“Best Believe Tampa Bay’s Not Going To Be Able To Run The Ball”
October 29th, 2021
Harsh words from former teammate
Retired linebacker and current BSPN analyst Sam Acho played for Bucco Bruce Arians and Todd Bowles in 2019 and years ago in Arizona. He also maintains close contacts on the Bucs roster.
So Joe was a bit surprised to hear Acho chirping on TV this week about how the Bucs, with their beastly offensive line and Leonard “Playoff Lenny” Fournette and Ronald Jones, won’t be able to pound the rock in New Orleans.
“Best believe Tampa Bay’s not going to be able to run the ball on this New Orleans Saints defense,” Acho said.
The Bucs are averaging 4.2 yards per rush this season without a mobile QB on the roster. That’s solid production to complement the NFL’s best passing game. Acho, however, is a non-believer against the Saints defense.
Are we to believe the Saints will play to stop the run and allow Tom Brady to pick them apart?
Even without Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown the Bucs have enough weapons to ring up 30 points against a strong defense.
Former NFL safety and personnel executive Louis Riddick was sort of countering Acho on the air by putting most of the pressure in Sunday’s Bucs-Saints game on America’s Quarterback, Saints checkdown specialist Jameis Winston.
Riddick is confident Brady will get his big plays and Jameis won’t be able to just rely on a steady diet of Alvin Kamara on the ground and through the air.
Joe can’t wait to see this all-day brawl in the trenches. And yeah, Joe thinks the Bucs will indeed be able to run the ball enough to keep the Saints off balance.
October 29th, 2021 at 10:35 am
Isn’t Acho the same guy who said our offensive line was weak at right tackle? Hey Sam stick to talking about reality television.
October 29th, 2021 at 10:36 am
Hit them with play action on first downs a few times & we will be able to run on them……and please, please, please don’t start the game with a run up the gut.
October 29th, 2021 at 10:39 am
Darden will have a big day.
October 29th, 2021 at 10:50 am
Well there is a statistical reason for pessimism, the Bucs are averaging 3.5 yards per carry away from home this season. For a frame of reference, that’s the 6th worse in the league this season. Overall the Bucs are strictly a middling team when they run the ball, though the last game against Chicago they looked much better. We’ll see whether that’s an aberration of the beginning of a favorable trend.
In terms of run defense, the Saints lead the league in run defense, surrendering only 3.3 yards per carry. Their home numbers are somewhat worse at 4.2 yards per carry, but that’s the product of one long run by the Giants’ QB Daniel Jones.
The Saints heavily rely on their defense this season, and the D looks legit.
October 29th, 2021 at 10:52 am
Best believe? That’s some serious analysis.
October 29th, 2021 at 11:12 am
The matchup with the Saints the past few years has always come down to the trenches. We flipped the script on them in the playoffs and we’ll have to bring the same physicality on Sunday. Win the physical battles up front and we’ll be 7-1.
October 29th, 2021 at 11:21 am
Bucs don’t need to run a lot, but I believe they will. 4Net has his mojo going now, and the O-line will happily accept Acho’s challenge. Yawn! Another check in the win column.
October 29th, 2021 at 11:23 am
NFL Team Opponent Rushing Yards per Game
Rank Team 2021
1 Tampa Bay 67.4
2 Cleveland 80.4
3 New Orleans 80.8
4 Baltimore 86.1
October 29th, 2021 at 11:26 am
We only need to run the ball effectively enough to keep the defense guessing, and keep our passing game open.
October 29th, 2021 at 11:36 am
Let VV run over em’
October 29th, 2021 at 11:36 am
IF and I repeat IF we can’t run…..We have the best receivers on the league….So what?????
October 29th, 2021 at 11:43 am
Let them pack the Box, Brady will be Brady, Bad news for NO. Yeah we all know the Saints are no push over. But they are by no means any kind of juggernaut. Sean Payton still in no way trusts Jameis to let him fling the ball everywhere. Yeah Jameis will take some shots, but if the Bucs do not have stupid turnovers, then the Bucs will win.
Time for Jameis to eat an L.
GO BUCS!!!!!
October 29th, 2021 at 11:52 am
Acho. Another zero making money by speaking nonsense.
October 29th, 2021 at 12:10 pm
Best believe we don’t care what Sam Ah-ah-achoo thinks.
October 29th, 2021 at 12:15 pm
Sam Acho is a feminine hygiene product in a bag.
October 29th, 2021 at 12:23 pm
I suspect Sean Payton has threatened Jameis that too many picks = less playing time.
October 29th, 2021 at 12:34 pm
Forcing Tom Brady to throw sounds terrible. The world’s most accomplished passer having to beat you in the air. Good luck with that
October 29th, 2021 at 12:40 pm
I’m glad no one is taking an opponent lightly. But let’s be realistic, the Saints are not Super Bowl contenders this year. Jameis Winston is not Drew Brees. This is not going to be the same Saints we remember for the past several years. The Bucs have the better roster and is miles above where they were when they played the Saints in the regular season last year. Right now on NFL Pickwatch, the Bucs are heavy favorites among analysts. 96% picked the Bucs to win. The Saints aren’t a bad team and are a divisional rival. But everyone here is acting like we are big underdogs. Unless the Bucs commit turnovers and do stupid mistakes, the Saints are not going to win.
October 29th, 2021 at 1:25 pm
Saints d is no joke going to be hard to run on them and pass with this being a rival game I just feel it’s a toss up could go either way even though I believe the bucs are the superior team
October 29th, 2021 at 1:41 pm
Oh wow, now I’m REALLY concerned. Makes one wonder how Washington was able to run the ball for 131 yards in 33 attempts (4.0 YPC) with 2 rushing TDs & keep the ball for over 36 minutes TOP … yet still lose thanks to a 72-yd passing TD to Harris & another 49-yd passing TD to Callaway.
Every JBFer knows by now that neither one of them can catch & that Jameis is only allowed to dink & dunk. Oh wait, maybe I shouldn’t believe all that I read on the internet. My bad.
October 29th, 2021 at 1:51 pm
i think rojo is going to have a surprise shot at some extra carries because he runs so hard and has so much to prove at this point…
maybe he will have himself a day barreling thru the trenches…
run rojo run…
bucs 30 saints 20
as we go into the bye week 7-1 and leave new orleans looking up at us in the standings at 4-3
October 29th, 2021 at 2:10 pm
Thanks for that breakdown @NOSE TACKLE… nobody else caught that. BUCS by 24
October 29th, 2021 at 2:59 pm
The Bucs tend to not do/match-up well with physical teams. What is the over/under for number of personal fouls for this game? Hope Evans and Jensen don’t get flagged.
October 29th, 2021 at 3:48 pm
Scotty the Bucs played Eagles, Bears, both very physical defenses and didn’t back down physically. Sure Nee Orleans is a great defense but the Bucs and Brady are in the zone. Besides Bucs defense has created turnovers and short fields vs the young QBs Hurts and Fields.
Why would anyone expect Jamies not to turn it over with Shaq Barrett, JPP and VV putting heat on Winston.
If Bucs get up early and NOLA can’t run all short passes and running plays that means Bucs defensive line will tee off. For past 2 weeks Bucs pass rush has been the best since last years playoffs run. One of Saints top lineman is out so there will be heat coming from the edge the backup is filling.
If you don’t think the Bucs can play physical, just watch the Bears game tape, that was smash mouth defense.
October 29th, 2021 at 6:43 pm
Saints D-line is quite talented. I think we’ll have some struggles if we get super predictable with runs up the gut on every 1st down like we have done too many times in the past… If we mix it up with short passes on 1st down, etc., I think we’ll be fine and things will open up for the run game.
As for Acho… he’s awful on TV. Just my opinion. Just says whatever will get attention, no matter how little data is behind it.
His brother does a show with Marcellus Whiley and is soooo much better.
October 29th, 2021 at 7:02 pm
Our Bucs are a force to be reckoned with. Saints will put up a great fight in NO, But I just think our team is really gelling right now. 41-24 BUCS
October 29th, 2021 at 7:19 pm
Bucs are running a lot of outside zone rushing schemes.
Is NO ready for that?
October 29th, 2021 at 8:54 pm
Ok Latimore is going to take Evans out of the passing game. I have news for the Saints. Evans is going to make catches. Now that Latimore is going to be consumed the tight ends are going to feast on the rest of the defense. Godwin and Johnson will find openings in the secondary and Brady will find them. The passing game is going to be successful and this is going make the running game be productive. Tom Brady and company is going to give the Saints more than they can deal with. If the offense limits penalties and takes care of the ball we will score at least 30 points. I am also counting on the defense to have a good day as well. The secondary will continue to show their improvement. Go Bucs.
October 30th, 2021 at 10:33 am
Sam Acho is a buffoon. He says the most idiotic crap. I honestly don’t know why or how he has a media job.
October 30th, 2021 at 10:41 am
Selling out against the run to stop the top passing offense in the nation. I hope they do this…
October 30th, 2021 at 10:44 am
Why are some of you still talking about “runs up the gut” on first round when the stats literally show Tampa runs on 1st down less than almost every other team
October 30th, 2021 at 10:45 am
what happen to Scotty Miller is he still out for the year?
October 30th, 2021 at 11:27 am
Yall sucks brady gone get what he came for a great big beat down in the n.o All yall buck fans are really big headed right now. Yall bucks can be beat at any giving day and also you know what brady hates he hates pressure and it do bust pipes them saints gone show yall that yall can be beat and that the saints still own that division bucks get a reality check be4 yall speak on something yall know aint gone work against them saints at home good luck with that FOOLS…..
October 30th, 2021 at 11:45 am
RUN THE BALL OR NOT THE SAINTS ARE GOING TO GET HAMMERED. THEY BARELY BEAT SEAHAWKS WITH GENO SMITH AND SEATTLE’S WORST DEFENSE. BUCS REMEMBER JUST LIKE WHAT THEY DID TO CHICAGO LAST WEEK BUT I FEEL THIS GOING TO BE ALOT WORSE BUCS 45-16.
October 30th, 2021 at 2:17 pm
y’all suxx.your a freaking idiot.learn Grammer klown boi . jeez
October 30th, 2021 at 2:35 pm
Just because you managed to have a NFL career doesn’t mean you have any business being a commentator.
October 30th, 2021 at 6:19 pm
Saints 24. Bucs 23.
October 31st, 2021 at 10:13 am
Jameis can sling it. We’ve all seen and experienced it. That’s the reason NO took a flier on him. He’s also highly capable of making terrible decisions with the ball. That’s the only reason he’s not playing in Tampa any more. The Bucs secondary has been the weak link all year and is in terrible shape right now with new practice squad players stepping in each week at corner. The Bucs are very vulnerable on the back end. The Bucs may have to score 40 to keep up unless the defense can force J-miss into bad decisions with pressure. The Saints D is formidable. It will be a tough game. If the Bucs show up with the right mindset, they’ll win. If they try to rest on their 6-1 laurels and take NO for granted, they’ll be 6-2 tomorrow.
Who’s Sam Acho, and why does anyone care what he has to say anyway??