Leonard Fournette Passes On In-House Quarterback Endorsement
February 17th, 2023
Among the many nicknames and titles held by Leonard Fournette, Joe was unaware until recently that Fournette has an extra special one. He’s a member of the Boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame.
Pretty cool. Part of that 2022 honor was due to Fournette’s ongoing charitable efforts.
Playoff Lenny was in Arizona last week working with a project helping low-income folks rebuild after disasters. He’s a Hurricane Katrina survivor who was relocated as a kid from Louisiana to Texas after that historic storm.
Fournette chatted a bit on KNBR radio and a little football was on the docket.
Asked for his take on Bucs’ next starting quarterback, Playoff Lenny passed on a chance to anoint Kyle Trask or Blaine Gabbert. Lavonte David gave Trask the nod last week, but not the Bucs’ top running back.
“I know how the business goes, so we’ll see,” Playoff Lenny said after laughing.
Interestingly, Fournette says he doesn’t watch the Super Bowl because it’s too emotional for him. He said it gets him thinking about lost opportunities in the past season and he can’t handle it.
It’s safe to say Fournette will miss Tom Brady. He said Brady’s presence was one-of-a-kind.
“I learned, man, it’s so much you can say about him, but the main thing is how he cares for his teammates. You know he treats the janitor like an owner,” Fournette said of Brady. “He treats everybody the same, with respect. … He’s very humble. He’s a funny guy ….”
Fournette added that Brady was nearly always seen by teammates with a notebook binder in one hand and a jug of water in the other.
No surprise, Fournette predicts great success for Brady in his next stop, especially because of the incredible depth of his football knowledge.
Last offseason, Fournette took heat from some media and fan haters for gaining too much offseason weight. Voluntary spring workouts are two months away, but Fournette said he would be restarting his training regimen this week.
February 17th, 2023 at 12:32 pm
Yeah, not sure I trust Lenny’s opinion on the Bucs. But I am weary that it appears Monken declined the Bucs offer and chose the Ravens and Canales was the back up.
February 17th, 2023 at 12:40 pm
@ Joe
I have a question…
I’ve noticed that both Fournette and Devin White wear shoulder pads that are purple and yellow colored…
Are they both wearing their old pads from LSU?
If so – is there a reason or any reason why?
February 17th, 2023 at 12:58 pm
They know….players would be singing his praise if he’s shown any ability during practice. David is simply being a pro and company man….he wants to come back, he’s not going to say anything negative.
February 17th, 2023 at 1:11 pm
He knows the business, which means he knows he won’t be a Buc much longer. He knows a lot of other Buc vets who won a S.B. with him won’t be back either. He knows half the coaching staff is gone already. Like he said, he knows the business.
February 17th, 2023 at 2:03 pm
This ^^*
February 17th, 2023 at 2:31 pm
I like Fournette, but we can’t afford him and he’s an older player for a RB. If we can trade him he’ll still get his 7 mil. If we cut him he’ll almost certainly get much less. As a matter of respect I’d even let him decide.
February 17th, 2023 at 2:32 pm
Marine, they are both LSU alums…I still remember White’s rookie year when Fournette tried to run through him and White just body slammed the guy.
February 17th, 2023 at 2:40 pm
Lenny and Brady are very good friends. Lenny deleted all of his Bucs’ pictures from IG. He kept the post of a video of him and Brady. Brady’s preparation is legendary. James Harrison, once a foe of Brady, spoke about the legendary notebook. Harrison also said when he joined the Patriots he was hell bent on hating Brady because of the rivalry with the Steelers. He said he watched how Brady conducted himself and he said he was genuine. He wound up liking the guy.
One of the most impressive feat of Brady is that in his 23 years of playing not one teammate has anything to say bad about him. That’s absolutely amazing considering his status. I will add that coaches also loved him.
Brady has brought up many times recently about the locker room rooting out phonies. He spoke up being the leader in the locker room and gaining your teammates respect. Trask and whoever becomes QB will need to gain that trust
February 17th, 2023 at 2:49 pm
@ Sheen
“Marine, they are both LSU alums…I still remember White’s rookie year when Fournette tried to run through him and White just body slammed the guy.”
Correct. They are both LSU alums. I get that.
But is it normal for a RB who has been in the NFL since 2017 to be wearing the same shoulder pads he wore in college?
Plus – Devin White is also still wearing his shoulder pads from his days at LSU?
What gives?
You would think that they would want to trade their LSU pads for NFL pads – No?
Is this a superstitious thing? Or do they just like the feel of their old gear?
February 17th, 2023 at 3:05 pm
@Marine Buc
Some players do it for comfort, others do it for superstitious reasons. Lenny stated back in 2017/2018 while he was still with the Jags, that he felt the pads he got from pro equipment staff in Jacksonville was too bulky so he got his old shoulder pads sent up from Baton Rouge. Brandon Lafell kept his old LSU pads because it was the same pads from when he walked onto the LSU campus. My dads had the same leather tool belt since 1991 it smells like wood finisher, coffee, and farts but it’s travelled everywhere he’s been as a carpenter and got ceremoniously hung up from the “rafters” of his tool shed, I guess as humans we’ve all got our things lol
February 17th, 2023 at 3:11 pm
Lenny’s gonna get in shape this year, because he’s gonna get cut and he wants to be in better shape to get a better paycheck at his next stop.
February 17th, 2023 at 3:15 pm
Lenny won’t even be on this team next year, so who cares about his endorsement!!! Thanks for the one good year, but still thought Ronald Jones was better and if they didn’t have to split time RJJ would’ve had even more of a monster year
February 17th, 2023 at 3:59 pm
Did the Bucs come out and say they offered Monken and he declined or is that just conjecture? This kid Canales has some Cajones coming out here knowing it’s a good chance he’s only here one year, but I kind of like it, he’s got something to prove. Hopefully that turns into something good for this team.
February 17th, 2023 at 5:42 pm
@ Dooley
Thanks for your input and response… I thought the same thing – it’s probably about fit and comfort…
You would think an NFL team could replicate whatever fit any player desired.
That’s why I’m a bit surprised that these guys are sticking with their old gear…
February 17th, 2023 at 7:45 pm
I think they wear those pads for the colors. They are showing their school spirit with the gold and purple. LSU guys are very proud of those colors
February 17th, 2023 at 8:00 pm
@ Buccos
Could be LSU pride…
I was hoping maybe Joe could one day solve this mystery for us.
Hey Joe – the next time you are in the locker room at ONE Buc can you please ask D. White and L. Fournette why they are still wearing their old shoulder pads from LSU?
February 17th, 2023 at 8:52 pm
Lenny, get back to top form, we need to ready to roll over dudes and break some big plays.
February 18th, 2023 at 1:24 am
@Abf,
If you’re Monken, would you rather work with a perennial playoff coach like Harbaugh or a perennial loser like Bowles? I don’t disparage Monken at all, it was the smart move. If he wants to be a HC someday, he’s in a MUCH better place.
February 18th, 2023 at 5:52 pm
Yucs: I liked how Ronald Jones would hit the hole at full speed but never understood why he would run out of bounds short of the sticks. . .