The Tampa Bay Bucs Are Not Done Being Intriguing!
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By Larry Daniels
The running game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense is in the process of being molded like a Greek sculpture. The signing of LeSean McCoy in late July gave the Bucs a reason to breathe a sigh of relief. Enter Leonard Fournette, a big, strong, bruising back who had 1,152 rush yards last season averaging 4.3 yards per carry with Jacksonville. I personally believe, if Leonard learns the offense quickly, he has to be the number one back. Head coach, Bruce Arians reiterated Roland Jones is “our guy “24 hours after the team signed Leonard Fournette. ”It’s his job,” Arians stated.
“Nothing’s changed for him.” If we add McCoy into the mix, the amount of touches Roland Jones gets decreases as the season wears on. Could McCoy still be cut? Possibly, since the younger Jones could contribute on special teams. League sources seem to think McCoy will still make the roster. In the grand scheme of things, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be quite solid in the running game now. Life for Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin just got a boost in offensive efficiency.
How is Tom Brady looking so far in camp? Coach Arians told reporters in mid-August, “Yeah (Tom), he’s probably the least of my worries right now,” but added that Brady also doesn’t get special treatment because he’s a six-time super bowl winner and future first ballot Hall of Famer : “He gets cussed out like everybody else.”
Jameis Winston threw over 30 interceptions last year. Tom Brady threw eight. If history gives us any sort of indication, the Tampa Bay defense will not be on the field nearly as much this year. Better energy in the 4th quarter leads to wins.
How is Rob Gronkowski doing? Coach Arians is reported to have said, ”The back surgeries have healed. So, he (Rob) had a year of healing. He looks to me like he was five or six years ago. He doesn’t have the gigantic elbow brace on. He’s moving. He’s running fast again. He’s got great body control. Some of the things – the stiffness that I saw at the end of his career with all the injuries – it looks like it’s gone.” NFL defenses are not going to be overjoyed with this news. Gronk was a problem when he wasn’t a 100%. He may be an even bigger problem now.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive was number one against the run last year. Football Outsiders ranked this group number 5 overall, behind only the Patriots, 49ers, Steelers, and Ravens. Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles gets much of the credit for turning the Bucs defense completely around. In 2018, Tampa Bay had the worst defense in the league. The front office used its first five 2019 draft picks on defensive players, four of whom played in at least 13 games. The team’s top six defensive backs are 23 or younger, but there’s plenty of better and leadership in front of them. The defensive line is anchored by Ndamukong Suh and Vita Vea, Shaq Barrett and his 19.5 sacks returns on the franchise tag, and Lavonte David and Devin White are two of the most athletic linebackers in the league.
Game one is on the road vs. the New Orleans Saints on September 13th, at 4:25 EST.
Tough place to play but the Bucs should be ready.
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