“He Needs That Opportunity To Feel Like He’s A Major Part Of This Thing”
March 28th, 2022
Andy Reid talks about his new running back, former Bucs RB Ronald Jones.
During Ronald Jones’ four seasons in Tampa, it became clear that he had confidence, mentality and maturity issues at times.
Joe was intrigued to hear Chiefs head coach Andy Reid sort of reference that today.
Joe is at the NFL owners meetings in Palm Beach and asked Reid to talk about Jones, who he signed in free agency a few days ago.
Jones’ size and speed and “good vision” impress Reid, he said. And it seems Kansas City can give RoJo the good vibes he craves.
“He needs that opportunity to feel like he’s a major part of this thing and we’ll give him that as long he comes in in the right frame of mind and all the things that go with it,” Reid said.
Interesting choice of words. RoJo sure sounds like the kind of free agent who might blossom with a change of scenery (or find a new place to not feel special).
Reid went on to talk about how one of his former assistant coaches was tight with RoJo from his University of Southern California days, so the Chiefs had a strong comfort level to sign him.
Reid said he didn’t reach out to his pal Dirk Koetter, RoJo’s former Bucs head coach, for a reference.
The Bucs had a couple of powerful running backs when Leonard Fournette and RoJo were healthy. Reid insists teams need two strong backs to thrive.
March 28th, 2022 at 10:07 am
I wish ROJO well, and think he may surprise some people, out in KC.
After all, he was 3rd in all time yards gained at USC, formerly known as Tailback University.;
March 28th, 2022 at 10:13 am
Koetter messed him up early, he’s only 24, came in 207, transformed to a 225 monster, so you know he works hard, wouldn’t surprise me he becomes a stud
March 28th, 2022 at 10:14 am
Rojo’s issue was pretty clear…..Brady didn’t trust his hands, route running or blocking in the passing game. The NFL in general doesn’t rely on powerful run games, Brady never has and this team isn’t built to emphasize running. Rojo’s best shot was with Winston or another young QB that needs to take pressure of the QB. I told my buddy who’s a Jets fan, i thought Rojo would be a good fit with their QB….maybe down in Miami. Reid will utilize him but he’s not going to be a bell cow RB the way he hopes, he’s useless in the passing game.
March 28th, 2022 at 10:23 am
Adios rojo and good luck. Except against bucs , we need yah to miss a couple blitz pick ups.
March 28th, 2022 at 10:24 am
Some people react to obstacles with grit and determination to overcome. Others accept the limitation and shrink themselves to fit the new boundary.
March 28th, 2022 at 10:26 am
Translation: Rojo felt like he wasn’t a part of things in Tampa.
I have to say, I agree with this sentiment. He was underused. He worked hard to improve himself. Regardless of the claims here, his pass-catching skills did improve…his running improved. His weakest area was not his pass-catching, but his blocking.
At 24, he could have (and probably will) fixed that.
Arians likes veterans in his offense. He likes redemption stories. Leonard Fournette appealed to him. He had the skills in place, so Arians did not have to develop him.
So he favored Leonard Fournette over Rojo.
Rojo will do very well outside of Tampa…and he’ll be able to show that he can do the things some people claim he cannot. I wish him well.
March 28th, 2022 at 10:26 am
@Guzzie
Koetter??? really?????
The guy makes explosives form time to time, but he can´t block, and he can´t catch,…. This year he had a bad attitude not finishing the plays, so he was out!!!
Where the hell Koetter fits in here?????
The only responsable for Rojo performance, is Rojo…pure and simple
March 28th, 2022 at 10:26 am
I agree that Koetter helped mess Rojo up….but in the end Rojo messed Rojo up.
Also….Rojo is not BA……”Brady Approved”
March 28th, 2022 at 10:36 am
The dude certainly has physical tools, but all the indications are that he struggled with the mental aspects of the game. He was a major liability in the pass game and that substantially limited his versatility. Wish him well.
March 28th, 2022 at 10:37 am
I think we can all agree that rojo is not a natural receiver. But to say he can’t catch is simply inaccurate. His catch rate last season was similar to Lenny’s. No, it’s not his best trait. But it’s a silly narrative at this point. His pass pro is actually his worst trait. But the guy can run, and catch a bit.
March 28th, 2022 at 10:41 am
He smokes too much
March 28th, 2022 at 10:42 am
Do we get a comp pick for this?
March 28th, 2022 at 10:50 am
What’s Reid supposed to say? He sucks, but we signed him anyway? Every coach thinks they can do a better job of coaching a player than the guy before. He had a spotty track record with the Bucs. He has a fragile ego. We’ll see.
March 28th, 2022 at 10:52 am
Pewter good question. A a UFA, didnt the Bucs have to make an offer to re sign him?
March 28th, 2022 at 10:57 am
Didn’t we already get a comp 4th rounder?
March 28th, 2022 at 11:14 am
I think the real problem is you need a back that can catch the ball in our offense, Brady needs to get it out quick, therefore he just wasn’t that perfect fit.
March 28th, 2022 at 11:16 am
Wish people would stop camparing the catch rate when the volume was no where similar he was bad at pass blocking so we didnt see the volume
to be able to compare the two. The fact they wanted to play Vaughn there above him says alot. Maybe he does better on a run first team which seem to be dying in a pass first league but I don’t see it working out much better at KC than it did with the bucs.
March 28th, 2022 at 11:16 am
Comp picks usually relate to big contracts not minimum type, right now our only decent outside contracts are Ryan and Gage losing Whitehead and Cappa so if anything we might get a low comp pick, Whitehead got a bigger contract than Ryan but Cappa n Gage are a wash
March 28th, 2022 at 11:17 am
And that’s for next year
March 28th, 2022 at 11:34 am
Just wondering if all these people with negative opinions of Rojo will be willing to eat crow later.
March 28th, 2022 at 11:37 am
On a side note… Rojo seems to look a bit like Tow Mater from the animated flick titled “Cars” when he smiles.
March 28th, 2022 at 11:39 am
I agree with Bonzai that most coaches including Arians like veterans over young guys. Because they know they will have consistency. But in regard to running backs, Arians has shown that he will go against that trend.
In the year he drafted David Johnson, he gave the ball to him. Not the veterans. Besides the carries, Johnson had over 50 targets in his rookie year.
Want more proof.
2013 was Arians 1st year in Arizona. Andre Ellington was a rookie running back and got most of the touches in the backfield.
In 2012 when he took over for Pagano, he switched from veteran Donald Brown at running back to rookie Vic Ballard.
Arians like most coaches can be won over by skill and hard work when it translates into consistency on the football field. The problem with the Buc’s version of ROJO was that he was inconsistent.
Plus, I sat right above Rojo (and Brady) at games and clearly saw ROJO sulking and shaking his head “no” when the running back coach was talking to him last year.
March 28th, 2022 at 11:41 am
I don’t get it. Why are people still making excuses for a guy who had ONE productive year and ‘turtled’ when he ran into adversity?
He had so many issues. He couldn’t catch, couldn’t block, stepped out of bounds before markers (plural), and brooded on the sideline.
It was his 2020 season that had us fooled. That was the anomaly.
He’s at KC. Good for him.
March 28th, 2022 at 11:42 am
Buccaneer Bonzai Says:
March 28th, 2022 at 11:34 am
Just wondering if all these people with negative opinions of Rojo will be willing to eat crow later.
I will be willing to eat crow. I did not love or hate ROJO but clearly think he was not a fit for this team anymore based upon what I saw on the sidelines. IF he were crazy skilled good, then it would be acceptable to put up with his attitude. But he was not IMO.
March 28th, 2022 at 11:44 am
“ As long As he comes in with the right frame of mind, and all that goes with it”
March 28th, 2022 at 12:34 pm
Good luck with that Andy Reid Rojo was not worth a new contract here no question about it you pay the guys that are really good so Rojo did not perform–did nothing much for this team that Lenny doesn’t do get a rookie to add to the barn
March 28th, 2022 at 2:52 pm
I like Jones and wish him very well…
March 28th, 2022 at 4:32 pm
So apparently he won’t be asked to catch at all