“Contagious” Brent Grimes

October 26th, 2016

irakaufman

Tampa Bay’s only voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, JoeBucsFan.com columnist eye-RAH! Kaufman, has been talking to Brent Grimes and others around the Bucs locker room about Mr. Grimes. 

The result is today’s column. Enjoy!

BY IRA KAUFMAN

All’s quiet in Miko World.

If you’re a Bucs fan, that’s the best news of all. That means the Buccaneers haven’t self-destructed through six games, a scary scenario that might have prompted the wife of Tampa Bay cornerback Brent Grimes to rip the organization.

That doesn’t mean Miko hasn’t weighed in on various topics. Her prolific Twitter account has been active, whether she is blasting Colts owner Jim Irsay for releasing veteran corner Antonio Cromartie or refuting a Miami Herald report that she and her husband owe almost $200,000 to the IRS.

But as far as Miko and the franchise are concerned, we’ve heard crickets.

That’s because at the age of 33, when most NFL defensive backs are meeting with financial advisors to plan their impending retirement, Brent Grimes is playing winning football.

Signed as a free agent from Miami in March, Grimes is tied for fourth in the NFL with nine pass breakups, including seven in the past three games.

He has also turned in the biggest defensive play of the young season, intercepting Derek Anderson’s fourth-quarter pass intended for Greg Olsen in the end zone.

“And don’t forget, he made a tackle at the 1-yard line on the play before the interception to keep Carolina from scoring a touchdown,” said Bucs defensive tackle Clinton McDonald. “When we signed Brent, I knew he was a good corner, but I didn’t know much about the man. He’s a heck of a guy, someone you can talk to and relate to.”

Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes

Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes

Grimes didn’t excite Buc fans with his play in the preseason. And when the games began to count, he struggled along with his defensive teammates during a 1-3 getaway.

But after his star turn in Charlotte, Grimes followed up with another strong effort at San Francisco, showing his new teammates he is not resting on a reputation forged by four Pro Bowl selections.

“He’s a great corner, and he’s different,” says Mike Evans. “I’ve never seen a guy like him that can get up like that so high and so quickly. He’s super athletic. It’s crazy. The guy is so quick and he knows so much about the position. We see him make plays like the Carolina game every day in practice.”

At 5-foot-10, Grimes has played big since signing with the Falcons as a free agent in 2006. Bucs defensive coordinator Mike Smith was head coach in Atlanta when Grimes emerged as an elite corner.

When Grimes became available on the free-agent market, Tampa Bay moved quickly in an effort to fortify a porous secondary. Now Grimes is starting opposite first-round draft pick Vernon Hargreaves and Buc opponents are completing only 58 percent of their pass attempts — a marked improvement from last year’s soft coverage.

“His presence has been huge for a lot of us young guys,” says second-year pro Jude Adjei-Barimah. “Brent is real insightful and he calms us down on the field. He also has a very aggressive mentality when it comes to taking the ball away. That attitude has become contagious around here.”

The Raiders, 4-0 on the road, will provide a stern test for Tampa Bay’s improving defense. Quarterback Derek Carr has dangerous targets in Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, and Oakland boasts the No. 5 scoring attack in the league, averaging 26.4 points.

“Those two receivers are great players, with a big catch radius and a quarterback that gets the ball to them, so they present a problem,” Grimes said. “We’re in a good spot right now. We could be in a better spot, but we’re on a streak and trying to get a home win. We want to give our fans something to cheer about.”

8 Responses to ““Contagious” Brent Grimes”

  1. Defense Rules Says:

    @Brent Grimes … “We want to give our fans something to cheer about.” Yup, a win at home would do it.

    Ira, was thinking about our next game against the Falcons next Thurs night. That’s a b@ll-buster of a schedule. Must be close to impossible for a coach to get his team really ready to play with only 4 days off like they have now. Why doesn’t the NFL schedule the team’s Thurs night games in the week following their Bye-week? That’d give the team 10 days off, then the Thurs game, then another 10 days til their next Sun game. Just wonderin’

  2. Pickgrin Says:

    DR if there’s any team in the league I would want us to play on a Thursday after only 4 days rest and prep – its Atlanta. I think Dirk and Mike Smith’s knowledge and familiarity with their players gives us an edge and makes prep work as quick and easy as possible.

  3. Lord Cornelius Says:

    Thursday night football is great for fans but not NFL teams

  4. godzilla13 Says:

    Brent Grimes is the perfect mentor for Vernon Hargreaves and Jude Adjei-Barimah. In all three victories the play of Grimes had an impact on the games. He only allowed one catch to go with a crucial interception, when Carolina had a first down at the 1-yard line, late in the game, after he made a crucial tackle on the one yard line, the play before the INT. Against the Falcons, he allowed one catch for 5 yards on three targets and had two pass breakups. Grimes shut down the 49ers as his solid play continues. Hargreaves has been solid as well, being thrown at 37 times and giving up 25 receptions (67.6 percent). He has yet to allow a touchdown. The most underrated of the CB group is Adjei-Barimah. He has replaced Alterraun Verner and has quietly become a very good nickle cornerback. Grimes is on his way to his 4th consecutive Pro Bowl and is one of Jason Licht’s best FA signings.

  5. grafikdetail Says:

    miko has said in a recent interview that she “laid on the sword” for her husband so he could get out of his contract.

  6. Strider ....Sec 147 Says:

    I’m so going to this game

  7. unbelievable Says:

    Thursday night football isn’t great for anyone except the owners and the NFL front office. They’re raking in the $$$

    For everyone else, it sucks. Games are usually lop-sided, sloppy, and hardly competitive. I like your idea Defense Rules, I’ve often wondered the same thing…. It would probably make too much sense though, ya know?

  8. Giovanni Gonzalez Says:

    Hey Everyone on JoeBucsFan.com

    I’m flying in from Boston to watch the Bucs kick some tail for the Thursday night game against the Falcons. I wanted to know if there is tailgate party event that you guys are conducting for the pregame?