Buccaneers Game Day Spotlight: Vernon Hargreaves III
You could argue that no Buccaneers player is more pumped for this game than Vernon Hargreaves III as he looks to avenge his worst performance as a football player.
It was one of the biggest knocks on Vernon Hargreaves from the “don’t draft him” crowd just a few months ago; yeah, he’s okay, but look at what Amari Cooper did to him when Alabama played Florida. Now, Hargreaves has a chance for redemption on a much bigger stage.
Even VHIII points out his struggles against Cooper – who went for 201 yards on ten catches with three touchdowns – that it was the first time he had ever played against someone better than he was;
“That was the first time I played against someone who was better than me, that I felt like was significantly better than me. All the respect goes to him and he knows that. At that point, he was already playing like he was in the NFL. You know, covering him and after the game I just sat down and was like ‘wow, he really got me better’ in a way, if that makes any sense. He knows that. I talked to him before and I’m excited to get after him.”
Well, Vernon, here is your chance. VHIII has covered the likes of Kelvin Benjamin, Torrey Smith, Emanuel Sanders, Demaryius Thomas, and Michael Floyd – and done pretty damn well in the process. Today will be an extra difficult task with a personal mission to boot.
The Raiders’ offense is potent with Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, but this Buccaneers defense has truly begun to gel and come together under Mike Smith. Today Vernon Hargreaves can make a bold statement – and possibly start some Defensive Rookie of the Year chatter – if he can shut down Cooper.
And my goodness – could there be a more perfect game for Vernon Hargreaves to get his first career interception?
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