The PFF Tribe Is Not Fond Of Bucky Irving
May 14th, 2026
Still ticking.
Time to have a little fun in the dark of the night!
And speaking of the dark, “IT’S ALIVE!”
Joe had given up the PFF tribe for dead. A stats company bought out Cris Collinsworth’s outfit this winter but told Collinsworth he could keep his dumbass grades and the website. As a result, Collinsworth had a bloodletting, laying out/off much of the Pro Football Focus staff.
For weeks after the sale, little to no copy was posted on the site. But in the wake of the draft, the PFF tribe has demonstrated it has a pulse.
The tribe posted its ratings on all Bucs players. And the tribe believes, as Joe believes, the Bucs signed Kenneth Gainwell for a reason. And it wasn’t just to play special teams.
The tribe believes Gainwell is a starting running back in the league. Bucky Irving? Not so much. He is the Tribe’s No. 44 running back in the league.
Look, Joe’s not going there, though Bucky’s numbers were really bad. He had one of the worst successful run rates in the league last year and his yards-per-carry were dreadful. But Joe is thinking three things boxed in Bucky.
First, former Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard didn’t know how to scheme up a good run game. The Bucs’ run game, beginning in the preseason and throughout the regular season, looked a whole lot like the slop Bryon Leftwich tried to throw onto the field after he lost his crutch, Bucco Bruce Arians, in 2022.
Then there was how the offensive line was ravaged by injuries. It would have made Jim Brown sweat to run behind the two guards the Bucs used late in the season,
And third, as Joe likes to say, other teams’ coaches get paid, too. After Bucky’s great rookie season, defensive coordinators were working all offseason a year ago to gameplan ways to stop him.
Add the three elements up, no wonder Bucky had a rotten year.
Joe’s bullish on Bucky this fall. The talent that made Bucky a star rookie didn’t vanish overnight.
May 14th, 2026 at 6:17 am
Who’s Kenneth Greenwell
May 14th, 2026 at 6:19 am
Chicken and the egg, did Coen make Bucky, did the 2024 OL make Bucky, we shall see
May 14th, 2026 at 6:21 am
Who the heck is Kenneth Greenwell?
Kenneth Gainwell, on the other hand, is a really good back and I said the second the Bucs signed him that he would be taking over as the #1 RB.
You don’t pay a backup RB $7 million a year. At least the Bucs don’t.
You can tell from Robinson’s comments that they worry about Buck’s durability and that he will not get as many carries as he was getting last year.
May 14th, 2026 at 7:34 am
Grizzard was trying to apply Bucky in his offense as if he were Gale Sayers and like we didn’t have two other RBs that could legitimately help prop our run game.
I’d add the injuries as 4th Joe, and I’d even point at Bucky returning from the injury to be overused some more showed just how green Grizzard was.
OL injuries in mind, Sean Tucker still found a way to have a day he’d otherwise wouldn’t have even with Coen, because even after the Saints game in ’24 he too shrugged his shoulders when asked how to get Tucker more touches.
Robinson has some history juggling the personnel in the backfield. We don’t have a Bijan Robinson, but that should make the juggling a little more important with what we do have in the RB room.
Joe, is there even a known timeline to expect Bucky back this offseason? I saw him in the short video the team put out welcoming Bain & Scott to the locker room a few days ago, didn’t see a sling.
May 14th, 2026 at 8:14 am
Bucky Irving plain sucked last season
And he should have been benched earlier in the season
Against Miami when he completely lost his mind
9 carries 19 yards
5 receptions 14 yards
This is PATHETIC
May 14th, 2026 at 8:18 am
The trenches are what make a great NFL team. The ‘Bucs had neither last season. Fix both lines and dominate the entire field! Everyone remembers the greatest show on turf, but no one remembers how great both the offensive and defensive lines were.
May 14th, 2026 at 9:13 am
Iit appears jury is out on Bucky. We do know this, the Guard play last year was plain awful period. White for whatever reason was the Bucs best back and ran pretty well with those awful Guards, Bucky didn’t. White was not rewarded and his touches did not increase Bucky’s did and the results were poor. So the fact that White ran well and Bucky did not does not bode well for Bucky even with the bad o line. Does Bucky improve this year, that remains to be seen. Right now Gainwell appears to be an up grade over White and they paid him like it. Given the money they paid him he will be given significant opportunities to be the lead back.
The Bucs may have a bit of a question mark about Bucky as it appears they should.
May 14th, 2026 at 9:44 am
Joe in the past : PFF is garbage, idiots, nothing they say matters.
Joe today: agrees with PFF evaluations
May 14th, 2026 at 9:49 am
I would add Bucky’s injuries to the list of reasons for his disappointing season.
May 14th, 2026 at 9:56 am
What was wrong with those 3rd string guards last year? Munch says they were as good as T Bowles defense. Munch and the marching band boys say the problem all along has been Baker Mayfield. Baker will sign massive contract in 2027 with Pittsburgh after a spectacular 2026, and Munch gets Shedeur Sanders.
May 14th, 2026 at 10:10 am
Lol Kenny Gainwell. Really good RB who 2 teams didn’t want and then catches a million check downs from Rodgers and he’s all of a sudden good. Stfu
May 14th, 2026 at 10:53 am
“You don’t pay a backup RB $7 million a year.”
Ummmm, yes you do. I thought they way overpaid to begin with, BUT that is definitely backup money. As far as Bucky goes… Running Backs get OLD in a hurry, and it can literally be overnight. And, let’s remember he was a 4h-Round PICK. It’s not like he was some FREAK who was ever super ‘explosive’ in the first place.
May 14th, 2026 at 11:00 am
Two words stand out Doug Martin
May 14th, 2026 at 11:05 am
Joe was told Bucky will be fine.
May 14th, 2026 at 11:07 am
Joe referenced the tribe’s “rankings,” not the dumbass grades. The only time Joe will ever reference the tribe’s dumbass grades is to mock them.
Joe is seriously waiting for a player’s agent to sue the tribe for those idiotic things.
May 14th, 2026 at 11:08 am
Let it not be misconstrued that I do not disapprove, thank you.
May 14th, 2026 at 11:14 am
@ Gipper – it’s really amazing how freely you have allowed Rod Munch to live inside of YOUR head. Literally, he has not even commented on this thread. So, it’s VERY weird. HE ALONE is probably responsible for well over 80% of your total comments (but is living in ?). That is SAD, Man. I can picture it… No matter what you do. You’re doing stuff around the house… You are driving in your car… You are walking around the isles at the grocery store… Lying on the couch at the psychiatrist office… And, you are just STEAMING. All. Day. Long… EVEN, in your dreams. It is “Rod Munch” – “ROD MUNCH” 24/7/365. Rent Free. It is a freaking tv-sitcom or cartoon. He’s like a ghost who always HAUNTS YOU.
May 14th, 2026 at 11:25 am
Joe Says: “Joe is seriously waiting for a player’s agent to sue the tribe for those idiotic things.”
That’s actually a great thought! Hmmmm… I’ve never thought about that before, but if they could prove-it… Why Not!?
May 14th, 2026 at 11:47 am
Joe/Melvin jr ⬆️ sue them for what? That’s an idiotic comment. Joe has said before no one in the nfl takes those grades seriously so how would publishing their grades ( PFFs opinions) harm anybody? Obvious you guys don’t have a legal background.
May 14th, 2026 at 11:50 am
“Joe referenced the tribe’s “rankings,” not the dumbass grades. The only time Joe will ever reference the tribe’s dumbass grades”
Don’t you think their grades shape their rankings??? lol. Cmon Joe, weak response.
May 14th, 2026 at 11:53 am
I still think, when we had a bunch of of offensive guys down to injury, Grizzard needed to live in the Pony Package.
Bucky and White or White and Tucker.
Misdirection, RPOs, play action screens.
We had a fair number of successful runs outta that formation. Hope to see more of it.
May 14th, 2026 at 12:03 pm
“I can picture it… No matter what you do. You’re doing stuff around the house… You are driving in your car… You are walking around the isles at the grocery store… Lying on the couch at the psychiatrist office… And, you are just STEAMING. All. Day. Long… EVEN, in your dreams. It is “Rod Munch””
LMAOOOOOOOO
May 14th, 2026 at 1:08 pm
@ BigBoiBuc – People will literally sue over ANY-Freaking-THING. You are obviously NOT paying attention. If they could prove that they intentionally had a biased against their client, and we’re manipulating their numbers. They literally show their PFF Grade Rankings right below their picture on LIVE TV in Primetime, when announcing the starting lineups during the very first part of the game. And, I GUARANTEE YOU that EVERY GM, HC, Owners, and FO person is paying attention to those rankings, just the same as we ALL are. It definitely has an effect and can cause specific biases. Especially, when YOU are debating a player, and those numbers just happened to boost YOUR OWN Argument. ? GUARANTEED.
May 14th, 2026 at 1:52 pm
Most people regain full strength and function approximately 6 months after surgery to repair shoulder subluxation. However, recovery sufficient to return to contact sports can take up to 12 months.
Muscle atrophy from weeks of having his arm immobilized is a real thing.
Part of the recovery process will be overcoming the natural inclination to favor the shoulder and try to shield it from full contact….the mental part of the recovery.
Mayfield had a very similar surgery after the 2021 season and didn’t really begin to regain his normal passing mechanics until late in the 2022 season.
I wouldn’t expect to see Irving become effective until later in the season.
May 14th, 2026 at 2:12 pm
Melvin⬆️ ridiculous retort. So should television not show when a QB leads the league in InT’s? Or a WR has drops? Good god. Yea they can sue for anything but “ my clients feelings are hurt because they showed a grade ( opinion)” would get laughed out of court. Not a lawyer huh?
May 14th, 2026 at 2:35 pm
what if Bucky is done already? weird injury bad year mental problems, good thing they got gainwell
May 14th, 2026 at 7:42 pm
Tucker is a better runner of the ball with more explosive speed. I said it. Now what?