Impatient RoJo?
December 11th, 2019
So why has Ronald Jones been struggling to be the running back the Bucs thought they drafted in 2018?
Bad pass blocker. Can’t break a game-changing run. Can’t beat out undrafted teammates Peyton Barber and Dare Ogunbowale for various duties.
What’s going on?
RoJo showed a spark running the ball against the Giants and Rams in back-to-back games in September. Since then he’s got 86 carries for 284 yards. That’s a putrid 3.3 yards per carry over nine games.
Yes, RoJo is wonderfully improved from last year, but that doesn’t say much.
Perhaps RoJo is too impatient?
Official NextGen Stats data from the NFL, generated by technology in balls and uniforms, reveals that RoJo averages 2.64 seconds behind the line of scrimmage each time he runs the ball. That’s the fourth-lowest total in the NFL. Why is his number so low? Is he not allowing enough time for holes to develop?
Many of the best runners in the league are at 3 seconds behind the line of scrimmage per rush, or within a tenth of a second of that mark. Similar patterns were in play last season across the NFL.
Obviously, many, many factors are in play. Joe is only speculating while looking deeper into what’s holding Jones back as former Bucs players in the trenches, Anthony Becht and Ian Beckles, say great things about the offensive line.
Plenty of Bucs O-line haters would say Jones is hit or pressured in the backfield too often, which in theory would raise his time behind the line of scrimmage.
Joe’s just looking for answers on RoJo before breaking out the megaphone to demand the Bucs fix the running back position for the fourth consecutive offseason.
December 11th, 2019 at 11:15 am
The QB gets better at checkdowns and the defense might not stack the box.
December 11th, 2019 at 11:17 am
Yeah too many runs with all our RB’s where it seems they run into the back of the lineman vs having good field vision.
We need to add a RB next year regardless but it’d be ideal that it isn’t a priority (i.e. please god give me trench warfare first 2 rounds for once).
December 11th, 2019 at 11:18 am
UGA Runningback swift could be a nice 1st round pick for us
December 11th, 2019 at 11:19 am
I will say though….. PB is built like a CB, RJ like a LB and omagabwey more like a small version of a RB. We do need a RB…….one with legs like MJD had combined with the will of Alstott.
get em off the street though, don’t draft em…
December 11th, 2019 at 11:30 am
Remember hearing this about Michael Pittman. Ran hard though. Rojo is a hard runner hes going to improve.
December 11th, 2019 at 11:34 am
Jason Licht should’ve been fired
……………the proof is in the draft picks……..can anyone say aka… MATT MILLEN??????
UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
December 11th, 2019 at 11:34 am
it’s not complicated the line sucks and he is not very good. nothing more
December 11th, 2019 at 11:35 am
Michael Pittman was one of the goofiest runners I’ve ever seen…….he looked like a jacked up carton character running down the field
December 11th, 2019 at 11:37 am
Maybe a few runs directly up the middle, maybe 15 – 20 touches, or maybe riding the hot hand when he gets hot
December 11th, 2019 at 11:40 am
Of course it’s the line. They have two jobs… Pass block and run block. We allow 3.1 sacks per game. Our rushing is at 3.6 yards per attempt. Both stats are in the bottom third. Full stop.
Is that the only problem? Of course not.
December 11th, 2019 at 11:48 am
When you run the ball up the middle you will get to the LOS sooner. Pitch outs and 1 cut runs will take longer.
December 11th, 2019 at 11:57 am
I think the needle is slowly going to move up with him. He is still learning the ropes. He does run hard, but has a lot of room for improvement.
December 11th, 2019 at 12:17 pm
We really need to upgrade the OL this off season. Dotson probably is done and we have no depth as seen when Webster came in to replace Donovan Smith.
My priority positional upgrades thia off season are in order:
OL
RB
DT
CB
QB
December 11th, 2019 at 12:21 pm
Unless we were to let Rojo or Barber go to another team and they perform well there we will never know if its the line or Rojo.
December 11th, 2019 at 12:22 pm
Get it out of your head. The oline is not going anywhere ! Licht signed all of them to contract extension. Only hole to fill maybe is RT that’s is they don’t bring back Dotson.
The only possibility. Is moving cappa to RT and drafting Tyler biadzas.he can play center and guard.
But d. Smith and Ali and cappa aren’t going anywhere. Maybe Jensen is he gets release.
December 11th, 2019 at 12:26 pm
Draft a left tackle and move smith to right tackle.
December 11th, 2019 at 12:26 pm
So you look into drafting a complete RB. That means. …
Blocking. Running. Catching. Etc. not like the incomplete Rb we have.
December 11th, 2019 at 12:28 pm
Will you trade d. Smith for Trent Williams ?
December 11th, 2019 at 12:34 pm
I agree that we need an OT upgrade and depth. My biggest issue is that if Tua declares for the draft and was available in the middle of the 1st round due to his hip fracture, it may be hard not to select him and sign Winston to a short term deal 2 to 3 yrs. Then if Winston gets his interceptions to come down, he could be traded when Tua is ready or Tua could be traded. Otherwise I go OT in the 1st round.
December 11th, 2019 at 12:37 pm
Yeah I waited most of the year for RoJo to break a long run. Finally gave up about 3 weeks ago.
Need to upgrade the RBs in off-season.
December 11th, 2019 at 12:37 pm
How can they get in a groove when you have a different back on different drives or downs, no continuity for any of these backs.
December 11th, 2019 at 12:44 pm
does TB have a run play that isn’t right up the middle 🙂
December 11th, 2019 at 12:49 pm
RB in the 1st round?….
someone shoot this man!!!!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!!
December 11th, 2019 at 12:53 pm
Our games and most NFL games these days turn into 7 on 7 after the first few minutes…
RB’s becoming obsolete.
December 11th, 2019 at 12:54 pm
our RBs have poor vision….
GO BUCS!!!!!
December 11th, 2019 at 1:01 pm
RoJo can’t be shake and bake in the backfield like Peyton Barber. He’s a fast, up the middle runner that can get through holes. We know how bad the Bucs oline has been since he got here. Cappa hasn’t been 100% almost all year. Dot is old as dust. $40 million man continues to be far away from worth $40 million. A good RT will help him to punch it up the gut quickly.
December 11th, 2019 at 1:02 pm
^^maybe^^
December 11th, 2019 at 1:10 pm
Yes, he is an impatient runner. He doesn’t wait for a hole to open for him to run through, he just runs where he was told to.
If we get a good right tackle in the first round of the draft, maybe the holes will open up quicker. But if Brad Delpit is hanging around, grab him first, there are bunch of right tackles in this draft.
December 11th, 2019 at 1:24 pm
Anthem: Yeah, but the Dude had some guns. I like the rotational approach to RB. The days of Allstott and Dunn, Zonka and Kick, Brown and Mitchell are gone. Now it’s 3rd down back for passing situations ect. Finally IMO none of our backs have proven so far that they’re Zeke, Dalvin, or Saquan pedigrees. We need a Dobbins or Taylor.
December 11th, 2019 at 1:35 pm
@Robert,
Yea, it’s called run into the motioning WR.
December 11th, 2019 at 1:53 pm
Uh, Bob…Barber is 5’11” 225 and RoJo is 5’11” 205.
December 11th, 2019 at 2:28 pm
RB’s can’t gain positive yards if they are **censored** behind the line of scrimmage. You don’t block as a team you don’t run as a team. And yes, he needs to learn to pass block.
December 11th, 2019 at 2:34 pm
A big time RB is not going to be in the works for 2020 Bucs. I’m very impressed by RoJo putting on weight and getting his cement slab hands together in his second year. They’ll wait and see what he looks like behind a strong o-line if that can be accomplished. DT Javon Kinlaw in the first and stack both sides of the line round one through for. Pay a top quality safety. Justin Simmons is only 25 and elite.
December 11th, 2019 at 2:35 pm
*one through four
December 11th, 2019 at 3:22 pm
D’Andre Swift (Georgia running back) would sure look good in our ugly a$$ uniforms next year and should be available in the late teens where it looks like we will be picking.
December 11th, 2019 at 3:49 pm
To be fair he doesn’t get enough touch’s.
December 11th, 2019 at 4:37 pm
to improve line
lt – draft
lg – donovan smith – keeps his left side presence, cuts down his space responsibilities and he already got his contract
c – jensen
rg- marpet
rt – cappa
December 11th, 2019 at 4:57 pm
Rojo would have more yards and look better if Dotson would stop getting penalties when Rojo has a long run. We are looking good at both guard positions as well as center, but we need two tackles out of the draft or free agency. Stop dumpster diving on the o-line for undrafted players off other teams!!
December 11th, 2019 at 5:34 pm
@Adam Lakers Carolla
RoJo gained like 15 lbs of muscle this past offseason and got up to around 220 or so. He just needs to get into a groove during the game. Plus our running game is worse when Cappa is out.
December 11th, 2019 at 5:55 pm
Notice that the Bucs rarely run sweeps. Mostly off tackle over and over again. Defense knows what’s coming on first down especially when Bucs have a lead. RoJo has enough speed to run outside but no big horses to lead the way. Predictable offense, run inside on first, pass on second and third.
December 11th, 2019 at 6:01 pm
Offensive line is a problem we need some real studs there
December 11th, 2019 at 8:03 pm
TheBucsAnthem Says:
December 11th, 2019 at 11:35 am
Michael Pittman was one of the goofiest runners I’ve ever seen…….he looked like a jacked up carton character running down the field
_______
Can you STFU already? You sound like an emo kid that is jealous of everybody and just can’t talking crap because of how incredibly unhappy you are with your own life.
December 11th, 2019 at 8:33 pm
1. He doesn’t get enough touches to ever really get into a flow. This just stunts development.
2. Almost every big run he’s had has been called back by a holding penalty on Dotson or D Smith.
3. And almost every single run play we call is up the middle between C/G or G/T, which does not take as long to develop as a run to the outside edge.
4. And our line is massively inconsistent. So if he were to wait longer for holes to open up, he would just be getting tackled for a loss most of the time.
5. His vision needs work too, but again see point #1.
But hey wtfdik?
December 11th, 2019 at 9:23 pm
Listen I used to watch Doug M miss hole after hole but Jones is fine !!! Lefty takes the run game away from the back and o line !!! I don’t think Barry Sanders, m Vick or L Jackson could spend 3 seconds behind this line that cant hold a block or get push !!! Jones is dam good and he can’t be with running game inept Lefty !!!