A Run-Scheming Revelation
May 29th, 2024
Former Bucs RB Leonard Fournette.
So regular readers know that Joe loves Bucs history, the kind that gets shared years after the fact and sheds light on realities unknown in real-time.
Joe also has a bit of an obsession with the Bucs’ run game. Tampa Bay ranked last in the NFL the past two seasons in yards per carry. No team has done that in consecutive years since the 2006 Cardinals. Ouch!
Bucco Bruce Arians had a good feel for the rushing attack but was not known for being an A-list run-schemer. Arians teams typically ranked subpar in yards per carry — and that includes all his stops as a playcaller. (Look it up if you’re skeptical.)
Byron Leftwich wasn’t good, either, and neither was Dave Canales last year. Canales openly said he relied a lot on the now-departed duo of Harold Goodwin and Joe Gilbert to help him craft the rushing attack. They joined Canales at Carolina and while Joe liked those guys, Joe doesn’t think they’ll be missed,
Given all that background, it intrigued Joe to hear former Bucs center (2020) and assistant coach (2021) A.Q. Shipley talk about how he started having more input into the Bucs’ 2021 running game late that season.
Per Shipley’s comments on NetWorth with Justin Pugh, he was the brains behind the 47-yard Leonard Fournette touchdown run against Buffalo in 2021. Shipley went into great Xs and Os detail on the play and explained that was a time when he was starting to have more input into weekly scheming.
Shipley quit coaching after that season, he said, because he was missing too much time with his young children.
Joe is very fired up to see how new Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen and offensive line coach Kevin Carberry run the football this season.
Yeah, it’s a passing league, but even teams that don’t run much average more than 20 handoffs per game. If a team is going to do anything that often, it better be at least decent at it.
GO LENNY GO ‼️
📺: #BUFvsTB on CBS pic.twitter.com/BDD2gEJ4HA
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 12, 2021
May 29th, 2024 at 2:50 am
Man that was my favorite game that year. I absolutely lost my mind in OT. I was a nervous wreck and then just jubilation. I was not able to sleep at all before work, I had so much adrenaline going through me. Rough night, but totally worth it.
May 29th, 2024 at 5:47 am
Always liked Leonard and it seemed he found his fit with the Jags to only go to the Bills, to only be released. He has his share of injuries and hope he finds a landing spot. I could see him on the Lions as a good fit.
May 29th, 2024 at 6:37 am
It all starts with the Oline.
Last year, our guards couldnt run sweeps or get to the edge- forcing us to always run up the middle.
Mauch should be improved. Sua Opeta is slow and stiff legged. Bredesen cant stir or control defenders with his Trex arms. ( sorry Ben).
Bartons greatest strength is his speed and agility- he can run sweeps.
Lets see what the teanm decides to do.
May 29th, 2024 at 7:01 am
Nobody can tell me playoff Lenny isn’t a top 10 running back still. This league has gotten all ate up with itself and its certainties. Its gonna take a smart person with some big brass cajones to show em, show em all. It’s like there is a big batch of peewee Herman’s all believing what each other is doing is the only way.
May 29th, 2024 at 8:40 am
Wonder if they might be able to coax Shipley in to returning to help with our O line. I would welcome this dude who already has the respect of current players and might bring Jensen with him.
Go Bucs!
May 29th, 2024 at 8:52 am
AQ is who Hainesy has been training with the last 2 offseasons at Shipleys’ house in Arizona. Can’t be mad at wanting to spend time with the kids though.
May 29th, 2024 at 9:31 am
4Net had some amazing runs in 2020. Too bad he mailed it in afterwards.
May 29th, 2024 at 9:31 am
Really, coaching isn’t for everyone. I wouldn’t want that job.
May 29th, 2024 at 10:41 am
Capt Tim Says, “Mauch should be improved. Sua Opeta is slow and stiff legged. Bredesen cant stir or control defenders with his Trex arms. ( sorry Ben).”
I thought I just read an article talking about how quick Sua Opeta got off the line. Bowles was pleasantly surprised praised his quickness.
May 29th, 2024 at 12:06 pm
I remember suggesting that play on PewterPlank a week prior. A poster with the handle “Q-Ship” seemed very interested about the X’s and O’s. I also suggested the Brady bomb to Miller right before halftime. Just ask my beagle!
May 29th, 2024 at 12:10 pm
Alabamafan,
If Sua was quick off the ball, he would have started for the Eagles. They wouldnt have let him walk without offerring him a contract,
Right?
Teams dont let great Olinemen walk. They also dont keep them on the bench.
The Bucs will probably spend the Summer, telling us how great Opeta and Bendesen are. But its not true. What it really means is that the Bucs have decided to go with a Rookie, a First year player, and a career backup for our interior line.
Good luck running the ball. Looks like bottom 5 running the ball AGAIN this year.
In the Bucs defense. They faced an impossible task. They had build an outstanding line. But then They list Cappa to the Bengals.
They could fix that. But then they lost Marpet to an unexpected retirement, followed by Logan Hall destroying Ryan Jensens knee in a non contact drill.
They list their entire interior line in one off season. No team could recover from that
So now, we have to deal with Mauch and Bartons growing pains. Unavoidable, and I think both will be great players in a year or two.
But young offensive linemen always struggle. Thats just a fact.
But I really wish they would start Barton at Guard( easier for him), and sign a good center.
But it looks like they arent gonna finish rebuilding the line until next year. Rookie contracts are cheaper than goid free agents.
Just sucks we are still gonna struggle running the ball again
May 29th, 2024 at 12:58 pm
That was the good old day
May 29th, 2024 at 2:03 pm
Gosh I hope Cpt Tim is wrong, but he’s probably right.
May 30th, 2024 at 7:26 am
Did you see that Donovan Smith left the line clean and was 10-12 yards down the field and took out the DB coming up to tackle 4net? Amazing play