Shorts & Shells, Fumbles & Injuries
August 16th, 2018
Mike Evans looks in midseason form
Your Bucs were back at it today against the Tennessee Titans in shorts and “shells,” aka upper body pads, for a joint practice in Nashville, a lighter tuneup before Saturday’s preseason game.
Caleb Benenoch left practice injured and Dirk Koetter didn’t offer details but didn’t seem too concerned. But this comes off the heels of Benenoch getting injured earlier in camp — no details because the Bucs weren’t compelled to share — and then returning as a backup right guard in the preseason opener.
As Joe referenced in yesterday’s detailed practice notes from Nashville, Benenoch just doesn’t seem to be the same player since that initial injury this month, whatever it was.
Today, Titans reporters and Dan Lucas of WFLA-TV Ch. 8 shared on social media that they saw rookie RB Ronald Jones cough up the rock — running and catching. This is a huge red flag for Jones as it relates to earning the coaching staff’s trust, aka carries, in Week 1. Jones fumbled on his first carry in pads this summer and had a bad drop in the preseason opener.
Joe’s got more from the Bucs’ visit to Tennessee to share later.
August 16th, 2018 at 3:50 pm
Id really like to see Shaun Wilson get some of these carries.
Performance not draft status….lets see if its just coach speak.
August 16th, 2018 at 3:52 pm
Not the best way to start your rookie campaign there Rojo!
The football is your friend! It can be overcome. The human fumbling machine Tiki Barber fixed his issues. We need a legit rushing attack.
August 16th, 2018 at 3:53 pm
I’m not worried about the drop Jones had, he was no where near the 1st down and was going to get LIT up, I honestly believe it was smart to avoid that contact. The fumbles are troubling to hear about but he never fumbled in his preseason debut. I’m going to chalk it up to good competition and getting used to the speed of the game.
August 16th, 2018 at 3:53 pm
I think that Ronald pick was bad I hope im wrong
August 16th, 2018 at 3:54 pm
Joe Says:
August 12th, 2018 at 2:40 pm
Still have no yet seen Shaun Wilson play…he can catch and run.
How would you know?
August 16th, 2018 at 3:54 pm
Growing concern on the Ronald Jones front. Haven’t heard much good spoken about him this summer… very concerning.
August 16th, 2018 at 3:59 pm
Let’s see more Shaun Wilson. Didn’t play last week cause hurt.
Small guy but could be perfect scat back to mix with barber as ROJO slowly learns how to be a pro Sounds like Shaun Wilson is best of all running backs at picking up blitzing and pass coverage
August 16th, 2018 at 4:01 pm
ROJO has zero MOJO so far.
All we here are fumbles / drops / not knowing play book and missing assignments
I know they had big plans for him but they may have to wait
August 16th, 2018 at 4:04 pm
Where did you hear he didn’t know the playbook?
That was last year!!
August 16th, 2018 at 4:14 pm
I just hope he can get some space on at least 1 play in this next preseason game since he was hit at or behind the LOS on all but 2 carries week 1 (the TD run and a 6 yard run)
Fumbles aren’t good either.. but he only had 2 fumbles (1 that was an actual turnover) in 591 collegiate rushes.
August 16th, 2018 at 4:45 pm
hey cornielus, WHO CARES! this ain’t college
August 16th, 2018 at 4:48 pm
It is disheartening to read about the fumbles. Yes, I’ll add the prerequisite “he’s a rookie” or “it’s early” comment but did guys like Dalvin Cook or Kareem Hunt have fumbling problems in their rookie year? What about Leonard Fournette? My point is that second round picks for the RB position, especially picked so early in the second round, is supposed to be an immediate impact player. What I have been reading in camp doesn’t sound like he will be an immediate impact player.
August 16th, 2018 at 4:51 pm
@Billy
There were several observations made and reported throughout camp that insinuates he may not be fully comfortable with the playbook at this point. That’s not really a huge deal for me at this point because based on history most rookie RB’s have a tough time getting on the field under Koetter whether it’s his trust in them or the complexity of his system or other factors it seems to be a trend.
Anyway I’m not all that concerned about that this season but what I am concerned about is the current group of RB’s as a whole. I’m really really hoping that Licht will bring in another guy to work along with Barber and Jones in the backfield. I can’t see going into the season with Rodgers and Sims both as the backups. If Jones or Barber goes down the Bucs may be worse off than last season.
August 16th, 2018 at 4:52 pm
And he only lost 1 of the 2 fumbles 591 carriesar usc. He will be fine.
Billy-They just make crap up nobody has reported it.
That’s a cute indoor facility Tenn. do you’ll inflate that with a pump?
August 16th, 2018 at 4:54 pm
its concerning no doubt but I had a feeling barber and sims would get the lions share of carries anyway until rojo proves himself…..we know how dirk is….he aint change….he barely played d.freeman…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
August 16th, 2018 at 4:59 pm
The curse of Lord Cornelius…
First he makes his wife get him a jersey of Nowhere Spence and now this year a jersey of our 199lber
“Dont blame your lovely wife because of the Yucs!”
Kobe Faker
August 16th, 2018 at 5:02 pm
Please show us waterboy. That’s some weak tea you’re serving without receipts.
We will see Shawn Wilson this 2nd game. I bet he and Jones get the bulk of the carries. Wilson will make this team I think the question is who get cut between Simms and Quizzy.
August 16th, 2018 at 5:10 pm
You can’t really make much out of what we’ve seen so far from Rojo……a dropped pass….a fumble or two in practice….be patient and lets see how he develops….
August 16th, 2018 at 5:38 pm
At least hes not hurt like almost every other rookie RBS from this year’s draft
August 16th, 2018 at 5:42 pm
“I really like the way Jon Robinson is building this team. wouldnt surprise me if this team goes to the superbowl. the AFC is weak.
Last year he signs free agent corner Logan
drafts first round Adore Jackson…
and then pays for Malcolm Bulter this year
Jon has the same philosophy as Kobe Faker building a team.
Get players that fit your scheme because the more talented the roster, the most of the time that team will win
and we have a 39 year old off coverage corner we had to triple his pay compared to any other 31 team,
so we can line him up as a starter (The Pats would have given Grimes a vet minimum contract TO COMPETE at the Pats training camp)
“This is not how you build a successful winning NFLteam”
Kobe Faker
August 16th, 2018 at 5:45 pm
Fumble issues are easy to fix. Make Rojo carry the ball everywhere he goes, and other players constantly try to smack it out of his hands. Some of the best RBs had to do it that way.
Bite the football.
August 16th, 2018 at 5:58 pm
^^^^^^^^^^^
August 16th, 2018 at 6:04 pm
I said it then and I say it again, we should’ve drafted Kerryon Johnson. Hopefully RJ doesn’t bust.
August 16th, 2018 at 7:28 pm
Rojo is smaaaaaall he has weight but he’s slightly built if that makes sense. To compare… Barkley’s calf is as big and Rojos thigh.
He knows this and it’s painfully obvious he doesn’t want to be catching balls over the middle of the field all that much.
August 16th, 2018 at 7:31 pm
Have heard a lot about his fumbles but nothing about his touchdown catch from Winston today.
August 16th, 2018 at 7:40 pm
sounds like another great pic, undersized back that fumbles, no need to worry.
August 16th, 2018 at 9:17 pm
what you do is make a football out of iron cover in leather and make him carry it during practice. Make him do 5000 thousand arm curls a week sand if that don’t work on game day just make it look like he m-bated an elephant!
August 16th, 2018 at 10:41 pm
Billy, you Just have to ignore ignorant statement like Bird saying he doesn’t know the playbook. ROJO definitely isn’t getting rave reviews but some of these poster just make sht up as they go.
August 16th, 2018 at 11:12 pm
jones with a td pass from Winston ,joe did not see that.
August 16th, 2018 at 11:36 pm
I’ve never seen so much negative press on rookie players before they even play a regular season game. So he’s fumbled once, dropped a pass in preseason, and supposedly fumbled in a joint practice that really can’t be confirmed, and some people are basically calling him a bust already. Jameis Winston had 26 turnovers in 13 games (11 int’s, 15 fumbles) last year and he’s not being called a bust. Maybe other names but people see future growth. When RoJo’s first run for a 50+ yard TD happens you naysayers will slither away. But hey, let’s just crush his ego and kill any semblance of confidence he may have had. I think the biggest problem with our losing streak should be accredited to our fan base. A fan base that’s ready to run a player or a coach based on what sport reporters say. Why did they fire Gruden? Because the loud squeaky wheel fans out screamed the level headed fans. Same thing with Dungy. Same thing with Wyche. Same thing with Morris. Same thing with Schiano. We just never give regimes a chance to build a legacy. One bad season and the lynching mob comes out.
August 17th, 2018 at 5:13 am
In today’s NFL it has evolved to running backs WITH speed who CAN catch….ala David Johnson, Alvin Kamara, etc. Virtually a wide receiver at running back. The knock on Jones was that he couldn’t catch….and we are seeing that play out. Though, the fumbling surprises me as he did not fumble that much in college, I believe……………….