Iced Out
December 20th, 2016
End nearing
No, you didn’t see cornerback Alterraun Verner play defense Sunday night.
Joe’s not being a wiseass, The former Pro Bowler was not on the field with the defense.
Undrafted rookie Javien Elliott has the nickel position on lockdown, and defensive coordinator Mike Smith doesn’t believe in giving Brent Grimes and Vernon Hargreaves a rest.
So Verner, after being a hero for intercepting Russell Wilson on Thanksgiving weekend, has become just a part-time special teams player. No, he doesn’t play full-time there, either.
Elliott and Verner split snaps in San Diego, but since then, it’s been all Elliott for two consecutive games.
This is the end for Verner with Tampa Bay. He’s due $6.5 million next season, per Rotoworld.com, and surely the Bucs won’t pay anything near that much to keep him.
The only question is when Verner’s 2017 pay would become guaranteed. If he simply has to be on the opening 53-man roster to get paid, then the Bucs might have him compete in training camp and see how injuries shake out.
Quite a freefall for Verner. Two sets of Bucs defensive coaches lost confidence in him.
December 20th, 2016 at 3:10 pm
the play against Seattle this season, that’s the only play I can remember he made with the Bucs uniform……am I wrong?
December 20th, 2016 at 3:12 pm
We are seeing the end nearing for Verner but also for Daryl Smith, Vincent Jackson, Brandon Myers, and Gosder Cherilus. If the team drafts a CB high, Brent Grimes might be a casualty, too. That would translate into a lot cap savings in the long term, but I’m no doctor of capology. The Bucs keep getting younger!
December 20th, 2016 at 3:16 pm
At the end of the day, you have to have talent and play consistently. The good news is that at least we have depth for now.
December 20th, 2016 at 3:18 pm
…And who knows if Sweezy will return. I just saw that he was counting $9.5 million against the cap this year! We know more about Big Foot, the Skunk Ape, Roswell UFOs, the Chupacabra, the Nazca lines, and Stonehenge than we know about Sweezy’s status.
December 20th, 2016 at 3:21 pm
…better keep Gholston in offseason!…remember michael bennett 🙁
December 20th, 2016 at 3:28 pm
We have a ton of money and all our picks…..upgrades are on the way!!!
December 20th, 2016 at 3:50 pm
@DOCTORSTROUD…..LOLOLOLOL….I DONT EVEN THINK SWEEZY LIVES IN TAMPA YET……GO BUCS!!!!
December 20th, 2016 at 4:02 pm
I have a huge problem with this.
To me, I don’t care if he is kicked to the curb after the season…but if Alterraun Verner is currently on the team, he should be used.
If I were Koetter, I would have done my best to have exactly the same mix of players against the Cowboys that we had against Seattle. It may have made a difference.
The only reason not to play Alterraun Verner is if Koetter has given up on the season.
December 20th, 2016 at 4:05 pm
Grimes isn’t going anywhere. Be dumb to get rid of a guy because of his age. We can afford him and he’s playing great. Ronde barber and Charles Woodson played well into their 30s, Grimes is gonna be one of those guys playing in the later half of his 30s barring any serious injury or decision to stop playing.
December 20th, 2016 at 4:07 pm
Bonzai I don’t think AV would have made one ounce of a difference in that game.
Was he going to get pressure on Dak? Or tackle Zeke in the backfield? Was he going to play RT and help stop the abuse of Jamies or open holes for Doug? The answer to those questions is no.
The game is won and lost in the trenches. And we get our asses kicked in the trenches Sunday night. Simple as that.
December 20th, 2016 at 4:14 pm
I think coaches still have confidence in him it just makes more sense to develop rookie who plays a little worse than to waste more time on dude who is about to lose his job anyway
December 20th, 2016 at 4:59 pm
That chargers game. Watch Verner. He should of been cut on the spot
December 20th, 2016 at 6:01 pm
God has a plan for atv… he obviously can still play lol takeep a chill pill this man dad just passed away.. clearly his head wasn’t there
Last time I checked grimes got burned in the same game. Verner played well in Arizona as well then gets beathe one time & he’s done. If I recall grimes was beathe in the same game… im not tryna comparing them im just saying everyone gets beat.. could be a caserious where coaches just like & want their guys
December 20th, 2016 at 7:33 pm
To answer your “question” Joe:
Per both OTC and Spotrac – Verner’s $6.5M salary for 2017 is all “base salary” with $0 guaranteed. No “roster” bonus – no “workout” bonus – no payments due in March or June.
We could have him here all off season through TC and pre-season, cut him on the very last September Saturday cutdown to 53 – and not owe him anything.
They are using the last few games of this year to see if Elliot is a viable answer for moving forward with so that Verner could be comfortably released. I believe so far – they like what they see.
December 21st, 2016 at 9:27 am
That’s too bad, I liked him, but for some reason him and Banks just forgot how to play for the most part