No Moore Coincidence
December 7th, 2015
(Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
In six starts at cornerback, Sterling Moore has played five strong games and vaulted himself into the unquestioned role of Bucs’ lockdown cornerback.
It’s no coincidence that Julio Jones had a ho-hum (for him) game yesterday. Six times this year Jones has had less than 100 yards receiving, and one of those times was yesterday — with Moore shadowing him around the field. And it’s not because Matt Ryan was under much pressure.
Joe really likes the consistency of Moore, and Joe needs far fewer antacids during games with Moore on the field. The feeling of helplessness against stud receivers like Jones has abated.
With Alterraun Verner making way too much money for a part-time player, and Johnthan Banks having lost the confidence of coaches, it seems Moore and Lovie favorite Mike Jenkins could be the only cornerbacks returning to the Bucs’ roster next season.
But that’s only if the Bucs can re-sign 25-year-old Moore. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent, and solid, young, experienced corners like him get paid.
December 7th, 2015 at 11:33 am
Filling holes in your roster involves two important tasks: 1) Finding the right guy; and 2) Paying him. If the Bucs think they’ve already done #1, then they have first crack at #2.
We’ve got enough other holes to fill, so if the coaches are happy with Moore, then don’t be cheap about it.
December 7th, 2015 at 11:37 am
What about Hey Jude? if Mike Jenkins is in the top 4 of our CB depth chart for 2016, we have whiffed in the offseason on a priority task
December 7th, 2015 at 11:43 am
Wow, I didn’t know he was only 25.
Moore has made himself a ton of money this year. He has virtually shut down the likes of Julio Jones, Dez Bryant and Odell Beckham Jr this year. The guy is playing like one of the top corners in the leage and he is going to get PAID this offseason. I just hope it’s the Bucs doing the paying
December 7th, 2015 at 11:44 am
I think Jonathan Banks is a good player but I have to believe that Lovie Smith and the coaching staff see something on film that Jonathan Banks is (or is not) doing in coverage that Mike Jenkins is doing properly. I don’t think Jenkins is the answer long term at CB but if he’s playing the coverage correctly (but poorly) and Banks is playing the coverage incorrectly (but poorly) they’re going to go with the guy who plays the coverage correctly. It’s silly to suggest Lovie’s playing Jenkins because of blatant favoritism.
It’s like those few times when Sabby Piscatelli got an INT during a game. Sure, he got the INT but it turns out he was in the wrong place in coverage almost all of the time.
December 7th, 2015 at 11:55 am
I’m hoping we can turn Jonathan Banks into a free safety or something before we cut him loose. He has too much talent to not have a role in this defense.
December 7th, 2015 at 12:00 pm
That pass break up he had against Jones in the end zone was a HUGE play.
December 7th, 2015 at 12:05 pm
Banks is still under his rookie contract so he could be traded….but I doubt it.
Verner is on a multi-year contract with guarantees….could be traded because it’s not terribly high
Jenkins is on a one year contract….
Here is my prediction….we sign Sterling & Jude to contracts….Banks & Verner are kept….Jenkins is let go…and we pick up 2 CBs….one in the draft and one in FA
Shocking for Joe….but Jenkins is history…..
December 7th, 2015 at 12:11 pm
we play something like 60-70% of the time in nickel which Verner is excelling at
December 7th, 2015 at 12:14 pm
With almost $52 million in cap space, I would be shocked if both Moore and Martin weren’t retained. I believe the organization should over pay a little to retain their own. I think it sends a good message to the locker room.
December 7th, 2015 at 12:22 pm
Off topic :
Tickets.
How come tickets to the Bears game are listed at 120 bucks for nosebleeds on nearly every site I go to? They used to be 35 dollars early in the season and as late as 3 weeks ago.
I wanted to get my wife tickets for Christmas in our usual end zone. They used to be 65 bucks and now they are like 150 per ticket.
Is it because of all the Bears fans? Or do I need to jump on buying my season tickets ASAP for next season?
December 7th, 2015 at 12:25 pm
TBBF … You hit it dead on I think. Moore will be re-signed, and should make some good money. And he should … shutdown corners are hard to find, and take awhile to develop. Verner’s taken awhile to adapt to Lovie’s defense, but he’s coming on strong I think so he’ll be here next year. So will Jude and so will Banks … no reason to trade either of them. If anything they’ll be excellent backups, and one of them may emerge as a true starter. Picking up one CB in the draft and another in FA looks like the optimum way forward. Oh, forgot to mention: Bye bye Jenkins.
December 7th, 2015 at 12:30 pm
Both Moore and Jude have been the surprises of our season. They are both keepers
PAY THE MEN!!
December 7th, 2015 at 12:36 pm
Banks got 20 snaps, Jenkins got 9. acknowledge this Joe
Jenkins came in before Banks at cornerback. The coaches’ decision was clear when they went to their third corner. –Joe
December 7th, 2015 at 12:38 pm
Banks had double the snaps of Jenkins……the Lovie Love isn’t there anymore….it’s a Myth…
December 7th, 2015 at 1:33 pm
we got to resign moore…GO BUCS!!!
December 7th, 2015 at 1:46 pm
@TBBF
Like Defenserules I agree totally with your take on our Defensive backfield..at least at corner. I like Conte but his health worries me a bit.
I’m not sure Banks has been totally healthy this year. Perhaps he heal and come back stronger next year.
December 7th, 2015 at 2:09 pm
@ St. Pete
I also think we need a Safety……we have plenty of money…..and all our draft picks…..should be able to get 2CBs…S, DE…..perhaps another Oline and the right WR…
I would love to pick up a speedy WR/PR/KR…….we have been missing that for some time now.
December 7th, 2015 at 2:58 pm
Pay the man. 5 years and $50M should get it done.
December 7th, 2015 at 2:59 pm
Johnthan Banks was out on the field shortly after Jenkins entered.
Here’s what people, like Joe, doesn’t understand. He wasn’t doing his job. He was supposed to be jamming receivers and he was playing off way too often. You can point and say that I didn’t know the coverages but that is false. Never does a defense come out on 1st down with their LBs stacked behind the line of scrimmage, their safeties not playing in the box, and their CBs playing 7 yards, or more off their receivers. So either the 3 LBs and 2 safeties didn’t know what they were doing on a play-by-play basis, or the CBs flat out refused to jam WRs at the line and kept getting burned on slants and skinny posts.
I like Banks and I hope he can learn to do what he was/is supposed to do like Jude and Sterling have done.
BTW, Jude has been pretty good most of the time he has been in there and I don’t see how he doesn’t make the roster next season as no worse than the 4th CB.
December 7th, 2015 at 3:01 pm
BigBucs Says:
December 7th, 2015 at 12:36 pm
Banks got 20 snaps, Jenkins got 9. acknowledge this Joe
Jenkins came in before Banks at cornerback. The coaches’ decision was clear when they went to their third corner. –Joe
————–
And Banks was out there AFTER Jenkins and stayed out there longer than Jenkins. Maybe he WAS the 3rd CB but quickly lost it and Banks is now the 3rd CB.
December 8th, 2015 at 10:43 am
If it was up to most of the fans who should start at CB, it would be Moore and Verner with Jude playing nickle? Since Moore and Adjei-Barimah became starters the defense is only giving up 19.6 points per game, compared to 28.4 points before. There is absolutely no way that Johnthan Banks does not come back next year with a year remaining on his rookie contract. Banks played 20 snaps and more than held his own Sunday against the Dixie Chicks.
“He did a good job,’’ Lovie Smith said of Banks. If Mike Jenkins is the third CB in the rotation the coaches lack of confidence in him was apparent by receiving only 13% of Sunday’s snap counts. Adjei-Barimah left the game with an elbow injury.
Sterling Moore 67 snaps, 100%
Jude Adjei-Barimah 38 snaps, 57%
Alterraun Verner 33 snaps, 49%
Johnthan Banks 20 snaps, 30%
Mike Jenkins 9 snaps, 13%
December 9th, 2015 at 10:59 pm
Banks isn’t bad. Just too slow for Lovie Smith’s combine based approach to the game. This is an incredible team but mark my words, Lovie’s incompetence will rear its ugly, dumb head once again before the season is over. And when we lose our only coach capable of being an NFL head coach (Koetter), our team will collapse, Lovie will be fired and we will be back at square one (Albeit with one hell of an offense)
December 9th, 2015 at 11:02 pm
U ever seen that South Park episode about Joseph Smith?
Lovie Smith was a head coach, dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb!