“Tom Needs A Running Game At This Stage In His Career”

June 20th, 2020

“I think Bill needs his medication, Todd.”

The numbers don’t add up, even if they’re coming from a guy enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Joe keeps hearing from intelligent people that Tom Brady needs a very solid rushing attack and has to rely on one because he’s not 28 or 38 years old any longer.

“Tom needs a running game at this stage in his career. He needs a reliable running game,” legendary general manager Bill Polian bellowed during a breakdown of the Bucs on SiriusXM NFL Radio this week. “You don’t want him going back 35 to 40 times a game and throwing it.”

Polian added the Bucs have work to do at the position and he expects them to address it soon, or just prior to opening day.

Joe’s calling nonsense on the notion Brady can’t be throwing 35 balls a game. Over the last 10 seasons, only once did Brady average less than 35 passing attempts per game — once!

That was in 2010, when the Belicheats got a total of 1,555 yards rushing combined from BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead and led the NFL in scoring. In 2017, Brady led the NFL in pass attempts and he averaged 38.3 attempts per game last year.

But skip the numbers.

Brady is a smart dude and Joe maintains Brady came here because he’ll have the coaches’ blessing to wing the ball all around the field to a wildly talented core of pass catchers. He didn’t target Tampa because he likes the talent in their backfield.

If Polian is accurate, and Joe hopes he’s wrong and believes he’s wrong, then it’s going to be another disappointing season in Tampa.

24 Responses to ““Tom Needs A Running Game At This Stage In His Career””

  1. StonedBuc Says:

    Buca will have a run game..

  2. gp Says:

    If we get the chance to prove it, I believe both running and passing will be record setting this year!

  3. El Buco Realisto Says:

    “Brady needs a running game at this stage in his career” . That is if he wants to be a successful playoff QB!!!!!!!! But the “real” fans know, that Brady only came to Tampa to put up passing yards, not playoffs!!!!!!!!!! He is chasing Brees, and won’t “pass” Brees by handing the ball off!!!!!!!!!!!!

    go bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  4. IhateBelichick Says:

    Polian is a jerk who has been jealous of Brady and patriots for 20 years. Patriots beat the colts in 04 playoff Polian went to competition committee and had rules changed for pass interference. Polian is the reason the d backs cant touch or grab receivers pass 5 yards. Brady did not come to tampa to hand the ball off he would throw every down if he could

  5. Craig Says:

    The O-line should be strong enough to blast big holes that almost anyone could run through.

    RoJo looked pretty when Cappa opened holes for him at the end of last season.

  6. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    Here is a hint……every QB needs a running game no matter how old, how good, or how bad they are…..
    This running game narrative has been beat so much to where it’s almost OCD on Joe’s part…….

    We have a running game because we have DARE!!!

  7. Bobby M. Says:

    A previous article stated the Bucs had the line stacked against them constantly with Winston at QB….WHY? Because they dared Winston to throw it….and it worked out 30x. Teams wont “dare” Brady to pick them apart….that would be suicide with our weapons which means lanes and holes will be there. Rojo may not be elite but he has ability with a little a space to snatch chunks of yds. I expect that to be the case this year. Now if Brady goes down and Gabbert comes in, dynamics change and we may have to pound the rock. I still think with our weapons even Gabbert could manage to move the team down the field. I honestly believe Gabbert has more ability then he gets credit for. The dude has been in a different offense nearly every year of his career. Alex Smith had the exact same scenario, he was terrible until he got in on offense for consecutive years. Then he became a pretty productive player.

  8. Joe in Michigan Says:

    We’ll also be able to run the ball on the right side this year. That’s a big difference from last year.

  9. Joe in Michigan Says:

    I also maintain that Blaine Gabbert probably isn’t as bad as the Joe’s and Bucs fans make him out to be. Maybe he’d be okay. Hopefully we won’t have to find out.

  10. Jason Says:

    I think Rojo might really surprise people this year. Sometimes it takes an year or two longer for certain athletes to grow into their grown man body.

  11. Pewter Power Says:

    People still haven’t figured out it’s pointless to judge teams based on the previous year. The team has upgraded the o line in the draft and the quarterback position and rojo can be better in the third year. 2018 the 49ers were 4-12 and the defense had zero interceptions but somehow turned it around a year later. Same core defensive players with a few free agents and draft picks. Big change in one off-season especially when they got their reliable quarterback again

  12. webster Says:

    What? The 5 yard rule was in place well before 2004

  13. Bush's Coke Straw Says:

    Tampabaybucfan Says:
    “We have a running game because we have DARE!!!”
    .
    .

    I can’t wait to see that bush meat shuffle (TD dance)!

  14. stpetebucsfan Says:

    I think the opposing defenses will have something to say about run versus pass.

    Brady will exploit whatever the defense gives him.

  15. Tampabuscsbro Says:

    Another day another article complaining about the running game…..I don’t think a day goes by without an article about the running game.

  16. mickman Says:

    i don’t believe there will even be a season in 2020. hate to even think it but the way this is all going with the testing it’s a matter of time before it runs rampant within the roster. imagine any team a star player like Brady is diagnosed for Covid 19…if everything goes well he and anyone around him prior with be quarantined. will miss at least 4 games. no way teams can have enough players to put on the field assuming the players union declares unsafe conditions.

    All Tampa will have is a team of paper champions and an old QB that will miss another year at $25 million….bucs life.

  17. Cainishere Says:

    My, My, My, Joe. Sounds like something I would have said. Nice. GO BUCS!!!

  18. Bucsfanman Says:

    The difference between letting Brady throw 35+ and our previous QB is STARK. Regardless, 35+ attempts for any QB is a recipe for disaster. We HAVE to be able to run the ball effectively. I don’t care who is at QB.
    Run game=QB best friend!

  19. Hodad Says:

    Every team, every QB needs a some kind of running game. If your QB doesn’t give the ball away at the rate Jameis did, you won’t need to throw it 35 times a game! When you have a QB who can check in, and out of plays, you’ll have a more balanced attack. We now have a GOAT at QB, not a Jackass!

  20. Rob Tanner Says:

    Not many QB’s that don’t need a good running game. 🙄

  21. Oneilbucs Says:

    Now they are already making excuses for Brady if it don’t work out . They are setting the stage for it right now . Because they know that everyone will believe what they say . The only thing the national media have to do is keep saying that Brady needs a running game and yall will believe the same thing . The national media has never said anything about our running game when Jamies was the quarterback. I keep telling yall that they have narrative against the players they don’t like and they make excuses for the ones they do like . But for me I don’t care about none of it because it’s superbowl or bust . All I’ve heard after every lost it was Jamies fault why we lost . No one cared about the running game or how bad the defense was none of that never mattered . Because remember what yall said . And I quote if a quarterback needs a running game and a defense just to win then he’s not a franchise quarterback . Even though Brady had that his hold career . No excuses superbowl or bust … and covid is not a excuse because every team has to deal with it …

  22. Bucsfan951 Says:

    Isn’t it super bowl or bust every season? I’m so tired of hearing ppl throw that phrase around.

    Kinda hard to win a super bowl when your qb gives the other team the ball at an alarming rate.

  23. RGA Says:

    Brady will need better protection, Winston took a beating behind that offensive line. Winston was tough as nails and played with a torn meniscus and broken thumb, a 43 year old non mobile QB has to have better O’line play.

  24. Tein Says:

    There’s gonna be a running game, I’m very confident that Rojo will have a 1,000 + yrds season running with the addition of a LT that can block on the running game and the addition of one of the best blocking TE in the NFL. So I’m not worry at all.
    One other thing Rojo is getting a lot better catching the ball, he made a big jump too from year one to year two.

    Now this website joebucsfan and Ira podcast is horrific, if you want to be depress and feel sorry about your team this is your place and continue to follow them cause they never have anything positive to said about this team. I understand that you can’t be blind and you need to cover what would keep the team behind but come on you can’t come on with anything positive? Like I said if you like to be down at your team all the time this is your place. The latter is a wonderful example of a total fabrication. The archives, 40,000 posts about the Bucs, are here for all to see. There’s plenty of positive every day. It’s all right there for everyone paying attention. But don’t hang the Bucs’ three consecutive losing seasons on Joe, or the Lovie Smith and Greg Schiano regimes, or the collapse of 2011, etc. –Joe