Pivotal Stretch For Peyton Barber
November 10th, 2018
How bout some fun facts on Peyton Barber, the Bucs’ 24-year-old bellcow running back.
He’s one of 19 running backs with more than 100 carries this season across the NFL. Only 10 of those guys have more runs of 20-plus yards than Barber.
A lot of Bucs fans would tell you they yearn for Sony Michel, Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis, or Tevin Coleman and Alvin Kamara, but none of them have three runs of 20-plus yards this season, which is Barber’s total.
Dirk Koetter will tell you Barber needs more carries to thrive. He may or may not be right.
Barber ranks 18th in the NFL with an average of 13 carries per game, within one carry of Saquon Barkley (13.9), Kamara (13.9) and Christian McCaffrey (13.7). Adrian Peterson is at 17 per game, and that ranks fifth in the NFL. Only Todd Gurley gets 20 carries per game.
At 3.6 yards per carry, Barber is near the basement of the workhorse ball carriers.
Of the 19 RBs averaging 13 or more carries per game, only Kenneth Dixon, Jordan Howard and David Johnson have a lower yards per carry average. Barber also ranks dead last in touchdowns (one) among those 19 RBs.
Could you argue Barber was better last season? Yes you could.
The sample size is now effectively the same — 108 carries last season and 104 this year, and Barber had about 50 more yards, two more touchdowns, and more receptions in 2017. Also, Barber has benefited this year from a starting offensive line that has stayed healthy — and he should be benefiting from defenses respecting the Bucs’ aerial attack. But Barber’s numbers are down through half a season.
Joe is very interested to see how Barber performs through the final eight games.
Will he stay healthy? Will his numbers improve as his experience grows? How will he fare in the cold weather games? So far he has yet to fumble in 2018, will that continue?
The Bucs have something pretty good in Barber, who is a restricted free agent after this season. But if he can’t prove to be more than that in November and December, then it’s very likely he’ll be part of the inevitable offseason housecleaning.
November 10th, 2018 at 9:06 pm
I think our best back is, yet again, sitting on the bench. Shaun Wilson has earned more carries.
But again with this coach he prooves that he don’t know his own team and don’t know who is best players are.
November 10th, 2018 at 9:16 pm
Peyton Barber is the 35th ranked RB at Football Outsiders
November 10th, 2018 at 9:34 pm
I yearned for Kareem Hunt in 2017. Can’t tell me he aint better than Barber.
November 10th, 2018 at 9:38 pm
Then again I also yearned for a collective overhaul over our O-line this offseason. And the one before that, and the one before that.
But shoot even if we did have Hunt and an above average O-line we’d still need to score 40 points a game to overcome how rotten our defensive scheme and secondary are.
November 10th, 2018 at 9:40 pm
Maybe if they actually blocked for him more than twice a game. He has good instincts and runs well. Of the five guys on the O line, two are pretty good most of the time, two are average about half of the time, and one sucks all of the time. Needless to say, run blocking is not their specialty.
November 10th, 2018 at 9:45 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1uBMM44K3Q
Can you imagine how good of a draft 2017 would have been if we had come away with O.J. Howard, Kareem Hunt and Chris Godwin in the same class?
Or shoot, how about O.J. Howard, Chidobe Awuzie, Chris Godwin, and James Connor?
How about if Dirk and JL had done what was the right thing to do and just tanked the Saints game last season? Chubb or Nelson would have been right there for the picking.
November 10th, 2018 at 9:46 pm
If Warhop is as good as they say, it sure doesn’t show on game day. Licht still should get the lions share of the blame for his complete inability to field a solid O line.
November 10th, 2018 at 9:56 pm
Two problems here
1. Our offensive line isn’t getting any push
2. Peyton Barber is average at best
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Let’s stop trying to make Barber something he isn’t and that’s an every down dominant back……cause he isn’t.
November 10th, 2018 at 10:18 pm
Thank you, Bucs fans! Peyton Barber is very very average! We need to draft a real running back this year.
November 10th, 2018 at 10:26 pm
Need to have anyone but Caleb benonoch in there. We are basically playing with 4 lineman with him in there. Article about Jensen… well he has a turnstile between him and Dotson
November 10th, 2018 at 10:59 pm
Winning that Saints game was costly for sure. But if they did get that higher spot in the Draft, Jason Licht wouldn’t have had all those extra picks to waste. 😂.
November 10th, 2018 at 11:47 pm
I thought that this offensive line would be a strength for the Bucs this year but it’s not. We’ve put so much money and faith into the line and we are below average. Besides the explosiveness of our passing game, what else is there to celebrate about?
November 11th, 2018 at 12:08 am
The whole organization is SOFT….The Glazer’s signed up for a FO & Coaching Staff committed to playing “Finesse” football…What did they expect to see on SUN’s??? 1985 Bears???
November 11th, 2018 at 12:26 am
@BigMacAttack Please don’t remind me of the win against the Saints. If we had lost that game, we would have been pitching three spots lower. The season was lost anyway. No point in winning that game and potentially losing out on a franchise player. Maybe the decision wouldn’t have been harder for the GM to make. I’m not an NFL personnel and even I knew that before the game. So what about the men being paid to run our beloved team? It’s so frustrating for us right now, but we only have 6 more weeks of this bullsh*t to endure…….let’s hope. Go Bucs.
November 11th, 2018 at 12:37 am
*picking
November 11th, 2018 at 1:34 am
He’s the running back that Marino always had that would get like 700-800 yards rushing each year. Really mediocre, but gets the job done good enough. The number of receptions is really low however, mainly because the Bucs are throwing even more downfield than usual, probably because the defense has them down by 48 points in the 2nd quarter of games.
Anywho he’s adequate, and nothing wrong with that. You can’t have superstars everywhere, there’s just not enough balls to go around.
Then again had the Bucs taken my advice and traded for Bell, well, in that case, you make room for a superstar. But Barber is fine for what he is, a guy on a super cheap deal who won’t hurt you – he won’t do much to help you – but he won’t hurt you.
November 11th, 2018 at 3:45 am
You could bring in Zeke Elliott,
With this scheme and coaching , not much better results
November 11th, 2018 at 4:15 am
It’s interesting that Doug Martin got pummeled last year (on the field AND in the media) for not getting the job done (2.9 YPC was a full 2 YPC LESS than what he accomplished in 2015). Strange that this year, with a 1-7 Oakland team, he’s averaging 4.3 YPC. Question: Was it Doug Martin, was it the OLine not blocking well, was it the coaching? Answer: Yes … it was all 3. Martin got a big 2nd contract, then proceeded to screw the pooch. Our OLine has sucked since 2015 (when our only adult FIELD LEADERSHIP, Logan Mankins, left?). And the coaching, in terms of play selection & blocking schemes, has been quite pedestrian & unimaginative.
Peyton Barber is still ‘hungry’ BUT … all it takes is a couple zero or negative plays each game to really drive down the YPC average. And that’s what constantly happens to Barber, like virtually every game. Our OLine opens the floodgates & voila … Barber (OR our QBs) take the hit. And that especially sucks when everyone in the stadium KNOWS it’ll be a run (yes, the Bucs are normally quite predictable … and hard-headed). Peytons’ not the best in the league, nor is he the worst. But our OLine could qualify for that honor, and so could our play-calling.
November 11th, 2018 at 6:48 am
bell cow. Examples Word Origin. noun. a cow, especially the lead cow of a herd, having a bell attached to a collar around its neck so that the herd can be located easily.
November 11th, 2018 at 8:27 am
Let’s see, the Panthers have McCaffrey, the Saints have Kamara and Ingram, the Falcons have Freeman and Colman and we have Peyton Barber. ✌🏾
November 11th, 2018 at 10:51 am
I just wanted to share this memory of one of the greatest Buccaneer running plays ever. Against Washington …
The second run (the link below cues up to it) .. Alstott leaves a footprint on Shawn Springs’ chest.
https://youtu.be/_EVfpqbqxOI?t=42
Happened right in front of my seats. Fired up the whole sideline big-time.
A running game.
We need it.
It has a profound effect on team morale, aggression and confidence.
November 11th, 2018 at 11:06 am
Peyton Barber is a solid “meh” RB.
November 11th, 2018 at 11:41 am
He is certainly one of the major reasons the season is over.
November 11th, 2018 at 12:02 pm
@Defense Rules
That puzzled me too. He sure isn’t being used as a bell cow back with only 51 carries in 8 games. IMO ,there’s only a few elite backs that take the pounding
of a team overusing a back as a bell cow.
Teams should have two good backs at least to extend the careers of a quality back.
November 11th, 2018 at 12:23 pm
Barber is one of the top RBs in average yards after contact. Oline has regressed and is not opening holes/ even worse, they are allowing penetration into the backfield far to often