Will The Competition Start Tomorrow?
May 24th, 2021
Joe’s eyes will be focused on one major position tomorrow when the Bucs begin in-person practices for veterans at One Buc Palace, also known as OTAs.
Some players will attend the voluntary workouts; many will not.
But what about the Bucs’ four-headed monster at running back? All those talented backs — Ronald Jones, Leonard Fournette, Giovani Bernard and Ke’Shawn Vaughn — want the rock and expect to contribute this season, and three out of four are in a contract year.
No matter what Tom Brady, Bucco Bruce Arians and Carlton Davis have said about it being ok/advised/preferred for some players to stay away, the reality is that every darn session is an opportunity to impress the coaching staff.
Four running backs are competing and nobody wants to lose an edge. Yeah, no role is won in May, but a foundation to win one certainly can be set before June.
If you were Fournette, would you stay home knowing RoJo could be there?
Joe certainly would advise RoJo to show up. That could be the difference between the organization letting him get 1,000 rushing yards this season rather than gifting Antonio Brown extra cash so he can pay embarrassing legal bills.
What about veteran Bernard, the newcomer general manager Jason Licht says will change third down this season? Bernard knows he’s competing and will have a significant learning curve.
Vaughn has the outspoken backing of Arians and Licht but is fighting for his NFL future.
The running backs competition is stiffer than at any time in Bucs history.
Who’s going all-in starting tomorrow?
May 24th, 2021 at 12:20 pm
Four fine backs. We can’t lose.
May 24th, 2021 at 12:22 pm
Rojo is the best runner on the team. I hope he gets his 1k this year. I also hope the bucs continue to run the ball close to 30-35 times per game.
May 24th, 2021 at 12:33 pm
Rojo and Fournette should stay home. The other guys need the reps…. and why wear out the proven guys.
May 24th, 2021 at 12:37 pm
For the first time in a long time, we are loaded at running back. No stars, but they all bring something to the table. Please start already season.
May 24th, 2021 at 12:39 pm
The battle for the number one RB that gets 10 carries a game. Excited to see Ke’ getting some touches.
May 24th, 2021 at 12:41 pm
RB room is talented and deep…good problem to have…
GO BUCS!!!!
May 24th, 2021 at 12:54 pm
I foresee them all being there. Rojo needs to work on his hands. Fournette needs to show he’s got a team first attitude. Gio needs to learn the plays. Vaughn needs to let people know he’s coming up.
May 24th, 2021 at 1:14 pm
1,000 yd just got one game easier for everyone. Crazy to think that OJ got 2,000 yards in a 14-game season once upon a time.
May 24th, 2021 at 1:27 pm
Fournette has pretty well established himself as a 3.9 YPA back, while RoJo hit 5.1 last year. Neither is much of a blocker or receiver. It’s a nice early down rotation.
May 24th, 2021 at 1:30 pm
Agreed 813. I personally would like to see rojo take another step toward this year. If he does then I believe he is our starter. Fun player to watch and he grinds the tough yards out
May 24th, 2021 at 1:59 pm
To me Fornette is the best back wr have. He is phyzical ar the point of attack and squeezes through tiny gaps to pick up yards and has blazing speed. Passes thrown his way have a 50٪ chance of being caught which is why Bernard was brought in. Rojo can’t catch a cold in the pass game but he’s fast and if he tries can be physical but tries too much finesse to avoid tackles. Vaughn could be a good back but he just doesn’t seem to be getting much opportunity. I agree Fournette and Rojo need to rest while Bernard and Vaughn work out in OTAs. Go Bucs!!!
May 24th, 2021 at 2:56 pm
It was Peyton Barber Lenny the regular season. RoJo needs to be our future security blanket resigned at RB. Vaughn is a good pass blocker with potential to run and catch he just hasn’t gotten the opportunity. Shall see what Gio can do this year to determine his pass catching abilities.
May 24th, 2021 at 4:32 pm
Am I the only one that seen all the all most miss between Brady and the center in every game
May 24th, 2021 at 5:38 pm
Our Team is SO loaded with talent across the board on both sides of the ball ! This new Season can’t start soon enough for me ! I’ve been very excited for many years for the “start” but NEVER like this year ! GO BUCS !!!! And Lighting too !!!!
May 24th, 2021 at 6:06 pm
I would not blame RoJo if he attended in order to work on his pass-catching. His reported off-season regimen at home reminds me of Walter “Sweetness” Payton’s famous routine.
I’m pulling for him!
May 24th, 2021 at 6:12 pm
You can literally get a RB off the waivers and have them star for you in the playoffs – it’s why you don’t waste draft picks on RB’s like Vaughn. If someone is truly special, maybe you spend a 2nd rounder once a decade, but that’s about it. Also RB is one position where you don’t need to get a year out in front of the position.
In any case, getting Bernard is big, the team needs a legit 3rd down pass catching RB, and it’s something the Bucs haven’t had since Charles Sims.
May 24th, 2021 at 8:28 pm
Looks like Gio Bernard got a head start. I saw it being reported that he was working out with Tom Brady, Chris Godwin, Gronk and Cam Brate today ahead of OTA’s.
May 25th, 2021 at 5:50 am
Steven007 Says:
May 24th, 2021 at 1:14 pm
1,000 yd just got one game easier for everyone. Crazy to think that OJ got 2,000 yards in a 14-game season once upon a time
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Barry Sanders once hit 2000 exactly in 14 games. He had 53 yards in his first two games and exactly 2000 the rest of the way. That being said, he’s still the most overrated RB in league history.
May 25th, 2021 at 5:56 am
Cainishere Says:
May 24th, 2021 at 1:59 pm
To me Fornette is the best back wr have. He is phyzical ar the point of attack and squeezes through tiny gaps to pick up yards and has blazing speed. Passes thrown his way have a 50٪ chance of being caught which is why Bernard was brought in. Rojo can’t catch a cold in the pass game but he’s fast and if he tries can be physical but tries too much finesse to avoid tackles. Vaughn could be a good back but he just doesn’t seem to be getting much opportunity. I agree Fournette and Rojo need to rest while Bernard and Vaughn work out in OTAs. Go Bucs!!
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I see you’ve failed to watch a single game of Rojo. He is, by far, our most physical back and was one of the top RBs in the league after contact. 5.1 ypc >>>>>>>>> far better than Fournette’s 3.7…. Fournette has been UNDER 4.0 almost every year of his career. Terrible assessment.
May 25th, 2021 at 1:46 pm
Brandon – Wow, you could be the dumbest person to ever post here if you think Sanders was overrated. He’s literally the best back I’ve ever seen and he generally played on terrible teams with bad passing games and bad offensive lines. Most of his running came with no FB or TEs in the game, and the defense knew it was coming. The guy was amazing.