Was Aaron Stinnie The Springboard To A Better Running Game?
December 29th, 2023
Boosted offensive line?
Talk to football coaches or offensive linemen and the biggest attribute for an offensive line as a unit, they will tell you, is consistency.
If the same five play every snap, that leads to a cohesive unit and the blocking gets better.
For the first six games of the season, the Bucs had the same five offensive linemen on the field for every offensive snap. But late in the loss to Buffalo, left guard Matt Feiler messed up a knee. He gutted it out to finish the game but was inactive for the next game at Houston.
In Feiler’s place was Bucs veteran Aaron Stinnie, an unlikely hero of the 2020 Super Bowl run.
Prior to Stinnie replacing Feiler, the Bucs run game was, well, uneven. A month later, in Stinnie’s fourth start, the Bucs run game suddenly became efficient. And it mostly has been since.
So yesterday when discussing the evolution of the Bucs’ offensive line, Joe asked offensive coordinator Dave Canales if Stinnie being inserted into the starting lineup — he’s been there ever since the Buffalo game — was when the run game began to turn the corner.
Canales wouldn’t go there, in part, because he doesn’t want to be remotely critical of his players in such a public forum. But Canales did admit Stinnie has been an element of the improvement.
“He’s a part of it, for sure,” Canales said. “I think [Matt] Feiler was doing a really good job for us in there. I felt like he and Tristan had some really good chemistry on the backside, especially in pass protection – just the experience that those guys have.
“Definitely, Stinnie, his power and the different things that he can do has been a really cool thing that he’s added to that line. Again, going back to the chemistry of just hitting those combo [blocks] with Tristan [Wirfs] and with [Robert] Hainsey – those things just get better and better as the season goes on and as we continue to stay committed to trying to find ways to run the ball.”
Whatever works, is what Joe believes. Never fix something that is not broken.
So long as Stinnie is providing crushing blocks and helping Rachaad White, there is no need to change things up.
Stinnie barreling through as a puller to wipe out Wirfs guy pic.twitter.com/Fg6P6zxDgR
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) December 28, 2023
December 29th, 2023 at 12:18 am
Dang.., that looks like it would hurt .
December 29th, 2023 at 12:26 am
Luke G got owned on that clip. My gawd 😩😩😩
December 29th, 2023 at 12:52 am
Like lining Wirfs up at TE and pulling Stinnie…Power!
We should try that one again sometime. Not sure where that run was supposed to go but it did not fail because nobody blocked.
Go Bucs!
December 29th, 2023 at 1:07 am
Has Matt Fiedler familiar with the story of Being Wally Pipped
December 29th, 2023 at 1:42 am
Yeah, finally, Joe!!! The Oline is what has finally made the improvement so desperately needed. It had nothing to do with all the BS you and the media clowns want to insert for clicks. Like last year wax Brady’s fault. That Oline has sucked for a while and is finally getting movement up front!!! You cant win in the NFL without a Oline!
December 29th, 2023 at 1:43 am
The ‘run game’ is Much better when they run outside the tackles. This must be addressed. We are coming into the home stretch.
December 29th, 2023 at 2:01 am
Hello Joe(s):
Don’t mean to complain, but it seems like with these sites, each month(week) there is some additional advertising banner or something that you have to maneuver through to see the post.
Today it’s an ad banner that appears at the bottom of the page and one at the top. the one at the top is staying put but the one at the bottom goes away if you click a button.
I know it’s how you make your money, but man…. it really isn’t user friendly or pleasing to the eye. Lots of clutter. Just providing some feedback.
December 29th, 2023 at 3:10 am
Geodeke’s lack of lever and or power is what blew up that play. Now if he would have been tight behind Stinnie .. He might have broke a big one because Cleary Stinnie blew holes wide open!
December 29th, 2023 at 3:11 am
It’s like Rachaad White magically become better after he kept getting hit before he could even cross the line of scrimmage
December 29th, 2023 at 3:12 am
stopped***
December 29th, 2023 at 6:41 am
Stinnie is a road grader. Don’t get in his way.
December 29th, 2023 at 7:42 am
Two Bucs OLINE got pancakes on that play.
Stinnie pancaked a Jag and Mauch pancaked Goedeke.
One is good and the other is not good.
It looked like Goedeke was supposed to exchange his man with Mauch and move up to the next level and block #23, but that didn’t happen and #23 made the play.
Love Thorn’s Trench Warfare and Establish the Run! Great stuff Joe!
December 29th, 2023 at 8:09 am
LG still needs an upgrade. And C.
December 29th, 2023 at 8:12 am
Stinnie’s advantage is he can effectively pull, Feiler could not.
That is critical in a zone scheme.
December 29th, 2023 at 8:16 am
79:
What are “these sites?”
December 29th, 2023 at 8:19 am
Look at how those linebackers get off of their blocks, both of them. Then watch Devin White get swallowed up play after play not getting of of his blockers. Even rushing the QB I see him getting swallowed up. When he does get there, is it the scheme or the talent getting him there?
December 29th, 2023 at 8:55 am
Unfortunately, this is the way advertising goes down in the 21st century. Similar rules as per the 20th century apply: ignore them. I focus on what I want to read, and skip the rest. Something has notched the Bucs Offensive game up, and it’s not just our two 24K gold receivers.
December 29th, 2023 at 9:42 am
Hainsey also got owned on that play, badly.
December 29th, 2023 at 10:36 am
The real springboard to the running game was having a TE dive in and add their weight to the line.
It did work better with Stinnie because he could pull, like a real O-line guy.
December 29th, 2023 at 10:45 am
Do we have a better run game? Better than what?
December 29th, 2023 at 11:02 am
-lanshark
Hainsey’s left hand is as slow as molasses.
The nose/1 tech DT has both of his hands into Hainsey’s pads before Hainsey’s left hand makes contact. His snapping hand is just as slow.
Can’t have that happen as a center and expect success.
December 29th, 2023 at 11:05 am
Aaron Stinnie’s contract is up after this season as well. He is a good starter now. Look at how many teams have poor offensive lines in the league. Stinnie is not going to be cheap to keep. Add that to the list of players, cannot keep everyone due to cap constraints.
December 29th, 2023 at 12:36 pm
The running game still sucks stinnie needs to be replaced and so does the center at the very least.
December 29th, 2023 at 12:36 pm
They are good backups though.
December 29th, 2023 at 2:04 pm
Stennie may have been an upgrade, but he is NOT the answer.
We have 3 above average linemen, and two really bad ones.
December 29th, 2023 at 2:55 pm
What keeps getting lost in the Stinnie conversion is he tore his acl and mcl last year. I believe he has only played football for 13 yrs and 6 of those are in the NFL. He’s better than most give him credit for.
December 29th, 2023 at 3:23 pm
Saying the run game is better… Hmm, a couple of okay games, and then last week White averaged 1.9 YPC, and they’re still 32nd in the league. I’m gonna have to see them average 4+ per carry over more than 2 games to believe it’s a trend. Until then, it’s still awful.
December 29th, 2023 at 3:59 pm
-Capt Tim
The Bucs have 33 players on their 2024 roster and $47 million salary cap to sign 21 free agents and draft picks.
ME13, Winfield and Baker are going to rightfully demand that they be paid as free agents.
Because of that teams have to budget.
The top 30 guards in the NFL make a range of salary from $20 million to $5.5 million. That’s a range of players from the Zach Martin’s of the OG world to the Alex Cappas.
The Saints Andres Peat is going to be one of the most sought after OG this offseason and his PFF rating of 55.5 is lower than Stinnie’s 58.3.
I don’t see how the Bucs can upgrade the offensive guard position from Stinnie by signing a free agent guard and sign ME13, Baker and Winfield, and have money for Wirfs after next season.
Because of that, in Licht we trust and have him use his great offensive line judgment and let him draft a center and a guard in this year’s draft, and keep Stinnie at a reasonable contract.
You can’t have a Dallas Cowboys 1990’s line anymore because of the salary cap. Baker is performing well with a RT & RG who are improving greatly but aren’t there just yet even though look like they will be good together for years to come. Wirfs is a stud. Hainsey is the weak link who routinely loses the A gap which has doomed our run game and caused Baker problems on pass plays.
Stinnie might just be the best financial solution to a problem.
December 29th, 2023 at 8:02 pm
Joe,
Sorry, little late in replying to you, but when I say “these sites,” I’m referencing many sites I have gone to where the advertising portion seems to have taken over. As I mentioned, it just makes the site look cluttered… sort of like an “everything must go” sale with banners everywhere. Or like you had a beautiful car (site) and plastered number stickers all over it.
No offense, I love your actual content and appreciate it. —Also, I’m overseas. Not sure if that has anything to do with how the ads appear.
December 29th, 2023 at 8:03 pm
… number, not number.