“That Is The Sorriest Group Of Running Backs In The National Football League.”
September 29th, 2017
Speaks out on Bucs RBs.
The Bucs, as Joe sees it, are in a pickle.
The Bucs need to run the ball to be effective. And the way the defense was positively shredded by Joe Montana Case Keenum last week, every second that ticks away Sunday where Eli Manning doesn’t have the ball in his hands is a win for the Bucs.
The problem? The running game of the Bucs is impotent.
When a guy who couldn’t make the final-53 man roster of the bungling Bears last year is your best back, a guy who was rescued off the streets by winning Bucs coach Dirk Koetter last September, and your No. 2 back is a glorified backup dancer for Britney Spears’ Vegas act, what is there to say?
Well, there was plenty to say from Jeff Cameron of ESPN Tallahassee. Cameron is also the co-host of the ScuttleBucs podcast along with Tom Lang, which JoeBucsFan.com proudly hosts every Wednesday afternoon. It really should be a must-listen for Bucs fans as Cameron and Lang bring a high-energy, deep-research style to their weekly pod.
This week, Cameron bemoaned the lack of a Bucs running game. Cameron believes that could very well derail the entire season.
“These backs, boy!” Cameron exclaimed. “That is the sorriest group of running backs in the National Football League. … There is nobody with a dearth of running backs like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers without Doug Martin. So when Doug comes back I hope he stays healthy or you can call it a day otherwise.”
And here is the rub: The Bucs might be banking on a boom-or-bust guy who is more often bust than boom, who last year had the worst yards-per-carry average in the NFL to save your running game.
Well, Joe has to doff his cap to anyone comfortable with that. You you have bigger nads than Joe.
September 29th, 2017 at 11:05 pm
No Ah
September 29th, 2017 at 11:10 pm
But when some of us said RB was a priority in this past draft we were scoffed at. Chock full of RB’s actually.
September 29th, 2017 at 11:17 pm
The lack of drafting a decent RB in the first four rounds of the draft looks to be an albatross around the neck of Licht . Even Marlon Mack from USF and the 4th round pick of the Colts would’ve been an improvement over who is starting. Licht’s credibility kind of rides on Martin being back. It would’ve been nice to have him back for the Giants game and would’ve if they played the Fins….. Heck if Dallas or New England were in Tampa’s shoes with a game moved back the NFL probably would’ve allowed him to play Sunday and then sit out the Miami game in week 11….. Hopefully the hamster proves Licht right but it took big cojonnes to wager the season on such a big gamble.
September 29th, 2017 at 11:32 pm
Joe are you gonna cover the little drama between Roy Cummings and Koetter when he asked about running backs?
September 29th, 2017 at 11:33 pm
Finally Joe, you acknowledge my bigger nads, that’s all I’ve ever asked for.
But seriously, the running backs aren’t the problem. Sure, they’re limited, and it’s a shame the future 49er couldn’t read a playbook, but this offensive line, and game management is making things worse.
I’ve said this before, Logan Mankins was valuable to this line, and the run game dropped off when he left. A Hall of Fame mind shouldn’t be dismissed easily.
Doug may struggle because every running back will look bad when there’s little openings and poor management. No reason Charles sims should get a handoff on 3rd and short. That’s Peyton Barber’s job.
All this offense needs is enough of a run game to make 2nd and 3rd down easier, then our passing game would open up
September 29th, 2017 at 11:34 pm
Truth hurts sometimes. That is a sorry group of RBs for sure. Great job Koetter.
September 30th, 2017 at 12:04 am
Truer words haven’t been spoken since the Free was canned. I’m truly thinking we’re still a year or two away, and I’m ok with it. Only issue I see is it’s about to be another stud DT we need in addition to ol, rb, cb and safety. Everything else is pretty much set except for the depth. And damn, please step up Winston! One more thing I can’t stop thinking about is, smutty. What if he should have been the head coach and Dirk the Oc? Gruden came in as an offensive mastermind with a d in place. He took us to the promise land. Now we have the majority of the o in place and need someone to focus only on that. I don’t know. Just thoughts.
September 30th, 2017 at 12:05 am
Smitty*
September 30th, 2017 at 12:15 am
Sad….but dude’s 100%:right………and the blaming and regrets are flowing from drafting a safety who can’t tackle crap and drafting whiny mcchicken who now is bemoaning on the 49ers.
This maybe the sorry-iest group of RBs the bucs has ever had.
September 30th, 2017 at 12:54 am
ššš
September 30th, 2017 at 1:36 am
Toss up between us and the Giants terrible group.
September 30th, 2017 at 1:38 am
For the life of me, I don’t understand why DK isn’t unleashing Peyton Barber. I really think he’s missing the boat on that one… Barber is our strongest back and he’s basically getting ZERO carries per game. W.T. ACTUAL F. KOETTER???
September 30th, 2017 at 1:42 am
Gotta admit, I would’ve LOVED if Licht could’ve pulled off that Rockstar move and traded up for Dalvin in the 2nd liked they talked about during the game on sunday…
Dalvin looks d@mn good in the NFL
September 30th, 2017 at 3:09 am
@Joe … “The problem? The running game of the Bucs is impotent.” Really? So is it that our RBs are all ineffective? Is it that our all of our OLine can’t run block? Is it that play design & situational selection stinks? Is it all three? Is it every game or just select games?
Pretty broad statement Joe: ‘The running game of the Bucs is impotent’. And after ONLY 2 games this season … 1 of which the Bucs barely even used the run. You pick on Jacquizz as being a ‘rescue’. Pick on Sims as being a ‘dancing bear’. Berate Martin as being ‘more often bust than boom’. Not a single mention of Peyton Barber … you remember him, our most effective RB in Game 1 and the one who sat on the bench in Game 2. Not a single mention of our OC’s play design & selection. Not a single mention of our OLine’s performance. Nope, just blame the RB group. And that’s what your Tallahassee ESPN group calls A-N-A-L-Y-S-I-S? Laying all the problems with the running game at the feet of just the RBs is lazy analysis.
Focus on just Peyton Barber for a moment in Game 1 (our OC sat him on the bench in Game 2, except for on STs). He had 10 runs for 47 yds total. Not that shabby actually, but 1 of those was around the left edge which netted 1 yd (not exactly Peyton’s strength?). Subtract that (questionable call?) and he now has 9 runs for 46 yds (over 5 yds per carry) running between the tackles and in situations where defenders knew a run was called for. That’s a ‘sorry RB’ by who’s definition? Not by mine. And I’d say the OLine deserves a pat on the back there too.
The biggest puzzle of Game 2 to me though isn’t why Barber wasn’t used in the run game. It’s why apparently no one in the media bothered to ask WHY? I guess it’s just so much easier to damn the whole RB group as ‘the sorriest group of RBs in the NFL’.
September 30th, 2017 at 3:25 am
Joe Mixon “THE MITIGATING FACTOR”
September 30th, 2017 at 6:28 am
The Bucs are in a pickle. Is that guy smoking a pickle? Try telling the Giants fans the bucs have the sorriest RBs, well if you want a good, hearty, loud ny laugh.
September 30th, 2017 at 6:35 am
After two games,its is hard to assess the running game..I do wonder if Pamphile
was not at full strength because of the flue.Noticed Evan Dietrich Smith in later in the game.Marpet’s snaps were an issue in game 2,maybe focus on blocking assignment distracted him.But I have to wonder if if the lack of holes is causing RB’S to dance and be ineffective. No need to dance if there is a big gaping hole in front of you.Agree with Defense, we should have put Barber in early and often to see if he gets stronger as the game wears on.
Lets face it, if you have over half of your defense is out, injured or not at full strength, next man up is a pipedream with a 53 man roster.There just isn’t that much talent on this team.
Hope that Jameis can have a near perfect game,running game clicks and
Koetter and Jameis utilize all the weapons in the receiving game at
their disposal.Howard and Godwin can be weapons in the intermediate game that I believe is a strength of Jameis.
September 30th, 2017 at 7:02 am
Demar Dotson is good in pass protection, weak in mauling d-lineman.
Pamphile doesn’t push anybody off the line.
We need to really think about a beastly RT next year and a new OG who can also play center.
Evan Smith also sucks. He gets blown up or blown by all the time.
Joe Hawley is great as a mentor for Ali, which is why we kept him.
Our O-line is nowhere near the Cowboys O-line.
And to think, we could have easily had Lael Collins.
September 30th, 2017 at 7:21 am
Jacquizz
Barber
Martin
The rookie that got cut…
A months ago we all thought there was depth
I think it is part RBs, part OL, part play calling
Sure hope Martin returns to form
September 30th, 2017 at 7:44 am
“…your No. 2 back is a glorified backup dancer for Britney Spearsā Vegas act, what is there to say?…”
I think it’s important to have talent on the roster that is well-rounded and experienced on many avenues…
No wonder he’s a Buc.
September 30th, 2017 at 7:52 am
I don’t think we have a sorry group of RBs on the Bucs. You really have to consider how it all looks with the O line. They were average the first week, and absolutely stunk last week, along with the rest of the team. I think i healthy, they are good enough to get the job done. I worry more about this new, no-name, 4th round Clemson RB pick by the Giants who has never played an NFL down coming into the game versus Bucs–who have trouble focusing on the game instead of cococted social justice fantasies. How many times have we seen the Bucs take on a player no one has heard of and make them look like a pro-bowler? Why do I have this terrible inkling that Wayne Gallman will come in and in his first NFL game run for 100 yards? It’s going to be wet, the Bucs D is depleted, and they are probably still distracted thanks to Mike Evans. Looks like a 1-2 record about 7:30 pm tomorrow. Giants and their fans have OctoberFEAST in Tampa. Sad to say.
September 30th, 2017 at 7:53 am
How long have I been saying we need a bruiser?!?! A BIG FāN RB!!! Pound the defense into submission, weāve got a bunch of lil guys lol. Smh, whatever… Iām crazy right?! Pathetic. Not impressed
September 30th, 2017 at 7:55 am
We had a bruising back…he went and won a SB in NE.
September 30th, 2017 at 8:40 am
Who cares what some guy named Scott Cameron says…..?
September 30th, 2017 at 8:53 am
Bob, just a quick note from the editor: Try using a space or two after your periods.
September 30th, 2017 at 8:55 am
Sims can only run one play i’ve noticed. It is always on 3rd down, pass in the flat about 2 yards out, then he runs. It is effective a lot of the times but sad that is all he can do.
September 30th, 2017 at 9:06 am
I think Roy T. Buford may have a point that Tampa has a way of making unknown backup players look like superstars at times.
Tampa Stadium will be full of NY Giant Fans. I read the forums of whatever team is our opponent this week, and the NY Fans seem pretty unconcerned about our Stick Carriers.
One forum thread was discussing our Stick Carriers, and a Giants Fan wanted to remind us that NY Fans are GUN CARRIERS.
They do not appear to be concerned by our movement, in the least.
Because our stadium will be full of Giant’s Fans, it is important for us to score first, then score often, so they will STFU!
Go Bucs!
September 30th, 2017 at 9:45 am
Best runningback draft class in years and we pick snoopdogs under study, wow indeed. SMH. Outside of OJ Howard and Beckwith we missed big in this draft class
September 30th, 2017 at 9:59 am
Jason doesn’t see the big picture.
He is a average scout.
We need a team president with a big picture plan
September 30th, 2017 at 10:02 am
At least the RB’s didnt take a knee during the anthem…..but mevans and djackasss can kiss mine….hope you lose a knee for taking a knee!!!!!
September 30th, 2017 at 10:10 am
We are toast for this year. A potential 10-6 season at the beginning of the year now looks to be 6-10, at best. No running backs, no healthy corners and our two best receivers seem more interested in protesting the national anthem than in catching passes. The D-line is on the ropes, dependent only on McCoy for pressure on the opposing QB. And where is the vaunted Chris Baker? Nowhere to be found. And we still don’t have a decent DE. What a disaster. And the Giants come to town tomorrow to kick our butts.
September 30th, 2017 at 10:26 am
Please give Peyton Barber the bulk of the carries sunday.
September 30th, 2017 at 10:30 am
Peyton Barber sucks. Should have been anyone not named Kristy Mcnichol in the draft. Of course, on this site, its never Lichts fault. Maybe he could do a better job evaluating the roster if he cuts down on a beer or 12 while doing it at his favorite speak easy
September 30th, 2017 at 10:33 am
Peyton Barber is slpw and terrible, of course he played in the SEC, so everyones opinion on him is greater than his real talent…..see Trent Richardson.
September 30th, 2017 at 11:23 am
Breaking News: Joe hates Doug Martin!!
September 30th, 2017 at 11:27 am
Now..our Bucs and you complaining fans who wanted to throw Martin under the bus see..just how much we miss him!!! All will be well once Dougie returns!
September 30th, 2017 at 12:02 pm
Well now wait a second. All I read prior to the draft was how insanely easy it was to pick up a quality back in later rounds, and most felt you were set at RB. So it made perfect sense to draft a TE in the first round even if you actually were set at that position. So you drafted a position that touches the ball 3-4 times a game instead of a position that touches it 25-30 per game. Brilliant and soooooooooo bucksy. That is why the bucs are the bucs and will always suck. 2 more seasons and Jameis can get the hell out of there and go win champinships with a real NFL team. Can’t wait for that day and I bet he can’t either. Then you guys can go back to what we expect from you, 3-13. But take heart. You will get top picks to waste again.
September 30th, 2017 at 12:35 pm
2 years ago we were screaming because DM and Sims was the best 1-2 punch in the league, what has changed…
Logan retired…
did Coach K forget how to call plays and use them
Did DM forget how to run (we all no the contributing factors)
Did Sims forget how to run, because he had 500 yards running
Let’s just hope they get back to that because that is what we have until we trade up to get Barkley next year
September 30th, 2017 at 12:49 pm
Why trade up to get a RB? They are a dime a dozen and easy to pick up in later rounds. You won’t have to trade up to add a 5th TE or safety that can’t play.
September 30th, 2017 at 1:45 pm
@Chris…
The thing about NYG fans is there is strenght in numbers because they have a slight hygiene problem. It will be worse with warm weather….in the blogs you view, you should suggest they trade guns for deodorant, since the first isn’t allowed at RayJay.
September 30th, 2017 at 1:59 pm
8-8 we aren’t a lost cause
Missing 4 2nd picks and over drafting vh3 has hurt this team
September 30th, 2017 at 2:22 pm
I thought we had a superior FO
LakeLandBuc (Kneeling)
September 30th, 2017 at 4:43 pm
Peyton Barber is a solid, young running back. We need to give him the rock 15+ times just once and we may see him start to heat up.
September 30th, 2017 at 5:28 pm
On a related note, Saquon Barkley looks like a generational running back. Anyone see that one handed catch on the short swing route and then juked dude out of his soul?
September 30th, 2017 at 10:14 pm
ARGH_M8E
You do realize Peyton barber is 5ā10ā-11ā 230-235.
Heās damn good between the tackles when he was given a chance week one. He is a bruiser.
Jacquizz was great last year for them.
Week one was not that great. Week two, they didnāt hand the ball off so Iām not exactly sure how everyone is judging them
September 30th, 2017 at 10:19 pm
I am not worried about the running backās. Again is Minnesotaās want to defense they put up 17 and had a few drives end in turnovers, two in the end zone.
A little better communication or a little better throw or better decision and theyāre putting up 31 points against them.
Iām concerned about the defense. 7 out of 11 starters, if you consider Spence a starting D end and Ward a starting safety, are out or doubtful or questionable.
The NYGs should be an easy win if healthy. Now Iām concerned.
I had them winning 10 games and starting the season 2-2. They need this win.
The offense has to put up numbers.
September 30th, 2017 at 10:22 pm
On another note, since somebody brought up drafting a running back, this draft coming up should focus on three things :
CB
PASS RUSH
O-Line
If they want to grab a RB in round 3-5, go for it, but those other positions seem more important at this point.
(Unless of course There is a Dalvon Cook type player in around two again
October 1st, 2017 at 4:07 am
Roy T. Buford Says:
@Chrisā¦
The thing about NYG fans is there is strength in numbers because they have a slight hygiene problem. It will be worse with warm weatherā¦.in the blogs you view, you should suggest they trade guns for deodorant, since the first isnāt allowed at RayJay.
Good take. I have heard the NY faithful being compared to to Europeans as well. I believe it was a take on the Jim Rome show where the caller said that both smell like Shamu’s blowhole except a bit more rank…. It’s gonna be in the low 90s with high humidity until the afternoon t’storms show up and give us a rain delay; ought to make RJS rather ripe smelling if all these New Yorkers do invade….
October 1st, 2017 at 4:10 am
Dave Says:
If they want to grab a RB in round 3-5, go for it, but those other positions seem more important at this point.
(Unless of course There is a Dalvon Cook type player in around two again
Perhaps but the Bucs waited this year until round 5 and they ended up with the Boise kid who could not fathom the playbook. What was his Wunderlic score???? Anyhow, perhaps getting an RB on day 2 would have been better for Tampa this year; the USF kid Mack stayed on the board until round 4, perhaps the Bucs get one a bit earlier next year in day 2….