Not Making The Leap
October 6th, 2017
Rough quarter
When you’re the No. 12 overall draft pick in your second season, and you don’t have the pressure of being your team’s No. 1 cornerback, you simply have to play well.
Through four games, this has been a brutal season for Vernon Hargreaves.
Yeah, the standard absolutely has to be high. Look where he was drafted. Players with that kind of talent are supposed to make a strong leap from their first to their second seasons.
For Hargreaves, it hasn’t happened.
This year, he was supposed to be more aggressive, play more instinctively and make more plays, so coaches said through the offseason.
It ain’t happening, after an encouraging but inconsistent preseason.
What is happening is he’s getting picked on and not rising to the challenge.
Joe’s definitely not calling Hargreaves a bust, but he’s not a pretty draft pick — or overall player — right now. Frankly, he’s a weakness.
Hargreaves played nearly every snap last year and has 20 full games of football under his belt. The Bucs have to find a way to ramp up his maturity in a hurry. It’s time.
October 6th, 2017 at 12:10 am
When you are drafted 1st overall….and can’t hit the side of a barn and the local media says look…look..over there….FahhhhK!
October 6th, 2017 at 12:11 am
Yes, he sucks. I don’t even think he could ever sniff an int. He’s always running after receivers who caught the ball on him. I can’t understand why he’s celebrating the one play he makes a game when he’s getting rung up for the rest of it. He’s so annoying.
October 6th, 2017 at 12:11 am
stop playing 10 yards off every f_cking receiver
October 6th, 2017 at 12:14 am
Well it’s Mike Smiths scheme to play cover 4 almost every single down and have the cbs play almost 10 yds off every play. I wish he would press more… but idk he is definitely better than Ryan Smith at this point lol.
October 6th, 2017 at 12:14 am
Actually he was the 11th overall pick in 2016. And yes he sucks.
October 6th, 2017 at 12:15 am
Said it on draft day. He was overdrafted
He has physical limitations
plays hard good guy all that but he should have been a 3rd round pick
October 6th, 2017 at 12:16 am
I think he will keep giving 1000 plus yards a season playing off his man. He only thrives he pressing man. But he can’t defend a slant route
October 6th, 2017 at 12:17 am
The title of this article should be “regressing”
Because he is playing worse now than he did at this point in the season last year.
October 6th, 2017 at 12:18 am
Folks wife had to have started packing after the 3rd miss!
October 6th, 2017 at 12:19 am
VH3 and Folk drive me nuts. They both either do 2 things: VH3 either plays off coverage 95% of the time and gives up first down after first down or tries to press and gets toast… and Folk either misses short or misses long. You’re screwed either way.
October 6th, 2017 at 12:19 am
All Vernon wants to do is dance.
Last December against the Saints, he drops what could have been a crucial pick and then danced around like a he won the super bowl. The Bucs were down two scores with very little time left in the 4th.
He’s a poser.
Go Bucs!!!
October 6th, 2017 at 12:19 am
I didn’t hear Grimes name at all tonight.
October 6th, 2017 at 12:19 am
Alter ego, the upset closet mariota fan.
October 6th, 2017 at 12:19 am
Sauerpickle – Couldn’t agree more.. how arrogant must the kid be to get torched time and time again, only to celebrate when the guy he is guarding drops a pass or penalty gets called.. what a clown
October 6th, 2017 at 12:20 am
If you won’t say it I will, VH3 is playing like a BUST gentleman. A bottom of the barrel player and I’d tell it to his face. Kid needs to take a long look in the mirror bc he’s about to be bagging groceries with Folk and Aguayo
October 6th, 2017 at 12:20 am
What captain big stick said
October 6th, 2017 at 12:21 am
Dewey, that’s because Brady largely avoided throwing at Grimes.
October 6th, 2017 at 12:21 am
Also Jameis embarrasses the Bucs on National TV, again
October 6th, 2017 at 12:23 am
Who cares? We lost. NEXT!! I’ve said it a million times, Koetter and Smith were told to pack their bags in Atlanta for a reson. Koetter did not step up with offensive adjustments. He called a poor game. The Defense I thought did about as good as it could. I said we would need 3- pts to beat the Pats. Jameis started poorly and it cost us bigtime. You see, last minute antics only work against losing teams. Don’t be surprised to see Roberto A back for another tryout at kicking. I’m not blaming our defense. I’m blaming our vaulted HC..Mr Koetter and the kicker. Bucs simply are not ready for primetime. The whole USA got a chance to witness this against one of the worst Defenses in the league. NEXT!!!
October 6th, 2017 at 12:24 am
I meant we would need at least 30 pts to win.
October 6th, 2017 at 12:25 am
Pretty sure can’t hit the side of the barn he’s talking about JW
October 6th, 2017 at 12:27 am
Safe to say hargreaves is a bust. Another wasted early round pick by Licht smh
October 6th, 2017 at 12:35 am
Reevis was selected 14th overall in the first round. By year two, he was the Darrell Reevis that once took away an entire half of the field. Hargreaves selected at #12 overall and would have been selected earlier by Licht if he wouldn’t have been able to arrange a trade back for those few spots. For where he was drafted, he’s a #BUST, period.
October 6th, 2017 at 12:37 am
My bad, Hargreaves drafted at #11, which makes it one spot worse. #BUST
October 6th, 2017 at 12:47 am
No realist tonight?
October 6th, 2017 at 12:51 am
Im sorry but the scheme is not, line up 10yds off run backwards into the endzone as fast as you can let them catch touchdown underneath you.
October 6th, 2017 at 12:52 am
813..…
October 6th, 2017 at 12:53 am
Brent Grimes looked amazing though i saw he only allowed 1 catch!
October 6th, 2017 at 12:55 am
nick folk lubed up tampa bay
October 6th, 2017 at 12:55 am
Joe, I feel you… point definitely made… but Hargreaves is a baby in comparison to Tommy Brady. I want to see more out of Hargreaves but I’m patient and believe in the flashes he’s shown. More of a confidence issue than skill or what’s between his ears in my opinion
October 6th, 2017 at 1:00 am
BUST!!!!!!!!!!
October 6th, 2017 at 1:03 am
I do not want to see VHIII lined up against Larry Fitzgerald in the desert. That could be ugly especially when he is playing a soft 10 yard zone! Hopefully LD and Alexander will be back and Grimes continues to get it done. Tonight the Bucs D held NE down but lets not fool ourselves, the Hoddie went very Vanilla after the Pats went up by 9 as he knew the Bucs could not kicka FG and that Winston and his receivers were erratic at best with Koetter abandoning the run game. It almost backfired on the hoodie but he won and Koetter lost. I hate to say this but if Folk did make that 31 yarder I would not be surprised if Brady engineered a drive that would have culminated with the Pats drilling a winning FG if he did not find the end zone. The Bucs came up short across the board…..
October 6th, 2017 at 1:13 am
For the Clueless- who keep badmouthing Ryan Smith-
How many catches did he give up tonight?
Eli Manning said they were targeting one player, and it wasnt Ryan Smith
And Brady was focused on one player also- and again, It wasnt Ryan Smith.
Smith should be starting in front of Hargreaves right now
October 6th, 2017 at 1:46 am
I think its more on the scheme…Playing 10-15 yards off the ball doesn’t play to his strengths. He may be small but was waaay more physical at UF. You can see how he can be physical with the tackle for loss play and on the play where he got the block on the back called on him. Allow him to jam the receivers. Mike Smith is looking like Lovie with his development of VHIII
October 6th, 2017 at 2:59 am
vh3 is not working out, I think they need to sit the kid down and tell him he needs to play aggressive, not sure what holds him back–he seems capable in practice and preseason. Overall he is a real disappointment.
Justin Evans meanwhile” jus playin football”
October 6th, 2017 at 3:23 am
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I’ll admit that I really, really, really wanted the Bucs to draft Laremy Tunsil when he slid in that draft over the dumb gas mask pic as I thought he’d be a great long-term LT and Donovan Smith could move over to RT and we’d be set for a decade with those two and Marpet … but … Hargreaves has the tools to develop into a very good corner so don’t give up on the kid yet … heck, we shouldn’t even have given up on Aguayo as Folk has been horrendous and Aguayo never cost us a single game last year the way Folk cost us a win tonight …
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October 6th, 2017 at 3:26 am
DC Buc fan
Im afraid its much easier to be physical against the Wrs of Appalachian state, than against the Wrs of the New England Patriots.
He did look good on the tackle for a loss.
He just isnt defending against the pass. Hes allowing the Pass.
I hope he improves. But he hasnt improved, dince his first game.
And he has to, if he wants to play in the NFL
October 6th, 2017 at 3:28 am
Nflnut
Did you watch the game tonight?
The offensive line was outstanding. It was best part of the team buy far.if we had drafted Tunsil- he’d be sitting on the bench!!
October 6th, 2017 at 7:26 am
Joe, Can you give any clarity to Vernon playing so far off his man all the time. On one hand I here people saying it’s the scheme and on the other you here Tony Romo on TV last night saying over and over that “they” meaning the coaching staff want him and keep waiting for him to play tighter and be more aggressive.
October 6th, 2017 at 8:11 am
Vernon Burngreaves III
October 6th, 2017 at 8:19 am
I don’t understand why Mike Smith has him playing off coverage so damn much. I mean 8 and 9 yards cushions are you kidding me? He looks like hes slowly regressing and that’s not good for a young corner.
October 6th, 2017 at 9:33 am
Quit playing are corners 8 to 9 yards off the line anybody can’t catch against this defense
October 6th, 2017 at 12:10 pm
Word is out on VH3. Like Eli said… Throw at 28 ALL DAY. Vernon better grow a pair quick. This constant backpedaling of his needs to stop. 2nd and 23. Yeah, let’s backpedal 30 yards and let them make an easy completion. Romo must’ve said 4X that VH3 needs to be more aggressive.
October 6th, 2017 at 2:06 pm
I’m a VH3 fan, but have to agree that he’s not cutting it. Not sure if Smitty isn’t putting him in the best situations or if Smitty is just not comfy enough having VH3 press his receivers. In practive and preseason videos, it appeared he was ready to make the leap and be aggressive. Haven’t seen that so far 🙁