Brent Grimes: Nickel Suits Hargreaves Best
August 13th, 2018
Teammate breaks him down
“I mean, if Vernon was your starting nickel and you had another guy you liked at the other corner opposite [Brent] Grimes, there isn’t another team in the league that wouldn’t like to have Vernon Hargreaves as their nickel. You usually don’t pick a guy in the first round to be your nickel. Stuff works out how it works out. Vernon is going to be a big part of what we do. I know he’s anxious to get started. He wants to be an every down player. But at the very least, Vernon’s going to be our starting nickel.” Dirk Koetter, March 2018
Joe won’t dwell on this too much or sound an alarm bell. It’s essentially what Dirk Koetter said back in March but with a different twist.
After practice today at One Buc Palace, Brent Grimes explained to media that the guy Koetter called his No. 2 corner last week, Vernon Hargreaves, is much more comfortable in the part-time role of nickel cornerback.
“In my eyes, when he’s playing inside in nickel he really seems to be much more comfortable. I’ve seen that out of him,” Grimes said of Hargreaves. “Obviously, his skills, he’s always had skills; he always could play the ball. He always has good feet and things like that. But just you can tell he’s a little more comfortable with that nickel position because compared to outside nickel is a lot more knowing, you know, checks and motions and things like that. And he seems to just be playing not as much thinking about what’s going on. He looks comfortable.”
Joe feels terribly about Hargreaves’ new groin injury. How is he going to get more comfortable and confident outside if he can’t practice there through the rest of training camp? On the heels of getting benched at that position last year?
Joe really looks forward to the corner competition opposite Grimes against Tennessee Titans receivers in practice this week and in Saturday’s second preseason game.
August 13th, 2018 at 12:38 pm
Its MJ Stewart and Carlton Davis’ time to shine…
August 13th, 2018 at 12:42 pm
First round pick is your nickel-back(LOL) = fail. That said, since he is on the roster and the pick is gone, I hope he BEASTS at the nickel.
August 13th, 2018 at 12:48 pm
Vernon “Marshmallow” Graves aka…… One of the worst 1st Rd draft picks ever
August 13th, 2018 at 12:49 pm
These coaches ruined him and his confidence going forward.
August 13th, 2018 at 12:54 pm
coaching pop warner football in clearwater teaching kids how to celebrate meaningless plays is the only position he is qualified for. overdrafted first-round bust. stop wasting time with this fool. he’s proven he can’t play nfl football and it is a total clown embarrassment on the field celebrating over throws and getting torched.
August 13th, 2018 at 12:57 pm
So worried about him being injured constantly
August 13th, 2018 at 1:05 pm
Although I would like to see Vernon bounce back, in our division we have a lot of tall receivers that suits a taller DBs. It seems like Davis would be a perfect fit if he can nail down the opposite CB position.
August 13th, 2018 at 1:10 pm
ChanEpic Says
“First round pick is your nickel-back(LOL) = fail.”
That’s old school thinking. In today’s NFL, the most used area of the field is where the nickle plays. In fact, over the past decade, we’ve been most vulnerable in the middle.
It;s a passing league now, and as a result, Nickle has a starting role.
August 13th, 2018 at 1:14 pm
Vernon was a good pick. If we had not drafted Stewart and Davis, we’d need him to work out on the outside. But given that they are working our (thus far), we may even have a replacement for Grimes and have the other side covered for the next 12 years.
VHIII got injured and so no one got to see how this off season changed him. For all you guys know, he’s taking steps to improve his outside skills. The little he played, he was always close to the WR vs the Dolphins.
August 13th, 2018 at 1:15 pm
Which is why Licht wisely spent two 2nd rd picks on talented CBs. Both Stewart and Davis looked good from what I saw in their 1st NFL game.
August 13th, 2018 at 1:16 pm
@Pickgrin
I agree.
But I also noticed that the CB who was criticized most by fans had the best game of all DBs.
August 13th, 2018 at 1:19 pm
Another Licht special. Year 5 of the rebuild.
#firetheglazers
August 13th, 2018 at 1:24 pm
“the CB who was criticized most by fans had the best game of all DBs”
Only on the stat sheet Bonzai. If you watched the game you know those “stats” Ryan Smith put up were deceiving. Smith got beat more than once and it wasn’t pretty in a couple cases….
August 13th, 2018 at 1:25 pm
lamarcus
I agree…..coaches failed him so far but its not too late for him to figure it out….
play VHG and davis at the LOS and watch this defense take fly….
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
August 13th, 2018 at 2:10 pm
I hope the little fella’ works it out. If there’s one thing Buc fans know all too well, it’s that you can NEVER have enough depth.
August 13th, 2018 at 3:08 pm
Kicker in the 2nd rd….Still worst pick in team history but 1st rd on a nickel is pretty sad.
August 13th, 2018 at 3:16 pm
Bo Jackson is the worse pick in our history Bobby M. Booker Reese cost us 2 #1’s comes in second.
August 13th, 2018 at 3:19 pm
Dewey- Especially when you consider that Bo emphatically said he would not come here. Back then, who would? People tend to have short memories. The Culverhouses were easily the worst owners in football. Man, were they cheap!!!
August 13th, 2018 at 3:21 pm
What a joke!!
August 13th, 2018 at 3:23 pm
Flex is a bust, hopefully we get some use outta him at nickle before his contract is up. Either way, he is a bust. GM and Coach will be gone after this year and flex could be gone with them when new coaches get here.
August 13th, 2018 at 3:24 pm
Good news is is that we don’t need him to play outside CB anymore. I’d take either Stewart or Davis at outside CB over VHIII even from Game 1. Be flexible, don’t put a player in a spot where you know he won’t succeed. Keep him at nickel and watch him excel.
August 13th, 2018 at 3:44 pm
“You usually don’t pick a guy in the first round to be your nickel,” said Koetter. Yea, and you usually don’t pick a kicker in the second round, especially one that can’t make a kick even if the uprights were 70 yards apart.
August 13th, 2018 at 4:05 pm
In Mike Smith’s defense, nickel is for all practical purposes a starting position. Tend to think Brent Grimes & Ronde Barber know a little more than some of you all who insist VHIII is a bust. If he’s comfortable at nickel … and excels there … what’s wrong with using him there? The goal is to WIN … as a TEAM. I’d re-sign VHIII in a heartbeat as a nickel CB IF that’s what it took to help us WIN.
August 13th, 2018 at 4:07 pm
Im finna say it right now, what’s the difference between 2016 VHIII and 2018 VHIII?
Answer: Pass Rush.
August 13th, 2018 at 4:53 pm
Again, no need for trolls when you have “fans” like these.
August 13th, 2018 at 5:56 pm
Play him where he plays best. A solid nickel CB, is better than him being a bust and getting cut. Ronde was essentially a nickel CB.
August 13th, 2018 at 6:26 pm
Yeah. I mean no doubt that Licht didn’t hit the Vernon pick out of the park, but if he locks down nickel, which I’m skeptical about, then it wouldn’t be terrible. I hope he shines and he quickly gets over this injury but it’s on an “I’ll believe it when I see it basis”.
August 13th, 2018 at 6:57 pm
Whenever I see that picture of Hargreaves, I imagine he just said, “Whatchu talkin’ about, Willis?”
LOL
August 13th, 2018 at 7:06 pm
Kobe Faker disagrees. #1 Skillset of a top slot corner is …
Physicality
Milli Vanilli doesnt have it
Mj Stewart and davis has that mental & physical game
“What we actually ment was…We can hide this sorry no good fool in the slot and wont be exposed as much”
Miko Grimes
August 13th, 2018 at 7:55 pm
Again, “Again, no need for trolls when you have ‘fans’ like these.”
You know who you are!
_________________
Go Bucs!!!!
August 13th, 2018 at 8:43 pm
We should have brought in a good experienced corner, but like last year with pass rushers Licht doesn’t get it.
August 13th, 2018 at 8:50 pm
There is no reason for the staff to have a second thought about who their #2 corner is the way Davis was seen flashing all over the field. Not only did he show an ability to play in every coverage he also shown how he can make a difference with his tackling ability.
I know it’s only one game but he shown more ability in that one the Vernon has in 2 years. It should be Davis job to lose moving forward.
August 14th, 2018 at 12:10 am
We should have drafted or signed Holton Hill and Kevin Tolliver and let the best guys win.
August 14th, 2018 at 9:56 am
Culverhouse lied to Bo, telling him that visiting the Bucs pre draft would not affect his baseball eligibility. As a result Bo could not play college baseball. Bo was absoloutely furious! He vowed to never play for any team owned by Hugh Culverhouse!