Cam Akers And The Bucs
September 18th, 2023
Shopped by the Rams.
Sorry, Joe is still not sold on the Bucs’ run game. Yet.
Sure, Rachaad White averaged 4.3 yards a carry yesterday. Great. Joe has to see more of this. A lot more. He had an OK game with 73 yards. Let’s not polish his Canton bust quite yet.
One good game and one solid game out of 20 doesn’t get Joe to pitch a tent. Sorry.
And yesterday the Bucs lost Chase Edmonds to a knee injury. Joe wasn’t big on the Edmonds signing but damn if he didn’t spark the Bucs’ run game when he was on the field. More information on this injury is likely coming when Bucs head coach Todd Bowles speaks this afternoon.
So the Bucs are probably down a running back on a team that wants to run the ball with a running attack that has been, well, blah, through two games.
Well, Joe may have a solution. It seems the Rams are shopping Cam Akers.
That’s a red flag right there, Joe will fully admit. A talented running back on his rookie contract is being shopped two games into the 2023 season.
What’s wrong?
The fact Akers is on his rookie contract also means he can be had cheap.
Whatever the reason the Rams want to wash their hands of Akers, why not take a (cheap) flyer? Dave Canales’ offense is an offshoot of Sean McVay’s. Thus, there wouldn’t be much of a learning curve.
Joe is confident Baker Mayfield could provide ample intel on Akers since Mayfield was Akers’ quarterback last season.
Joe needs to see a lot more consistency from White running before Joe’s ready to knight him as the Bucs’ bellcow. Sean Tucker has shown very little but because of his offseason heart situation, Joe’s willing to give the guy all the rope in the world.
Sneak Vaughn has been inactive in Weeks 1 and 2.
What do the Bucs have to lose? Akers in 2020 and 2022 averaged over four yards a carry. White can’t say that.
Beggars can’t be choosers.
Sources: The #Rams have had trade talks centered around RB Cam Akers. The starter in Week 1 was inactive for Week 2 after a difficult week of practice. Kyren Williams is now the starter, and Akers’ spot is up in the air. pic.twitter.com/Mf582EMmeg
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 18, 2023
September 18th, 2023 at 11:23 am
Trade Vaughn straight up for Akers. He was the only bright ass pot at FSU when he was there for the offense
September 18th, 2023 at 11:25 am
Dunno …. what about the kid Munch likes?
September 18th, 2023 at 11:29 am
if we lost one we need to add one.
have not seen anything special out of sneak except pouting
September 18th, 2023 at 11:38 am
I would like to see Sneak in a game before the Bucs try to trade for Akers. Vaughn is a hard runner and may surprise everyone given the chance.
Wonder what the real reason is that the Rams want to unload Akers? Did he piss in the coaches’s cereal? Injury?
September 18th, 2023 at 11:39 am
We didn’t do too bad in the running game yesterday. There’s two aspects to running the ball. Having running lanes and being able to break tackles. We’re starting to see running lanes (e.g., that one run that Edmunds had), but it seems like as soon as someone touches one of our RB, they go down. Herbert, the Bears’ RB, seemed like he was always able to carry tacklers for several extra yards, often getting a 1st down as a result.
September 18th, 2023 at 11:41 am
Bucs should highly consider signing DeWayne McBride off of the Vikings practice squad.
He’s generally considered the best running back on a practice squad.
September 18th, 2023 at 11:42 am
One other thing. I like that we’re trying to run the ball more, But does it always have to be on first down? Jeez, there were times yesterday when i thought Sponge Bob was calling the plays.
Bottom line, we won, and I’m happy! Just hope White can get rolling or we pick up another back that can carry tacklers for 1st downs.
September 18th, 2023 at 11:45 am
This is the second time CA had been shopped around by the Rams, don’t know what that means just pointing it out.
September 18th, 2023 at 11:46 am
Wow, Akers averages .4 more ypc than White.
Better make a move quick.
🤦♂️
September 18th, 2023 at 11:48 am
We have Laird on the PS…….let’s see the details on Edmonds….I’m thinking Sneak may want to redeem himself.
September 18th, 2023 at 11:53 am
I’d say let’s not get crazy yet we beat too bad teams. Let’s give it a few more weeks before we start trading for players. The Bears now have a 12-game losing streak and the Vikings don’t look that good.
September 18th, 2023 at 11:54 am
I’m not a fan of White either, he can’t make anyone miss and doesn’t have the quickness to go wide zone. However, he always runs hard (but too upgright) and had a great effort on his TD run. I agree that Tucker has the quickness that we’re missing, but he missed nearly all of training camp and he just needs reps to see the field better and understand the speed of the game. We need to keep feeding him.
Sneak will probably get some touches against the Eagles, but I think the OL will struggle and none of our backs will have a great night. We need to bring in Akers or another back. I hope Edmunds isn’t out for the season, but he’s probably going to miss a lot of games at the least.
Monday night will still have heat and humidity, and we need to pound the Eagles even though we may have a few 3 and outs as they are way better along the DL compared to Chicago and Minnesota. Let’s wear them down and get them overheated. Fortunately, we have Camarda who continues to be a bright spot.
September 18th, 2023 at 12:17 pm
Play off Lenny??
September 18th, 2023 at 12:25 pm
Sneak may be activated for the Beagles game next Monday night. Hasn’t he had some success against them the last 2 times we played them?
September 18th, 2023 at 12:36 pm
J.B. Says:
September 18th, 2023 at 11:23 am
Trade Vaughn straight up for Akers.
———–
That is about the value that Akers would bring in a trade. I’ve have no issues with that deal.
What I don’t get about Akers is why/how he keeps getting himself in the doghouse in LA. They really hate him, and only because of massive numbers of injuries did they ever bring him back.
In any case, Vaughn is cut material, and Akers will get cut, so a trade like that lets each team save face slightly since the Rams can say Vaughn is a former 3rd rounder, and the Bucs can claim they got a steal by getting anything for Vaughn, even though Akers was going to get cut.
Only thing I don’t know is the contract situation – if you let the Rams cut Akers, is that salary you sign him for going to less than what he has now? Every penny counts as far as the cap goes, so that should be part of the thinking.
September 18th, 2023 at 12:43 pm
Bruce Arians staff didn’t put a lot of stock in the RB1 position hence with the Sneak, Ronald Jones etc picks. They were just ok. White is making improvement but again, just okay. So I think a power back with hands and wants a job can’t hurt.
September 18th, 2023 at 12:44 pm
JimBobBuc Says:
September 18th, 2023 at 11:54 am
I’m not a fan of White either, he can’t make anyone miss and doesn’t have the quickness to go wide zone.
——-
It can look like that on TV, but when you watch his runs from the back, when you can see the blocking, it’s a different story. He’s a patient runner, and people think that’s a lack of burst – but it’s not, he’s literally quicker and more agile than Bijan. When you watch his runs on the ALL22, and watch the blocks develop, you’ll see he waits for a block, then pops. In week 1 he took a handful of plays where there was nothing, and ended up getting like 5 yards. But he can’t do the impossible, if there’s no holes, or he’s getting hit 3 yards behind the LOS, he’s not going to break those.
I will say White looks a lot bigger than he used to, and I wonder if the team told him to bulk up, and he runs with more power than he did in college – and that part of it I’m not a fan of, since his college tape shows someone with elite stop and start ability, and in the NFL he just sort of tries to run people over. I think that’s coaching, and I just disagree with it.
Tucker, meanwhile, I’m just not overly impressed. I think he’s fine as a backup, and perhaps I turn out to be wrong, but watching him, there’s just nothing special at all. What you call quickness, I just see as a non-patient runner who is a dime a dozen.
September 18th, 2023 at 12:50 pm
Didn’t Akers blow his knee out or something a could years ago?
September 18th, 2023 at 12:57 pm
RoJo was a second-round draft pick and he was selected when Dirk Koetter was coach. Koetter gave up on the guy almost immediately.
September 18th, 2023 at 1:01 pm
I understand that White may look better from behind on the ALL22, thanks for the insight. I agree that he seems to prefer to run through tackles rather than avoid them but, he is missing opportunities by only using his jump cut at the LOS to make people miss. I haven’t watched Tucker’s college tape in a while, I’ll go back and look at it, but I thought his vision was quite a bit better in college. I wonder if he’s become impatient as a Buc and forcing it?
September 18th, 2023 at 1:04 pm
White got over 100 yards combined. He sure didn’t do it in week 1. So, something improved with him, the OLine, Canales getting more comfortable as OC, hopefully all 3. Yeah, I know it was da Bears but they are still professional football players.
September 18th, 2023 at 1:06 pm
Pass on Cam Akers. There must be something about his practice habits and overall attitude that makes the Rams want to shop him and give him the equivalent of a DNP-CD yesterday. If the Rams don’t think Cam Akers can help them win games then why should the Bucs?
September 18th, 2023 at 1:24 pm
I thought White played much, much harder yesterday. I, for one, was very pleased with the effort. He actually fought for those last few inches yesterday and that’s all I can ask for.
September 18th, 2023 at 1:28 pm
STAY THE COURSE
The OL gave up 0 sacks and 1 QB hit yesterday. White rushed for +4 yards a carry. All super positive signs for a brand-new OL and OC.
Tucker’s runs were telegraphed. The Bears put 8-9 in the box and Baker didn’t check out of the run (I was yelling at the TV but Baker didn’t hear me call the audible). Hopefully this will be fixed before Monday.
Running is always a work in progress, especially for a team that hasn’t run in three years. I advocate to do nothing but improve.
September 18th, 2023 at 1:39 pm
in 2002 Pittman ran with a 3.5 avg, Alstott had a 3.8 avg. and the result was a Super Bowl trophy and a near record first half in the SB for Pittman.
September 18th, 2023 at 1:47 pm
I agree with Munch, you have to watch the All22 on NFL+ to get a good idea on how a running back is doing. Running backs don’t make holes, they run through them. If the holes arent there you just get what you can. I think White is doing a good job of that. He’ll get better at running to daylight as the season wears on. I do agree that Herbert is a beast and I commented on that yesterday. White isn’t as small and compact as Herbert. Herbert is a power runner with good speed. He’ll just drag people for 5 yards. White is a more patient runner who waits for the play to develop. I’d like to see him turn it upfield sooner on some plays but I think he’s still developing.
September 18th, 2023 at 1:57 pm
I think Cam Akers is an intriguing option. He has certainly produced more than any other running back on the roster. L.A.’s trash could be our treasure. If we can get him cheap, might as well take a flyer. Maybe he’ll be motivated to prove he is worth a bigger contract…if not with the Bucs, then another team. There is always Ronnie Brown..
September 18th, 2023 at 2:02 pm
The issue with White is he seeks contact instead of open field, not sure if that is a physical thing or a vision thing. He usually makes the cut into another player. On that note, really miss the holes Jensen and Marpet made for our backs. I still see a lot of our linemen or should I say other teams defensive linemen in our offensive backfield
September 18th, 2023 at 2:03 pm
What Inaee in White is he is a better pass catching back than running back.
September 18th, 2023 at 2:13 pm
Kareem Hunt
September 18th, 2023 at 2:13 pm
Worth it for a late round pick. Need an rb committee to account for attrition. If White goes down, the situation is even more problematic. Sneak likely is not the guy.
September 18th, 2023 at 2:22 pm
Akers is trash!! Overhyped and never was that good
September 18th, 2023 at 2:23 pm
Running back by committee – which seems to be the dominant offensive model in the NFL these days – doesn’t work real good when the committee only has 2 members, both of whom are questionable. We can rely upon the offensive line, it appears, to make some holes, but you still have to have someone to carry the ball.
We could try out Can Akers and see if he fits without a huge amount of cost or risk. Whether he can out perform Rashad White or if he just provides a solid member of the committee is to be determined.
I like this suggestion – presumably Jason Licht is at least considering it.
September 18th, 2023 at 3:02 pm
Rams and Bucs are both at 2.9 yards per carry and just a hair up from the very bottom. They would be better off playing Him.
Looks like there will be another member of the Jeff George / Jamarcus Russell Club of Players that don’t make it to the end of their rookie contract with the team that drafted them.
Usually a good reason but Teams won’t usually say why.
Took a chance on one. Load the backfield with the them. Rename Raymond James ‘Bakers Aker’s
September 18th, 2023 at 3:03 pm
It’s time to bring back “Downtown Ronnie Brown”…
September 18th, 2023 at 4:52 pm
The eagles dline is no joke. It’s going to be tough sledding for the oline rb and hopefully we can protect baker. Deff going to be a good test for our offense. They are beatable tho.
September 18th, 2023 at 5:13 pm
Ronald Jones will be available after suspension.
September 18th, 2023 at 5:14 pm
rrsrq Says:
September 18th, 2023 at 2:02 pm
The issue with White is he seeks contact instead of open field, not sure if that is a physical thing or a vision thing.
——
I will somewhat agree with that, in college he didn’t do that, at least from the tape I watched – but in the NFL, I wouldn’t say he seeks contact, but he doesn’t try to avoid it. I don’t think it’s a vision deal at all, because again his college tape doesn’t show that, I think it’s a physical thing and a coaching thing. I think coaches told him he has to fight for every extra inch, something stupid and lame like that, when he has the agility to make guys miss. Obviously that won’t happen all the time, in week one vs the Vikings, the one play where he had a hole, the safety was able to reach up and trip him, you’re not going to win them all unless you’re Barry Sanders, and even in his case, Lynch eventually figured him out.
But people who don’t think White can handle the job, I strongly disagree. If people can show me where he’s making bad decisions, not seeing holes, etc, I’ll listen – but I’m telling you, watching the plays from behind the line, where you can see everything developing, he’s getting yards that wouldn’t be there if he just blasted into the backside of the guard.
September 18th, 2023 at 5:27 pm
“A Talented running back(Akers)” – wrong
September 18th, 2023 at 5:38 pm
I don’t think finding a feature back off the street and or via trade is likely. Vaughn isn’t the answer as much as I want him to be. He’s not given any indication he’s consistent. His blocking sucks too. I could see brining in a veteran leading up to the bye week if the running game continues as is but even then you’re likely brining in an equal to White.
September 18th, 2023 at 5:56 pm
Grass is greener syndrome much?
He got 29 yds on 22 carries in their first game. Definitely would fit in with recent Buc efforts based on YPC but seriously, let’s upgrade rather than sideways.
September 18th, 2023 at 6:09 pm
Do we really need a malcontent on the team right now ?
September 18th, 2023 at 9:59 pm
I would give Lasagna Lenny another shot before Cam Akers. I’m not sure that Akers is an upgrade. Atleast LL7 helped win us a Super Bowl
September 19th, 2023 at 1:08 am
Isn’t Donut Lenny still available?
September 19th, 2023 at 4:51 am
More RB dreams …skip
Go Bucs!
September 19th, 2023 at 1:12 pm
We got a lineman from the rams and baker. Solid intel
September 19th, 2023 at 1:13 pm
Rashad ran all over Seattle last year now all of sudden he is not a good running back, I don’t believe it, I think he will start getting better as he goes, I am thinking he will start picking it up, last year everybody wanted to bench Lenny and turn Rashad loose, now, he is no good, give me a break.
September 19th, 2023 at 11:47 pm
Ronald Jones not only has a higher yards per carry average than every running back mentioned in this thread, he also has a 98 yard touchdown run (1 of 4 people to do that), one of the fastest backs Tampas ever had. Oh and he was a thousand yard rusher the year the Bucs won the Super Bowl… if Antonio brown didn’t need his bonus so bad he hits his 28 yards and rushes for 1000. Also he won angry run a couple times and was 3rd-4th (depending on time of season) in yards after contact consistently. He was a huge reason the play action pass worked so well. 8 men in the box against Tom Brady was amazing.
We haven’t had a threat like that at running back since he left period. Even Leonard Fournette did not command the respect that Ronald Jones did. A few chiefs in the Super Bowl even said on a hot mic how incredible Rojo ran. Crazy how the guy gets no respect in Tampa. I’m glad he went and got a 2nd Super Bowl ring even if he has blocking issues and didn’t start.
He consistently would burst through holes for 12 yard runs unlike White who dances around like he thinks he’s Barry Sanders. Someone actually said White was better than Bijan? At what? Anyways, he’s a free agent again, but I know Tampa doesn’t like doing that. Sean Tucker is the best back on our roster now that Edmunds is hurt. We need to do something.
Sorry for the Rojo love affair, it just confuses me how everybody just overlooks him like we win that superbowl without him. Yeah right. And he still has one of the highest YPC YAC and 40 yard dash times available. White is tall and good to fall forward for 3 yards.