Bucky Irving Must Be Broken, Too
December 28th, 2025
Forgettable season.
A lot of Bucs fans are willing to give Baker Mayfield a pass for three straight games with a fourth-quarter pick that doomed the Bucs because they believe Mayfield is playing hurt, does Bucky Irving get the same pass?
Last year as a rookie, Bucky was electric. Ever since he got hurt against the Eagles, Bucky has been a shell of his former self.
Bucky’s 2025 season from hell continued today as he ran for just 2.1 yards a carry. Don’t worry, he wasn’t the only guy who stunk.
If not for Mayfield, the Bucs wouldn’t have a run game whatsoever.
Well, that may not be totally accurate. Rachaad White and Sean Tucker, despite rarely touching the ball, averaged five and four yards a carry, respectively. They had a grand total of four touches, two each.
So much for the hot hand the Bucs like to crow about.
Bucky hasn’t been hot, seemingly all year. Well, a hot mess, maybe.
Not having a decent running attack is a big reason why this Bucs team has now lost seven of their last eight games.
December 28th, 2025 at 4:45 pm
There’s no more burst or elusiveness from Bucky anymore….he is broke
December 28th, 2025 at 4:45 pm
He is a specialist and not a starting running back.
December 28th, 2025 at 4:46 pm
The same thing happened to Rachaad White too after his injury
They both aren’t the same players they once was
December 28th, 2025 at 4:46 pm
Please Tucker more.
December 28th, 2025 at 4:47 pm
The man looks like he just flat out ain’t taking his lanes. He don’t look as fast or shift. His vision sucks now also for some reason.
December 28th, 2025 at 4:48 pm
Another ‘CLOSE’ game. This is BOWZO game plan
December 28th, 2025 at 4:48 pm
John Grizzard is the BIGGEST reason the Bucs offense is garbage đź—‘……he is the WORST offensive coordinator in the NFL
December 28th, 2025 at 4:48 pm
White should have been getting most of the carries the last 3 weeks. Just walked away from him and Tucker. I don’t think it matters at this point… if they had a 150 yard rusher in the last few weeks they would have found a way to mess that up too. When they were winning an in most games, the run and pass game complemented each other. Now both look like a fight to get 5 yards.
December 28th, 2025 at 4:51 pm
YOU LOSERS NEED TO GO MEET A FRIEND OR A GIRL AND SIGN OFF GEEZ LOSERS THE GAMES BEEN OVER AN HOUR AND YOU LOSERS ARE SITTING HERE TYPING TO SCREEN NAMES CAUSE YOUR LONELY
December 28th, 2025 at 4:53 pm
I still don’t understand the pass fans are giving to baker he’s been playing awful before whatever ghost injury he’s battling
December 28th, 2025 at 4:53 pm
Possible 3 way tie a top of NFC South…. SMH!
December 28th, 2025 at 4:53 pm
Bucky looks fine to me. Is he missing holes? Well from the TV view, I didn’t anything obvious that I remember. Is he not making guys miss? No, I see him doing that as well.
Bad predictable play calling in obvious run situations seems to be most of the issues. With Tucker they tend to run outside more, with White, defenses can’t sit on the run – but with Bucky, they’ve got into this loop of just being a handoff up the middle. Same thing we saw with White in 2022 and 2023 when people said he sucked, and even with as much as I like White, Bucky is much better. Get some better playcalling, get some motion and misdirection and two back sets like last year, and you’ll get last year production.
December 28th, 2025 at 4:54 pm
Our run game was non existent…….passing game looked pretty good considering we had 3 of 5 Oline starters out. Baker had more time today than usual…mainly because they let him throw on 1st downs.
I’m starting to believe this team never was very good and if it weren’t for Bakers early season heroics, we would be about 2-14
December 28th, 2025 at 4:55 pm
JL doesn’t want to pay White, so the hot hand remains cooled. Again, I’m pointing at Jason. If he did not waist money on the likes of McC n AWJ, he could justify paying a RB, who is as durable and consistent as they come. No, White is not a superstar, but he is good at his job. Also on JL is the pathetic backup QB situation where you can’t even sit Baker if hurt, and for sucking. JL must go and rest will sort out
December 28th, 2025 at 4:55 pm
Least of our problems. We’re broke from the top down. It’s up to the Glazers. I can’t believe they’re happy with this. And this goes deep, all the way to Licht. They have some tough decisions coming up.
December 28th, 2025 at 4:56 pm
Bucky Irving was playing back during the preseason
Especially against Pittsburgh backups
Rachaad White was clearly the best back
But the Bucs decided to stick with Irving
December 28th, 2025 at 4:57 pm
back= bad
December 28th, 2025 at 4:58 pm
I Agree!!!!
———————————————————————————-
TampaBayBucFan Says:
December 28th, 2025 at 4:54 pm
Our run game was non existent…….passing game looked pretty good considering we had 3 of 5 Oline starters out. Baker had more time today than usual…mainly because they let him throw on 1st downs.
I’m starting to believe this team never was very good and if it weren’t for Bakers early season heroics, we would be about 2-14
December 28th, 2025 at 4:58 pm
Enough with the o-line excuses….meanwhile, the Joes wanna give the O-line whisperer, JL, a pass. JL built a straw house and every rookie QB is the big bad wolf who easily blows it down
December 28th, 2025 at 5:00 pm
Mentally soft as tissue paper. Gen Z mindset on full display
December 28th, 2025 at 5:01 pm
He was bad in pre-season against the Steelers and in the first four games before his injury. There’s no burst and he’s easy to bring down.
December 28th, 2025 at 5:05 pm
Bucky is a fantastic change of pace back like Darren Sproles was back in the day. What he is not, if a 1st-and-10 up-the-middle bellcow focal point of the offense.
December 28th, 2025 at 5:07 pm
16 runs today vs 44 passes.
Bucky ran the ball 9 times.
That doesn’t tell you hardly anything.
December 28th, 2025 at 5:11 pm
Joe u r out of bounds an lost…as is these styinky Buc Yius
December 28th, 2025 at 5:13 pm
I don’t think Mayfield is playing hurt anymore, he’s playing with two turnstile guards.
December 28th, 2025 at 5:17 pm
I saw Bucky getting hit behind the LOS a lot. I don’t put this on him. He is a 12-14 touch a game RB though with his size. He needs to share the workload
December 28th, 2025 at 5:19 pm
Love the site Joes but u can’t have it both ways…Last week u bitched about how we ran too much with all our wide receiver weapons…now we dont go to the hot hand and run enough!? …Baker threw it waaaay too much today…and it didn’t help a bit..so now what’s the solution…let me guess a perfect balance of both! Stop
Never wrote Bucs didn’t run enough. Wrote that the successful backs weren’t getting the ball. Again. –Joe
December 28th, 2025 at 5:20 pm
It was apparent that they shouldn’t have been force feeding Bucky the ball. He’ll be fine next year. But why is Grizzard not using Tucker and White????
December 28th, 2025 at 5:21 pm
Season is over! I predicted 7-10, and bowels is going to get flushed!
December 28th, 2025 at 5:23 pm
Injury excuses are for losers. Lots of teams have suffered injuries as significant as the Bucs have. We’re missing two starting guards and Kancey. Wirfs was out today too, but he and his toe will be back next week.
December 28th, 2025 at 5:26 pm
Bucky is not a bell cow RB.
No one gets a pass it’s pro sports.
I like Bake but he not an all pro or HOF.
We’re so desperate fir a Franchise QB that will annotte an average QBas such.
December 28th, 2025 at 5:32 pm
While I feel like Bowles doesn’t get any recognition for the good things he has done the last few years, I feel like he has lost this team, and they are just not responding anymore. It’s time for him to go.
December 28th, 2025 at 5:39 pm
What about all the holding calls…oline is trash
December 28th, 2025 at 5:41 pm
He’s not Frank Gore, he’s not Maurice Jones-Drew, nor is he going to give you max production for his touches more often than not and especially not with a beat up OL.
All this opportunity has proven something I didn’t realize about Bucky tho, on approach to the OL, his vision is lacking
December 28th, 2025 at 5:44 pm
They NEVER play the hot hand. Such a ludicrous statement Bowles made, they always stick with whomever they came with.
December 28th, 2025 at 5:49 pm
“16 runs today vs 44 passes.
Bucky ran the ball 9 times.”
Before today we were 1-9 in games we’ve asked Baker to throw 40 or more times, we are now 1-10 since 2023
December 28th, 2025 at 5:49 pm
i think a lot of people at one buc are quietly watching what’s going on in jacksonville…and it’s starting to hold weight over the organization…
maybe people inside the walls are whispering about the coen vs bowles mistake, that has become evidently clear at this point…
and it’s destroying the core of the ball club…ripping the team apart from the inside out
December 28th, 2025 at 5:54 pm
Love the site Joes but u can’t have it both ways…Last week u bitched about how we ran too much with all our wide receiver weapons…now we dont go to the hot hand and run enough!? …Baker threw it waaaay too much today…and it didn’t help a bit..so now what’s the solution…let me guess a perfect balance of both! Stop
December 28th, 2025 at 6:08 pm
Nothing knew. Joe’s written about this before. It’s not running enough, it’s not giving the ball to productive runners. Big difference.
Who are the Bucs’ most talented players? Get them the ball. That would be your receivers.
“Balance” is only for those to lazy to study football.
December 28th, 2025 at 6:19 pm
He F’ing sucks
December 28th, 2025 at 6:22 pm
Anybody want my tickets??
December 28th, 2025 at 6:22 pm
Shows Grizzard is not ready for the roll he has. You put the ball in your best players hand no matter what the position. Unfortunately Bucky is the third best back on this team and his numbers and results show it. Beating a dead horse. I don’t know if Bucky is broken but he is hurt not just physically but mentally.
December 28th, 2025 at 6:23 pm
Bucs offensive line sucks this year. Add Kieft is a bigger loss than people realize. He would put LBs in the dirt as the FB/#2TE
December 28th, 2025 at 6:23 pm
Gruden for HC…..Ronde for GM
December 28th, 2025 at 6:25 pm
Bucky is from Chicago, “hood” will never be taken from him,
December 28th, 2025 at 6:26 pm
Wasted pick, Tucker should be the lead back
December 28th, 2025 at 6:31 pm
Weakened passing game, weakened running game and no suggestion it’s the play calling and scheme? It could be BOTH Mayfield and Irving are broken of course. But I suspect the Coordinator.
December 28th, 2025 at 6:33 pm
Mayfield throws a lot of 4th quarter picks because he gets frustrated and presses. Always has, always will
December 28th, 2025 at 6:39 pm
He’s been misused for two seasons. He’s not a between the tackle runner. Needs to play on the edges and exploit matchups.
December 28th, 2025 at 7:19 pm
How times change. Last year it was White everyone wanted as#2. All you heard was , BUCKY, BUCKY, BUCKY. Now it’s White and Tucker. So what’s the problem? After next weekend when we get eliminated we may find out a lot of information about internal problems.
December 28th, 2025 at 7:53 pm
It’s not just Bucky it’s every single person on the team….every. single. person. Something is very wrong, everybody just wants to “do their job” but you don’t create a team just doing your job, everyone is so comfortable losing.
December 28th, 2025 at 8:18 pm
Y’all saying a icky having a bad year when 3/5 of the O-line today are back-ups…
I saw 3-4 plays today when Bucky was hit IMMEDIATELY when first getting the ball….
The running game scheme is pure garbage compared to last year…..
Bucky’s good when you give him an initial bit of space so he can react…
He has been set up to fail this year because of a HORSECRAP offensive scheme and a constant shuffling of players on the o-line…
I do however think that Sean Tucker should be getting more snaps.