Running Back Revival Season Finishes In Style
February 13th, 2023
Todd Bowles
Imagine a high-scoring Super Bowl yesterday being won by a team whose quarterback threw for only 182 yards.
What is this, 1988?
The Chiefs won their second ring of the Patrick Mahomes era last night and Mahomes attempted just 27 passes. He completed 21 and ended with only 182 passing yards but three touchdowns. To make things even more interesting, Mahomes wasn’t sacked.
The Chiefs stayed balanced with 26 carries for a whopping 158 yards. That’s 6.1 yards a pop, led by a seventh-round pick of a rookie running back.
Joe wrote previously about how much the NFL shifted this year when it came to running back production. Fantasy football players knew all about that in a hurry. It was the year of the running back.
The Chiefs dominated with their run game last night against a run-first Eagles team. The NFL has always been a copycat league and Joe has no doubt that owners and general managers took notice, including the power brokers at One Buc Palace.
Joe brings this up because the NFL Draft is loaded this season with intriguing running back prospects. Meanwhile, the Bucs have Leonard Fournette entering the final year of guaranteed money in his contract and Ke’Shawn Vaughn is on the final year of his rookie deal. Rachaad White had an encouraging rookie season, but Joe can’t call it anything more than “encouraging.” Veteran Giovani Bernard is a free agent and Joe is sure his Bucs days are over.
Joe has no doubt Todd Bowles, like most defensive-minded head coaches, is salivating at the thought of improving his running game next season: getting tougher in the trenches and finding a young running back to compete for the top job.
Joe thinks Bowles got even hungrier yesterday after seeing how the Chiefs hammered away on the ground.
February 13th, 2023 at 9:09 am
If only Bowles stuck to DC
he is incapable of coaching a team with the type of offense the NFL is set up for.
February 13th, 2023 at 9:13 am
Yeah bowels needed to stay at DC prove me wrong bowels
February 13th, 2023 at 9:19 am
Yeah but Mahomes threw for over 5000 yards during the season to get there. You don’t need to specify whether your going to be a running or passing team you need to be flexible enough to go with whats working the best in a particular game something Bowles doesn’t understand.
February 13th, 2023 at 9:20 am
My football nightmare has come true recently. The revised focus on an RB. Even though we have an RB. Two even. The RB experts on here always want to draft a few of them each year. What we needs is a stronger O Line. The Bucs weren’t last in the ground game because our RB’s weren’t capable. They just didn’t get any holes
February 13th, 2023 at 9:20 am
I want to know what they did to PH at the 1/2 to fix his ankle….
and the Chiefs won because the coach actually made adjustments at the 1/2….or it had a big impact at least.
February 13th, 2023 at 9:21 am
Looks like we’re stuck with bowlzo for one more year.
February 13th, 2023 at 9:21 am
PM I meant…
February 13th, 2023 at 9:29 am
The Iggles defense played horribly. I had to look if Todd Bowles was on the sideline for a moment. They went into the half and came out making no discernable adjustments.
February 13th, 2023 at 9:38 am
getting tougher in the trenches- does that mean adjust?
February 13th, 2023 at 9:44 am
Pacheco has 4.37 speed but he has something more important than that…& that’s the “want-to” aggressive attitude.
No need to waste a high draft pick on a RB……they are out there, just be patient.
We have drafted Rojo, Vaughn & now White with not a lot to show for it….hopefully White will prove successful.
We need to spend our draft picks on departing FAs…..LB for LVD, CB for Dean…DT for Hicks/Gholston….and maybe a TE for Brate.
February 13th, 2023 at 9:45 am
Pacheco is one hell of a tough and talented back. The fact that they snagged him in the 7th round says a whole lot more about the scouting talent league wide than it does about any particular teams’ ability to run the football.
February 13th, 2023 at 10:02 am
Coaching, scheme, game planning, game time adjustments, flexibility,……
Sure would be nice to see some of these from Bowles.
Not holding my breath.
February 13th, 2023 at 10:03 am
The Bucs cleaned house on the offensive side but they need to reevaluate the scouting department. Pacheco a 7th round pick, Snead a 4th round pick etc. The Chiefs seem to work in 3 or 4 rookies every year. Our early/mid round picks lately haven’t exactly set the world on fire.
February 13th, 2023 at 10:04 am
Draft the player, to fit your scheme.
February 13th, 2023 at 10:05 am
Square pegs do not fit in round holes.
February 13th, 2023 at 10:22 am
Licht is a big reason this team is not competitive every week. Bowles is a symptom of poor talent acquisition by the suit at the top. Going to be a rough next few years thanks to our GM.
February 13th, 2023 at 10:27 am
So the Egles brought in SUH. He made no difference in last night’s game. Came away the same as he would with the Bucs. No Ring. Well at lest he got to go to the SB . Good for him.
February 13th, 2023 at 10:33 am
Gotta fix the left side first. Can’t go through a hole that isn’t there.
February 13th, 2023 at 10:35 am
Speed and toughness= Pacheco. Also his smaller size makes him more shifty.
Fournette: slow and lumbering. White: good receiver can break tackles but doesn’t have breakaway speed.
Backs have to be physical but they also have to be twitchy and show burst. Bucs backs have little burst.
4.0-4.3 speed cannot be coached up. Athleticism and toughness is the great thing about Pacheco. Big backs are out of sync with the fast break offenses in the NFL.
February 13th, 2023 at 10:35 am
Difference is the chiefs have a mobile quarterback the Bucs don’t.
February 13th, 2023 at 10:45 am
RagingBrisket Says:
February 13th, 2023 at 9:45 am
Pacheco is one hell of a tough and talented back. The fact that they snagged him in the 7th round says a whole lot more about the scouting talent league wide than it does about any particular teams’ ability to run the football.
I’d point out that KC is the same team that snagged Rojo…..our reject….and he ended up being a bust for them……I guess 1 out of 2 ain’t bad.
February 13th, 2023 at 10:47 am
Didn’t the Eagles have the #1 pass D? Oh and guess what the line blocked and deceitful plays every series not run right up the middle time and time again.
February 13th, 2023 at 11:05 am
Just seeing a photo of that maroon makes me sick.
February 13th, 2023 at 11:15 am
Tampabaybucfan Difference is we drafted RoJo and they drafted Pacheco. I don’t get your point.
February 13th, 2023 at 11:41 am
Until we get a real NFL head coach it don’t matter much what this front office does.
He’s that bad of a HC.
February 13th, 2023 at 11:45 am
As far as their scouting department goes (of the running back that had huge success last night), it means that 1, Uno scout BELIEVED so greatly in the guy that he finally convinced them to draft him as their very last pick. So ONE of the scouts gets the credit for the absolute BELIEF in him. NOT the entire scouting department. Well, also the GM that listened to the scout and said screw it “Joe”, I’ll give your guy a shot. It’s a THROW AWAY PICK ANYWAYS for the most part so why not. It clearly payed off BIG TIME and it will further the career of “that scout” that wouldn’t stop banging the table for his guy.
And how do I know that? Because they sure as h3ll would have picked him up sooner than their last pick because NOBODY is dumb enough to take a chance on him still being there for their pick if they knew what they were about to lose in him and the fact that he indeed WOULD BE their #1 back in the Super Bowl 🏈!
If they had an inkling of his future I’m guessing they wouldn’t risk losing by say the 3rd round MINIMUM!
ONE very convincing scout and a lottery ticket…. But CERTAINLY NOT the entire scouting department.
GO BUCS!
February 13th, 2023 at 11:56 am
Andy Reid created a masterful game plan and series of plays to run.
I can’t remember exactly but didn’t I see receivers WIDE OPEN on at least two of the Chiefs TDs? Wide open not as in blowing by anybody, wide open as in the OC outguessed the DC totally. Imagine if the Bucs had that luxury.
February 13th, 2023 at 11:57 am
It was nice to watch creative playing calling by the Chiefs! Something we rarely saw with our Fired OC
February 13th, 2023 at 12:41 pm
O and BTW, I just love it when anyone is brave enough to suggest that BYRON LEFTWICH DIDN’T SABOTAGE OUR SEASON! Almost single handedly. As well as doing his part to break Tom Brady’s hopes of the future of being a QB and AMAZING, CAREER LONG RECORDS and things I’m just not going to bother listing off.
A GREAT point was just made that we ALL KNOW TO BE THE TRUTH of running it up the middle again, and again, and again, and again to INFINITI!
Seems like Sabotage does it not? Telegraphing what’s coming to every DC in the league NON STOP and Clearly on purpose. I’m going to go with NOBODY IS THAT STUPID! NOT EVEN BYRON LEFTWICH!
Byron Leftwich SABOTAGED US ALL! The entire league is aware! And that’s why he can’t even get a WATER BOY GIG ANYWHERE!
BUT, BUT ….. I personally get GREAT SATISFACTION in the knowledge that he cut his own throat so deeply that he will NEVER sniff being a head coach in or on a Professional NFL team FOR LIFE! GREAT SATISFACTION 👍
Because what’s worse than an idiot and FAR MORE DANGEROUS to an organization is someone willing to literally destroy ALL that they have built from the ground up.
BTW, I heard a rumor that a college team was considering him. Does anyone know how that worked out for him? Pariah!
This guy also destroyed multitudes of Tom Brady’s fantastic records and played his part breaking his spirit. The other part was TODD BOWLES AND JASON LICHT’S LACK OF MANHOOD TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT! And where were the Glazers in this? ABSENTEE OWNERSHIP! Tom did the only thing he could really do. He got so spooked that he ran for the door, PRERECORDED!
Bowles may not have been able to do anything about it initially, BUT HE COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING ABOUT IT EVENTUALLY! How about asking Bruce Arians to step in? Bowles was and is SO JEALOUS of Bruce that he REFUSED to do the RIGHT THING FOR THE TEAM! And because of that ALONE, Bowles should have been shown the door with BENEDICT ARNOLD “LEFTWICH”!
Leftwich whom of course HATED them ALL! Because he didn’t get the head coaching job….. and Bowles did.
Byron Leftwich sabotaged our season. Simple as that. Bowles and Licht were not man enough to step in and step up and do anything about it. Bowles jealousy of Bruce was bigger than most realize or think. And the Glazers, absentee owners.
February 13th, 2023 at 1:02 pm
seems like the Chiefs medical/training staff knows a LOT more about how to manage Hi Ankle sprains than those at Buc Place
February 13th, 2023 at 1:08 pm
If u remember the Bengals game . in 1st half bucs played well using play action & motion with different looks -looked like we could win this game .. But , at halftime Bowles demanded Leftwich return to Bowles style of running up the middle or left guard –no more motion or play action & Bucs were terrible in 2nd half . we all know the end result .
BOWLES IS THE PROBLEM & he’s not going away for 2 More yrs !!!!
February 13th, 2023 at 1:35 pm
Wide open receivers, YA THINK! That calling plays around how a defender is going to react. Create separation, don’t leave it up to just the receiver.
February 13th, 2023 at 1:47 pm
bowles plays the victim role ..
February 13th, 2023 at 2:32 pm
Well if its another eighteen years until our next super bowl I won’t be around to see it.
February 13th, 2023 at 2:37 pm
Mahomes is the first QB in NFL history to lead the league in passing and win a Super Bowl…
Do you need to have the best QB in the NFL? No.
Do you need at least a top 10-12 QB in the NFL? Probably yes…
A solid defense, special teams and hard to stop running game is always tough to beat. When you have those three things plus a top ten QB you are probably a playoff team.
February 13th, 2023 at 5:49 pm
Marine, Brady would have been the first if not for the infamous Blows blitz call. He is a record crusher.
February 13th, 2023 at 6:20 pm
Anonymous good teams don’t have throw away picks
February 13th, 2023 at 6:41 pm
It is the Offensive line we have a decent back
February 13th, 2023 at 8:19 pm
@Just saying
Fair enough. BUT let’s be Realistic. IF they (or any team on the planet) knew what the kid was going to be capable of, like I said…. THEY SURE AS H3LL WOULDN’T HAVE WAITED FOR THE VERY LAST PICK OF THEIR DRAFT. And therefore they except ONE guy on their staff had a clue about this guy!
Of course I’m just “assuming” that you would agree with that. Right Just saying?
Also like I said, IT WAS NOT THE ENTIRE STAFF that had this guy picked at all! It was ONE guy that beat the drums to draft him and that ONE GUY deserves the credit.
So are you trying to add something relevant? Do you think you own a football team and you’re in a board meeting or something?
Try to spice it up a little instead of offering NOTHING. In fact I’ll spice it up for you and here it goes. Just for you Just saying, I’m saying to you, get ready for it, DRUM ROLL PLEASE…… “duh”
There you go Just saying. What I’M JUST THINKING about your brilliant comment.
Good to hear that in your “real world life” that just everything goes as planned. I’ve got a STRONG FEELING that you’re just not very good on your feet!
Come on back when you’ve actually got something “intelligent” to add.
Man I was hoping for someone else with charisma and brains to comment if any at all. Maybe next time….