Sean Murphy-Bunting Had A Great August?
September 12th, 2019
The No. 39 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Buccaneers cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, is serving now as a backup nickel and outside cornerback.
He played one defensive snap on Sunday.
That either says something about the other Bucs cornerbacks, where Murphy-Bunting is his development, and/or the Bucs’ decision to draft him when they had so many other young corners on the roster.
Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles had an interesting moment today. During an appearance on the Buccaneers Radio Network, team reporter Casey Phillips questioned Bowles about Murphy-Bunting and her lead-in included a statement that Murphy-Bunting had a disappointing summer with the team.
This seemed to stun Bowles, who was quick to say he thought Murphy-Bunting had a great summer since he was doing so much learning and developing at two positions — nickel and outside corner.
Bowles said he’s just about always been on teams that experience injuries at cornerback, and he’s confident Murphy-Bunting will step right in and step up when that inevitable injury creates a big opportunity for him.
Joe was a bit surprised by Bowles’ reaction, only because Bruce Arians publicly said Murphy-Bunting didn’t “show up” in the preseason opener. And after that he certainly didn’t stand out.
Joe can only hope Bowles was shooting straight and the rookie was kicking butt when coaches scrutinized film, and that Murphy-Bunting is the kind of guy who can develop while on the sidelines. Some players can advance their games quite a bit by watching; some guys can’t.
September 12th, 2019 at 7:20 am
Give him time….like all rookies…..he has the quickness….size and skills and we have the coaching.
September 12th, 2019 at 7:32 am
The 39th pick in the draft shouldn’t need more time. Any player picked that high should be starting. I’d say give him time if he was a 5th rounder, but as Joe said there were so many not just corners, but players picked after him that are contributing. I suspect Bowles had a say in drafting him, so he’s sticking up for the pick. Our current nickle doesn’t have enough speed to get the job done. If Bunting is faster let him play. He’s not learning watching from the bench.
September 12th, 2019 at 7:39 am
I think I’ll trust Bowles more than anyone on here.
September 12th, 2019 at 7:43 am
We could have picked up a Will Grier with that pick. Geez.
September 12th, 2019 at 7:52 am
Hodad, I had a feeling you were wrong about corners in the second round starting right away so I decided to go look for myself. In 2017 and 2018 11 corners were taken in the second round. All together they started 58 games in their rookie seasons.. or less than a third of the season.. how about instead of writing this guy off like you guys always do, let’s be realistic and let him develop a little bit. You guys just throw out these crazy unrealistic expectations and it’s ridiculous. Open your eyes man, there is a learning curve. You probably think d white sucks too because he’s not like kuechly yet lol
September 12th, 2019 at 8:08 am
Hodad … “The 39th pick in the draft shouldn’t need more time. Any player picked that high should be starting.” Hmmm, Jameis has had 4+ years now and is a starter. How’s that working out for ya?
SMB has some excellent competition in front of him, and that’s AWESOME. Carlton Davis is a bonafide outside starting corner IMO, and this coaching staff seems to feel comfortable with pairing him up with VHIII at the other outside CB. After Sunday’s game, it looked to me like they probably know what they’re doing (VHIII had a pretty decent game, and so did Davis). And as I recall, I think SMB missed some training camp early-on due to an injury. Time will tell.
September 12th, 2019 at 8:28 am
Time will tell…….
September 12th, 2019 at 8:31 am
and folks thought he would start over VHG….lol….
kid has talent but he aint ready just yet….by week8 or 9 i see him taking over for MJ if he doesnt step his game up…..MJ gets burnt everytime on those drag/crossing routes….
GO BUCS!!!!!
September 12th, 2019 at 8:33 am
Cornerback is one of the most difficult positions to transition for college to pro. Additionally, the talent that he has experience playing against was much lower. He looks to have all the skills and talent to be great…give him time.
September 12th, 2019 at 8:44 am
We needed a RG/C prospect!!!
We needed a RT!
September 12th, 2019 at 9:06 am
Heck, even Greedy Williams is getting props up in Cleveland, that’s another name the Bucs ignored……. The team has so many holes on OL, RB (not sold on RoJo yet), probably QB, pass rusher, etc and Licht throws pick after pick (first and second day) on the secondary and do not forget he wasted 2 more on kicker, a position that almost every other team in the NFL fill via free agency. This team has been a talent hole deficit since 2001 when Malcolm traded the farm to Crazy Al for Chuckie; that loss of draft picks and Chuckie’s propensity for veteran help led to a talent spiral (and now salary cap mess). 4 GMs and even more head coaches have not fixed this issue. You have to look at the ownership for allowing the front office to tank so bad and it really all began when Malcolm was forced to let the lads start running the organization. Its almost as bad as the Culverhouse years!
September 12th, 2019 at 9:11 am
Who’s writing him off? Read my post carefully, I said let him play. Let him take his lumps, and learn the NFL game. Put him in at nickle, keep it simple, and let’s see what he’s got. I also said there were players at other positions who are starting, and contributing to their teams right now. Risner comes to mind. If you don’t think he would’ve been a better pick then Bunting to replace Dotson you haven’t been paying attention to our O line defense rules.
September 12th, 2019 at 9:51 am
FortMyers EVERYBODY ignored Greedy, not just the Bucs.
September 12th, 2019 at 10:45 am
Licht Weight is more averse to 2nd round picks that he is salads and fitness regimens. Up to date Licht Weight record: .33333
September 12th, 2019 at 10:58 am
The defense was first rate last Sunday. The run defense was stellar. Take away the longest run by each 49er RB and none of them averaged more than 2.0 yards a carry… and it wasn’t even close. Jimmy G. targeted Kittle 10 times and completed 8 passes for all of 54 yards to one of the league leaders last year in yards per catch and yards after catch. The defense did its job last week… the defense did the offense’s job as well. Until they have a bad outing, there is no reason to over scrutinize the defense as a unit. Darian Stewart on the other hand, will hopefully be replaced by Mike Edwards. Devin White will hopefully make more splash plays and not get beat in coverage or run over in the running game now that he’s no longer ill.
September 12th, 2019 at 11:02 am
FortMyersDave Says:
September 12th, 2019 at 9:06 am
Heck, even Greedy Williams is getting props up in Cleveland, that’s another name the Bucs ignored
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How did Cleveland’s D play last week, Dave? FYI, they gave up 43 points to the Titans, Dave. Mariota wasn’t picked once. Williams had two tackles.
September 12th, 2019 at 11:12 am
Hoe-dad has obviously never played sports besides madden. You can not expect a guy to come in the league from Central Michigan and start right away at corner which is the hardest position to play in the league. Football’s rules have changed and it makes things much easier for offenses to score so playing defense isn’t easy. fort myers dave another Jabroni who says Greedy Williams is getting props. LMAO ok…. they got whooped 43-13. I swear i cant stand these moronic fans who know nothing about football. JBF is ran by guys who never played and the commentators are just the damn same.
September 12th, 2019 at 11:34 am
The good thing is he isn’t forced out on the field before he is ready. You can have a great camp but still not be ready to be a starting CB. I’m just happy he not out there and he isn’t ready for the bright lights. Now looking in hindsight we could’ve chosen a different position of need.
September 12th, 2019 at 11:56 am
Will Grier ?! You have to be trolling. He played like trash in preseason.
September 12th, 2019 at 12:00 pm
I still don’t understand why we rushed to re sign Licht. He hasn’t showed he can draft players consistently. I pray Devin White and Bunting aren’t the next wasted picks from licht. Curious if anyone else’s felt this way but are overall defense seems slow. I’d expect a faster team with so many young guys. We need JPP and Evans back.
September 12th, 2019 at 6:26 pm
After splaying rookies White and RoJo it looks like there’s a new rookie (victim) in Joe’s crosshairs.