Bucky Irving Had An Incredible Rookie Year
January 8th, 2025
Historic season.
This is what Joe calls a running back.
If Joe were to tell fans that Derrick Henry or Josh Jacobs are two of the best running backs for yards after contact, few, Joe guesses, would argue.
Shoot, Joe also guesses a lot of readers here have one of those players on their fantasy teams.
So what if Joe mentioned that neither had the best yards after contact average per carry? Or that the Bucs have that guy?
Yes, that would be Bucky Irving.
Per The 33rd Team, Irving averaged four yards a carry after contact.
Joe is trying to wrap his head around that. Shoot, four yards a carry isn’t awful in total. But four yards a carry after being blasted? That’s serious production. And Bucky seems like he’s half the size of Henry. What a steal in the fourth round.
Per the Bucs, Bucky’s 5.4 yards per carry was the third-highest mark in NFL history among rookies with at least 200 carries in a season.
So who was better? Adrian Peterson (5.6 yards in 2007) and Clinton Portis (5.5 yards in 2002).
All hail Bucky!
January 8th, 2025 at 9:05 am
Yep !
and the season is just beginning
January 8th, 2025 at 9:08 am
Bucky is a star. Phenomenal lateral movement. He’s as fluid as they come.
January 8th, 2025 at 9:12 am
Fantastic player and even better draft pick! My thoughts are the Commanders are going to sell out to stop the run Sunday night and force Baker to beat them through the air. The way Mayfield has been playing it’s pick your poison, but I’m very sure they are scheming to stop our rushing attack. Hopefully Cade Otten can play that would be a huge help.
January 8th, 2025 at 9:13 am
Bucky’s running style reminds me a little of Tony Dorsett – pre Broncos. He glides, cuts on a dime and is harder to bring down than one would think. Dorsett had better straight line speed but still, I see some similarities.
January 8th, 2025 at 9:15 am
I bet some GMs passed on him because he was “too small and won’t be able to handle NFL contact”.
January 8th, 2025 at 9:19 am
At 5.6 yards/carry and 4.03 yards after contact, so about 1.6 yards before contact doesn’t seem right. But still we know Bucky is really good so not a huge surprise.
January 8th, 2025 at 9:24 am
Bucky keeps his head on a swivel too, when Baker is dancing in the backfield, Bucky is either picking up blockers or positioning for a save the day dump off. He stays alert.
January 8th, 2025 at 9:30 am
Bucky and McMillan in the same draft class. Add Graham and Culp. The best defense is a good offense and our head honchos knew what they were trying to accomplish this last draft. Bucky may be the top dog of this class but there’s a pack of dogs right behind him. Tykee and Braswell not too shabby as defensive picks. The head honchos have this much success drafting defense first this year and we will have a legitimate shot at being the best team in the league next season. There is just a bunch to be excited for about this franchise. Many of you don’t know how lucky your city is to have a franchise like this. And Licht and Bowles can’t get enough credit for what they’ve accomplished.
January 8th, 2025 at 9:32 am
Wow, look at that! Bucky is a true gem.
January 8th, 2025 at 9:35 am
Bucky Bucky Bucky!
January 8th, 2025 at 9:38 am
I love Baldinger’s phrase, “just changing lanes on the Autobahn”.
Very appropriate for his running style. And with none of the cars in their lanes, it’s like the Autobahn in a third world country… A crash is immenent!
January 8th, 2025 at 9:38 am
Bucky can make someone miss in a phone booth
January 8th, 2025 at 9:45 am
He reminds me of a young Barry Sanders
January 8th, 2025 at 10:10 am
After the draft, I watched some videos of Bucky’s runs in college and was amazed he lasted until the 4th round.
Licht should be charged with Grand Theft for getting Bucky in the 4th round!
January 8th, 2025 at 10:18 am
@firethecannons
“Bucky is either picking up blockers or positioning for a save the day dump off. He stays alert.”
That is an excellent point!!! And of course that Bucky TD was a thing of beauty where Baker kept the play alive and then like sandlot football simply pitches it in desperation to Bucky who does the rest.
@Kenton How long have you been posting here. I always admire your efforts but seem to have only noticed them recently. At any rate again a great post and point. This draft is topped only by the one that brought both Sapp and Brooks but or course those were two first rounders, one of which dropped because of weed. Bottom line as you suggest is if Licht hits it as far out of the park for Defense next year as he did the offense this year then indeed the Bucs will be SB contenders.
Question for me though is QB is solved..sort of..but Baker plays blls to the wall and it’s only a matter of time before he misses some games. So is Trask worth resigning? He obviously knows the system and many here thought he was better anyway. It’s not like Trask is going to command a king’s ransom in FA.
January 8th, 2025 at 10:23 am
we love you so much bucky
January 8th, 2025 at 10:29 am
Gotta give the O-line some of that love joe!!!
January 8th, 2025 at 10:34 am
Yes but that doesnt mean Bucky should get all the carries, as Joe says
Literally the Ravens dont even give Derrick Henry all the carries, but the Bucs should give Bucky all the snaps???
Not a good idea for a undersized rookie, get White back in their to share the load and get back to whats worked so well all season.
January 8th, 2025 at 10:36 am
It is fun to watch a guy who can slip through a crease and break off a 20+ yard run. That capability is as important and game changing as a guy like Tyreek Hill.
January 8th, 2025 at 10:44 am
Bucky Irving even looks like a young Warrick Dunn.
I love this kid, and I would love to see use complement him with a bruiser. Those were the days!
January 8th, 2025 at 10:45 am
Tbbucs3, Derrick Henry is much older. If he were younger he would get a lot more carries.
That said, I DO agree with you.
January 8th, 2025 at 10:49 am
stpetebucsfan Says
“Question for me though is QB is solved..sort of..but Baker plays blls to the wall and it’s only a matter of time before he misses some games. So is Trask worth resigning?”
If Trask ever wants a shot at starting, he’ll refuse to re-sign. Test the market.
But…if Baker does go down and Trask looks great…well…we’ll have trade bait at worse.
The Bucs have done a good job of hampering Trask…keeping the world from seeing if he has what it takes. He may be horrible. He may be great. All these years and we still don’t know.
But…Coen could likely coach a new guy along just as easily. I say let Trask walk…for his sake.
January 8th, 2025 at 11:04 am
stpetebucsfan I’m a lifelong Okie. Always been a big football fan and followed Baker here to the Bucs. At OU we have had 5 QBs win Heismanns in the last twenty years if you include Caleb Williams who took off to USC with the traitor Lincoln Riley. Jason White, Sam Bradford, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray(also a centerfielder at OU and a top 10 MLB pick), and Williams. Hurts finished second in the Heismann voting. Williams took Rattlers job so Rattler went to South Carolina. Just found this site last year and probably have too much time on my hands being newly retired. So excited about Baker getting a chance here and I went up to Detroit for our playoff game last January and it dawned on me that we were about to be stupid good and soon. Mayfield was in a class of his own compared to those Heismann winners I named. A true football player. I never bet on a anything in my life until about 5 months ago but when I saw the odds of division winner and Super Bowl winner for our team I cruised up to Kansas and bet a grand on my new favorite team. Heading up to Kansas to pick up my division winnings today. I put 300 on the division 100Baker mvp and 600 superbowl win. At least now I know I won’t lose anything. And I’ve got a chance to win a chunk. I’m thinking about turning around and tossing these winnings into Bucs Superbowl win to join up with the other 600. Oh man, decisions,decisions!! Wonder what the odds will be now?
January 8th, 2025 at 11:14 am
yes…bucky be ghosting dudes between the white lines
——
go bucky go!
run bucky run!
score bucky score!
January 8th, 2025 at 11:18 am
they be pulling on jerseys like a seamstress…
winding up with a handful of fabric in hand…
cheap polyester at that…
it’s like they saw a ghost…
as they got juked into bucky’s little house of horrors
January 8th, 2025 at 11:20 am
welcome to bucky’s little house of horrors…
only little ducks are welcome
January 8th, 2025 at 11:25 am
Kenton Smith Says:
January 8th, 2025 at 9:30 am
Many of you don’t know how lucky your city is to have a franchise like this. And Licht and Bowles can’t get enough credit for what they’ve accomplished.
————————–
Thanks Kenton. A LOT of us do know how lucky we are. Believe me. 🙂 I’m one of those fans still scratching my head in disbelief at times. You write that you are a new Bucs fan cos of the OU/Baker connection. Do yourself a favor and read a history of the Tampa Bay Bucs. Believe me, you’ll be fascinated. And thanks for Baker, cos he’s a fireball. Now, is Tucker short in height? That’s the problem with being a Bucs Radio nut, I can’t see the action. Nothing wrong with having a 3-headed RB monster. Props to the OLine, TEs and WRs with helping to block, too. GOOOOO Bucs!!!!
January 8th, 2025 at 11:29 am
Round 1: CB
Round 2: LG with some Center experience
Brederson was okay.
Wirfs deserves a stud next to him for the next 5 years of his contract.
You can get a GUARANTEED starter at LG in the 2nd.
ILB in the 3rd.
Trade up: get a legit NT to learn under Vea.
January 8th, 2025 at 11:31 am
@Kenton
Wow I didn’t really realize that string of OU great QB’s. I knew the Sooners had plenty of talent but have never thought of them as a QB factory. Thanks for the education.
And welcome to the retirement club. Been there for ten years now. This means Munchmeister will be tossing you in the “old folks home with me”. LMAO
I disagree with HotRod a lot but I also frequently agree and agree or disagree outside of the fun of the “flame wars” here on a blog, I actually respect Munchmeisters devotion to the NFL.
January 8th, 2025 at 11:31 am
Kenton, if I were you I would spend my current winnings on going to the Super bowl. I have gone to one and it stands as the greatest experience of my life. MUCH better than winning a bet, no matter how big.
GO BUCKY and BUCS!
January 8th, 2025 at 11:33 am
Big Joe Says:
January 8th, 2025 at 11:29 am
Round 1: CB
Round 2: LG with some Center experience
Brederson was okay.
Wirfs deserves a stud next to him for the next 5 years of his contract.
You can get a GUARANTEED starter at LG in the 2nd.
ILB in the 3rd.
Trade up: get a legit NT to learn under Vea.
Uhhhhhh Draft talk can wait till after the season Bro…. SMFH
January 8th, 2025 at 11:34 am
omg we do not need a LG in the 2nd at all…
resign opeta if you can…and we have bredeson and klein…and hainsey…omg come on duke…
all defense…
and maybe a wr or scateboo if he’s dangling out there when picking
January 8th, 2025 at 11:41 am
Mike C is right…draft talk can wait…
but one last thing…
from what i remember we are stacked with OL on the practice squad too…
i think we have a foreign project guy who’s like 6’9″ and luke haggard i think as well…this is one year we might be able to completely skip OL in the draft and go all defense except for possibly adding in one skill position player as i said above ^^^…
we don’t need to draft TE at all either…just maybe a rb or wr and that’s it…
all defense…
and as Kenton said above ^^^^^ a stellar defensive draft, and a fairly healthy year, could have us as superbowl contenders for sure next year…we are getting close…much closer than one would have thought right after the brady era
January 8th, 2025 at 11:41 am
Those are amazing numbers, especially since he’s only .2 yards behind the all-time best. Wild!
January 8th, 2025 at 11:50 am
All hail Liam Coen and the offensive line!
January 8th, 2025 at 12:07 pm
Adam
“we are getting close…much closer than one would have thought right after the brady era”
Exactly! And lest some Brady fans think we’re dissing him that’s not it.
It’s just true that historically it’s taken some teams awhile to bounce back after winning a SB because of the cost (draft picks/salarycap) to get there.
January 8th, 2025 at 12:17 pm
I drafted Bucky, McMillan and Otton with my last 3 picks in fantasy… Unfortunately only Bucky panned out for me. I was right about them, just timing was off, except for Bucky. I knew he would go off eventually
January 8th, 2025 at 12:19 pm
CB, ILB, OLB or DE. Then draft another CB, ILB, DT and speedy WR. Desperately need CBs and ILBs. Much as we hope, LVD is not going to play forever. Like we got the best pass catching RB in Bucky in the draft, we need the best cover ILB. Let LVD work with the new ILBs for a few years and then become the LB coach if he doesn’t become a preacher.
January 8th, 2025 at 1:17 pm
Imagine I’m Columbo pretending to leave and then spinning around and saying to the guilty party. “And just one more thing.” I believe this is the first time the Bucs have ever finished a season as the best third down team in the entire league on offense. An incredible 50 percent. Liam Cohen is truly a great play caller.
January 8th, 2025 at 4:06 pm
The kid reminds me of a little bit of Barry and a little bit of Emmit. What a great pick and what a fantastic use of such talent. I can’t wait to see what he does to the commando’s
January 8th, 2025 at 5:02 pm
To my brothers who think the Redskins will sell out on the run, I wish they would. Mike Evans for 175 yards and three TD’s. Jaylen McMillan for 105 yards and two TD’s.
January 8th, 2025 at 5:51 pm
Bucky has vision! Go bucs
January 8th, 2025 at 6:26 pm
Bonzai
“If Trask ever wants a shot at starting, he’ll refuse to re-sign. Test the market.”
Perhaps but I think the market has already spoken, perhaps just a whisper.
It’s been 2 years since Baker beat out or was gifted the job depending on your conspiratorial genes, and Trask was obviously available for the right trade.
Given all the losses to injury and still no trade for Trask one has to wonder if the rest of the league sees him that valuable?
And as Fitzmagic could point out you can make a good career by staying in the league as a backup with the occasional starting opportunity.
January 8th, 2025 at 7:22 pm
i write this for my dad bud who loved the bucs appreciate what you have playoffs playoffs for 4 years you ave a home playoff game with injuries up the a** including the great CG go back to 2007 to 2019 if your that nit picking and unhappy and mayfield is competative as s** be happy