“Functional Football Strength”
October 25th, 2018
Former Team Glazer confidant talks Ronald Jones
Who could forget rookie running back Ronald Jones’ historic nightmare rushing the football this preseason. Jones had 28 carries for just 22 yards.
That’s hard to do — and it wasn’t what Team Glazer had in mind when they talked to Ira Kaufman about Jones in May.
Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer was asked about the big-play capability of the No. 38 overall pick.
“It’s something that’s definitely needed and I know Dirk is excited to have him. A player like that will help the entire offense,” Glazer said.
And here we are, Jones is improving, now averaging 2.6 yards per carry in the regular season (on 17 carries), and slowly becoming a threat in the passing game.
With Peyton Barber nursing an injured ankle, Jones could start on Sunday in Cincinnati and get the biggest workload of his young career. So what’s going to take Jones to another level?
Former rockstar Bucs general manager Mark Dominik has a clear opinion. In fact, Dominik mentioned it twice this morning on WDAE-AM 620 radio. Dominik said Jones needs to start showing consistent, “functional football strength.”
Break tackles, push piles, those are example of functional football strength, Dominik explained. The ex-GM said he knows Jones’ speed is real and deadly, but he needs to start displaying the strength the position demands in the NFL.
Hopefully, Barber can play on Sunday. Yesterday, Dirk Koetter reiterated that Barber is the clear No. 1 back. But if Jones is the guy against the Bengals, that “functional football strength” is definitely worth monitoring.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:08 am
strength is correct….too many times I see him fall or get off balanced on first contact. he looks like a safety…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
October 25th, 2018 at 10:16 am
Did we win seems like the Joes are going after everything on the bucs in a negative way IMHO sorry if Im looking at it wrong. Definitely wrong.–Joe
October 25th, 2018 at 10:20 am
Hopefully the number 27 creates a PTSD situation for the Bangles and ROJO goes HUNTING…
Once ROJO figures it out the Secret will be out!!!
October 25th, 2018 at 10:37 am
Yea. Kind of like the functional aptitude Dominik showed when he ran the team. What does he know about functional anything. Shut up Dom. You are another reason the YUCS are behind in development and functional NFL football.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:41 am
It’s easy to get yards
1. Do not run behind the right side of the line
2. If you got a problem with ROJO pass blocking, try screen passes to him
3. Limit Quizz runs, period
4. Off running topic, do we run shuttle passes?
October 25th, 2018 at 10:44 am
This will be a huge tell as to whether this guy belongs in the NFL as a starting RB or is this another in a long line of huge misses by Jason Licht, I am guessing Vontaze Burfict has a welcoming party for the rookie
October 25th, 2018 at 10:46 am
This could be his breakthrough game guys. I have a feeling that once he breaks through it will take this offense to a whole nother dimension.
October 25th, 2018 at 10:50 am
I don’t believe Burfict is going to play
October 25th, 2018 at 10:51 am
His facial features look AMAZINGLY like Karim Hunt. Now if he can just run like that, we will be in GREAT shape! 🙂
October 25th, 2018 at 10:52 am
(Kareem Hunt)
October 25th, 2018 at 11:02 am
He is progressing. He got beyond the line of scrimmage a few times.
October 25th, 2018 at 11:27 am
The upcoming offseason will do wonders for this kid. He doesn’t have the physical body of an NFL back yet. It’ll come. Just not during the year.
October 25th, 2018 at 11:34 am
6 foot 200 pound angular one cut backs don’t normally make it in the NFL.
I posted his bama carries breakdown as that was an nfl defense. By watching that u could see what his pro career would look like.
Google usc Ronald jones vs bama and see the future
October 25th, 2018 at 11:38 am
Please use RoJo on jet sweeps where he gets to use his speed around the corner.
October 25th, 2018 at 11:44 am
Mort, you are right. Kamara put on a few pounds of muscle after college and had a perfect combination of speed and power.
October 25th, 2018 at 11:56 am
B-U-S-T, the experts say, the transition of playing running back, from the college to the pro level is the easiest of any of the skill positions in the game, basically he should be able to find the crease, skinny thru the holes, and get the average YPC as the other average running backs in the league, mind you i said average backs, not superstars, and his yards per carry is abysmal, well under average, look at what the really good backs are doing, not named sequon, and he’s phenomenal, question, how long did it take warrick dunn, to figure it out, sorry this guy imho is a miss, as the old saying goes, i will tolerate you, until i can replace you.
October 25th, 2018 at 12:15 pm
Absolutely NO WAY can anyone label Rojo as a bust yet with the blocking from this O-Line unit.
Coaches haven’t been creative in using him at all.
We have yet to see him make a cut AND have space after.
I’m still thinking he hits his stride in the next 3-4 weeks.
Will he be an ALL-Star, probably not, but who knows
October 25th, 2018 at 12:23 pm
Destin JOhnny, exactrly and he ran scared that game and no clue how licht can draft that guy….to me it seems rojo would do great in KC, Chicago probably New England where they go outside the traditional offense and use misdirection and the RBs on wheel route mismatches and jet sweeps bad pick by licht here in tampa, in a long line of picks that make no sense
October 25th, 2018 at 12:56 pm
“Our 199lber isnt ready and cant play at this NFL level. Has absolutely no skills to hurt NFL defenses…
I think Justin Evans can even tackle him”
Kobe Faker
October 25th, 2018 at 1:05 pm
He was the 38th pick in the 2018 NFL draft
There were 256 players drafted
They passed on 218 players for him
He need to be on the field, tearing it up
If the O-Line suck
They should have drafted an O-Lineman with the 38th pick
October 25th, 2018 at 1:10 pm
Yeah all that and more. Jones needs to bust a gainer for a TD pronto. Right now he is worse than Sims was.
October 25th, 2018 at 1:17 pm
He broke a sh1t load of tackles in college. Go watch the tape. He has the ability. It’s whether he can translate it to confident performances or not and whether we can give him a hole to do something with.
Hell his first run in preseason was a 5 yard run where he broke a tackle on a cut back at the LOS and then gained the 5 yards. Then he was hit 20 times behind the LOS the rest of preseason basically and his confidence went to sh1t.
I’m holding out faith because I’m a fan of the team and the guy has barely been in the league that long. Feel free to talk sh1t tho Kobe for me wanting a guy to succeed. F*ck me for wanting NOah Spence to play well. F*ck me for having hope because a rookie DE got the most pressure of any D-lineman that year so i thought he would be a good player. What a sh1t fan I am.
Also – in the very few snaps Spence played last week; I saw some pressure created and he was a key compenent to one of Nassib’s sack. F*ck me I’m an idiot.
October 25th, 2018 at 1:19 pm
Hard to tell when you run pitch backs and get caught in the backfield on almost every play. Run out of the power I to the left side. Benenoch is a human turnstile. No running back can survive with the Bucs O-line.
October 25th, 2018 at 1:41 pm
https://youtu.be/AVp9FoJ22zo
His bama tape
October 25th, 2018 at 1:52 pm
I watch Barber run and it’s head down and a cloud of dust for a few yards. He’s a relatively slow guy with power. That’s great for goal line carries. Not so much for the other 90 yards. Jones has the ability to bring any carry to the house. Our blocking has been pretty cruddy but give Jones a little time to adjust his vision. I’ve seen a few runs that should have been cut outside and Jones cut the wrong way. Things like that can be improved by experience. I realize that Barber is the safer RB to trot out there but realistically Jones needs to steal more carries per game. The hope is that he steals the job too. That would be the best possible outcome. I’m not at all down on Jones. You people jumping to conclusions after the guy has seen a total of maybe 20 – 30 real NFL snaps is ridiculous.
October 25th, 2018 at 1:56 pm
I still like Dominick. Sure he made mistakes but he’s a smart guy and I’d like to see him back with the Bucs in a managerial role.
October 25th, 2018 at 2:10 pm
“BigMacAttack Says:
October 25th, 2018 at 1:56 pm
I still like Dominick. Sure he made mistakes but he’s a smart guy and I’d like to see him back with the Bucs in a managerial role.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31g0YE61PLQ
October 25th, 2018 at 2:34 pm
Finally Dom is right about something.
LOL.
October 25th, 2018 at 2:34 pm
hahaha LC, that was a good one.
October 25th, 2018 at 3:50 pm
Thanks Joe I’ll be more positive in the future
October 25th, 2018 at 4:49 pm
Another Jason Licht Bust… Running Backs are what they are..
October 25th, 2018 at 6:39 pm
Shoulda gotten Nick Chubb or Kerryon Johnson.
October 25th, 2018 at 6:41 pm
LOL @ LC I concur with UB! Nice one!