Spreadsheeters Like Bucs’ CBs
May 31st, 2016
Could Alterraun Verner and his fellow corners be a strength?
Joe isn’t sure if the following is reason to panic and run into traffic on Dale Mabry Highway screaming for a psychologist, or a reason to have a cocktail and relax.
It seems the PFF tribe likes the Bucs’ corners. Joe hopes you didn’t cough up any coffee on your keyboard.
The Bucs’ corners stunk last year. That’s putting it mildly. Joe is convinced it was more Coach My Scheme than the talent on hand, but was said talent ruined in the process?
AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht seriously upgraded (on paper) the corners and the PFF tribe tends to agree, types Nathan Jahnke.
Throughout the 2015 season, Tampa Bay had players rotating in and out of the starting lineup at their outside cornerback spots, with no combination of players working well for them. That should change in 2016 after adding two new outside CBs this offseason. First they brought in former Dolphin Brent Grimes, who was one of seven cornerbacks in 2015 with both four or more interceptions and seven or more passes defended. In the draft they added Vernon Hargreaves to play opposite of Grimes. For Florida in 2014, Hargreaves allowed an NFL passer rating of 41.6 when targeted, and he played at roughly the same level in 2015, with a passer rating allowed of 49.0. The Buccaneers should have more consistency and better play out of their cornerbacks this upcoming season.
Now if somehow Mike Smith can relieve Johnthan Banks and Alterraun Verner of the PTSD they suffered under Coach My Scheme, then the defensive backfield of the Bucs just may become a strength.
Of course, getting more heat on the quarterback would help.
It’s interesting the Bucs elected to keep Banks and Verner, the latter with a hefty contract, while the corner most fans thought played the best for the Bucs last year, Sterling Moore, took a month to find a suitor and signed a prove-it contract with the Bills.
May 31st, 2016 at 7:42 am
Verner’s money won’t matter if he performs well……we have the $$$
May 31st, 2016 at 8:10 am
Depth.
I look at it like this:
Grimes is a temporary fix. His age is an issue and because of that, sooner or later injuries will happen with him.
I liked Lovie, but I hated that he demoted Banks. The kid was developing well enough. His stats before last year were comparable to Ronde Barber at the same stage. Last year COULD have become a breakout year for him…had Lovie had more patience. Hopefully, this year will be.
Verner is on his “Prove it” season, if he makes the final roster. Unless he proves he is worth the money, this will be his last year with the team.
Last year, the Bucs had horrible depth at CB. This year, we have excellent depth no matter how the starting roster works out. We don’t have to bring in busts and hope they do well at the position.
May 31st, 2016 at 8:11 am
A;so…I expect three starting CB spots this year.
May 31st, 2016 at 8:12 am
This comes to no suprise. We have one of the most talented and deepest roster of CB’s in the league. Certainly the deepest. And at least top 3 talent wise, Maybe even no. 1 imo. I think the talent wasn’t the problem like everyone was sayin last year, it was the scheme. And that’s why Banks & Verner are still here. These guys have showed they can be succeful corners in this league in the past. I think Banks still hasn’t reached his full potential yet either, so he should certainly stay. The jury is still out on Verner tho. Can he return to his pro bowl form? We will certainly find that our soon. He has his old DB coach who was with him during his pro bowl year and he will be playing a scheme that’s better suited for his skill set. This roster is LOADED at the CB position. Correct me if im wrong, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it this deep and talented before. Maybe 2002 with Barber, Kelly & D.Smith, but that’s it.we might not be more talented, but I think we have more depth than that roster imo. Hard to say becase those corners didn’t have to cover very long ecause of the dynamic pass rushe’s up front. Now Imagine that pass rush with our new corners…
May 31st, 2016 at 8:49 am
Depth, at all positions, isn’t a luxury in today’s NFL, it’s essential. Not a question of IF injuries will happen; more a question of WHEN and TO WHOM they’ll happen. In the case of our CBs, even if a certain player doesn’t start the season, he’ll still see plenty of game-time in different defensive situations, and will very likely end up starting at some point in the season due to injuries. Right now I’d say we’ve got 4 quality starters (Grimes, Hargreaves, Verner and Banks) plus either 1 or 2 quality backups (Hey Jude and Robinson) who’ll make the team.
May 31st, 2016 at 9:10 am
Anything to curb the opponent completion rate is music to my ears.
May 31st, 2016 at 10:59 am
Banks is on thin ice IMO. The Robinson signing was intriguing and shows that guys like Banks and Verner will get another chance but they better step up. Someone on here as already suggested Banks could be our “tall receiver specialist” and I agree. He could also be an asset against some of the more impactful TEs we’ll face this season. The depth at CB is nice but only if the starters can produce turnovers and get off the darn field in third down.
May 31st, 2016 at 11:48 am
If we can get a consistent pass rush, then our CBs will look like all-pros.
Looks like we have great depth at CB, OL, and RB.
Decent depth at TE and LB.
WR and Safety remain a question marks. DL definitely needs more.
May 31st, 2016 at 1:25 pm
I think Licht did a very good job of adding real talent at CB by bringing in Grimes and drafting Hargreaves. Between Grimes, Hargreaves, Verner and Banks – we will find the quality of play needed to succeed. Safety is another story though.
My early guess is that WR, Safety and DL will be the primary positions to target in next year’s draft.
May 31st, 2016 at 2:20 pm
I’m not ready to make that proclamation yet. What have we seen from Verner or Banks the last 2 years to make you think “dang!”? The short answer is nothing. Could it be because of the system? Absolutely. But I’ve said it time and again, good football players make plays in ANY scheme. I hope they do well.
May 31st, 2016 at 3:07 pm
@ unbelievable, what’s the decent depth at lb?
May 31st, 2016 at 3:28 pm
Well Daryl Smith and Kwon (as I believe we will see this season), can play multiple positions, so that gives you flexibility, which can translate to depth in times of need.
Of course i would prefer more playmakers behind them, but it’s impossible to have great depth at every single position. Josh Keyes has experience and has the physical measurements we’re looking for. I suppose we could move LB down to the “question mark” category instead. At least I feel good about our starting LBs though, I can’t say the same for the safeties yet.
May 31st, 2016 at 4:53 pm
I’m surprised they let carter and lansanah go? Lansanah should be decent backup and I would have thought we could have re negotiated carter to a cheap deal. I’d love to hear licht asked these questions or what the plan at lb is?