FAB 4. BUCS HAVE LITTLE CONFIDENCE IN VERNER AND ROBINSON
If it looked like cornerbacks Vernon Hargreaves III and Brent Grimes were gassed in the fourth quarter and in overtime of Tampa Bay’s 30-24 loss to Oakland – they were. The 31-year old Grimes and Hargreaves, a rookie, each played 93 plays on Sunday, which was 99 percent of the snaps on defense.

Wide receiver Amari Cooper began heating up against Hargreaves in the third quarter after having just two catches for 11 yards at halftime. In the third quarter, Cooper had five catches for 90 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown against safety Chris Conte to give Oakland a 17-10 lead. In the fourth quarter and overtime, Cooper added five more catches for 72 yards – mostly against Hargreaves.

Bucs CB Vernon Hargreaves III and Raiders WR Amari Cooper – Photo by: Mark Lomoglio/PR

Michael Crabtree mostly went against Grimes on Sunday, catching two passes for 18 yards in the first half, and then erupted for six catches for 90 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime. While Cooper, a second-year player, only took three plays off, Crabtree got 21 plays to rest and seemed fresher than Grimes down the stretch.

When asked about not subbing Hargreaves or Grimes for a couple of plays or a series, Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter defended his team’s stance on not substituting on defense.

“No, there’s no thought about that,” Koetter said. “They play. … They’re your best players, your best players play.”

When asked if it would help the cornerbacks to have more plays off, Koetter quipped:

“I’m not a scientist, I’m a football coach. As a football coach, you play your best players. Would it help them? Maybe, I don’t know. We’re not doing it.”

That type of mentality hurt the secondary again on Thursday night when Hargreaves and Grimes played 70 more snaps and appeared to wear down in the second half against Atlanta as quarterback Matt Ryan erupted for three touchdowns after halftime.

The reality is that the Bucs only have confidence in three cornerbacks on their roster – Grimes, Hargreaves and nickel cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah. Those are the only three corners that played against the Raiders and also the 49ers.

Bucs CB Alterraun Verner – Photo by: Getty Images

Former starter Alterraun Verner has been relegated to special teams duty since the Broncos game, and Josh Robinson has been strictly a special teamer all season. The Bucs lack confidence in both players on defense right now otherwise they would rotate in for some snaps as Verner did during the first three games of the year – especially on a hot day in overtime when the actual play count (including penalties) topped 90.

What that means for Verner, who is making $6.75 million this year to play a handful of plays on special teams, is that he’s not long for Tampa Bay. Expect the Bucs to part ways with Verner as they did with Johnthan Banks on Tuesday, trading him to Detroit for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2018.

Verner will be entering the final year of his contract that will pay him $6.5 million in 2017, and chances are he won’t be around to see it. The Bucs are high on practice squad cornerback Javien Elliot, and will undoubtedly address the cornerback position again in the 2017 NFL Draft to find a replacement for Verner on the roster next year while Robinson continues to excel on special teams as a gunner opposite Russell Shepard.