Fresh Legs, Questionable Hand
December 8th, 2019
Another A-list running back will try to figure out the stingy Tampa Bay run defense today.
His name is Marlon Mack and Joe will not revisit how the Bucs left the loaded-with-running-backs draft of 2017 without Mack or any of the other stud rushers it produced.
Mack, 23, is the real deal. He’s the 10th-leading rusher in the NFL this season despite missing two games, and he’s churning out 4.5 yards per carry on the heels of a strong 2018 season that included a big game in the playoffs and averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Not bad for a fourth-round pick! (Out of USF in the Bucs’ backyard!)
Mack has missed the last two Colts games with a broken right hand but he will return today. This scares Joe a bit because it means Mack’s legs are crazy fresh. But the healing hand could be an X-factor. Mack has yet to fumble all season but maybe, just maybe, that will change today if his grip isn’t quite right.
Joe suspects Todd Bowles has made that reality very clear to his defensive players, especially the Bucs linebackers.
Joe watched a couple of Colts games last week and they’re just a different team with Mack in there. The Colts offensive line is strong, but it seems almost more inspired when Mack is getting the rock.
In his last game, Mack was tearing up Jacksonville for 109 yards on 14 carries before he got hurt. Keep in mind the Bucs couldn’t run on the Jaguars last Sunday.
Still, Joe suspects Mack will be added to the list of top backs stuffed by the Bucs.
December 8th, 2019 at 12:04 am
What happened to the cheerleader pic, Joe? It’s still always there on the GameDay post. –Joe
December 8th, 2019 at 12:04 am
Joe you know correlation doesn’t equal causation. We took our best running back out of the game sunday. That’s partially a reason why that happened. Take a look at what the “best running back” has averaged over the last 8 games. Not pretty. –Joe
December 8th, 2019 at 12:16 am
I could get 4 yards behind Nelson!
December 8th, 2019 at 1:52 am
Mack was doing it before nelson
December 8th, 2019 at 6:33 am
Godwin is due for another big game. Just a gut feeling, ROJO has his best game of the year.
December 8th, 2019 at 6:55 am
How many top ten rb with stopped already?
My knees are shaking!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!
December 8th, 2019 at 7:46 am
I see the Colts as dink and dunk on short crosses and slants, while JW3 goes long ball all day long. Who knows, maybe BL works in a couple surprise screens for RoJo. TB shows Colts single high safety and MM gets zip yards against the box, while #58 goes wild against Brissett. I smell three in a row. Go Bucs!!
December 8th, 2019 at 8:16 am
A running back with a bad hand.
We should try to force turnovers whenever he totes the rock.
December 8th, 2019 at 9:01 am
I watched Mack from his days at USF, never thought he would be a productive starter in the league. He’s exceptional at the fundamentals….as is Brissett. Just goes to show you the “homerun” plays are nice for highlights and stats but the fundamentals, like minimizing turnovers, pass blocking/catching will help you win games.
December 8th, 2019 at 10:04 am
Mack scares me. He played at USF here in Tampa, and will have a lot of friends at the game watching him.
This game will be a real test of how good we are, IMHO.
December 8th, 2019 at 11:02 am
Mack was a man among boys in college…. of course licht wouldnt even consider him … it would of been too easy …… Daaaa !!
December 8th, 2019 at 1:07 pm
First time he gets hit hard we’ll see if he starts protecting his hand. Don’t wish him bad but we need this win.