Driving The “Rolls-Royce”
April 16th, 2018
“NFL power.”
Brian Baldinger seems smitten with a PAC-12 running back.
In this case, that would be Royce Freeman of Oregon.
Baldinger, a former NFL offensive lineman and current analyst for NFL Network, is breaking down various draftable running backs on his Twitter feed and Baldinger believes Freeman has “NFL power.” In the clips Baldinger displays of Freeman, he looks to Joe like a Doug Martin with vision.
At the combine this past winter in Indianapolis, Joe asked Freeman why he thought he could succeed on the NFL level. He replied with a comment that had to make Bucs coach Dirk Koetter smile.
“I think I’m very versatile,” Freeman said. “I bring a lot of things to the table especially around 230 [pounds]. I can pass pro. I run to the football really hard and catch out of the back field.”
Pass pro — we all know how much Koetter values that trait.
.@oregonfootball @rolls_royce21 is a powerful instinctive runner that has 4 years of big production to back it up. Thick in all the right places. Time to start talking about the ROLLS. #BaldyBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/ZJzs4KBDQp
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) April 15, 2018
.@oregonfootball @rolls_royce21 has a ton of production in 4 years of starting . Built for NFL power football and with 60 TD’s has a nose for the end zone. #BaldyBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/2eYnohDECs
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) April 15, 2018
$20 all-you-can-eat buffet kicks off at 6 p.m. and runs all night long. Be there!!
April 16th, 2018 at 12:06 pm
As I’ve said before..I am cracking the whip on the Nick Chubb bandwagon …as Ronde makes the announcement
April 16th, 2018 at 12:08 pm
Those two clips were huge, well blocked holes. He may have great vision but those plays go to the offensive line.
April 16th, 2018 at 12:09 pm
Royce Freeman be a good player to draft in the 5th round if he lasts that long. Hopefully he would be the 2nd RB the Bucs draft this year and not the 1st though…
April 16th, 2018 at 12:10 pm
“might” be
April 16th, 2018 at 12:16 pm
Oh yes!
April 16th, 2018 at 12:17 pm
Speaking for Pablo
“Pablo doesn’t drive a “Rolls Royce”…….but Pablo drove a 1957 Chevy….Pablo’s finally cleaned out Pablo’s Chevy it had several old broken condoms on the back floorboard. Now Pablo knows how he had so many, many many Childrens”
April 16th, 2018 at 12:27 pm
The Bucs will definitely come out of this draft with a starting RB some many to pick from.. also the more I read on this Ryan Green from FSU the more he should be a pudfa for them..
April 16th, 2018 at 12:32 pm
Just curious here Joe, aside from any evaluation I have to give on Freeman, at the 0:29 second mark of the first clip, since Freeman lowers his head before initiating contact, would this be considered an illegal play under the language of the new rule change?
Just seems to me like this new penalty is going to do much more harm than good regarding the pace of the game, and will introduce more controversial officiating than we’ve ever seen before.
April 16th, 2018 at 12:33 pm
Now that I know we need a right tackle running back is no longer a priority. We should just grab a few decent free agents after preseason cuts are made. We need both a guard and a right tackle out of this draft. We only have 2 picks within the first three rounds. We also need safety and cornerbacks. We desperately need to move down and gather as many top 100 picks as possible. I am very disappointed in GM Jason Licht. How long has he known about RT Dotson’s knee injury? Yet he has done absolutely nothing during free agency to address it. I am starting to wonder about Jason Licht’s abilities.
April 16th, 2018 at 12:41 pm
this class is deep with good quality RB’s……if jensen and marpet can open up run lanes like that i’ll say no to barkely at 7……
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!…..GO BUCS!!!!!!
April 16th, 2018 at 12:43 pm
Freeman > Penny
April 16th, 2018 at 12:46 pm
Royce Freeman shouldn’t be a sleeper. He is a huge reason why marriota had success in his Heisman campaign. Freeman was just too good in college and looks like a top 5 running back
April 16th, 2018 at 12:48 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMTw9biilIs
Penny > Freeman
April 16th, 2018 at 1:07 pm
**************
CJ Anderson just got cut by the Broncos … he and Adrian Peterson will both probably be signed AFTER the draft.
The above said, if we waited till the 5th or 6th to take a Marc Walton or Bo Scarborough and just added a vet like A.D. or C.J., we’d be good to go withsay: A.P./Barber/Walton/Quizz … this would allow us to draft a new RT earlier if need be.
I still think Saquon is there at #7 though and we draft him …and I’d still be thrilled with Nick Chubb in the 2nd round … but if Licht goes Quenton Nelson in the 1st and drafts a tackle like Orlando Brown in the 2nd, we can still get a decent rookie RB later and add a vet like Peterson or Anderson after the draft.
****************
April 16th, 2018 at 1:54 pm
Man, hate to beat a dead horse, but that kicker pick screwed then pooch, it’ll be bad enough even if he was still on the team, but to be a 1 year bust destroyed the good momentum Licht had going, plus using 2 valuable picks that could be 2 year starters by now just to get a 2nd round kicker, no idea how he kept his job, or ever gets another GM job, first interview question is what were you thinking drafting a kicker in the 2nd
April 16th, 2018 at 2:00 pm
As far as this article, it’s looking highly likely if the top 3 are taken and no trade down options are available, don’t be surprised the top rated OT is our pick, that’s more valuable than a safety or cornerback only because this is a deep safety and cornerback draft, we can draft the top 2nd round CB, then 4,5,6,6,7 picks take 2 safeties and 2 RBs hoping 1 each hit
April 16th, 2018 at 2:06 pm
No big 3 or trade down available mock
1st OT Mike McGlichey top rated OT in draft
2nd CB Oliver/Alexander/Hughes
miss out on top 5 RBs
4th RB Kerryon Johnson/Freeman maybe Penny drops this far
5th RB Mark Walton
6th BPA in secondary
6th BPA in secondary
7th bpa
April 16th, 2018 at 2:09 pm
What’s more valuable for the Bucs the top safety or top OT when trying to build your team, build the trenches first
April 16th, 2018 at 2:11 pm
BPA..long term starter….repeat…repeat..repeat…it will sort itself out over time….assuming you have a QB….
April 16th, 2018 at 2:16 pm
Guzzie
“Man, hate to beat a dead horse,” THEN DON’T. It IS a very dead horse.
He took a bonus pick he had traded to get. The player was one of the 40%
you do get that right Guzzie….no matter WHO Licht selected there was a 40% chance it would be a failure.
If we must live in the past and whine over spilt milk…just run down all those DE’s who busted. Nobody whines about them because they were DE’s not kickers.
A bust is a bust is a bust!
April 16th, 2018 at 2:32 pm
you know whats worse then beating that dead horse? defending the idea of that pick. It was so incredibly dumb that I fully expected it to be whined about for a solid 5 years…
April 16th, 2018 at 2:38 pm
Just read an ESPN mock trade that has speculated an Arizona & Bucs deal swapping picks 7 & 15 and The Cards sending us RB D. Johnson. We could stay there and have much better value in taking Will Hernandez and our running and entire offense has an extremely balanced attack and keeping the defense rested and probably never playing from behind. Could also trade down again (finding a partner obviously) and still getting Hernandez/Wynn and Mcglinchey to replace or backup/train under Big Dot. Thoughts?
April 16th, 2018 at 2:43 pm
@joe, suddenly & for no reason I’m in moderation? Have never said a hateful or inflammatory remark on the boards. Don’t understand!
April 16th, 2018 at 2:50 pm
Then that makes you a whiner eh Pepsi.
Meanwhile when I resort to whining it has most often been about Doug Martin the Turtle Hamster.
This guy is nothing but a bigger Dougie. No breaking open games with that lack of speed. Haven’t we seen this before? I’ve seen enough.
Barkley runs like lightning…so he’ll be gone…but Guice also runs a sub 4.5..only other major back and he run hard. I want Barkley or Guice.
We have a pounder in Barber if they went with a an explosive smaller guy like the kid from NC State in the plans of two complementary backs in tandem or rotation. Worked pretty well with Alstott and Dunn. Carolina always seems to have a couple of good backs as well.
April 16th, 2018 at 2:52 pm
pepsi…..5 years at least, or until Licht is gone
April 16th, 2018 at 2:53 pm
CJ Anderson is going to be released….not sure what it would take to get him but he’s been productive. If we just traded a 7th rd pick for a proven starter, still young and under contract, that seems to check a box for us.
April 16th, 2018 at 2:54 pm
Penny ran 4.46 every Bucs fan is praying for either Barkley or a trade down
April 16th, 2018 at 3:05 pm
OR maybe he knew about Dotson’s knee and knew that it wasn’t a big deal…. but that wouldn’t fit your narrative.
April 16th, 2018 at 3:27 pm
Does anyone know who was selected with the picks we traded up to get Aguayo with?
April 16th, 2018 at 3:36 pm
@First Down Tampa Bay
Two nobodies at Corner, KeiVarae Russell and Eric Murray. Trading up wasn’t the problem. It was only the fact that we traded for a shaky Kicker.
If Licht had used that #59 overall pick to select DE Yannick Ngakoue or Safety Vonn Bell it would have been a genius move.
Alas in reality it was a certifiably non-genius move.
April 16th, 2018 at 3:41 pm
No idea. The NFL has yet to define what the new rule is.
Very good question, though!
April 16th, 2018 at 3:43 pm
Blake
Thanks. At least no one stellar was drafted, that would have just made it sting even more.
April 16th, 2018 at 3:44 pm
I want to see what he can do when he has to break 3 tackles just to get back to the LOS like Martin was having to do all of last year.
April 16th, 2018 at 3:47 pm
This guy will an average back in the NFL
….he pretty much had huge holes to run through without really making any cutbacks……
You will not get huge holes in the NFL…
His agility is average with pretty much no elusiveness……
If he goes any higher than a 5th round pick…..I’d be very suprised
April 16th, 2018 at 4:43 pm
Am I supposed to be impressed? You could drive a truck sideways through those holes. Even McNichols could have handled that..well….nm
April 16th, 2018 at 5:53 pm
@ celly – I gave Licht a C for his drafts even though he pulled the biggest bonehead move in recent Bucs history by drafting a freaking worthless kicker in the second round when we needed help at every other position.
Dotson will not be fully ready by preseason. He is already a below average tackle. I have zero faith in Sweezy or Evans at guard. Winston has already spent time on IR. Licht is looking pretty bad in my option.
April 16th, 2018 at 6:13 pm
*opinion
April 17th, 2018 at 7:11 am
Draft Nelson at 7 and have a road grading type of O-Line for next 5 years. Joe could gain yardage behind our line if we draft Nelson. If Nelson is gone , Fitzpatrick is a mighty fine ballplayer that has been in the Pros for years at Bama.
April 17th, 2018 at 7:50 am
Dotson may take as long as Sweezy to heal. Yet another position to be filled.