Roll Dice With Bobby Rainey?
October 22nd, 2014
The spreadsheeters have a strong opinion
Joe doesn’t think if he suggested the Bucs are a mess, few would argue. The defense is the laughingstock of the league. Blocking is an issue on offense and there is no running game to speak of.
Oh, early in the year, Bobby Rainey ran well, but virtually fumbled his way to the sideline.
Doug Martin really hasn’t done a thing, though he hasn’t turned the ball over.
Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus.com looked at his spreadsheets and seems to imply the Bucs would be better off in the run game with Rainey, and rub that rabbit’s foot raw he doesn’t fumble. Jahnke took a look at the running attacks of every NFL team.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Running back Bobby Rainey has an Elusive Rating of 88.0 which is the best rate in the league.
Joe has never heard of an “elusive rating” and doesn’t quite know what that means but it seems to suggest a positive element.
“Elusive” is just what Martin is not. He can’t run away from tacklers; he can’t make tacklers miss; he cannot bowl over tacklers. He just gets tackled.
It might be smart to start Rainey. It’s not like the Bucs are going to lose a playoff spot if Rainey fumbles.
October 22nd, 2014 at 5:23 am
When we’re doing this poorly, the only won’t answer is the status quo. I say put Herron in the backfield and see how he does. He can’t seem to catch the ball so let’s see his speed coming off a handoff. The only wrong change would be reverting to McCown. We’ve seen enough there
October 22nd, 2014 at 6:21 am
Martin is running like the muscle hummer Michael Pittman
October 22nd, 2014 at 6:28 am
Hey at least Pittman could run thru a would be tackler! It could be worse. We could still have Derrick Ward or Lumpkin back there!
October 22nd, 2014 at 6:30 am
I say see what Mike James can do with a bigger role! was a huge fan of his back when he was at the U. I think him and Bobby Rainey make a nice one 2 punch
October 22nd, 2014 at 6:41 am
I agree. Hopefully we use him.
October 22nd, 2014 at 6:45 am
Found a cool sound bite from the Ravens game!
http://www.nfl.com/videos/tampa-bay-buccaneers/0ap2000000046822/Films-Encore-John-McKay-wired
or at least one that would give the exact same impression lol!
October 22nd, 2014 at 6:45 am
“Joe doesn’t think if he suggested the Bucs are a mess, few would argue. ”
Double negative.
Truthfully, in my opinion, I don’t think it matters which RB is in. The offensive line would blow it anyway. The only reason Rainey got any yards is because he was so elusive that it made the oline look good.
That’s why, when people were saying the oline was getting better, I was saying they really were not. They didn’t open lanes for him. He met tacklers almost immediately every time. He was just so agile that he broke the tackles and got extra yards.
Another example of fans thinking they were so right (about the oline) and mocking the naysayer, even though he was right.
Remember this: It doesn’t matter which RB or QB is in the game. The offensive line just isn’t good enough. Yes, you might see a good game for one against a weak opponent, and as usual fans will talk about the oline improving. But then it will suck the rest of the time.
The most important word in football…
CONSISTENCY
October 22nd, 2014 at 6:51 am
Just throwing it out for discussion, Ray rice may be reinstated this season. We need an rb badly…..
October 22nd, 2014 at 6:51 am
“Doug Martin really hasn’t done a thing, though he hasn’t turned the ball over.” says Joe…
…not exactly. If a running back is not doing anything then he is contributing to the punt team. No running game – more punts. IMO
October 22nd, 2014 at 7:14 am
@BB – Consistency??? Dude! The Bucs have shown “Consistency.” Does the word BAD remind you of anything?
How about two words:
BALL SECURITY!
October 22nd, 2014 at 7:30 am
So his Pro Bowl rookie season was just a fluke, 2,000yds from scrimmage, really? How bout we give him a decent OL, a real FB that can block & try not to be down by 21 points to start the game, then let’s judge him on that, seems to be working fine in Dallas right?
October 22nd, 2014 at 7:31 am
I’ve seen positive gains and first down gains by Martin this year, though many attempts are met at the line. It’s not like there are open lanes to run through every run play or even on a few plays. If no back is doing the job outside a rare Rainey game, then other factors are hurting the run game. Martin, Rainey and James have shown capable running ability for the Bucs in the past, I don’t think any of them have lost that ability.
October 22nd, 2014 at 7:35 am
I’d rather our RB get 100 yards a TD and one fumble, than 4 yards no td and no fumbles.
4.9 yards per carry and one lost fumble all year compared to 2.9 yards per carry.
No Brainer.
It’s as obvious as the sky is blue, right now, at this moment, Rainey is the better RB
October 22nd, 2014 at 7:35 am
Well said Buccfan37, well said….
October 22nd, 2014 at 7:47 am
Buc’s just signed Mister Alexander. That’s got to be one of the best names in the league. I love it.
October 22nd, 2014 at 7:49 am
Speaking of Dallas. Rainey is getting the same YPC as DeMarco Murray. Imagine what he could do with what most talking heads refer to as the best OL in the entire league.
Meanwhile the company Doug keeps is the immortal Cedric Peerman and Damien Williams.
October 22nd, 2014 at 7:55 am
Seriously guys? Another running back? A backfield combination of Barry Sanders & Walter Payton couldn’t run with this line! It would be different if there were holes opening up and they were too slow to hit them, but that’s not the case. How many times have you seen even the slightest crease to run through? These RB’s are getting hit in the backfield before they even get the chance to make someone miss. Its sad!
October 22nd, 2014 at 8:06 am
Everyone has forgotten what a successful offensive line can do for doug. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtmCYaQlNLY I remember everyone complaining about GMC’s injuries and being a bust, that died like a fart in the wind. Give doug a break, he is still that guy.
October 22nd, 2014 at 8:20 am
Our backs are getting swamped as soon as they get the ball. There has been zero push from the oline. A good OC could counter this with screens and a short passing game, but Yoyo cant figure that out. We get the same run on first, run on second, and then a 5 step drop to throw on 3rd and 12 every time. Its very worrisome how predictable our O has become.
October 22nd, 2014 at 8:27 am
Offense play calling has to improve before anything else will improve in the running game.
Screen pass – rare
swing pass – rare
play action-rare
etc etc
1st down run up the middle – constant call
Defenses don’t have to guess whats going on with our play calling.
They watch the films (actually any single film will prob do) and know how to stop it.
Offense 101 is not going to do much in this league.
Line blocking 101 isn’t helping the situation
1st thing-Move Arroyo upstairs to get a better view of whats happening so as to be able to make adjustments better and also to get some people out of his face (McCown) and looking over his shoulder (Smith).
Turn him loose instead of all this conservative stuff and see if we can get some defenses guessing and guessing wrong.
Lets find out if Arroyo really has anything- he just might have if you take off the chains
October 22nd, 2014 at 8:59 am
They don’t feed Martin enough carries.
October 22nd, 2014 at 9:27 am
Not too concerned about Rainey’s fumbling issues because with good coaching, this is an easy fix. In 2004 the Giants Tiki Barber fumbled 9 times, along came a Coughlin n away went the fumbling, problem identified n good coaching. Now, with the salary cap money we’ve had for some time now, other issues could have been resolved if we had coaches and GM’s such as Denver and Indy. We should have been aggressive as the aforementioned teams and grabbed not 5 sacks a year M.Johnson, but proven 10 sacks a season Robert Mathis n 13 sacks a year Demarcus Ware since 2003 and the latter 2005, respectively. Mathis had 19 sacks n 2013. Then we choose unproved rookie punt returner Soloman over veteran Hester. We r our own worst enemy. Also,we had a chance to get the following DE…John Abraham, Jared Allen, Julius Peppers. Even without coaching, each aforementioned DE would have made a difference just being on the field. U wanna compete with the best, then go out n get the best.
October 22nd, 2014 at 9:47 am
doug martin isn’t doing anything but atleast he’s not fumbling. Rainey had ONE good rushing game but 3 games where he fumbled and could have took over the starting job but he cant hold on to the ball. you have to have short term memory loss to watch the bucs play but I still remember rainey fumbling away a winnable game so i’ll go with the first round pick with the higher upside. The Glazers have the fans all concerned about how much a guy makes and Joe included, dude is cheap because he hasn’t exactly outperformed his contract. he has had every opportunity to take the starting job and I don’t think you can lose it because of how much you make. apparently he’s not playing better than martin or he would be starting but then again lovie is contemplating putting josh mccown back in so who knows what that psycho is thinking. I liked lovie much more when he was coaching some other team but no one knows what he is doing probably Jason licht included. eric page was clearly better than Solomon patton so you cut that guy and sign another bum at returner. then you cut a defensive end after bowers gets suspended. this guy has no clue what he’s doing or what talent is
October 22nd, 2014 at 10:01 am
It makes no sense to bench forever someone because they are a fumble risk. If they can’t stop fumbling, then cut them.
They are going to fumble a certain percentage of the time. You have to weigh that against what they contribute. If you play them less, sure, fewer fumbles, but equally fewer yards/touchdowns. If that contribution / fumble ratio is too low, cut them.
October 22nd, 2014 at 10:17 am
Maybe if the putrid defense can prevent teams from scoring 5 TD’s before halftime the Bucs can give their RB’s some more carries? If they hand it off 25-30 times someone is bound to get hot be it Martin, Rainey, Sims, or James. I would think a defensive mastermind coach like Lovie Smith (tee-hee that’s funny) would loathe playing a RB who fumbles even if his YPC is better?
October 22nd, 2014 at 10:40 am
Elusive Rating (RB)
As dependent on their blocking as they are, what are running backs actually creating on their own? The PFF Elusive Rating sifts out their work beyond the help they get. Using the number of missed tackles runners force on all touches (rushing and receiving) and our Yards After Contact tallies, the Elusive Rating formula spits out a score that helps rank the league’s best at making things happen when it’s completely up to them.
https://www.profootballfocus.com/about/pff-signature-stats/#ElusiveRating
October 22nd, 2014 at 11:05 am
No worries! Charles Simms is coming back! Matt Forte 2.0!! Our savior! Simms don’t need no stinking blockers. Blockers are for chumps.
October 22nd, 2014 at 12:04 pm
I have been on the Bobby Rainey bandwagon for a while now. Whatever Doug Martin had in 2012, he obviously used all of it because he is simply not producing. Stats don’t lie, Doug Martin, 48 Carries, 139 Yds, 2.9 Avg, with a long of 19 yds. Now compare that with Bobby Rainey, 54 Carries, 262 Yds, 4.9 Avg, and a long of 31 yds. That average of 4.9 is great, sharing the same stats with RBs like DeMarco Murray and Arian Foster, and is better than household names like Marshawn Lynch. Sure Rainey fumbled the ball a few times, but so did DeMarco Murray, in fact Murray fumbled in four of his first five games. You can teach ball protection, you cannot teach a RB how to run. That takes talent, a God given gift. Doug Martin doesn’t have it now, I think Bobby Rainey just may. I think it time to find out.