Lewis would start catching on, he always points out how it took him three years to be a consistant starter. If Lynch is right, I guess Myron better prove it fast.
August 30th, 2012 at 11:46 am
Blame Dominik. He’s responsible for the roster!!! Years of bad drafting by Gruden and now by Dominik has created this.
August 30th, 2012 at 11:50 am
My opinion would be Keep Grimm and Black as the back up safeties. Move Tandy back to the CB position. Keep Gaitor, Johnson, and Biggers. Cut Lewis.
August 30th, 2012 at 11:59 am
And with their first pick in the 2013 draft the Buccs select…David Amerson NC State
August 30th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Why not just move Barber back to corner or at the very least have him a CB/S hybrid (Which I think is what he is)? We’d keep Grimm as an extra backup safety plus Black as starter and have decent CB depth.
I’m confused as to why people don’t think Barber can move back down to corner.. especially on nickel packages where he actually excels as the nickel corner.
If we play a team that consistently uses hurry up offenses and 3 wide sets just leave Barber as the nickel corner and Black as the Safety. On other situations, pull Black out and let Barber do his hybrid role that was created for him.
This means that we’ll have an extra Safety on the roster for depth.. but who honestly really wants to cut Grimm anyway? 🙂
August 30th, 2012 at 12:11 pm
last year every single time someone caught a big pass, it was #31 trailing behind him of getting jumped over (Brandon Lafell, Brandon Marshall). Biggers is our worst corner, Myron has way more upside
August 30th, 2012 at 12:51 pm
I really hope we don’t have the kind of season that would make drafting Amerson possible!
August 30th, 2012 at 1:06 pm
You let BARBER play nickel back on passing downs. Boy-Band GM Dominik drafted 3 corners and all of them are horrible. He has a chance to pick a gamer and he takes a safety.
Dominik’s best GM moves are the ones he didn’t make (or was KEPT from making – a la Albert Haynesworth passing on more Buc money to go to Washington). He keeps finding the walking wounded, the emotionally unstable, and the untalented.
In three years, his track record is DREADFUL. And here we are, looking at Mr. “Build Through the Draft” who drafted crap.
August 30th, 2012 at 1:25 pm
john lynch mentioned this and i agree – you can put barber at safety most of the time, but he has to be your first choice as the slot nickel back. he is still one of the league’s best in that role. i’m more comfortable with barber in the slot and black or grimm at safety in those situations than with the actual #3 guy on the CB depth chart, whoever it might be this year
August 30th, 2012 at 1:27 pm
Gaitor is the guy!
Showed some talent and instincts. Just misses the elite size and athlecticism to be great but people like that have succeded before.
August 30th, 2012 at 1:28 pm
@Adam L…. Let’s see now, during the pre-season when our #1 defense was in I didn’t see anyone torching our corners but I did see Mark Barron getting mentioned by all the National pundits as being an animal plus he had a pick six. And that was a mistake HOW???
August 30th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
Tbuc
Come on man! Got a little Gruden hate in ya? If you are saying the GM is to blame, then why throw Gruden(headcoach) in your blast, instead of Allen? Let’s be fair and consistent!
August 30th, 2012 at 1:47 pm
AdamL
Wah, wah, wah….That’s cool, blast this years draft pick before he even plays a down in regular season!
Hmm..let’s see. Lynch mentions it took him three years to be consistent at this level and this is Dominik’s third year, so why not wait and see if the other draft picks are going to pan out this year before complaining? Na, that would take the fun out of it, huh?
August 30th, 2012 at 1:53 pm
Consider this: What if Freeman gets injured?
A good back up can at least play mistake free. Neither of our backups can do that.
August 30th, 2012 at 2:22 pm
Why is Biggers still on the roster? watching him last season was dreadful
August 30th, 2012 at 2:34 pm
Pete
I can understand Ratliff, but why so concerned about Orlovsky? He has played pretty good at backup for us in preseason. He also played very well as backup at Indy last year when he went in. And, did I mention it was with Indy?
Look I dont think he’s the best backup and he could be better, but he’s not a turnover machine like Derek Anderson, Matt Lienhart, David Carr, Rex Grossman, etc.
August 30th, 2012 at 2:46 pm
@OAR
The bad drafting has gone on for years. Since McKay left the 2 GM’s since have been horrible at drafting and the Bucs have suffered for it as a franchise. The teams that are consistently in the playoff hunt draft well, the teams that always draft high are drafting high for a reason. You miss on a top 5 pick (Carnell Williams, Gaines Adams, McCoy) it sets your team back. If you hit on those picks like the Lions have (Stafford, Johnson, Suh) you can turn your team around. Bucs just don’t have a GM capable of stacking this team with depth and talent.
August 30th, 2012 at 2:59 pm
@Bobby…. if Barron doesn’t end up being Ed Reed/Ronnie Lott, it was a reach.
August 30th, 2012 at 3:20 pm
@OAR:
“Lynch mentions it took him three years to be consistent at this level and this is Dominik’s third year, so why not wait and see if the other draft picks are going to pan out this year before complaining? ”
HOG WASH, GARBAGE, AND BS!
John Lynch was a player, not a GM. 3 bad years as a GM has a far longer impact, then 3 bad years as a player, think about it.
John Lynch is a HOFer, Dom is a “glorified errand boy”.
Please don’t insult John Lynch with a comparison to Dom Dom.
It could take years to undo Dom’s draft ineptness and bad contract signings, years.
August 30th, 2012 at 3:21 pm
Anyone who is backing Myron Lewis needs to see a doctor. Dominik may have drafted him but only because Raheem was gung-ho about him and tried to turn him into something he never was or could have been. The guy has NO upside.
August 30th, 2012 at 3:23 pm
@TheTaylorPrice,
Exactly, Lewis is just not any good, and needs to be cut. I would rather have “Sean Baker” as the last man on this roster.
Lewis just needs to go away.
August 30th, 2012 at 3:23 pm
WOar, he did not do a good job in indy. What was the teams record?
And so far as this season he made a number of mistakes that a veteran should not make.
As far as who else is out there, Lienhart would be better as a backup qb. Dan is a horrible qb. We’re stuck with him though, so I hope Sullivan can make him servicable as a backup.
Lienhart is obviously not a starter. But he could make a good backup. And at least he’s won more games than Dan.
August 30th, 2012 at 3:24 pm
I understand the draft building process. That was not my question.
Again, if you’re blaming GMs, why call out Gruden, he was the headcoach?
That’s like saying Schiano’s drafts are better than Raheem’s. Really? It’s the same GM. So, which is it?
August 30th, 2012 at 3:26 pm
i loved the look the D gave on the Mark Barron interception for a TD. Running a little 3-2-6 with Aqib and anyone but Myron Lewis lined up outside, Wright and Barber in the slots, with Ahmad Black and Mark Barron as the safeties. Allowed Barber to keep his eyes in the backfield and read Brady leading to the tipped pass. I hope we see a lot of that on 3rd downs
August 30th, 2012 at 3:36 pm
Pete
Umm, they were 2-14 and SUCKED! Guess who had thier only 2 wins? He did and had more td’s(6) than int’s(4) and a 63.5% comp, so your mistake free comment doesn’t hold. I think he’ll be fine, but you go ahead worry self into a tizzy.
Please keep Leinart far away from my Bucs! Lienart SUCKS! Put Matt Lienart on the Lions(when they SUCKED) and Indy and vice-a-versa and I bet Dan would have the same numbers or better. I’ll take Dan.
August 30th, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Not sticking up for Lewis, But Barber andd Lynch seem to think the guy has upside. Maybe he was a product of the bad coaching. How is it that some players just suck and others just had bad schemes and coaching? Which is it with you guys. Let’s see how the team looks in a real game before the sky starts falling.
August 30th, 2012 at 3:39 pm
Oh, and Suh had a great rookie year, his stats were not great last year. Also, injury or suspension, both keep you off the field not helping your team. You guys call Sapp a dirt bag but pine for Suh…Geez!
August 30th, 2012 at 3:45 pm
Adam, this article of the biggest busts in the 2000’s does not have a Buc in it. Now, I think it is from 2000 to 2010, so we may make the next list. There are some busts from some pretty good teams.
http://nfl.si.com/2012/04/18/the-nfls-biggest-draft-busts-since-2000/
August 30th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
SteveK
Please tell me how I’m comparing Dominik to Lynch?
I guess your not that sharp to miss my point about giving our draft picks a couple of years to be consisently productive, something Lynch’s comment points too, at the NFL level before saying hasn’t had any decent picks.
I’m sorry but not all draft picks pan out or are consisently productive in their first or even second years.
BTW please apologize to Lynch for saying his comment was HOGWASH, GARBAGE, and BS.
August 30th, 2012 at 3:55 pm
McBuc
Ditto! Ditto! and Ditto!
August 30th, 2012 at 3:59 pm
Todays comments brought to you by wah, wah, wah, bitch, bitch, whine, whine, and complain.
August 30th, 2012 at 4:10 pm
McBuc,
Suh’s “not great” stats of last year are equal to GMC’s for his whole career. (That say’s something.)
OAR,
And I stand to argue:
You compare being a GM to being an NFL Strong Safety? Specifically, the learning curve? John Lynch said, “took me 3 years to become consistent at this level”, and you want to apply that same logic to Dom.
That is heinous, and silly. 3 crap years as a GM sets your team off for far greater than just 3 years of suffering.
A player can be bad as long as the GM keeps paying them.
August 30th, 2012 at 4:11 pm
tbuc; to be fair, Detroit’s key three players in their rebuild came from the #1 overall pick (Stafford) and #2 overall pick (Johnson and Suh). All three players were ‘can’t miss’ #1 overall pick material, and if Oakland wasn’t stupid in drafting JaMarcus Russell and St.Louis had a QB at the time, those #2’s would have been #1’s, so it is a little different comparing those guys to:
Cadillac Williams: #5 overall, excellent rookie season, run into the ground/injured and while he came back, never hit the 1,000 yard mark rushing again.
Gaines Adams: #4 overall, led all rookies in sacks with 7 and made the All-Rookie team, showed promise but was traded to the Bears and has to be viewed as a bust. RIP.
Gerald McCoy: #3 overall, the consensus #2 rated DT behind Suh at the time of the draft, needs to stay healthy, while he has shown flashes, you could argue that both Gaines and Caddy have done more at three years in the league than McCoy, so he has a lot to prove this season.
August 30th, 2012 at 4:12 pm
SteveK
I’m still dunmbfounded by your assumption. Did you really think I was comparing a player to a GM?
I was talking about our draft picks and their consisent porductivity, as Lynch mentioned it took him three years.
August 30th, 2012 at 4:17 pm
SteveK
Let’s try this, let’s say it’s year two of Lynch’s career, some of you would say he was a bad draft pick then, cause he wasn’t consisently productive until year three. Get my point.
August 30th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
Since I’m talking about relativity between GM and draft picks and using Lynch’s comment to back it up, then he would have been one of McKay’s bad draft picks in his second year.
August 30th, 2012 at 4:25 pm
Yeah, I hope the coaching was just bad, and the players drafter the past 3 years (prior to this draft) have the right amount of talent.
IMO, 2012 make or break for: GMC, Freeman, Dom.
August 30th, 2012 at 4:36 pm
SteveK
Don’t get me wrong. I have suspicions myself, but am willing to see how this year pans out.
“IMO, 2012 make or break for: GMC, Freeman, Dom.”
Agreed.
August 30th, 2012 at 5:47 pm
@McBuc… I’m not saying that any of these Dominik-drafted Bucs deserve to be on that list… I’m saying that even mid-to-low round guys haven’t panned out. Barron might turn out to be a GOOD safety who plays the position for YEARS. But if he is not a “special” safety, he was a reach. Would we be talking about CB depth if the corners were Mo Claiborne, Talib, Wright, and Biggers with Barber popping in on nickel situations?
By my count, the Dominik had a plan and that plan failed. He told me during a Q&A session (yes, ME) for season ticket holders that his plan was to mirror the Colts and the Cowboys and draft a team that stays together for a long time. I didn’t get a follow up question, but the success of the Colts and Cowboys says you have to draft HOFers IN THE DRAFT. There are 2 picks on the Dominik-drafted Bucs that are doing exactly what they were drafted to do: Freeman and Claiborne. Everyone else is hurt, cut, or roster filler. There is NOTHING that tells me that Dominik has any kind of skill at identifying diamonds in the rough. He is a LOUSY evaluator of talent.
August 30th, 2012 at 6:05 pm
@Adam,
Sorry to chime in on some things. First of all, if we drafted Claiborne, we would be worrying about depth at CB because they guy has barely touched the field. He’s been hurt constantly. Remember, the big knock on him coming out of college was his poor tackling ability. He’s not the answer to our problems. I agree with you about Barron needing to be special, but that applies to ALL top picks for every team. So far, he’s looked great.
As for Dominik’s drafts, it’s still too early to tell, but the clock is definitely ticking. Even the biggest Dominik hater would have to admit that he has had some bad luck when it comes to injuries (GMC, Price, Benn, Grimm, etc.). Hopefully that will straighten itself out and we can actually see if those guys can be great players. You just can’t grade a player like GMC yet (good or bad), because there’s not enough content. I don’t see how anyone can blame the GM for that (he had NO previous injury history). So far, he had drafted a bunch of solid players, but no great ones. If you compare his drafts to the drafts of the other 3 teams in our division, we have drafted many more contributing players. Problem is, they’ve drafted great players like Jimmy Graham and Cam Newton. We haven’t yet, or at least they haven’t become great yet. That definitely needs to change, or Dominik won’t be here much longer.
August 30th, 2012 at 6:24 pm
I think in Nickle situations you either allow Ronde to shift back into a CB role and bring in Ahmad Black at FS OR you keep Ronde back and go with a 33 stack Nickle formation with Larry Asante playing as the extra SS. Either way we are going to be green in these situations, but I like Ronde shift into that Nickle spot because as Lynch said in the Patriots game, he is still deadly there.
August 30th, 2012 at 7:13 pm
Ronde playing the nickel in nickel situations is a wise move.
August 30th, 2012 at 9:08 pm
holy heck, did isaac dump a bunch of dumb water on the region?
thomas gets banned and now there are new idjits clamoring to be capt of the ship of fools.
hey adam, i think it is a reach to call you a fan. i think your opinion is wrong!
i am soooo glad that these posters are not our gm.
August 31st, 2012 at 1:14 am
I can’t blame all of this just on Dominik. My person in question is Dennis Hickey. He has been here through Allen and Dominik Regimes and is just a down right horrible scout and only has a job because he is besties with Dominik. We have barely got any real good talent since he was the scout for this team.
I don’t care about contracts or money, simply because it is NOT my concern. Pay who ever you want what ever you want. Just put a good product on the field for me to enjoy.