Giovani Bernard Earns Bruce Arians Praise
July 25th, 2021
Giovani Bernard
After training camp practice today, Joe was aching to ask Bucco Bruce Arians about his new toy.
That would be veteran running back/receiving back Giovani Bernard, who went from the outhouse (the Bengals) to the penthouse (Tampa Bay) this offseason.
Arians said Day 1 of training camp for Bernard revealed a man whose done his homework.
“Just like in the spring, he knows how to get open. You know, he’s a vet,” Arians said. “I think he did a lot of studying because his pass protection was all new in the spring, but he did a great job today.”
After practice, Bernard took his smooth and well-known hands to several rounds on the Jugs machine.
Hey, general manager Jason Licht said Bernard’s presence will change the offense. So Joe is playing close attention.
July 25th, 2021 at 11:59 am
Pass protection is the key to playing time!
July 25th, 2021 at 12:27 pm
I still cant believe how joe does not understand how electric a pass receiving back like gio can expand an offense’s options. Mind boggling in fact.
Joe never expressed or wrote that. OBVIOUSLY, teams run and pass to their backs. OBVIOUSLY, receivers can’t run 65 go routes a game. But Bernard doesn’t have to be a focus with these Bucs. –Joe
July 25th, 2021 at 12:37 pm
What is truly “mindboggling” is how people believe a backup for a four-win team can transform an offense that hummed last season and averaged 30 points a game including the playoffs. Joe also finds it “mindboggling” why anyone would not want to throw downfield when the team has one of the best group of receivers in NFL history.
Joe sure wouldn’t find it “mindboggling” if the suits paying those same receivers so much money would start asking questions why an inexpensive backup running back was targeted so much instead of the all-star receivers and tight ends.
July 25th, 2021 at 12:54 pm
Gio is going to be so much fun to watch. Lefty can come out with some super creative sets with Lenny and Gio in the backfield together to 3 TE sets with Gio as the only RB, etc. Brady is going to love putting LBs on their heels trying to cover everything underneath which will open up the deep ball.
July 25th, 2021 at 1:03 pm
What is really mind boggling is the thought that BA would care about the Glazers’s concern with how he is playing his offense. Lol
Seriously?!?!?!? C’mon Man?!?!?!!?
July 25th, 2021 at 1:08 pm
i like this dude…. he is going to be leader on TDs, among running backs…i like him..
July 25th, 2021 at 1:09 pm
We are so loaded Byron and Bruce are salivating like wolves looking at injured pray.
I predict the offense to barely look better than our defense this season. And I think our defense will ball out.
July 25th, 2021 at 1:19 pm
Just ask Brady if he likes the addition of Giovanni Bernard.
I’ll put it to you this way….if throwing to him gets us first down after first down & then a TD without fumbles…..I’m for it….
July 25th, 2021 at 2:00 pm
No one said focus of the offense but u have to be a complete empty beer can if u did not understand how the saints offense tranformed when they signed a guy like sproles years ago. Or when the saints offense expanded by putting a back in the backfield years later that could catch like kumara. Its quite simple, having a receiving back like gio to go along with weapons on the outside is much more dangerous than the bucs were last year. Hint, thats why licht signed him and brady went all out to recruit him. Oh and calling him an inexpensive back up without also acknowledging he leads all backs with receptions since he has been the league is quite disingenious
July 25th, 2021 at 2:09 pm
Oh and him being on a 4 win team is not an indictment on his talent. It just says he played on a team that lost its starting qb among other things. Thats like saying because evans and david played on a two win team or a 5 win team etc if they signed with a contender they would not have made a difference. Its a team game as it relates to wins and loses
July 25th, 2021 at 2:17 pm
He was a backup on a garbage team, c’mon man. Is this Ira’s burner account?
Bernard is a No. 3 back with the Bucs. So why on earth would you actually want to lean on a backup when you have the best, deepest group of receivers and tight ends maybe this century? The same guys who averaged 30 points a game and won a Super Bowl. And you want to change the offense for a backup running back to catch the ball??? Dude, the NFL is not PlayStation.
Bernard isn’t Sproles. And he sure as hell isn’t Alvin Kamara. And the Saints never had the talent at receiver and tight end the Bucs now have.
July 25th, 2021 at 2:21 pm
The more weapons the merrier. Tom will know when to dump it to Gio, and when to throw it down field. The Joe’s, and his followers need only to watch, and enjoy!
July 25th, 2021 at 3:06 pm
Maybe Gio can teach Rojo how to catch while he’s here 😀
July 25th, 2021 at 3:17 pm
I think Gio is going to be a good mentor for Vaughn, who is likely the future for the Bucs at RB.
July 25th, 2021 at 3:53 pm
‘Ira’s burner account’? Spectacular Joe; you’re on fire.
Well, except to when it comes to this ‘just keep throwing it downfield’ thingie. We both know it’s never been THAT easy in the history of the NFL. Offense AND defense in the NFL is a fantastic chess match, and if you become too predictable, you lose.
The beauty of having Tom Brady as our trigger man is that the more weapons you give him, the more he’ll eat you up. And I think that’s exactly what JL & BA tried to do this off-season. Bernard is a good example, but so is Darden (potentially, if he can catch the ball of course). Flexibility is the key, and in the hands of The GOAT, the more weapons Brady has at his disposal, the greater our flexibility.
July 25th, 2021 at 4:01 pm
Hey guys
Joe does not seem to be a big fan of gio. Thats a good thing 😂
Joe rarely is right when it comes to player talent
July 25th, 2021 at 4:05 pm
That’s incorrect.
Just a MUCH bigger fans of the Bucs’ elite receivers/tight ends.
July 25th, 2021 at 4:31 pm
What’s mind boggling is that people see a guys that averaged 3.4, 3.2, and 3.8 YPC the last three years and think he has anything left. For those that want to blame the Bengals offensive line… the team averaged 4.1, 3.9, and 4.7 in those same years.
July 25th, 2021 at 5:37 pm
Why are y’all getting put out over how the Joe feels about GB? Do you really think BA and BL are going to consult him when making the game plan?
July 25th, 2021 at 5:56 pm
Mind boggling Joey. Sure throw it deep often like last season and lose games like last season. You’re the one beating the undefeated drum yet you want to use a formula that lost multiple games already?!?. Yes i call that mind boggling.
July 25th, 2021 at 6:22 pm
LOL
July 25th, 2021 at 7:18 pm
Not a knock against McCoy but the G-man will be a definite upgrade.
July 25th, 2021 at 9:08 pm
Gio is here in the Shady McCoy role… relax.
July 26th, 2021 at 8:30 am
I see Bernard as a tool to improve our offense in an area where there was room for improvement. It is smart for an organization to look at areas were incremental improvement is needed. That was the case at running back. Neither Jones or Playoff Lenny excelled at pass catching, though the latter was probably a bit more consistent. Still, Bernard is an upgrade in that department. He will give Brady more options.