How Bad Was The Bucs’ Run Game Last Year?
September 3rd, 2024
Zero respect from run defenses..
The Bucs have been talking an awful lot since the combine about having a better run game. That’s because the team was shamed into improving it.
And in retrospect, it seems like a borderline miracle the Bucs nearly advanced to the NFC title game with such a trash running attack.
Bryan Knowles, typing for “Aaron Schatz’s FTN Football Almanac 2024,” documented how sorry the Bucs run game was in 2023 led by Rachaad White.
The Buccaneers led the NFL with 68 percent of their running back carries coming against light boxes (up to six defenders) yet they had roughly the same yards per carry against light boxes when compared to other runs.
So not only did defenses laugh at the Bucs’ run game, they had zero respect for White et al. And why should they? Respect is earned, not given.
Should the Bucs be better with the run this year? Of course. It’s hard to imagine they’d be worse.
September 3rd, 2024 at 3:11 am
What’s more pitiful? Two years in a row of running game futility or the head coach who wanted to run, demanded to run, didn’t do anything to change it?
But now it’s different. Todd has evolved. Watch and learn against the Deadskins.
September 3rd, 2024 at 3:46 am
So let’s see. Bucs have the worst run game in the league for the last few years. Figures that the backs will scrutinized first along with the offensive lineman. What about the coaches? Really looks like we’ve made some line improvements, back improvements, and coaching improvements. So that’s been aggressively addressed. Earned respect for Rachaad White. Availability-check. Talent-check. Results- check. 1500 total yards and nine combined touchdowns. Now he’s maybe not the best natural running back I’ve ever seen. He will be better this year with the aforementioned upgrades. And I would love to see Bucky go nuts this year. But until he’s done it he’s still a rook. Joe! Find somebody else to pick on.
September 3rd, 2024 at 3:59 am
HOW BAD WAS IT!!!…. insert joke here
September 3rd, 2024 at 4:08 am
All we need to do is have a middle of the pack run game and our offence will be scary. I’m more worried about the defence right now, specifically against the pass in which we were horrendous last year and I don’t really think we got any better.
September 3rd, 2024 at 5:20 am
Good morning 🙂
September 3rd, 2024 at 6:46 am
Farmer
I understand and share your worry about the defense, specifically the pass D.
The upside is perhaps we’ll finally know who is starting at CB. With Davis and Dean it seemed a different guy was out each week. Davis played in just under 70% of the games and Dean is also fragile and sometimes plays inconsistently.
Davis is gone, I trust McCollum, and Dean has seen the writing on the wall.
For those elephant $$ you either produce or hit the highway. This is a very season for Dean.
September 3rd, 2024 at 7:23 am
If Dean is continually in the whirlpool THIS year, he’ll probably suffer the same fate as CD3
September 3rd, 2024 at 10:16 am
With Harold Goodwin, Joe Gilbert, John Van Damm not coaching the OL and TE’s, the run blocking will be better. Maybe defenses will respect our run game and play-action game! The quick slants to Palmer will be open without ILB’s sitting and waiting for it.
September 3rd, 2024 at 10:39 am
Man if only the Bucs had upgraded their o-line and added some new running backs…
Oh wait, they did both those things!
September 3rd, 2024 at 10:40 am
In preseason it looked like a night and day upgrade vs anything we saw last year. Massive holes and RB’s hitting them hard
September 3rd, 2024 at 11:09 am
Cornelius rightly observes that the run game this preseason looked night and day different from last year. This is further amplified if you go and watch last year’s preseason run game, which was a continuation of the league’s worst run game.
Coen gives us hope for change.
September 3rd, 2024 at 12:52 pm
Our run game was so bad it was like the blind man that walked into a bar. Then a chair. Then a table.
September 3rd, 2024 at 1:04 pm
How bad was the running game TWO years ago?
That dang gum Rashaad White Dont know how to run for Squat!
Dad Gum!
What? Rachaad White wasn’t our lead back two years ago?
It was Leonard Fournette?
Amazing how White is a killer catching passes in the flat. Just jucks defenders it of their shoes.
But when he runs behind that line- THATS BEEN HERE TWO YEARS- nothing.
If it’s not White or Fournette- then what could possibly be the problem??
No idea. It’s just an absolute mystery to some people here.
September 3rd, 2024 at 1:17 pm
Imagine how we would all be feeling right now if Hainsey was our starting center again.
September 4th, 2024 at 1:59 pm
Not only does a run game keep teams guessing, it also can extend the amount of time that the Defense needs to rest before being straight back on the field. So even running badly can still be helpful to the teams overall performance.