Solid Production In Traffic
September 8th, 2020
Upgrade.
Regular listeners to the “Ira Kaufman Podcast” know Joe and Ira often spar about who to blame for the Bucs stinking at running the ball for far too many years.
Ira wants old school, downhill run-blocking where guys don’t have to worry about getting bruised until they get to the second level.
Joe, while acknowledging the Bucs don’t have an offensive line like the 1970s Raiders or Cardinals, fingers the running backs for terrible vision reading holes, an inability to to daylight, and a key trait in good NFL running backs, making your own holes.
Well, new Bucs running back Leonard Fournette should be an upgrade in running in traffic. Per yards-after-contact stats, Fournette is a major improvement.
Last year, Fournette was just a hair below freight train Derrick Henry and Damien Williams in leading the NFL in average yards after contact. Henry led the NFL with 3.2 yards after contact per run. Fournette and Nick Chubb were tied with second-best yards per run after contact at 3.0. Ronald Jones was fifth in the NFL averaging 2.4 yards after contact.
Henry led the NFL in yards after contact with 968 yards, which is damn impressive. Chubb was second with 882. Fournette was third at 792. Jones was 17th at 415. Peyton Barber was No. 37 with 266 yards. For our Dare Ogunbowale friends, he was No. 159 with 12 yards after contact (he averaged 1.1 yards a carry after contact).
Shady McCoy was No. 46 in the NFL with 200 yards after contact — 2.2 yards per run after contact.
So Joe is confident the Bucs have upgraded their run game, not just in yards, but when it comes to tough sledding and facing strong run defenses.
September 8th, 2020 at 12:39 am
Cool stat, Joe,
I agree with Ira!! Bring back old school run games.
Bring back the Fullback!!
September 8th, 2020 at 12:42 am
people are making him out to be a blount or alstott…
he’s just not that…
he’s a 228 pound fairly big back who runs hard…
but he is not an anvil like those two…blount was about 250 and alstott was like 265…
those are big backs…
doesn’t rojo weigh 220 now?…
wasn’t earnest graham 225?…
fornette runs hard and is a very good football player and that’s what counts…
don’t compare to alstott or blount…
both those guys did weird ish that i’ve literally never seen anyone else do when they run the ball…
look at the highlight reels of those dudes…they both had some wild azz runs
another “big back” that just came into the league is aj dillon with green bay if i’m correct…he’s a big back
September 8th, 2020 at 12:44 am
He’s actually more like Blount than Alstott.
At least with the Bucs, Blount didn’t run over people. Didn’t tiny Brent Grimes stop Blount at the goal line on a key play late that would have given the Bucs a win in 2010?
September 8th, 2020 at 12:47 am
I’ll have to check out aj dillon
September 8th, 2020 at 12:53 am
Look y’all. We are getting great depth at the position, not the second coming of a young Adrian Peterson. Lets just relax and realize we still have to win a tough division and endure the pandemic.
September 8th, 2020 at 4:46 am
Major upgrade, this year we can finally pound the rock. He is really going to shine in the 4th quarter when it’s time to “eat the clock” and wear the other team down.
September 8th, 2020 at 6:16 am
adam- So maybe “big back” isn’t the term. How about “power back” instead?
In short, he’s more apt to run over you than around you!
I’m glad Joe mentioned “vision”. Vision at RB is nearly as important as a good run-blocking OL. The hole may not always be right where it’s supposed to be.
September 8th, 2020 at 7:07 am
Blount was actually a bit of a “tip toe-er” when it came to short yardage situations. He would often dance back there vs just hit the line as hard as possible and use his weight/momentum to push the pile forward. Fournette drops the hammer. Rojo is very much like Blount, he’s always looking to bounce outside when sometimes the back simply has to take the tough 3 yds and try to fall forward. Fournette is a great pick up and will rise up the charts within a few weeks.
September 8th, 2020 at 9:30 am
Kind of shocked Jones is that high. Does that count yards as defenses touch him while he’s running by going sideline to sideline?
September 8th, 2020 at 9:42 am
adam from ny Says:
September 8th, 2020 at 12:42 am
people are making him out to be a blount or alstott…
he’s just not that…
he’s a 228 pound fairly big back who runs hard…
but he is not an anvil like those two…blount was about 250 and alstott was like 265…
those are big backs…
doesn’t rojo weigh 220 now?…
wasn’t earnest graham 225?…
——————————————
Alstott was never 265… Blount was 247 officially… but for the record, I’m not sure where Fournette is 228….. He weighed in officially at the NFL Combine at 240 lbs…not 228… so in the very unlikely event that he actually lost weight AFTER the Combine, he probably weighs no less than 240…more likely more than that.
September 8th, 2020 at 9:44 am
Fournette averaged more yards AFTER contact than Barber averaged period
September 8th, 2020 at 3:50 pm
Fournette is far and away the best running back on our roster. McCoy is a nice vet at running back that every team should have and we have two young dudes who may turn out to be something. I haven’t been this happy with our running backs since Dunn and Alstott.