Bruce Arians Talks Sean Bunting, Huge Expectations On Vernon Hargreaves
May 9th, 2019
Bucco Bruce Arians has got a lot on his mind when it comes to the Buccaneers’ draft and the huge talent injection given to his defensive backs corps.
Have you heard Arians speak since the NFL Draft completed?
Joe has.
Arians hopped on SiriusXM NFL Radio and said he sees the pick that stunned a lot of Bucs fans, second-round cornerback Sean Bunting, is so perfect for Todd Bowles’ scheme and his nickel skills made him extremely attractive.
“[Bunting] is a press man-to-man guy with great ball skills and he’s also played a lot of nickel, and that’s the one thing,” Arians said. “I’m hoping to keep Vernon Hargreaves outside and find a young nickel. And I think we found two of them, a safety-type nickel [third-round pick Mike Edwards] and a corner-type nickel.”
Arians elaborated on Hargreaves and the pressure he’ll have, in addition to being an island corner in a blitzing scheme.
“[Hargreaves] is the old guy in the room, and I put a lot of pressure on the old guy in the room to take the young guys and get them ready. We had a little bit of talk about that with our whole team. If you’re an old guy in the room, and you’re leading them in the wrong direction, we’ve got problems. Vernon is that guy in that [defensive backs] room and I expect big things from him.”
Leadership, leadership, leadership — from players. Arians had plenty to say about how internal leadership will drive his team.
Man, the Bucs have a lot on Hargreaves’ shoulders, for now, in a division that has feasted on the Bucs secondary in recent years.
May 9th, 2019 at 9:47 am
Fingers crossed….
May 9th, 2019 at 10:09 am
I expect the offense to largely remain the same. Perhaps fewer turnovers and improved run game… Overall our problems were on the defensive side of the ball. I hope Bowles can figure out of to generate pressures with the scheme and overall just coaching up players. Our DB’s, in particular, have been playing awful for years. This year things for me could not be more clear. Either Licht can’t draft or sign talent to save his life or Mike Smith and company could not coach to save theirs. If Bowles can fix this defense by adding just a few rookies than things should be clear to all of us that it was the coaching staff period end of story. Time will tell.
May 9th, 2019 at 10:14 am
There’s a plan in place, to all you snivlers out there bitching…give this staff a chance.
I feel this staff is different and will get get solid play out of previously less than average performers and great play out of good players.
May 9th, 2019 at 10:16 am
leadership wow..
how about talent?
it is what it is..
Suckaneers suck because of the FrontOffice
they suck at talent evaluating and @ Roster building
join the
Fire Licht Tonight
movement !!
May 9th, 2019 at 10:19 am
I like Arian’s style….building up important players…….Jameis, Barber, Godwin, OJ, VH3……and others.
May 9th, 2019 at 10:21 am
I KNOW they play different positions BUT….Can Hargreaves be the next Talib on the D? (Minus the gun/grandmother/Adderal, etc.,?
May 9th, 2019 at 10:24 am
Sport,
Let’s see this grand plan unfold. I am cautiously optimistic. I fear that the regime passed on an edge rusher at #5 (Ed Oliver/Josh Allen), and with JPP hurt. We are screwed.
No pass rush= no playoffs.
The nfl is built on parity and every year new teams make it to the playoffs. Why can’t the Bucs get out of the basement?
Licht, Jameis and Heargraves are on watch this year. Now or never time. If we don’t see it in 2019, then we can’t bank on it happening later. Year 5 for Jameis, year 6 for Licht. It needs to happen already.
Especially if we come out and get our butts handed to us this year- hire a new GM.
May 9th, 2019 at 10:26 am
Has anyone told BA that Julio Jones and Michael Thomas play in our division? You can’t coach height and VH3 has already been exposed but again wtfdik
May 9th, 2019 at 10:49 am
VHG will be successful this year because the coaches will be playing to his strength….
these coaches can develop players far better than dirk and smitty….
GO BUCS!!!!
May 9th, 2019 at 10:56 am
I think we’ve actually got some coaches to get our D out of the 1990’s. You have to have a great secondary if you are going to be able to get to the QB in today’s NFL. The ball comes out of the QB’s hand so fast now that 4 down lineman have little chance to get pressure without forcing them to their 2nd or 3rd option.
May 9th, 2019 at 11:28 am
So the Bucs drafted a hard-nosed press corner, then put him in soft “Tampa 2” coverage?
And folks wonder what went wrong?
May 9th, 2019 at 11:33 am
Wait till the opposing QB has all day to pick apart that secondary. I think the biggest question on my mind is how long will BA continue coaching if things go south in a hurry?
May 9th, 2019 at 11:56 am
Is it just me or does anyone else wish we hadn’t given up on Mark Barron so soon?
May 9th, 2019 at 12:28 pm
Wow
I’m all about leadership…but having a hard time wrapping my head around a guy who has played very little, and not particularly well, as the leader of the DB room.
“If you’re an old guy in the room, and you’re leading them in the wrong direction, we’ve got problems. Vernon is that guy in that [defensive backs] room”
You said it BA.
May 9th, 2019 at 12:30 pm
Hardgraves is small and slow but does have quick feet
I’m sure he will do well against Julio….
May 9th, 2019 at 12:32 pm
“So the Bucs drafted a hard-nosed press corner, then put him in soft “Tampa 2” coverage”
MIke Smith was a terrible DC, but I don’t remember the “Tampa 2”
ever being a soft coverage. In fact it was so “not” soft that the NFL started changing rules for defense, I think it was after the 99 NFC Champ game, right?
Now, if you mean Smith’s version, no argument there. That was the most nepotistic hire ever.
May 9th, 2019 at 2:33 pm
It’s a shame how bad the coaching has been over the last few years. I thought highly of Mike Smith but forcing a system on players that was not effective says a lot about his awareness and ability as a coach. No player is going to say the scheme is bad without jeopardizing their employment.
There are two players this season who are truly getting a fresh start for me: Noah Spence and Vernon Hargreaves. Both players have not been used in ways that allow them to be effective. Since Coach Bowles signed on as DC, everyone said he caters to his player’s strengthens.
I get they are paid very well to do a job but one’s skills can only go so far. Looking forward to a more physical, attacking brand of football in Tampa Bay! #GoBucs
May 9th, 2019 at 2:56 pm
Tampa 2 in modern NFL basically = prevent defense
May 9th, 2019 at 4:00 pm
Bucs fans have seen Hargreaves play fairly well at the Nickle position.
We have NOT seen him play well nor fare well at outside CB…
BA – basically exclaiming that “Vernon is our guy outside” and now professing the expectation that Hargreaves will take on the role of leader in the backfield – already has Bucs fans going – “wait – what?”
Its natural to question how BA is basically counting on Hargreaves to be “that guy” on an outside island – when we have yet to see VH3 shut any NFL receiver down at any point in his career…
To me it seems dangerous and somewhat reckless to heap so much expectation and responsibility on a 4th year player who has played in exactly ONE out of the last TWENTY THREE games the Bucs have suited up for.
To be fair – he looked good in the one game he played in 2018…
Hey – if it works – and Hargreaves all of a sudden looks like a #11 overall pick playing outside CB vs Jones and Thomes and the like – then BA and Bowles will look like geniuses.
I do have a lot of faith in the abilities of both those men to improve the fortunes of this Buccaneers team. I believe that “coaching” and the “attitude” that comes with BA and his hand picked coaches WILL facilitate a “culture change” in short order at OBP.
But in regards to the new staff’s expectation that Vernon Hargreaves will be counted on to shut down his quadrant of the field all season long – color me skeptical – because we certainly haven’t seen anything resembling that in 3 previous years…
May 9th, 2019 at 7:23 pm
I liked Hargreaves coming out of college and felt he was being misused big time not pressing at the line. But this just kinda seems like the blind leading the blind at this point
May 9th, 2019 at 8:29 pm
Anybody remember Jonathan Banks? Looks like a 2.0. Should have taken Greedy. I believe Greedy will have more of an impact than Bunting. Hope I’m wrong.
May 10th, 2019 at 9:34 am
Another nickel CB? Aren’t we drowning in those? What about outside CBs?
What about DEs and OLB?
How about that right side of the o-line?