Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie which we ascribe to heaven. - from All's Well That Ends Well
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' cornerback Vernon Hargreaves is having a bad year statistically.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hargreaves, a first round pick out of the University of Florida, has been targeted 37 times, giving up 404 yards receiving, and is ranked the 108th cornerback in the National Football League.
Dirk Koetter admitted to being concerned over Hargreaves play. "He should be," Hargreaves told PewterReport columnist Scott Reynolds. "I'm not making plays; I'm not producing."
Against the Patriots, Hargreaves allowed 94 yards and a touchdown on all six targets. He had a slight improvement against the Cardinals, allowing 50 yards, but was targeted five times while Carson Palmer connected on all five. He also missed three tackles in the loss to Arizona.
Hargreaves has one pass breakup this season.
So what exactly is the issue?
A former Buccaneer player, who requested not to be named, says, "He's still young with a lot to learn, but he's on the right track."
A former University of Florida defensive player, who also requested not to be named, agrees with the sentiment. "It's his second year and he's getting targeted a lot because he's young and still developing."
How can the Buccaneers defense support a young, struggling cornerback and help him develop?
For one, a pass rush would be nice.
The Bucs are last in the NFL in sacks with six and are second-to-last in sacks per pass attempt at 3.6%, according to Football Outsiders. Just to put things in perspective, the Jaguars have 23 sacks and get to the quarterback nearly 11% per pass attempt.
"Yep, that effects every cornerback," says the Bucs' source.
Not coincidentally enough, the Jags also lead the NFL in interceptions (10).
The Bucs? Four. Good for a tie at 18th.
The correlation between a violent pass rush and consistent secondary play is undeniable.
Without a pass rush, corners are left out to dry. It's an impossible task to ask a corner to continually shadow a receiver for long periods of time, but it feels like Hargreaves has had the coverage. Just not the success.
"He's covering the wide receivers pretty tight," explains the Gators' source, "but there have been those plays where he has gotten burnt."
Improvements across the defense need to form quickly, and hopefully Hargreaves gets to stick around long enough to enjoy potential success.
Until then, the bust card is looming.
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