Bucky Irving’s Quest For 2,000 Yards
July 18th, 2025
Over 2,000 yards a goal?
What are the chances Bucs running back Bucky Irving has a season for the ages?
If he does, it’s a very good bet the Bucs win the division. Again.
Only nine men in NFL history have run for 2,000 or more yards in a season. Most recent was Saquon Barkley last year for the Eagles.
Earlier this summer as Bucky sat down for an interview with Kay Adams on her weekday FanDuel TV show “Up and Adams,” Adams was the first person, broadcast or print, that Joe knew of to float the notion Bucky could run for 2,000 yards this season.
For perspective, that would be damn near double what Bucky ran for last season, 1,122 yards in his rookie year.
Of the men who ran for 2,000 yards this century, they all had well over 300 carries. Of those five backs, they averaged 363 carries when they broke the 2,000 barrier.
Last year Bucky had 207 carries.
Joe honestly doesn’t believe Bucky’s body could withstand the beating to run the ball for 350+ times a season. That’s a lot.
Besides, the Bucs have a powerful passing attack. One more carry for Bucky is one less target for Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka.
And Joe is confident typing that the Bucs didn’t burn a No. 19 overall pick for blocking icon Michael Clayton II.
July 18th, 2025 at 4:19 am
the ball will be distributed too much to other backs and receivers for him to get 2k…
1,500 all purpose…yeah…feasible…
i’d say with all the weaponry around him, the ceiling is prolly like 1,750-1,800
(and i’m talking all-purpose yards)
no need to run bucky into the ground in year 2…
rachaad and tuck gotta eat too now…
go bucky go…
run bucky run…
score bucky score…
July 18th, 2025 at 4:33 am
Sorry Joe but If Bucky gets that many carries there will be something wrong in Bucville. We have elite recievers and I think we have a top five QB. I will also say we have some dudes behind him who can play. Nah…
Go Bucs!
July 18th, 2025 at 5:26 am
225 carries max and 50 receptions would be my rec. Anything more and he might not make the postseason or be effective in it.
July 18th, 2025 at 5:36 am
It’s going to be higher than that. Probably around 250-275 carries and 10-15 more catches. Remember, they didn’t scale up his carries until about week 10 last year mostly because they didn’t know what they had. He’ll get about 15bcarries and 4-5 catches per game on average. Maybe a little more catches since they didn’t scale odds of getting pummeled are less.
July 18th, 2025 at 5:37 am
Bucky averaged 5.4 YPC last season, which is phenomenal. To get 2,000 rushing yards he’d need 370 carries at that YPC. Comes out to 22 carries per game IF he manages to play the full 17 games.
Odds on that happening on this Bucs’ team? I’d guess that it’s pretty close to zero. Bucs ran the ball a LOT last year (483 times), so Bucky would have to tote it for just over 75% of our rushes (he carried it on just under 43% of our runs last season). Adding 30% more workload is asking an awful lot.
But since he got just over 1500 all-purpose yards last season, I’d think that 2,000 all-purpose yards might be within reach, providing he stays healthy for all 17 games of course.
July 18th, 2025 at 5:45 am
If the Bucs were smart they’d start with 15/4 as a baseline and use Bucky for up to 5 more carries in games with a tight score or where they aren’t favored and use him a bit less when they are heavily favored.
July 18th, 2025 at 5:51 am
Piggybacking on what Adam said and D.R. pointed out statistically I can’t even imagine it! Furthermore in addition to perhaps shortening his career is that the way the Bucs win? Or as D.R. preaches do they need complementary football.
Sorry too lazy and too busy to do the work but the JJoes left an interest stat out of this piece.
Nine guys have passed 2,000 yards but what did their teams do that year? Isn’t that kind of important?
So we start with success. It’s fair to say that Saquon put the Eagles over the top and they won a SB. So that’s ONE!
What about the others? Do dominant RB’s automatically mean success or titles?
July 18th, 2025 at 6:04 am
Nope. Not gonna happen.
July 18th, 2025 at 6:51 am
Kay is predicting scrimmage yards not rushing yards.
July 18th, 2025 at 7:00 am
Pass, I don’t want Bucky running for 2,000 yards. We ran for 2536 collectively as a team, let’s bump that up to 3K this season as a team. Baker included. Most teams have 1-2 feasible options in the backfield, we have 3 that can hurt you in their own was respectively.
Raachad is the air bender.
Bucky is an active threat to break/sprain ankles & knees.
Tucker is the boulder chasing Sisyphus back down the hill.
July 18th, 2025 at 7:07 am
We’d have to abuse him like an Alamo rental car to get that many yards
July 18th, 2025 at 7:17 am
The most important targets for 2025 are ME13 having another 1,000+ receiving yards and Bucky getting 1,000+ yards running the ball. All else is gravy!
July 18th, 2025 at 7:28 am
I think 2000 combined is pro bowl stuff. That would be a more realistic goal.
July 18th, 2025 at 8:09 am
With Wirfs and Godwin missing the start of the season, let him carry more of the load and average 100+ yards the first month of the year. Then we will keep him carrying the load. Yes we will need to distribute the ball, but it would make the offense more dynamic if they are to worry about our backfield in addition to our WRs. Play action would be a dangerous weapon. When we are up 14+ midway through the game, then we would be force to run the ball and manage the clock. All Bucky yards. Plus an injury here or there, or several close games and he can do it.
July 18th, 2025 at 8:19 am
Would make zero sense! We have two other capable backs, and a udfa rb whose name evades me, who is looking good. He can be the lead back, but we have a stable.
July 18th, 2025 at 8:24 am
Nope… But if he does 10 to 20% better than last season, I’m all for it. Increase the carries by a little bit but not up to the 300 range. Maybe 250 max. I still say use the other two backs regularly as well.
July 18th, 2025 at 9:31 am
Bro needs to be singular focused on staying healthy,
Blocking and ball security. Do that and the big yardage will come,
July 18th, 2025 at 10:06 am
2000 rushing yards? Hell no. 1600-1800 scrimmage yards, sure.
July 18th, 2025 at 10:26 am
Silly, Joe.
2,000 scrimmage yards is a way different animal than 2,000 rushing yards.
2,000 scrimmage yards is definitely feasible.
July 18th, 2025 at 10:34 am
Shoot.. I’d be happy if he only got 10 carries per game until November.
July 18th, 2025 at 10:42 am
Adams said 2000 yards from Scrimmage and now Joe wants to imply that Irving could even possible do what these other backs did.
Let’s do the Math. 207/1122 as x/2000. That comes out to 368 carries and still gaining 5.4 yards per attempt.
For some perspective take away any carries that were not running Backs and there were 400 carries for the season. Irving would have to carry the ball on 92% of the running plays and not the 51.7 of the carries that he had in 2024.
As far as yards from scrimmage Bucs will still play a few teams that really suck but good teams can and will minimize his receptions or at least be more aggressive in their tackling him for minimal gains.
If Irving wants to shoot for it Zeke (#74 all time) had 2001 in 2018 on 304 Rushes for 1434 yards and 77 receptions for 567. His Carries and Rushing yards was the most in the league that season.
Set the Over at 1999.5 and I would take every dime of action that someone wanted to bet it.
Bucs would be fortunate to get the same production from Irving as in 2024.
July 18th, 2025 at 12:09 pm
Spread it around. If the defense knows what you’re going to do, you probably can’t do it.
July 18th, 2025 at 12:14 pm
Bucky is a team first guy. I’d be ecstatic if he simply got 90% of last year’s production. Remember the Bucs blundered the health of their offensive mvp, Tristan Wirfs and look to have a porn stache matador starting at LT to begin the season.
July 18th, 2025 at 12:32 pm
The picture at top says “2,000 scrimmage yards,” which seems possible.
July 18th, 2025 at 12:36 pm
I would love to see 250 carries and a 4.7 ypc. Add another 65-70 receptions at 9 ypc. That would put him at 1175 yards rushing and 625 yards recieving. For 1800 all purpose yards.
Any more yards than that should come from him increasing his yards per touch, not increasing his touches. It would be detrimental to his body and the team to give him more than about 15 runs and 5 catches a game imo.
July 18th, 2025 at 12:51 pm
Take a lesson from Marshall Faulk
When Faulk was on Indy, they played him like a tradition big back. Faulk was little (5’10, 200lbs – Bucky 5’9, 195lbs) and he was perpetually hurt. Faulk goes to the Rams and they split his touches between the running and passing game. They also created plays designed to avoid big collissions. On the coaches orders, Faulk became the first RB to intentially go down or out of bounds to avoid contact. BRILLIANT.
The strategy allowed Faulk to create a 12 year career (unheard of with RB). He became a perennial Pro Bowler, HOF, and was part of the “The Greatest Show of Turf”.
Fun Fact: In his first three years in STL, Faulk received multiple MVP votes.
July 18th, 2025 at 2:13 pm
Sly
Thanks for that. I suspected as much about Faulk but great to see it actually worked out.
Another name that immediately came to mind for me is of course Barry Sanders
In his 2000 yard year..2053, not like he barely broke the barrier…the Lions did post a winning record 9-7 finishing in Third place.
The Lions were basically mediocre to p poor during Barry’s tenure. Not HIS fault but clearly the Lions either relied TOO much on Barry or had such a horrid organization they couldn’t put a decent team around him.
I also thought about Eric Dickerson, perhaps faulty comparions at 6-3 220 lbs
but just wanted to check his impact. His 2000 yard year the Rams had a 10-6 record making the playoffs and losing in the Wild Card.
Bottom line for me…Given the mediocre to poor results with the occasional exception like last year, with teams whose offense started with the RB, even if it didn’t hurt Bucky physically I do not believe it’s a sound strategy given Mike, Chris, Jalen, EE, not to mention the TE’s and Rachaad.
July 18th, 2025 at 5:01 pm
The kid has IT. he should have started sooner last season as well as not had to split so many carries with White. Not even worried about his increase in carries. I don’t want white to get more than 50 touches all season. Bucky has vision and elusivness to handle getting 300 + in a season. He should get minimum 20 carries a game.
July 18th, 2025 at 5:08 pm
My grandson was at Bucky Irving’s football camp last weekend. Bucky may be short but that dude is ripped. He is in great shape and one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. The kids loved him