Savvy Alterraun Verner
March 18th, 2014
Following the footsteps of Darrelle Revis.
Yes, most Bucs fans will have their starting quarterback, Josh McCown, under the microscope when he takes snaps this summer. And for good reason. An offense can only go as far as a quarterback can lead it. If a quarterback struggles, then so too will the offense.
So Joe totally gets why Bucs fans will hawk McCown. Joe also believes another player will be scrutinized, new cornerback Alterraun Verner. Good bad or indifferent, he is the guy replacing all-world cornerback Darrelle Revis.
While Verner was a Pro Bowl player last year, he isn’t Revis. Who is?
Last week, while appearing with popular sports radio host Adam Schein of “Schein on Sports,” heard on Mad Dog Radio, part of the family of sports channels heard exclusively on SiriusXM Radio, Bucs general manager Jason Licht didn’t dis Revis but said Verner may just be the perfect Lovie Smith kind of player.
Adam Schein: We had Alterraun Verner on the show just before free agency. He said his primary focus in free agency was finding a team ready to win. What attracted you to Alterraun Verner?
Jason Licht: His style of play. He’s a tough guy. He is extremely smart, both on and off the field but you can tell on the field how smart he is with his instinct and his positioning and how he anticipates. He’s just a smart player. But, No. 1, his ball skills. You can ask Lovie any day of the week what he likes in his defensive backs and he says the most important thing is to take the ball away from his opponent. He had five interceptions. That’s a tremendous thing to have and that’s why he went to the Pro Bowl.
This is good to learn. Chatting in person, Joe was very impressed by Verner; he’s a really sharp guy. Just like Revis.
For better or worse, fair or unfair, Verner will be held to the Revis standard. After all, the Bucs did not have to release Revis. If Verner has a less-than Pro Bowl season, then Bucs fans will logicially wonder, WWRD?
What would Revis do?
March 18th, 2014 at 7:06 am
Verner and Johnson had better be great. You got rid of the best corner in football.
March 18th, 2014 at 7:14 am
Relax Joe. I’m sure AV will not quit the team if things get tougher, he’s durable, won’t get push 10yrds backward on run plays like Revis last year and he will fit Lovie scheme as good as Revis.
We need good, young, healthy and willing players that fit into Lovie scheme and AV match that description at a resonnable price.
If you really want to blame someone, blame Rockstar for that conditional pick. If it was a definitive lost 3rd pick L&L could have kept Revis past the deadline and have a desesperate team actually give us something for him once the market had dried up
March 18th, 2014 at 7:14 am
If N.E. doesn’t win the Superbowl next year with Mevis then what. Does anyone think N.E. is going to sign him to a 20 million dollar contract. Good riddance!
Verner will be fine and the Bucs will be better than 4-12.
March 18th, 2014 at 7:22 am
The best corner in football never really wanted to be here. He seemed disinterested at his initial press conference
March 18th, 2014 at 7:26 am
I agree…..all eyes will be on Verner….but, we were able to sign other players with the leftover Revis $$$, so he only needs to be in the same balpark with Revis’ expected production.
March 18th, 2014 at 7:32 am
Think L & L swapped Revis for a Ronde Barber clone. That’s only 25
March 18th, 2014 at 7:32 am
Picking up Verner really helps ease the sting of losing Revis. That’s not an easy thing to do.
March 18th, 2014 at 7:41 am
Revis didnt fit what the new Regime has in mind. In fact, he didn’t fit what the old Regime had in mind. As good as a football player he is, we wasted two good picks on a player that was rehabbing. Forget about the money. Not my money, but the picks we all want back. That has to be why we shipped him off to recover the 3 round pick in a deep draft. All Ive heard are good things about Verner. His contract was a good deal for someone with his talents. I bet this guy is a team guy too. Not everyone is gonna like this move, but I was never happy with Revis coming here. Looking forward to the new Regime and new team.
March 18th, 2014 at 7:46 am
The “Revis standard”: 4-12.
I hope Vernee can be as good as Romde was for Dungy, in this defense.
March 18th, 2014 at 7:58 am
Who cares what Revis would do? Count his money, most likely.
I’m more concerned with what the team does.
March 18th, 2014 at 8:12 am
What ‘Revis’ standard are we using to measure Verner? Verner had better stats than Revis last year. Are we using team records? Total team defense? What exactly is “the standard”?
March 18th, 2014 at 8:20 am
Understand the business of football, not the sport.
Revis’ contract with NE is for 2 years so they can prorate his $10 mil signing bonus over those two years, this season they have to book his $2 mil salary, but only half the $10 mil., so they only have to book $7 mil of his total of $12 mil for this season, next season they’ll only have $5 mil to book on a player who is not even on their roster. The contract was written this way, with the $20 mil escalator for next season, just so NE wouldn’t/couldn’t tag him the season after next, as the tag has to be 120% of the players last annual total, so even if they do keep him for the $20 mil in 2015, in 2016 inorder to tag him, they’d have to pay out $24 mil to him, they’re only out is to cut him, and I beleive I heard that his contract states they have to do they within 30 days of the season ending, which is exactly what he wants
March 18th, 2014 at 8:23 am
Let’s not get carried away – you all do recall Revis getting beat a few times. Don’t make this guy a God or Demi God.
I don’t think fans will constantly compare because Revis was coming off of a ACL so we didn’t get to see his full potential.
The Bucs were smart to make the move economically. There is no way in hell you have one guy counting that much against the cap and you have holes all over the roster. That’s how backwards the Dominik era was when it came to FA.
If you are one or two players away then fine but we were void at TE, WR, DE, OL, QB, and DT.
Now go back at look at the moves of Lovie and Licht – it’s clear toe they recognized the same. We still need WR and OL. We need to draft a qb as well. Again the draft is set up perfectly .
The question is not WWRD it’s what did Revis salary do?
March 18th, 2014 at 8:33 am
Sigh . . .this has been debated to death already. Any interviews on how the offseason is going for some of the other 40 players?
March 18th, 2014 at 8:44 am
Patriots will be cutting Revis next year just like the Bucs did. They won’t be able to trade him either with his contract. Yet no one will question them. Except this time, the Patriots will have $5M in dead money on their 2015 to show for it.
March 18th, 2014 at 8:46 am
@St Aug Buc – Agreed. I’d love to get some updates on Martin’s rehab. Debating a transaction that has already happened is for a player that was barely a factor on the team is tough to sit through.
March 18th, 2014 at 8:47 am
@Joe – I accidentally submitted a comment under my full name as my handle that is under review. Just kick that one out if you would please
March 18th, 2014 at 8:54 am
Verner held a 4.17 GPA and achieved a 1740 SAT score. Smart kid. lol
March 18th, 2014 at 9:03 am
He’s a different player than Revis. Verner’s benchmark was set not by Revis but by Ronde Barber.
Barber is at minimum a candidate for the HOF. We’ll see if he makes it or not.
I don’t mean to yet mention Verner in the same breath as a Buc legend.
My point is that Verner possesses the same skills as Ronde. Not a big dude who is going to lay anybody out, but he always gets them on the ground. I can’t recall the number of times Ronde took on a big back and I thought uh oh…but somehow Ronde always managed to get them on the ground.
Players like Verner and Barber just have sixth sense when it comes to where the ball is heading. I’m really looking forward to watching Verner play. Hope he can rekindle some memories of #20.
March 18th, 2014 at 9:06 am
I actually think there is more pressure on Revis. the stats from last year and now possibly with Verner show that a corner making 6 million per year will produce just as much as a corner making 16 million per year. Based on that, it makes much better sense to spend the extra 10 million on the DL. I think Sapp and Dungy always did remark that you build from the front first. Other GMs will begin to figure that out as the numbers continue to show there is no value in paying a corner 16million per year. I’m surprised Belichick wasn’t smart enough to figure that out.
March 18th, 2014 at 9:20 am
Once teh cat was out of the bag that Bucs wanted to trade Revis, he had to go. he is not the stable minded player who understands the business side of the game, unless it’s his business side. He would have become a problem for coaches, team and locker room if he stayed.
March 18th, 2014 at 9:24 am
@BFFL
Belichick is filling holes to make one or two last runs, Brady is not getting younger and they as well as Denver see these next two seasons as their respective team’s last best chances of making that Super Bowl run, I’m not shocked at all, Bill’s going to spend as much as Kraft will allow him to to make the run, then when the time comes, Belichick will most likely retire 30 seconds after Brady signs and posts his NFL retirement paperwork.
March 18th, 2014 at 9:28 am
Revis is/was a great player, but it did no good to have someone of that skill set when the guys on the other side of the field weren’t up to the challenge and the coaches couldn’t figure out how to get pressure up front.
I was also against letting Revis walk until I saw the Verner signing and that his $16 million was actually getting put to use, at that point I was fine with it. Like others have said, the 1st round pick lost is what burns me and the fact that that pick was used on the DROY.
I would just like to pretend that last year didn’t happen. It feels like we’ve been in the twilight zone for the last 5 years.
March 18th, 2014 at 9:57 am
Yes, we got rid of the best corner in football and I was bummed at that but the best corner and $16mm got us 4-12. If you improve the pass rush, which is still debatable at this point, you don’t need the best corner in football. Correct me if I’m wrong but Verner WAS a pro bowler last year, no? Cutting Reavis, who obviously wanted to be elsewhere, at worst provided this team with 2 frontline starters and much upgraded depth. Benefit of the doubt people!
March 18th, 2014 at 10:03 am
His agent isn’t very savvy considering Shields and Davis got better deals despite being worse players. And they signed before Verner too.
March 18th, 2014 at 10:23 am
Well respected writer Ira Kaufman tweeted “Revis quitting against the Saints made it easier to release him”.
March 18th, 2014 at 10:42 am
Revis rarely got targeted they will test Verner and that will lead to more picks
March 18th, 2014 at 10:42 am
@flmike
For instance, Belichick would have been smarter to sign Verner and Karlos Dansby for the price he paid Revis.
March 18th, 2014 at 10:51 am
I took an engineering math class with Alterraun at UCLA about 6 years ago. It was an extremely difficult class, but he showed up to every class and did pretty well I believe (I often sat close by). Guy definitely has his head on straight
March 18th, 2014 at 11:12 am
@BFFL
“For instance, Belichick would have been smarter to sign Verner and Karlos Dansby for the price he paid Revis.”
Not really, it’s a short term thing for NE, Belichick knows Brady is gone in ’16, so why not make this season count, spend the money and make the run, look, Denver was going to do the same deal, hell, they tried to trade for Revis at the $16 mil a year rate, these two teams, more than the other 30, are in it to win it THIS year, there maybe a next year, but to these two this is probably their last best chance with two of the best QBs ever to play the game.
March 18th, 2014 at 11:46 am
The object of the game is taking the ball away…and although I am a revis fan he always was high in the stats on pass break ups but he always is low on interceptions..that’s what separates Richard Sherman from revis. I would much rather have interceptions. Revis missed about 5 interceptions last year. And as we remind ourselves that aqib talib got torched here over and over again he did receive a huge pay day, for INTERCEPTIONS. DRC =interceptions and INT returns for TD’s. Deion Interceptions. Thats why movie chose verneror rRegis because verner takes the ball awa and not just breaks up a pass so the team can live to see another down.
March 18th, 2014 at 12:29 pm
Time waits for no man. A second of doubt means you are a second behind. So make a choice use it wisely or lose it forever. There’s simply no rewind. Revis WAS the best corner in football, those days are long gone. What he does from now going forward, will determine his legacy.
March 18th, 2014 at 12:32 pm
Because If Revis retired now-He wouldn’t be in the HOF.
March 18th, 2014 at 4:18 pm
I agree with tj ware n kingfish. Hell with revis he took a paycut to sign with another team but could not agree to a most likely similar sized paycut to be traded. In my eyes revis played half ass all season unlike sherman who goes hard every play. Verner is the dude. Took a smaller deal even after his pro bowl season
March 18th, 2014 at 5:25 pm
hey first post here but ive been reading these comments for over a year .
i dont think we will miss revis if the mj and mcdonald signing works out , atv will get more turnovers then revis will at his best health like others have said he is a pass breakup king but never has got many pics . anyone who knows lovie’s team knows they will create turnovers so why not go with a young guy who has that knack for dirt cheap . revis might have a really nice stat line this year though because there are 0 WR’s in the afc east lol.
March 19th, 2014 at 11:32 am
Reminds me of when Shaq left Orlando for the Lakers. Same money but he went with Lakers so he could get some rings. Not to mention the bright lights of L.A.
Signing Verner was a great move. I won’t be comparing him to Revis.