Twitter reacts to Buccaneers cutting CB Vernon Hargreaves

Statement from Jason Licht on cutting Vernon Hargreaves… pic.twitter.com/yLz6ubYE8E – JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) November 12, 2019 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the stunning move today of cutting former first-round pick Vernon Hargreaves, who …

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the stunning move today of cutting former first-round pick Vernon Hargreaves, who was benched during Sunday’s win over the Arizona Cardinals for lack of hustle.

“He didn’t look like he was hustling to go in for a tackle,” said Arians, via Jenna Laine of ESPN.

The move ends a rather disappointing run in Tampa Bay for the cornerback who was selected 11th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. Hargreaves played and started in all 16 games his rookie season, but due to injuries, played in just 10 games total over the following two years. He had started all nine of Tampa Bay’s games this year, recording an interception and touchdown in the team’s Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

At just 24 years old, Hargreaves is sure to get an opportunity elsewhere. For now, though, see how Twitter reacted to the surprising news.

[lawrence-related id=24866,24862,24849,24842]

The Bryce Thompson Blog: This is why I chose Kansas…

Elite scoring guard Bryce Thompson did an exclusive blog breaking down the reasons behind his big decision.

[jwplayer 9rFTpalX]

Booker T. Washington High School (Tulsa, Oklahoma) combo guard Bryce Thompson picked Kansas over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and North Carolina.

Thompson, five-star prospect led the Under Armour Association in scoring this past summer and gives the Jayhawks their third commit from the 2020 class.

Follow Jason Jordan on Twitter: @JayJayUSATODAY

Fumbles and ball security sore spots in Seahawks win over 49ers

The Seattle Seahawks were able to escape the San Franciso 49ers Week 10 despite five fumbles – three for losses – Monday night.

The Seahawks were able to head home with a victory Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers, although it wasn’t always pretty. Seattle struggled with ball control throughout the game, posting three lost fumbles for a total of five fumbles throughout the contest.

Wide receiver DK Metcalf and running back Rashaad Penny both turned over the ball but San Francisco was unable to capitalize on the takeaways. Tackle Germain Ifedi, however, originally recovered a Russell Wilson fumble on a play before his own lost ball and had to watch the 49ers score a defensive touchdown as a result.

“We did a terrible job taking care of the football tonight, a miserable job,” coach Pete Carroll told reporters. “I don’t even recognize us when the ball is flopping around like that. We got a lot of work to do. We won’t win if we keep doing this. We have to take care of the football better than that.”

Carroll has always preached ball security but the concepts were lost on Seattle Monday night. For a team with the fewest turnovers in the league last season, it was difficult to watch at times.

There was one shining moment in the turnover battle when center Joey Hunt was able to save a Chris Carson fumble.

“It was a miserable night there, but one of the great plays of the night was Joey Hunt’s fumble recovery,” Carroll said. “You guys don’t make a big deal about that. Joey laid out, slid into it, cut it up just the way he’s supposed to. It was a huge play for us, because we come back and score after that. I think it was, we wound up second and 11 and we still overcame it, so a big play.”

Seattle has a bye week before facing the Eagles Nov. 24 and you bet ball security will be a point of emphasis when the Seahawks return to practice next Monday.

[lawrence-related id=50781]

Could Nick Gates be the answer at right tackle for the Giants?

Nick Gates, an undrafted free agent offensive tackle out of Nebraska in 2018, has played his way into the starting lineup for the New York Giants.

[jwplayer rzKgNnfu-ThvAeFxT]

Nick Gates made his first NFL start for the New York Giants on Sunday when he filled in for the injured Mike Remmers at right tackle. Gates has been a Giant since last spring when they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Nebraska.

The 6-foot-6, 318-pound Gates spent his rookie season on injured reserve and made the team out of camp this season after an impressive showing at training camp and in preseason games. He basically was added to the roster as depth until general manager Dave Gettleman can fill out the offensive line with some his beloved “hog mollies”.

But Gates might end up being one of those hog mollies. He had a decent showing against the Jets on Sunday and the Giants might keep him in the starting lineup for the remainder of the season with Nate Solder going through the concussion protocol and Remmers dealing with a back issue.

“I thought he played well,” Shurmur said. “Listen, he’s a tough, competitive guy. We were looking forward to seeing him play because we feel like he has a chance to be a good player. He battled. One thing about Nick Gates, he’s tough, he’s competitive and he tries to do things the right way. He had a lot of really good plays out there.”

Gates went undrafted in 2018 for a reason. He wasn’t deemed physically gifted enough for a team to burn a draft pick on. But how many times have we heard this story over the years? Here is what Rotoworld.com had to say about Gates last year:

“Gates turned pro as a redshirt junior after making 35 career starts, moving from right tackle to left tackle for his final two seasons. He only earned honorable mention All-Big Ten in 2017. Short armed (32″) and a lowly second-percentile SPARQ athlete, Gates isn’t built to play tackle in the NFL and isn’t a good enough blocker to excel inside.”

That’s pretty damning analysis. It did not keep the Giants from extending a flier on him last April. Since then, Gates has done the rest. The Giants aren’t deep on the offensive line and the hard-working Gates has played his way into their plans. For the short term, anyway.

“What I like about Nick Gates as a player is, first of all, he’s a tough guy, he plays with athleticism and balance,” offensive line coach Hal Hunter said last week. “He’s a conceptual player, he kind of does everything you ask him to do. I like everything about him. I think he’s got the mental makeup and he’s got some physical tools. What he needs the most, as any young player, he needs to play more. He needs to play. What he did in the preseason, and all of the different positions he played– he played all five positions in the preseason. He shows a lot of promise, and I’m glad we have him.”

Players surprise all the time. The Giants are hoping they mined a gem here with Gates.

And now it is Season No. 3: As recently …

And now it is Season No. 3: As recently as July, I’m told, Fultz had remained restricted to shooting jumpers from a maximum distance of 15 feet. The Magic weren’t sure until September that he would be able to participate in training camp. Then on Nov. 2, with Orlando’s offense sputtering, Coach Steve Clifford moved Fultz into the starting lineup ahead of the veteran point guard D.J. Augustin. “It was a goal I had, but I wouldn’t say it was like the best thing that ever happened,” Fultz said in Dallas last week, insisting on a modest tone as we chatted at his locker.

The Magic understandably point to the …

The Magic understandably point to the positives after picking up Fultz’s $12.3 million contract option for next season. Orlando has not been a free-agent destination for years, and the team has a clear need for a front-line floor leader and penetrator. The team wants to believe that Fultz, at the very least, has turned a significant corner. “He still has shoulder soreness from time to time, and he still has some issues with his knee,” Clifford said, referring in the latter case to an injury Fultz had in college. “But from the day he’s gotten here, he’s worked.”

The Magic are still sputtering, mired …

The Magic are still sputtering, mired at 3-7 after Sunday’s play and ranked a dismal 29th in offensive efficiency (at 99.8 points per 100 possessions) after last season’s playoff breakthrough as Southeast Division champions. Yet they are seeing sufficient flashes from Fultz to believe he really is rebounding. “I think 30 games from now, he’ll be at another level,” Clifford told me. “He just hasn’t played a lot of basketball in a couple years.”

Porzingis, who makes his highly …

Porzingis, who makes his highly anticipated return to Madison Square Garden on Thursday, has accepted that it will be a challenging progress to regain his groove while adapting to a new system and teammates. “It’s not going to happen overnight,” he said. “We’re 6-4 with me playing below the level that I’m used to. Once I find my game and be effective out there, we can be doing much more damage.”

Although Porzingis didn’t want to watch …

Although Porzingis didn’t want to watch from the bench as the Celtics pulled away in the final minutes, he couldn’t argue that he merited clutch minutes on Monday. “Of course I want to be out there, but can’t blame him,” Porzingis said. “I wasn’t having a great game. I’m all-in for whatever’s best for the team. If the coach thinks he’d rather have me out and have someone else in that’s having a better game, let’s do it if we can win a basketball game. That’s the most important thing, but going forward, I want to make sure I’m out there.”