“The Real RoJo”
July 4th, 2019
No longer the back they drafted
Joe is trying so hard to be optimistic about this new development.
Our beloved Buccaneers drafted Ronald Jones last season at No. 38 overall after Jones weighed in at 205 pounds during the NFL Scouting Combine. His 4.65-second time in the 40-yard dash wasn’t special for a running back, but his Southern California film showed an explosive, quick runner with enough juice to take it to the house.
As Bucs fans know, Jones underperformed and looked overmatched as a Bucs rookie.
But this year brings a fresh start for RoJo, who is still just 21 years old. New coach. New blocking schemes. New hope.
Yesterday, RoJo shared a pictures of himself on Twitter, from what appears to be his personal trainer. The shot (see below) reflects what they call the The Real Rojo, with what appears to be a statement that he now weighs 220 pounds.
Joe hopes some of those added pounds are just man weight, the byproduct of an adolescent really becoming a man. But damn, the Bucs didn’t draft a 220-pound running back. So Joe is skeptical.
Did Bucco Bruce Arians’ staff suggest that RoJo add weight? That’s unclear.
Joe suspects they probably did recommend he add at least a little bit to help him, in part, to feel more confident. But 220? Man, Joe hopes RoJo knows what he’s doing.
The grind doesn’t stop workout#2 in the books. The Real (ROJO). 220LB. pic.twitter.com/BorRugB2Rc
— Luke Neal (@coachLukeNeal) July 3, 2019
July 4th, 2019 at 1:49 pm
1 yard and on the turf… yup that’s Rojo
July 4th, 2019 at 1:51 pm
Darn, I didn’t realize he was that slow(?) at the combine. Man I hope he turns the proverbial corner. Go Bucs!!
July 4th, 2019 at 1:54 pm
He had a hurt hamstring.
Good God somebody follow what’s actually happening.
July 4th, 2019 at 1:54 pm
4:48 at his pro day. His college tape looked darn good, too.
July 4th, 2019 at 1:56 pm
Oh gee, what would THAT be, Billy?
July 4th, 2019 at 1:59 pm
Emmit Smith ran the same time!!!
Barder and Jones = BJ for Bucs fans!!!
So get excited yall!!!
July 4th, 2019 at 2:06 pm
Your skeptical about every little thing that’s a journalist mindset. Let the pros do what they do and report. I doubt he cares about the Opinions of fans and media.
Its impossible to be worse that’s for sure.
July 4th, 2019 at 2:15 pm
He’ll shed some by the first few games of the season. That’s just how it goes for those guys. Offseason they can lift, train, eat, bulk….Season comes its much less lifting, more cardio, less training, more recovery, etc….He’ll probably end up at 210-214.
July 4th, 2019 at 2:35 pm
Maybe he can bulk up enough to block for himself…..because nobody else did!!!
July 4th, 2019 at 2:40 pm
Hey, if the extra weight helps him break a tackle or two and make it out of the backfield, I’m all for it. Agree with Bobby though, he’ll be down to 210 or so once training camp hits.
BTW Joe, looks like RoJo is training in Arizona at Luke Neal’s ‘The Athlete’s Factory’. Possible story in there, given Neal’s background.
July 4th, 2019 at 2:44 pm
Look..every Bucs fan wants this kid Jones to be a great running back. Dice it up anyways you want to..he was one of the major disappointments amongst NFL rookies period..last year. I can’t remember one big play he had..not one. This is,
do or die for him. Arians won’t put up with it. Good Luck Kid.
July 4th, 2019 at 2:51 pm
REVISIONIST. Rojo strained his hamstring at the 25 yard mark during the combine literally pulling up and one legging it to that 4.65. It lingered until his pro day and reportedly held him back. The real Ronald Jones is a sub 22 200m time and 10.37 100m guy.. Speed isn’t his issue. The problem was he was thinking versus reacting. This is slower. Common theme from a Koetter coached team.
July 4th, 2019 at 2:55 pm
As others pointed out, he was injured on the 4.65 40 run and ran in the 4.4’s in other runs outside the combine. Also one of the big things on scouting profile is that he has a ton of burst, a true elite speed 2nd gear.
To be clear I never liked the picked, you don’t waste 2nd and 3rd round picks on RBs when you don’t have anything at corner (and that holds true for this past draft as well), but we didn’t see anything from Ronald last year. Again, go watch every single run by the kid and explain what he was supposed to have done any differently. I think there’s one play where he could / should have took a cut inside and didn’t, but outside of that he was constantly hit in the backfield. Same thing that happened with Martin, who went to Oakland and in an awful offense average about 4.5ypc after the Joe’s assured us he was washed up and all the running issues on the Bucs were his fault.
Anywho I hope Ronald does well – but I think Barber is a solid low-end RB and in any case this is a passing team who is coming off the best offensive year in team history.
July 4th, 2019 at 2:56 pm
I’m sorry… its just lazy to refer to his 40 time at the combine. Use it as an example of him being fragile… OK, I could buy that, saying that he’s not special because he hops the last 15 yards on one leg is just lazy .
July 4th, 2019 at 2:59 pm
Jones had a bad hamstring at the combine. He ran a 4.4 at his pro day!
July 4th, 2019 at 3:02 pm
Joe, you know very well that he had the hammy at the combine. Give it to us straight. Btw, Alvin kamara is listed as 5-10 215
July 4th, 2019 at 3:08 pm
Id love to see some of you ass clowns run for a gain when a bltitzer is making contact just as you get the ball handed too you
July 4th, 2019 at 3:10 pm
Tnew, good info. Rod, Martin was in another contract year. Js. Dang, I’m ready y’all! GO BUCS!!
July 4th, 2019 at 3:19 pm
Looked plenty fast in in college and had a 4.48 at his pro day. There are quite a few running backs that were considered “slow”, yet still dominated. Emmitt Smith was slower than my grandma, but killed it on Sundays. If Rojo fails it will be yet another nail in Lichts coffin.
Seasons like this drive me nuts. It’s all or nothing in a lot of ways, and the “nothing”, probably means blowing it all up and starting over AGAIN. I feel like I must be borderline masochistic to have followed this damn team for so long. “Sigh” 😂
July 4th, 2019 at 3:24 pm
The positive with RoJo is, there’s no way possible he can be worst than he was last year…
I definitely understand why Licht drafted him; that said, Jones is the perfect example of a player who could have used another year of college…Hopefully he has a solid year…
July 4th, 2019 at 3:46 pm
I hated the pick……..and still do
He didn’t show one thing of “promising” last season
He’s bust……..just admit it bucs fans.
If somehow he seems to become average…….he’ll be just that his whole career.
July 4th, 2019 at 4:01 pm
Mike Johnson stated it best. Nothing else needs to be said. Do or die!
July 4th, 2019 at 4:23 pm
Rojo had an I injuried hamstring at the combine. He ran a 4.48 at his peo day
July 4th, 2019 at 4:33 pm
What is that in his upper abdomen?
A big hernia or Kuato from Total Recall?
July 4th, 2019 at 4:34 pm
@BucsAnthem; I agree, I wasn’t a big fan of the pick either…
All we can do is hope he develops…It’s still way to early to call him a bust, imho he was grossly underutilized under Koetter & Co… Wether Jones was struggling or not, good offensive minds would’ve found a way to use his speed….
July 4th, 2019 at 4:37 pm
The Cot Says:
July 4th, 2019 at 4:33 pm
What is that in his upper abdomen?
A big hernia or Kuato from Total Recall?
Rojo is pregnant with a RG……
July 4th, 2019 at 4:58 pm
Hope I’m wrong but I think he’s a bust. The kid never flashed. Not in camp, preseason or regular season.
July 4th, 2019 at 5:01 pm
I think we may still add Duke Johnson
July 4th, 2019 at 5:03 pm
Only reason Jones ran a 4.65 and not a 4.4 like he did at his pro day was he had a bad hammy. That’s it and that’s all.
Also look at the difference between what Christian McCaffrey looked like in college compared to his build now. Night and day. Backs need to be beefier in the NFL in order to thrive.
If Jones has balanced the 15 pound gain with increased explosiveness and power in his lower body, he wont lose much speed if any. And will have improved tackle breaking ability and balance through contact.
July 4th, 2019 at 6:45 pm
The real Buc fans know the ‘real’ reason Rojo was bad last year was that Winston did not get him the ball fast enough on the handoff.
2019 will reveal what the real Buc fans already know. That Jameis Winston is not accurate or fast enough with handoffs. He can not hit a moving target…………
July 4th, 2019 at 6:49 pm
Darrell Henderson ran a unofficial 4.37 at the combine. Since he didn’t have an agent and a lawyer present, the combine somehow altered the outcome to 4.49.
That was probably the reason that DH fell to the Bucs at the 70th pick. Think about that for a second, the best RB in all of NCAA history (8.2 YPC) gets shafted at the combine and is available in the 3rd freaking round. A position of dire need for the Bucs. Gump passed and traded him for a 4th and 5th rounder that they chose way too early.
Rojo ran a 4.65! Wow, no wonder he was a bust.
July 4th, 2019 at 6:49 pm
It’s Independence Day lets not be complete D!cks to this very young dude who is still finding his way! Calling out physical differences in people only makes yourself look weak and insecure. Even if it’s joking! I will call out players/employees who I feel don’t give 100% but never felt that was Jones issue. Things have been handed so easily to this generation it takes longer for them to mature especially guys.
July 4th, 2019 at 7:41 pm
Browns are not trading Duke Johnson after Hunt’s latest incident.
Besides, Bucs have Bruce Anderson for receiving and depth.
July 4th, 2019 at 8:17 pm
The kid is all muscle muscle weighs more then fat he is fast
July 4th, 2019 at 10:00 pm
Joe left out a bit of the story as pointed out by others in this post. He just wanted to raise everyone’s blood pressure. Rojo was a sprinter in high school and in college. He ran 10.35 in the 100. Dude had a bad hamstring when he ran a 4.65 and did not even fully recover when he ran a 4.4 on his pro day.
Not sure if he is slower at 220 but every coach was raving how good he looked this year running in underwear football.
July 4th, 2019 at 10:20 pm
This is news to me. As far as I know he didn’t run for anybody during the predraft process due to a bad hamstring.
July 4th, 2019 at 10:20 pm
SMH at the Joe’s!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 4th, 2019 at 10:20 pm
No 40. http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1002546&DraftYear=2018
July 4th, 2019 at 10:24 pm
I stand corrected. He did run. But clearly pulled his hamstring after about 20 yards.
July 4th, 2019 at 10:26 pm
Ohhhh. And if he’s 220 now, it isn’t because he decided on Jan 1 that he was going to get bigger. He got bigger after he weighed in at 205 at the Combine in February 2018, nearly 18 months ago.
July 4th, 2019 at 11:34 pm
I thought Jones was a sub-4.4 guy in college.
July 4th, 2019 at 11:55 pm
Mike Alstott was 249 when he was drafted.
220 is nothing.
July 5th, 2019 at 12:02 am
Dapostman Says
“The real Buc fans know the ‘real’ reason Rojo was bad last year was that Winston did not get him the ball fast enough on the handoff. “The
Yeah, sure. Not.
The REAL reason Rojo was bad last year is the lack of opportunities. 23 plays is not enough to get things down. Rojo even collided with Jameis as he took the ball once.
Drink less during games. See the reality 🙂
July 5th, 2019 at 12:42 am
Lol @ people who say Rojo ran a 4.65 at the combine when he pulled up halfway with a hamstring…
Rojo will get on track this year
July 5th, 2019 at 6:37 am
He should change his jersey number. New ROJO new number! (Might help the psychological war)
July 5th, 2019 at 6:55 am
what is that thing in his upper abdomen…did a baby manta ray take up home in rojo’s belly?
#RojosBellyLooksDeformed
#JameisHasSandCrabsInHisForehead
July 5th, 2019 at 6:58 am
comparing rojo to alstott is so far beyond apples and oranges, i don’t even know where tp begin…
last season i often referred to rojo as a wide receiver body lining up as a running back…
alstott was a true bowling ball…rojo is a break it thru a crease and hit the jets type runner (from his college tapes)
July 5th, 2019 at 8:03 am
I’ve been (overly?) optimistic about this guy since day 1 as a Buc. Articles like these are keeping my RoJo = Melvin Gordon 2.0 hopes alive. High draft pick RB’s do tend to contribute early, but not always. If RoJo can produce in year two (and beyond) similar to how Gordon has for the Chargers I’ll be a happy Bucs fan.
July 5th, 2019 at 8:09 am
Ronald Jones was younger than anyone ever drafted here to play RB, with a coaching staff trying to survive. He was not fully grown.
Now he has better coaching, a year of experience in the NFL grind, without the wear and tear, and he’s bigger and stronger.
What are we worried about?
July 5th, 2019 at 9:45 am
Fixing your OL is the first step in getting your running game going.
July 5th, 2019 at 10:26 am
@Bonzai,
I was waiting to see who would be the first to take the bait.
You are the weakest link…………..Goodbye!
July 5th, 2019 at 10:45 am
Perhaps RoJo is from the west coast all his life and the weather here didn’t suit him. Time to get used to it should help his performance. The weather ten days ago was the hottest I have ever felt in Florida. It may get as hot out in California but at least it is dry.
July 5th, 2019 at 10:59 am
While rojo was bad last year, A he got hit behind the line constantly, and B name me one rookie runningback that has done anything in a dork koetter offense.
July 5th, 2019 at 5:51 pm
Rojo wants to be ready to run inside and out both and has been catching passes. He now has the weight to run between the tackles and has been doing a lot of weightlifting since last year. With improvement in our blocking and the new power scheme I think Rojo will be up to the challenge.
July 5th, 2019 at 10:38 pm
Walter Payton would look pedestrian behind this line.