TAMPA. Florida – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to turn heads with a flurry of movement – first signing Tom Brady in free agency, then trading to Rob Gronkowski, then signing LeSean McCoy last month and Wednesday, signing Leonard Fournette at a – deal of the year.
How does Fournette fit into the Bucs? What are their plans for using it? What are the fantastic implications of his role? Here are the answers to some of the biggest questions:
What does Fournette add that the other Bucs running backs haven’t done?
The fear of the Fournette team. They make game plans to stop it. That hasn’t been the case for a Bucs running back since Doug Martin. Bucs running backs faced a box loaded on just 21.5 percent of shots last year – the third lowest in the league, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Over the past three seasons, Fournette has seen at least eight defensemen in the box on 255 shots – the second-most in the NFL, behind Derrick Henry. This creates more downline shooting opportunities for Brady.
“I remember when we were planning the game – it was all about him,” said Bucs linebacker Devin White, who played with Fournette at LSU and faced him in the Bucs’ Week 13 game of the season. last. “You have to choose your poison with us. And before it comes [to Tampa Bay], you still had to pick your poison, but i think he’s a harder runner than the guys we have. I think we have more elusive rears, and I feel like he’s more of a downhill runner. You have to respect it in the racing game. “
The other thing about Fournette is that he doesn’t need a big offensive line to block for him. He’s big enough and powerful enough to create his own running lanes and gain yards after contact. Fournette’s 562 rushing yards after first contact last year was the fifth highest in the NFL, and he averaged 2.12 yards per carry after first contact, while Ronald Jones averaged 1.86 and McCoy averaged 1.39. And while the Bucs believe Jones has improved enough with his hands to be a three-way back, he can still be a handicap when it comes to pass protection. He was benched in the second half against the Jaguars last season on a failed blitz mission that led to a sack. The Bucs think Fournette is doing well in this area – he’s a strong willed tackle.
Who is the No. 1 ball carrier? What happens to third-round pick Ke’Shawn Vaughn?
Coach Bruce Arians said Thursday Jones would remain the starter. “It’s his job whether he wins it or loses it,” Arians said. “He already has it, so he’s going to have to screw it up. I don’t see that happening.”
Jones will see the first and second action; McCoy can also take those reps and be the third back. What itches my head is that neither Jones nor McCoy play special teams. Last year’s third fullback Dare Ogunbowale does – he was special teams captain last year. But he’s not as fast as McCoy or as powerful as Fournette.
The backup running backs still get a lot of hits in the Arians attack. After Jones was named a Week 9 starter last season, he had 98 rushes and former starter Peyton Barber had 75 from Weeks 9 to 17. In terms of total offensive shots for the season, Jones got 402, Ogunbowale 343 and Barber 321.
If the Bucs’ running backs are Jones, Fournette, McCoy and Ogunbowale, that would potentially mean losing Vaughn and seventh-round pick Raymond Calais – if they don’t make the waivers and sign to the practice squad. Vaughn and Calais missed the time, not only because there was no off-season schedule: both were on the reserve / COVID-19 list at the start of camp.
The Arians do not rule out keeping five running backs. “Anything is possible,” he says.
“Special team roles affect everything. If there is a fifth fullback that is a basic special team versus a linebacker or a tight end that’s not the case, then yes they will be in the squad but inactive on Sunday. We’ll put it all. together in the next 48 hours. “
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Adam Schefter reports that the Buccaneers have added former Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette for a one-year contract.
Why did the Jaguars cut Fournette?
It depends on who you ask. Jaguars coach Doug Marrone insisted it was strictly a ‘on the pitch’ move, but Fournette worked with the first team attack throughout the camp. ‘training and scrum for the team – although there were concerns about his place in coordinator Jay Gruden. offense.
Problems off the field may have played a role. Fournette has been “convicted on several occasions for being late or not paying attention to meetings,” ESPN’s Mike DiRocco reported. Fournette served a suspension in his rookie season for leaving early on a week off and skipping a team photo, and he was suspended in 2018 for fighting with Buffalo’s Shaq Lawson. The Arians have said, however, that he is not concerned about Fournette’s character.
“The people I trust gave him high marks, high in everything that is close to my heart,” Arians said of Fournette. “I can’t say what’s going on in Jacksonville, but all I can say is, [with] what happens in Tampa, it will fit perfectly.
It’s also hard to watch everything that happened in Jacksonville last year – swapping Jalen Ramsey, AJ Bouye, Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue, besides treating Nick Foles after giving him the most guaranteed money ever. the story of the franchise – and not to think that the problems extend beyond Fournette.
What does this mean for Brady and the offense?
The play-action passing game has been huge in the past for Brady and will be a staple for him at Tampa Bay this year, with a renewed commitment to a balanced run / pass attack that the Bucs escaped last year. . When teams stack the box because of Fournette, it means opposing defenses are less likely to touch or roll cover towards Mike Evans, Chris Godwin or Gronkowski for fear of leaving holes elsewhere. This means the Bucs are less likely to run into the same issues they faced last year with opponents like the Saints, who won out Evans and Godwin and essentially entrenched the vertical passing game.
How quickly can Fournette have an impact?
If Fournette can get through three consecutive days of COVID-19 testing, he could meet with the coaching staff this weekend and receive his playbook, join the team for practice on Tuesday, and play realistically on Sunday at La Nouvelle. -Orléans.
The Bucs have spoken with Fournette’s former coaches and believe he’ll learn fast, but they don’t feel pressured to rush him either – or rush to carve out a role right away because they have Jones and McCoy. Fournette will have opportunities, however. Arians don’t believe in just one back – he loves to share keys – but he will go with a warm hand if there is one.
What is the fantastic impact of Fournette?
With so many new mouths to feed, we have to look to the Arians’ comments as a starting point to project that backfield.
Jones remains the main fantastic asset of this group. While it is safer to project Jones as the main running back in 2020, Fournette appears to be right behind and could overtake Jones at some point this season. Meanwhile, McCoy’s anticipated significant involvement in third check / pass situations (a role he could share with Ogunbowale) is sure to limit Jones and Fournette’s fantasy. Oh, it’s also possible that Vaughn will get a job later in the season.
That being said, Jones is best viewed as a limit flexible option in the 10-team and 12-team leagues. Fournette won’t be an option to start out of the gate, but is worth a spot on the bench in the event he passes Jones on the depth card. McCoy and in particular Ogunbowale and Vaughn (apart from the dynasty) should be waived. – Michael clay
What moves do the Bucs still have to make?
One thing the Bucs have already touched on was the depth of their inside offensive line, especially down the center, which is why they called on AQ Shipley to back Ryan Jensen. So now their only real hole is the depth behind outside linebackers Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul.
The Bucs are hopeful that second-year outside linebacker Anthony Nelson can step in and take over the position Carl Nassib left as a rotating pass passer, but without a preseason it’s hard to say how Nelson has progressed. in this department. The majority of his work last season has come on special teams. In 146 shots on the defense, Nelson produced eight tackles, one forced fumble and one slap pass. But his pass rush success rate was 8.3% versus 18% for Nassib, 24.4% for Barrett and 11.1% for Pierre-Paul.
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