Bobby Is All About Bobby
October 22nd, 2015
So now that Bobby Rainey is set in a No. 1 returner gig in the NFL, is he studying the greats of the game at that position?
Nope.
That’s not Rainey’s style.
Joe asked Rainey yesterday if the Bucs hadn’t been trying so hard to keep him out of a returning job, would he have spent more time training on return-specific drills and skills this past offseason?
Remember, the Bucs inserted four players into the role before Rainey finished out the 2014 season there (Joe’s including Solomon Patton twice). Then Tampa Bay drafted a returner, Kaelin Clay, and gave him the 2015 job before he proved unimpressive in preseason and got hurt.
Rainey said knowing he’d be the returner-in-chief would have been useless.
“I wouldn’t have done anything different,” Rainey said. “I always implement catching into my daily workouts. And that’s all a return is: catching. It really shouldn’t be made more complicated than that.”
Rainey said he has no interest in watching other returners and the Bucs haven’t put any on his list of film study.
“I’m self-motivated regardless. It doesn’t matter what it is. Period. I’m always self-motivated to do better than anyone,” Rainey emphasized. “So if anything, it’s more concentrating on what I can do better. I gotta take of myself first before I can implement what someone else is doing.”
To summarize Rainey (and he had more to say), Joe would say Rainey’s philosophy is, “When I’m the best, I’ll worry about the rest.”
That internal drive is why undrafted Rainey is alive and thriving in the NFL while standing just 5-foot-7.
October 22nd, 2015 at 9:06 am
Joe says
“Rainey is alive and thriving in the NFL”
Despite Lovie’s best efforts!!!!!
October 22nd, 2015 at 9:23 am
Watching Bobby return kicks is exciting without a doubt. This guy is like a rolling bowling ball. Like his burst into an open hole at running back, give him a return gap and there he goes for positive yards.
October 22nd, 2015 at 9:44 am
How many more players can lovie freaking try and screw up. Literally tried everything to get him out of this job. Sounds like lansanah and banks. Wtf is his problem. He gets fixated on guys that are terrible to replace good players we have
October 22nd, 2015 at 9:50 am
I’d like to see Rainey get some carries. Like every other personnel decision Lovie makes his handling of Rainey has been obsurd. Maybe if he was hurt more Rainey could become a Lovie guy.
October 22nd, 2015 at 5:20 pm
Bobby Rainey has the 4th best kick-off return average @ 29.9 yards. Punt returns he is 5th best at 13.9 yards per return. Not to shabby Bobby. That elusive TD return is right around the corner. He has not received many snaps at RB but he does have a 6 yard per carry average. I would love to see him get more opportunities at RB, with the way our OL is blocking. I think he is a FA at the end of this year as well?
October 22nd, 2015 at 10:47 pm
Yeah, competition during training camp is ludacris! How dare lovie smith try and upgrade our return game! SHAME! Doesn’t he know rainey is a god!
/endsarcasm