Bruce Arians Critques Running Backs; “Get Your Eyes Right”
September 22nd, 2021
There’s been little rhythm to the Buccaneers’ run game through two weeks.
With the Bucs’ many weapons, that’s not a big problem against lesser foes like Dallas and Atlanta. But it shouldn’t continue.
The rust has to come off and there were lost opportunities on Sunday thanks to the running backs.
Joe would pull some All-22 screen shots, but NFL Game Pass still has All-22 suspended for fans. However, Bucco Bruce Arians talked about it yesterday on Bucs Total Access on WDAE radio.
“We can be better. We should have made some short-yardage runs that were there,” Arians said when asked to assess his running backs. “I think we were looking for too many big plays. Just get what’s there. Overall, two missed blitz pickups are probably the biggest thing. …
“They block well. They just gotta get your eyes in the right spot. When you’re looking at your guy and he blitzes, you gotta block him. But if your eyes aren’t looking at your guy, we got a problem.”
Obviously, as Joe has written plenty about, it was a rough outing for Ronald Jones on many levels.
Hopefully, he can bounce back in a hurry. RoJo had a strong day against the Rams in 2019, but a poor showing last year. Per Arians, the Rams are running the exact same defense, even though Raheem Morris is their new defensive coordinator.
September 22nd, 2021 at 10:15 am
you guys are riding Rojo too hard.
We have two good backs and go with the hot hand, which is Lenny right now. That could change at ANY point as we all know just one turnover and it’s the other guys shot.
He just gotta find his rythm.
September 22nd, 2021 at 10:18 am
Bucs are gonna have to win this game 58-52. The Rams head coach in the locker after victories looks like Hitler stomping around & yelling with a massive ego. We can’t lose to this malignant narcissist
September 22nd, 2021 at 10:23 am
Robert…I like Rojo…but we can’t have guys completely miss picking up a blitzing defender straight up the middle. That could get Brady knocked out for the season, and we could see a promising season go up in smoke on one play. If he does that many more times, I don’t care if he runs like Derrick Henry… he won’t see the field.
September 22nd, 2021 at 10:26 am
Sometimes it seems like Rojo’s head just isn’t in the game.
September 22nd, 2021 at 10:34 am
Bucs will need to draft or sign 3 new RBs after this year.
September 22nd, 2021 at 10:39 am
I really think the running game has been fine, specially in this last game. Ofc it needs adjustments, mainly in blitz, but it’s not that bad as many say.
September 22nd, 2021 at 10:45 am
Hard to get into a rhythm when we exchange what back is in what seems like every other play. I think we rotate too much at some point you need to let them just go out and play.
September 22nd, 2021 at 10:45 am
” RoJo had a strong day against the Rams in 2020, but a poor showing last year.”
………………..
Wait! What? Where have I been? I thought last year Was 2020.
September 22nd, 2021 at 10:46 am
If we cannot pick up blitzes then Tom Brady is gonna get hurt. Like BA My patience is running thin with Ronald Jones. time to sh*t or get off the pot.
September 22nd, 2021 at 10:47 am
If we cannot pick up blitzes then Tom Brady is gonna get hurt. Like BA My patience is running thin with Ronald Jones. time to sh(i)t or get off the pot.
September 22nd, 2021 at 10:49 am
“I think we were looking for too many big plays.“
Well, Coach, maybe the backs feel they’ll be taken out of the game if they don’t make a big play.
Just pick 1 back to start and play the whole game . Rotate the games if you like, but not possessions.
September 22nd, 2021 at 10:52 am
Rojo is trash. Find another back or go draft one.
The blitzes, the missed yards, and that one play on 1 and 10 where Rojo went out of boards like a baby… just inexcusable play.
September 22nd, 2021 at 10:59 am
We know about RoJo, Joe. Either some kind of smoke or we’ve heard this 1,000 times.
September 22nd, 2021 at 11:05 am
Rojo Cut him, waive him, trade him, release him Ciao Ciao
September 22nd, 2021 at 11:07 am
Might as well sit em both this weekend and just stick someone back there who can block! Gonna be an epic shootout in the wild, wild west!
September 22nd, 2021 at 11:13 am
Give K’e some friggin reps. He can pick up a block, catch the wide open ball in his hand, and run the ball down hill or have just as good a chance to start doing it, especially with more reps. BA praises him all the time. Arians doesn’t like to gain yards on the ground, and Brady will switch to a run if he sees something in the defense. Byron isn’t even a variable.
September 22nd, 2021 at 11:26 am
Rojo has been in the league 4 years now, if he’s still struggling with the mental side of the game, the bucs should just move on.
September 22nd, 2021 at 11:35 am
Its seems Rojo needs some proper mental motivation to play properly. Someone maybe needs to slap him around or something and get him mad before handing him the ball. Not sure. As for blocking, you can’t miss blocks and expect to play on this team. Same with fumbling, and he’s done both already, so that’s 2 strikes.
September 22nd, 2021 at 11:37 am
I feel like if Arians didn’t have the best WR corps or the best QB of all time then his treatment of running backs would come back to haunt him. Luckily he has both and it doesn’t matter much. Lenny went from being a healthy scratch to the lead back and Rojo went from about to have a 1,000 yard season to Josh Freeman.
September 22nd, 2021 at 12:03 pm
Let’s step back and look at the big picture from a risk/reward perspective.
Rojo is in his 4th year, and despite some brief periods of great play, too often reverts to periods of boneheaded plays (fumbles, dropped balls, running out of bounds on the wrong side of the sideline down marker, missing blocks on blitzes, etc.). I cannot remember a time in the last 3+ years when he has gone for more than 2 or 3 games without regressing to plays of the above description. Perhaps I have a faulty memory, but that seems like poor return for a 2nd round pick Whether it is talent or a between the ears issue, does it really matter at this point.
As has been aptly pointed out here by many, we are one missed “block” from potentially ending our season, or at the very least losing an important game.
At what point does BA say….Enough is enough, the potential reward, is just not worth the risk.
September 22nd, 2021 at 1:07 pm
Lenny and Rojo have both run well but… I have seen both of them make an extremely poor decision and miss a big hole when making a cut.
Of course we saw Rojo miss a blitz pick up.
And Lenny have a Pass go through his hands for an interception.
Step it up!!
September 22nd, 2021 at 1:11 pm
The other Bruce is on top of things! Glaring running errors and missed pickups. One of my peeves early on. Cockrell is getting roasted too.
September 22nd, 2021 at 2:33 pm
It’s kinda sad to witness unachieved potential.
September 22nd, 2021 at 3:53 pm
Are seeing eye dogs allowed on the field?
September 22nd, 2021 at 4:23 pm
Time for the Lenny and Gio show for a while
September 22nd, 2021 at 7:03 pm
We used to call that a look out block and would throw them when our QB was whining like a child. I hope Rojo didn’t have a reason.