Surprising Rachaad White Factoid
July 16th, 2023
Comparing numbers.
Joe irks some Bucs fans when Joe types how awful Rachaad White’s advanced rushing stats were last year. They were brutal.
However, White’s advanced receiving stats offer promise.
Joe thinks every fan can agree that Saquon Barkley of the Giants, a sixth-year veteran, is one of the better running backs in the game. He’s currently angry with the Giants because they franchised him and Barkley is making noise about sitting out until at least Week 2 (no, that’s not a typo).
If all things were even and money was no issue (ha!), Joe is confident there isn’t a Bucs fan who wouldn’t want Barkley over White in the Tampa Bay backfield. No, Barkley is not available and Joe’s not saying the Bucs should chase him.
But Barkley’s receiving stats were very similar to White’s. Last year Barkley averaged 5.9 yards a catch on 76 targets and 57 catches. White? He averaged 5.8 yards a catch on 50 catches from 58 targets.
So yeah, White certainly has receiving numbers to work with. Now, with a hopefully competent offensive coordinator, White can get help improving his sad rushing numbers and become a true all-around back.
July 16th, 2023 at 1:03 am
Saquon is a really good back, but he’s reached the price point where he’s just not worth the coin in today’s NFL… Barkley’s 2023 Tag # = $10.1M, which is basically double the coin of the entire Bucs RB room in 2023.
In 2022, Barkley had a big “every down back” season statistically…But Bucs got =/better production from a Lenny & Rachaad RB combo for 2/3’s the money.
SB=1650 total yds from scrimmage & 10td’s for $7.2M+…LF/RW = 1962yds from scrimmage & 9td’s for a little over $4.8M.
July 16th, 2023 at 2:18 am
I still don’t feel confident we have a short yardage back, unless that is where ‘Sneak’ earned his nickname. I don’t trust Rachaad to hold on to the football. I believe it was one of the knocks on him coming out of college. I suspect we will be adding someone before the beginning of the season.
July 16th, 2023 at 3:07 am
I’l take White over Barkley all day long. For several reasons.
Go Bucs!
July 16th, 2023 at 5:14 am
Delusional Intelligence … ‘I suspect we will be adding someone before the beginning of the season’.
Me too. Also agree that we don’t have a proven short yardage beast right now, but we desperately need one. Injuries happen, and especially to RBs. Seems like it’s hard for an RB to play with injuries like some positions can because they need every part functioning at almost 100% to avoid a drop-off in performance.
Bucs’ RB availability for their Top-3 RBs each year has fluctuated tremendously in recent years.
o 2022: 48 games total … 94.1% availability
o 2021: 42 games total … 82.4% availability
o 2020: 37 games total … 77.1% availability
o 2019: 48 games total … 100.0% availability
o 2018: 41 games total … 85.4% availability
o 2017: 43 games total … 89.6% availability
o 2016: 33 games total … 68.8% availability
o 2015: 48 games total … 100.0% availability
o 2014: 34 games total … 70.8% availability
o 2013: 23 games total … 48.0% availability
So for the past 10 years, our Top-3 RBs have averaged 81.7% availability (ie, each RB will typically ‘average’ about 14 games on the current 17-game season). And since our stated intention is to place more emphasis on the run this year, seems like it’d be a good idea to add a 3rd beast to complement White & Vaughn.
July 16th, 2023 at 6:58 am
What irks this fan Joe is you’re constantly pointing to our second string rookie back as a major reason we couldn’t run the ball last year. You know there were many other factors at play, yet you love to write stories beating up the kid. Surprised some of these players even want to talk football with you.
July 16th, 2023 at 7:14 am
Barkley’s catch percentage was only 75% compared to White at 86%. I’ll take White’s contract and fresher legs over Barkley.
July 16th, 2023 at 7:53 am
Why not play Kieft at FB sometimes. Dude seems like he likes to lead block, and based on his college tape, and at times last year pancaked some dudes. He could take the handoff in short yardage situations when we need those tough yards. Could be the second coming of the A-train, who knows. He just seems like the kind of TE that plays more inline.
July 16th, 2023 at 8:19 am
White, Fournette, et al were running behind a sh*t run blocking line. If the line is fixed then White’s numbers will improve. Vaughn has some potential if he the rock is glued to his hands.
If we had any other RB’s last year they would have met similar results. Even Saq Barkley. Maybe if we had Jim Brown in his prime we would have had something. Brown was a man. He was a beast.
July 16th, 2023 at 8:19 am
White, Fournette, et al were running behind a terrible run blocking line. If the line is fixed then White’s numbers will improve. Vaughn has some potential if he the rock is glued to his hands.
If we had any other RB’s last year they would have met similar results. Even Saq Barkley. Maybe if we had Jim Brown in his prime we would have had something. Brown was a man. He was a beast.
July 16th, 2023 at 8:35 am
2019 tells me Peyton barber was a tough sob
July 16th, 2023 at 9:24 am
NCBuc I agree completely. I’m not as worried about depth as the fact that all our RB’s are from the same mold.
In his rookie year Ke’shawn Vaughn carried the ball 36 times for a 5.0 average with 2 TD’s and 4 receptions. He may not be a dynamic stud but he is an adequate NFL RB especially if it’s just for depth.
Chase Edmunds has a 4.5 yard per carry but is a small guy.
Patrick Laird is only 205 lbs and shows no real promise.
The Bucs do not have a bruising RB, that’s for sure. But as NCBuc points out Ko Kieft is 6’5″ 265 and while a “blocking” TE he can catch the ball and he’s known for his tenacity and physicality.
Putting Kieft in the backfield and other spots besides simply TE…he can be utilized as an H back. He’s a beastly blocker, can also catch the ball and he’d be hard to game plan against. Is he in just to block, or perhaps swing out and catch it, or use his 265lbs to power up the middle as an RB.
July 16th, 2023 at 9:49 am
This year’s run game can be a repeat of last season or can be way better. We will find out come September! Every one will speculate until then! In reality, all the speculation means nothing! Imo.
July 16th, 2023 at 10:17 am
Our RB’s…Prancer and Dancer. What could go wrong? No power Big Guy pounder.
July 16th, 2023 at 10:19 am
We’ll see and have a better feel for how our OL & RBs are taking towards this zone scheme and I’m really looking forward to seeing how Canales rotates the backfield. Also interested to the different styles of run we’ll see under him, obviously we’ll have the bread n butter stuff between the tackles, but with a spread zone I expect uptick in runs designed to attack the boundaries.
Wouldn’t put it past Canales having some jet motion stuff in the playbook to blur the tells between run & pass. Having guys like Gage, Palmer, Jarrett & especially Devin Thompkins(think a mini Percy Harvin) to help support our rushing attack with their involvement. I’ll be watching intently this off-season, even with it being vanilla season we have no idea what a vanilla Canales offense looks like so there should be plenty to takeaway from what are commonly considered “nothing” games.
July 16th, 2023 at 10:32 am
Never seen someone so down on a rookie back. Derrick Henry One of the best running backs in the league only 490 yards starting off as a back up. Where is this golden rule that says if a rookie doesn’t have a big year it means there should draft his replacement? Why can’t you understand it’s stupid to invest another high draft pick on that position. As a general manager of that pick doesn’t succeed then he’s the problem
July 16th, 2023 at 11:56 am
You act as if other teams have zero issues with their offensive line. As Joe has said many times, unless Roger Goodell pushed through new rules Joe is unaware of, running backs are allowed to make people miss and still allowed to break tackles.
July 16th, 2023 at 11:59 am
Leftwhich ran a clown stupid scheme. That’s why his numbers were so bad.
July 16th, 2023 at 11:59 am
Wait till you see the advanced stats in a story Joe has already schedule for later this week.
Besides, there is no position in the NFL that has an easier transition for rookies than running back.
Not giving up on White, but for Joe to ignore the flashing red lights is irresponsible.
July 16th, 2023 at 12:35 pm
You’re crunching a relatively small sample size Joe. White averaged 7 carries a game, but your going into these numbers as if they tie into Whites’ ability and bypassing the narrative that the environment in which White applied his ability wasn’t one that fostered ideal or even average production. Go on and cook though.
July 16th, 2023 at 2:23 pm
Maybe Canales will lose the dumb handoff out of the shotgun to the only RB,
July 16th, 2023 at 2:24 pm
The irksome part is that you won’t accept that the OL played a major role in the poor running game.
And again, not all hits in the backfield are created equal. There’s not enough context in that stat. And White’s sample size was fairly small anyway.
July 16th, 2023 at 3:00 pm
What, should the Bucs dump Tristan Wirfs now?
If the offensive line is a main reason why running backs can’t run, then there is never a need to draft one. You can just pull some ham-and-egger off the street in August and save a ton of money.
A good running back finds a way, doesn’t whine and cry about not getting blocks.
July 16th, 2023 at 3:31 pm
Yes, running back is the most easily transitioned position going from college to pro, but scheme fit and usage are big issues.
This team is installing a new scheme, new play caller, and revamped offensive line. Last year’s metrics can pretty much get thrown out the window.
I think we’re dangerously thin at the running back position, but Canales is coming from a system that was very good at plug and play at the running back position, so I’m willing to ride it out and see how it goes.
July 16th, 2023 at 5:32 pm
Lol now I’m confused. Tristan Wirfs is great and nobody said he didnt play well. I’m just saying 1, that we need to acknowledge the OL played poorly last year, and 2, the fact they played so poorly greatly impacts our analysis of the RBs.
July 16th, 2023 at 9:43 pm
Once Jim Brown got past the los he was bigger than anyone left on the field, and he never breathed on a 300 pound tackle in his career. Great player for his era. Nothing special for this. I’d love to brag about my generation of players, but those guys were part time players. They sold cars or insurance for eight months a year. Most professional players from the 1950s couldn’t make the roster at Alabama or Ohio State in today’s game. It’s no disrespect. It’s just the truth.
July 17th, 2023 at 10:41 am
Hey Joe, When the RB has just taken the ball from the QB and there is a Defensive player hitting him, yes sir it is the Oline play that makes this a bad play. When the Rb has no time to make a Defensive player miss, or break a tackle. Especially when it is the same play RB up the gut….
July 17th, 2023 at 1:14 pm
Yea it was all the running backs fault! Didn’t realize that’s why no running back was drafted and they overhauled the offensive line