Did Playoff Lenny Just Wave Goodbye?
March 9th, 2022
Reflective.
A week from today, the free agency dinner bell will ring throughout the NFL. Feeding time at the trough.
Joe suspects it will be a dark day for Bucs fans as a handful of very good starters on the 2020 Super Bowl-winning team will find new teams. One of those, Joe fears, is Playoff Lenny.
Playoff Lenny, who turned out to be one of the best players on the Bucs both on the field and in the locker room, posted a wistful message on Instagram last night letting fans, teammates and coaches know he did his best with the Bucs and gave 100 percent.
He sure did. Do you know that Playoff Lenny has a seven-game streak of rushing touchdowns? Look at the graphic below and see the names Playoff Lenny is alongside Those are some football players, folks.
Yeah, Joe hopes Playoff Lenny comes back, but Joe has to believe it is wishful thinking. There is only so much Team Glazer loot to go around before the Bucs go over the cap.
Playoff Lenny just turned 27. And we all know what happens to running backs the closer they creep to 30. So Playoff Lenny is likely looking at one more big payday. And Joe hopes he gets it.
This Bucs organization owes a lot to Playoff Lenny. Once he got his mind right two years ago, he was a friggin’ force. Joe will miss him.
March 9th, 2022 at 4:41 am
I’ll miss him, but Arians said something I completely agree with: you don’t pay big money for running backs (paraphrased).
March 9th, 2022 at 5:04 am
He’s probably already had negotiations, Bucs prolly offered a few million, told him to take it or leave it
March 9th, 2022 at 5:07 am
Fournette, remember, was almost cut by Arians for having an attitude problem. He thrived under Brady. That era is over. I say thank him, and let him go. It’s now the Vaughn show. RoJo comes back for low dollars. Or not. Either way, don’t care.
March 9th, 2022 at 5:25 am
Letting guys walk and getting comp picks is how successful franchises sustain their success.
March 9th, 2022 at 5:31 am
At 27 I’m confident that Lenny is truly ‘looking at one more big payday’. And like you Joe, I hope that he gets it. I’d love for him to stay, but after JL tagged Godwin for $19 mil, I just can’t see that in the cards. Hope I’m wrong though because Fournette truly is a polished all-around Tier 1 running back. He can do it all.
And for those trusting in Vaughn to assume Lenny’s role this year, got a hunch you’ll be disappointed. He’s not the beast that Playoff Lenny has been.
March 9th, 2022 at 5:47 am
Loved Fournette, maybe a Bronco?
March 9th, 2022 at 5:51 am
It will not be easy to replace a guy like Fournette. The guy simply produced. And when “pushed”, elevated his game.
March 9th, 2022 at 6:09 am
Agree with everything you said Joe.
March 9th, 2022 at 6:23 am
I think the team won in spite of Arians quite frankly. His Ego and mercurial attitude destroyed an amazing team- he lost the locker room- expect a Free Agent Exodus…
March 9th, 2022 at 6:26 am
Thanks Lenny!
March 9th, 2022 at 6:43 am
For crying out loud, Cleanhouse. Joining the other “hate on Arians” idiots?
March 9th, 2022 at 6:49 am
Funny how Arians has a winning record as a head coach with 3 teams, but somehow the teams win in spite of him. Not buying it, garbage narrative. He is a winner.
GO BUCS!!!!
March 9th, 2022 at 7:05 am
Actually RB’s are easy to replace, Lenny won’t be missed. I’m worried about the FA’s on the O line leaving, not to mention Marpet is gone. If you can’t block, you can’t run no matter who the back is. That should be the bigger worry, and where the money needs to be spent.
March 9th, 2022 at 7:18 am
I also am not sold on Vaughn. Rojo is actually a better RUNNING back, and there might be a place for him here now that we won’t be a 63/35 pass/run team anymore
March 9th, 2022 at 7:21 am
Yall keep saying that RB’s are easy to find but we haven’t had a good one in years. We haven’t been able to run the ball to close out games in years but yall keep saying that RB’s or easy to find lol 😂 !!
March 9th, 2022 at 7:28 am
Rebuild
March 9th, 2022 at 7:28 am
I have to agree with oneilbuc. Wow!
March 9th, 2022 at 7:29 am
In his brief stay he became one of the greatest Bucs of all time. I know that’s not saying much with this team’s history but still, he was tremendous.
March 9th, 2022 at 7:34 am
We definitely drafting a back in the mid rounds it’s obvious at this point… we’re squeezing every penny we got … wats cheaper then rookies , draft is loaded with 4.4 RBs
GoBucs!
March 9th, 2022 at 7:49 am
Man, the closer we get to free agency, the bleaker & bleaker it looks.
March 9th, 2022 at 7:56 am
ROJO is a much better back that Vaughn but we all know he’s not coming back. He was misused here.
March 9th, 2022 at 8:07 am
Smart tactics!
March 9th, 2022 at 8:18 am
C’mon, do you think the Bucs would have won the Super Bowl if Jones was the feature back and Fournette wasn’t here? He had four years under two different head coaches to show his strengths. Four years worth of game and practice film. He was an average back and there is no sense in paying for average production when you can draft a guy to do the same thing.
March 9th, 2022 at 8:20 am
Hope he stays. Very steady production while here.
March 9th, 2022 at 8:22 am
We need to concentrate on our Oline……Jensen, Cappa, Marpet….
after we have shored that up….we can talk about RBs….
Lenny, unfortunately, is a low priority on the money scale.
March 9th, 2022 at 8:41 am
@Tampabaybucfan
Agree with you 100%, Its about OL, and let me say something else, don’t overpay in free agency…..We are, like it or not on a rebuild mode…
Just need to be smart, don’t bring second tier QB!!! Go with Trask and Gabbert, do not overpay for Bridgewaters
March 9th, 2022 at 8:48 am
Good Luck Lenny. Thanks for helping us win a SB. You have been nothing but 1st class while playing for us. Go get Paid my man.
March 9th, 2022 at 8:50 am
Hope this does not turn in to a stampede out the door. Looking like a wipeout.
March 9th, 2022 at 8:57 am
Playoff Lenny and Gronk will both be in Buffalo this season
March 9th, 2022 at 9:02 am
Fact is this team kicked the cap can down the road. Only casuals think this is avoidable.
The Bucs got a SB out of it which is far better than the vast, vast majority of teams get.
And while the cap is tight, it’s not exactly cap hell, and this team still has plenty of talent to be competitive, especially with the current competent coaching staff.
There is no cutting of contracted players to get under the cap as most teams that go all-in have to do.
While “keeping the band together” like last season sounds swell and good, it was always a Fool’s Choice.
We will see how it all shakes out, but when the dust settles, I suspect it’ll all be fine.
March 9th, 2022 at 9:07 am
Jones will not be a Buc in 2022 not because he doesn’t have the running skills. He has that in abundance. He does not fit the mold of what Arians demands of a back: catch and block.
He will carry those liabilities with him wherever he goes.
Lord knows he had plenty of chances to become better in those areas…and didn’t.
I saw some folks predicting C. Patterson signs with the Bucs. That would be most excellent and solve more than one majorproblem area. I hope that happens.
March 9th, 2022 at 9:11 am
Damn sucks I was hoping we could keep him. It was fun while it lasted so many good players gone. Going to be a lot different team this year.
March 9th, 2022 at 9:40 am
Almost sounds like a retirement post.
March 9th, 2022 at 9:45 am
He earned another contract here in tampa but we just don’t run the ball enough. I feel as though the coaches let him down.
March 9th, 2022 at 9:45 am
Running backs are not easy to find when you draft them at the end of the draft. Rojo turned out to be a good runner he just can’t catch. We will be drafting one early this Year because sneak Vaughn does not have my vote of confidence
March 9th, 2022 at 9:53 am
He was above average. Still not a true power back as he usually quits moving his legs on contact, and of course not a shifty or speedy back… but he caught the ball okay this past season, ran a little harder, wasn’t great but was good with ball security and blitz pick up.
March 9th, 2022 at 9:58 am
Fournette is now the 5th Brady guy to potentially leave, AB, Gronk, Fournette, Marpet, Jennsen.
March 9th, 2022 at 10:23 am
Hopefully Bucs sign or draft a home run hitter
March 9th, 2022 at 10:41 am
Big money contracts to RBs is fools gold in today’s game. Thanks for your effort Lenny, now go get paid elsewhere!
March 9th, 2022 at 10:46 am
I can’t believe it either but I to agree with Oneilbucyall. He was a dominant force once he hit his stride. Not sure if it was the extra practices with Brady or just his determination but the man could play, run and catch and his yards in open field were insane. Hard to reach that.
March 9th, 2022 at 10:56 am
Every one of our free agents deserve more money than we can afford to give them. Jensen deserves the brinks truck, Lenny does, Godwin does, Whitehead deserves alot, Carlton Davis deserves alot, Gronk….
March 9th, 2022 at 11:06 am
One thing Ive noticed is how confused people are about what modern hybrid RB do in the NFL.
Fournette in 13 starts rushed 180x and was targeted 84x for throws. RB now are bulky WR2s. 1/3 of Leonard Fournttes production came in the air. And a large number of runs on the run tree are now outside the tackles.
While traditionally o line and blockers are needed for the Henry style running back, but the modern NFL RB is the Debo Samual, Kamara and Macafrey whom catch the ball almost as much as they run and run trick plays and run outside the tackles much more.
March 9th, 2022 at 11:48 am
Time to see what Vaughn can do.
March 9th, 2022 at 11:55 am
Pat’s fan, Marpet and Jensen are not Brady guys anymore so than any other players on the team during the time that he was quarterback. Obviously Marpet was drafted by the current GM long before Brady sniffed Tampa. Jensen was also acquired before Brady. And arguably Fournette, who was outright released by the jaguars and had no takers that interested also fits into this category. Gronk? AB? Of course. But they are the only true quote unquote Brady guys. Aside from Tom himself. Stop playing.
March 9th, 2022 at 12:14 pm
if lenny leaves it’s confirmation tom is further out the door and not looking to see if BA left it open for him……..or left the light on
March 9th, 2022 at 2:48 pm
Agree D Rome
Everytime ROJO underpreformed or had a bad game (more often than not) the excuses started pouring in from fans saying “he has no blocking help” or “or he was missued”
At some point, especially after 4 years, you just have to admit the guy wasnt that good.
March 9th, 2022 at 4:35 pm
I never said he should have been the feature guy. I just said he was misused. There were games where Lenny stunk and we kept feeding him. There were games where ROJO looked like he was ready to break off a big run and we would never give him another carry. Backs need carries and I think he didn’t get enough where his speed could have very well been the difference. Lenny was great but not always.