When Will They Know?
January 7th, 2022
Ke’Shawn Vaughn
Of all the Bucs that Joe will cheer for on Sunday, perhaps none will get more power screams than running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn.
He potentially is a critical piece for the present, and certainly for the future.
Joe remembers when two-time Pro Bowl running Devonta Freeman was drafted in the fourth round by the Falcons in 2014 (the Bucs preferred Charles Sims in Round 3). Atlanta kept him Freeman the bench behind aging superstar Steven Jackson and he only had 65 carries for 248 yards and a touchdown as a rookie.
A year later, the Falcons let Freeman carry the mail full-time and he led the NFL in touchdowns and landed in the Pro Bowl.
Joe is not saying second-year man Vaughn is a Pro Bowl runner, but he might be. You never know with a running back until the guy gets a legitimate shot.
Well, Vaughn’s shot is coming Sunday, with Ronald Jones (ankle) and Leonard Fournette (hamstring) out.
Vaughn, over two seasons, is averaging 5 yards per carry — 52 carries for 260 yards and a touchdown. If he gets 16 to 20 rushes on Sunday and can find his way close to 100 yards, Joe can only imagine the shot of confidence that would give Vaughn and the Bucs’ coaching staff.
In that scenario, Vaughn would enter the playoffs as the Bucs’ leading rusher over the final three games. What a strange season this has been.
As for 2022, Fournette and Jones are free agents, so Vaughn really has one hell of a showcase game for himself Sunday at The Licht House. Joe expects the young man to rise up behind a stud offensive line.
Perhaps everyone paying attention will know Vaughn is the real deal by Monday morning.
January 7th, 2022 at 2:56 pm
Let’s hope Keyshawn shines at Raymond James Stadium.
January 7th, 2022 at 2:57 pm
I’m starting Le’veon Bell in my Draft Kings lineup. This may be the lowly Panthers but the Bucs still need this win and they need Bell to be sharp in the post-season.
January 7th, 2022 at 2:58 pm
If Licht and Arians don’t get some sort it f recognition for what they’ve accomplished this season, they never will.
January 7th, 2022 at 3:11 pm
Rome–TB12 needs a passing TD to Bell anyway…it’ll be his 90th different TD recipient. I bet its a good start.
January 7th, 2022 at 3:13 pm
As I have said before. As a Gators fan we faced him for years and I always thought he had it in him. I hope I am right! Go Sneak! and GO BUCS!
January 7th, 2022 at 3:13 pm
Be careful. Bucs and Brady robbed RoJo 5.1 ypc of 1000 yards last year so AB could get his bonus.
January 7th, 2022 at 3:22 pm
Vaugh made a cut last week to break a tackle and would of housed it if one man was out of position. Im starting to like him but he is a future player in mine opinion.
Im more concerned with Bell. Not as a runner but as a pass catcher. Im hoping Byron finds a way to use him and he can pick up some of the slack that punk left behind when he stipped and quit. I’ll be looking for Bell on Sunday. Maybe they can even line him up in the slot or something, not sure if thats in his repitoire.
January 7th, 2022 at 3:26 pm
I’ve always noticed and said that Vaughn has a great ability at gashing runs. Dude always cuts and gashes for 5+ yards
January 7th, 2022 at 3:31 pm
Also a very underrated play from Vaugh in the Jets game is when Mike dropped that deep ball down the right sideline in the 4th(Im still dissapointed in that drop).
On that play they called a perfect blitz and the blitzer got by the line untouched and with a full head of steam with a straight line to Brady. My foitball life flashed before my eyes as Brady was going to take the hardest hit he has taken as a Buccaneer.
Vaugh absolutely saved the day and probably the season and stuck the blitzer. It was one of the better pickups you will see from a RB. A play like that gets you excited for his future. He also had a nice day catching the ball after a shakey game vs Carolina.
January 7th, 2022 at 3:36 pm
The Kid has the best vision in the room.
I pause the Dvr to show the wifey Jones’s
lack of vision, makes my stomach turn. Oh
and don’t spread Ronald and throw to him,
that’s a waisted play every time.
January 7th, 2022 at 3:43 pm
Yeah Daryl, Jones is a waste. Fortunately BA disagrees with you.
Here’s proof of Jones’ ineptitude on passing plays.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUyhQ9xKh58
January 7th, 2022 at 3:58 pm
Vaughn is going to shine. The future is bright!
January 7th, 2022 at 4:16 pm
He, Grayson & Johnson have a golden opportunity to make real Bucs history…and MILLIONS for themselves.
It’s what they & the team have, so I hope they all “caveate emptor”…
January 7th, 2022 at 4:23 pm
I’m rooting for Bell to have a great game.
I like those “old dog has it’s day” (again) stories.
Not that 29 is really that “old” LOL. But still, this dude was a bada$$ who got tossed away. I’d like to see him show ’em all up.
GO BELL! GO BUCS!!
January 7th, 2022 at 4:39 pm
Love Sneak but BL won’t let him run.
January 7th, 2022 at 4:51 pm
Vaughn has that juice that one cut burst, literally can run us to the championship
January 7th, 2022 at 4:55 pm
Vaughn was an ABSOLUTE STUD at Vanderbilt.
He gashed Florida, Alabama, and other top SEC Defenses, many of which now have players in the NFL.
Yet he was MASSIVELY productive at Vanderbilt behind a terrible O-Line and a team with almost ZERO passing game.
He has nothing but *HUGE UPSIDE* potential.
January 7th, 2022 at 5:12 pm
Not a big fan of most of the JBF nicknames but The Licht House is perfection
January 7th, 2022 at 5:35 pm
From your lips (keyboard) to God’s ears, Joe.
January 7th, 2022 at 6:11 pm
Please Bucs win the SB. Otherwise AB will say they lost due the lack of him
January 7th, 2022 at 6:41 pm
This kid Vaughn could average 6 upcoming if he keeps his legs moving at point of contact… noticed that on a few runs. Other wise he will do just fine!
January 7th, 2022 at 6:46 pm
Swampbuc Says:
January 7th, 2022 at 3:43 pm
Yeah Daryl, Jones is a waste. Fortunately BA disagrees with you.
Dude the video you linked to was Jones in the backfield. He was not spread wide like Daryl suggested was a wasted play.
I do not think anything from the video contradicted any of Daryl’s opinion that:
Vaughn has better vision.
That Jones has lousy vision.
Or that Jones is successful when spread wide.
January 7th, 2022 at 6:51 pm
I would have cut Vaughn a long time ago. Until lately, he has shown nothing. But he has looked very good at times, I must admit.
January 7th, 2022 at 7:33 pm
Point about Jones is, he can make plays as a receiver. He was wide against the Jets and caught a very dangerous pass, made a tough catch for about three yards. He’s not LVB or Lenny or even KV but he can do it. They just need more opps. Sadly Rojo won’t get any more reps until the playoffs.
January 7th, 2022 at 9:26 pm
KeShawn Vaughn was the victim of bad stats. The fewer number of entries the worse the information.
Vaughn got such little opportunity last year that his one fumble looked bad. Ironically he has the same number of carries so far this year as he had last year.
IE the EXACT same amount of work for 16 games two seasons in a row.
26 carries on which he gained 109 yards last year and has improved to 151 yards this year, but he had that 55 yard run this year…longest last year was 19.
Passing and his hands are the major area of question with little stats to judge.
Last year he was targeted ten times for 5 receptions and a 50% catch % this year it’s even worse…6 targets two catches 33% catch %.
Again conceding that Vaughn’s stat base is absurdly small..perhaps he “can” improve…but to put those numbers into perspective.
Leveon Bell has a career 79.4% catch % lifetime…and Playoff Lennie has better hands than I realized…not far behind Bell at 78.4% career catch %.
Even ROJO has a 73% catch %. In 2020 ROJO only caught 66% of his passes which is when he earned the rep of suspect hands.
January 7th, 2022 at 9:28 pm
I like how you mentioned that the smartest teams will have the advantage. My cousin who is a big NFL fan asked if I have any idea where he can find NFL free agents for the year 20222. Thanks to this informative article, I’ll be sure to tell him that he can check the NFL trade rumors website as he can see all the free agents there.
January 7th, 2022 at 9:50 pm
Off topic but it may be joes midnight report
AB going after brady and teammates now
What an absolute bum
He laughed at brady letting him stay with him
You know the guy that gave him a chance to make more millions after he was banished.
And i was wrong when i said maybe we should have used kid gloves until next year.
Baker act that dude. And dont give me this where he grew up crap. Look at mike evans. His story and what he went thru is pure legend. Pure class
January 7th, 2022 at 10:55 pm
Vaughn is averaging 5.8 yards per carry with 26 carries this season.
I will also be interested in seeing how Bell and Barner are used this week.
January 7th, 2022 at 11:37 pm
Run Vaughns legs off and see what we got for the playoffs and next year.
January 8th, 2022 at 9:25 am
@JimmyJack,
I caught that blitz pick-up by Vaughn also. That was a brutal collision and the kid got creamed, but he did his job and kept the blitzer off of Brady. I was very impressed!
GO BUCS!!
January 8th, 2022 at 12:56 pm
He’s a good back – some guys just take a little bit of time, he played at Vanderbilt where each game didn’t exactly mean very much.
To go to the Bucs with Tom Brady on the team is quite the jump.
I like the way he’s grown and learned.
I think he’s our starter next year, and that we will draft another back. I don’t see us making Fournette or Rojo a priority because of some brutal decisions coming in the offseason, I see Bernard being more of a priority than them because he will be cheaper.
They’re not going to dole out cash at the running back position – they’re going to focus on the defense, offensive line, and Godwin.
January 8th, 2022 at 1:20 pm
This guy used to bust out a lot of long TD runs in college for lowly Vanderbilt in the SEC. No reason he can’t do that in the pros as he has already shown.