Rondé Barber: Bucs Can Win On The Ground
December 23rd, 2021
Yes, Bucs legend Rondé Barber is well aware of injuries to running backs Leonard Fournette and Giovani Bernard within Tampa Bay’s pass-first offense.
Still, Barber is adamant the Bucs can win games by pounding the rock and the reason they don’t do it more often is all about Tom Brady.
“The Bucs can run the football. They absolutely can run the football,” Barber told CBS Sports Radio yesterday.
“When they needed to beat Indy in Indy, the best running football team in the league, they ran the ball against Indianapolis and beat them. … They had to run against the best defense at the time in the league, Buffalo, they ran against that defense.. They just choose to let Tom Brady, the best player at the position arguably every, they choose to let him win football games for them.”
Brady failing against man coverage Sunday night against the slimy Saints, per Barber, was very much about Scotty Miller, Tyler Johnson and Jaelon Darden.
Remember, Barber breaks down film of every Bucs game and shares some of his work at the team website.
Simply stated, Barber has little concern about what the Bucs injuries will mean for them in the remaining three regular season games.
Interestingly, Barber is confident Brady will win the NFL MVP award because the panelists that have votes possess “a blind bias” toward quarterbacks and Brady has the best overall QB numbers.
Barber said the real MVP is Colts RB Jonathan Taylor by a wide margin.
Joe is confident the Bucs can win by ramping up their run game Sunday at Carolina and then against the Jets and Panthers to close the season. However, they’re going to need at least one healthy, big-time receiver to march through the playoffs.
December 23rd, 2021 at 3:49 am
The o-line should be pumped up about all the pro bowl selections. Just run the ball the next 3 games….instead of trying to get Brady the MVP which has totally backfired and killed us
December 23rd, 2021 at 5:29 am
Hate that we are limping into the final three games of the season when we should be totally hitting our full stride (with AB back!) and steamrolling the Panthers and Jets without breaking a sweat. But it is what it is. Given all the dramatic turn of events, I have to say I am hopeful and actually a little excited to see what Bell and RoJo can do. Can they somehow miraculously perform miracles and come up some great games!?? We’re a lot like underdogs now and it will be fun to see if our team can pull together and somehow beat the odds and all the doom-and-gloomers out there! LET’S DO IT, BUCS!
December 23rd, 2021 at 5:40 am
Rojo has always been the better runner. he just need to put more heart on his game.
December 23rd, 2021 at 6:25 am
It’s the old adage, “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”
Not running the ball effectively puts pressure on everyone, including the defense. Just because Brady can hurl the rock doesn’t mean he should.
BALANCE.
December 23rd, 2021 at 7:53 am
This is a great time for Rojo in a contract year…to earn a big payday….if he performs well the last 3 games, many teams including the Bucs will be interested.
December 23rd, 2021 at 8:09 am
Looking forward to seeing Brady under center, relying on run game to later take his shots on play action. Play action has disappeared from Bucs offense because their opponents know when Brady is in shotgun and 4 wr sets he isn’t going to the run so they drop 8 and rush 4.
We’ll see how Leftwich/Arians make or not make adjustments. Sunday is a must win game. Cowboys play Eagles and Cardinals last 2 games so their playoff position isn’t settled just yet. Rams go against Vikes, Niners and Ravens.
Green Bay does have Browns and Vikings ahead so no guarantees they win both.
There is too much at stake, coaching staff needs to get these backups playing like they know what they are doing. No excuses for coaches now.
December 23rd, 2021 at 8:25 am
Ed, I totally agree. In some kind of weird way, this Godwin injury might actually help us.
The Panthers are definitely no cake walk – their defense will be a good warm up for the playoffs.
It would be nice to see more runs and running back screens out of shotgun – for the past few weeks, we have just been broadcasting that Brady is going to drop back and sling it which allows the opposing defensive line to just pin their ears back and go. There has to be more of a counter attack than that as Tom is very average under pressure – even little jet reverses with Darden every now and then out of shotgun. Even if they don’t work, it forces the defensive line to respect the threat of it.
December 23rd, 2021 at 8:31 am
I agree that Scotty Miller, Tyler Johnson and Jaelon Darden could not get open enough to save their life.
As the result, Brady held the ball too long, and got sacked a lot.
I would give Tyler Johnson one more shot, but Scotty Miller and Darden need to go, as well as Keshawn Vaughn.
I am very optimistic about Leveon Bell! The Man was once the Terror of the NFL.
December 23rd, 2021 at 8:52 am
lots of multi TE sets and get the hell out of the shotgun, empty backfield crap. any “Fullbacks” around Arians? lol
December 23rd, 2021 at 8:56 am
Vaughn is a really good player , he and RoJo both have been mishandled and not prepared by this staff ……… Do they even know Vaugns catch rate aat Vandy , his best routes , his best runs ,,,,, Does Lefty have a 12 to 15 play Vaughn sheet ,,,,, I bet not !!! Certain guys are much better at certain things and the plays must reflect that and hard coaching and practice improves their deficiencies……… Vaughn caught the ball well in college if he’s worse in the NFL , that’s coaching !!! He should be much improved and if he isn’t it’s poor practice and that’s coaching ……. Brady loves dependability ( of coarse) and that led to to much Fournette which the coaches allowed , which regressed RoJo and Vaughn …….. RoJo and Vaughn are both very good backs they just need great coaching and focused on improvement practices which clearly the Bucs Coaches fell asleep at the do what Tom wants Wheel !!! Sometimes just Sometimes Tom needs help seeing the Season picture vs the next game, series or play !!!
December 23rd, 2021 at 9:23 am
A Bell Cinderella Story would make an awesome holiday present.
A guy can dream, can’t he?
December 23rd, 2021 at 10:20 am
“A Bell Cinderella Story would make an awesome holiday present.”
I’d love that, too. I love those everyone-writes-the-washed-up-guy-off-and-he-has-a-heroic-comeback stories. This would be the PERFECT time for it. Bell with two or three game winning TDs!
December 23rd, 2021 at 12:05 pm
@Billy Ray:
I remember well the Fitz Magic. A glorious stretch when all was possible. Of course, starting and ending a season with that great 3-game fortune are entirely different.
This team needs as high a seeding as possible and for a few guys to get healthy the next month. Otherwise, it’ll all crash down.
December 23rd, 2021 at 12:12 pm
I hope Boron Leftwurst is listening, and if the narrative that the calls are run/pass option for Tom, then give Tom a call that is run/run option. No pass option. Ronde has it right, please listen to Ronde.
December 23rd, 2021 at 2:30 pm
If the Bucs come out and just run it up the middle, they aren’t winning anything. The team is excellent at pass blocking, they are not excellent at run block, and that’s OK since its 2021, no 1953.
What the Bucs need to do is what Leftwich was too stupid to do last week, and that is use the screen game and run some slant patterns, then take deep shots to Scotty — NOT Darden, but Scotty. Remember, Leftwich, you moron, Scotty = FAST but not quick… Darden = QUICK but not fast. I don’t know Leftwich can’t figure this out and sends Darden out on deep routes while having Miller run quick twich routes, but it’s obvious from watching them that both players are miscast.
If AB is in the game, he should slide right into that Godwin spot and I honestly wouldn’t be shocked if he gets 15 receptions, if not more. Lots of screens to AB as well, but they can be more traditional screens, they don’t need to be the moving screens that always made it look like you were getting Godwin killed.
December 23rd, 2021 at 2:51 pm
Scotty = FAST but not quick… Darden = QUICK but not fast. I don’t know Leftwich can’t figure this out and sends Darden out on deep routes while having Miller run quick twich routes, but it’s obvious from watching them that both players are miscast.
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You may be on to something here. Not enough play time for either of them to show their stripes this year. Playing return man, Darden has not showcased his athletic abilities.
December 23rd, 2021 at 7:00 pm
Munch you are correct and Darden could be killer on some lil screens if he can be coached to get up field ……one or two cuts and he could be dynamic however he thinks he s playing tag not going to the end zone ………
December 24th, 2021 at 3:47 pm
If you watched the last game , you know that Brady didn’t play bad . When Godwin, Evans and Lenny went down , ALL THE OTHER RECEIVERS DROPPED EVERY BALL THROWN TO THEM , INCLUDING GRONK WHO DROPPED 4 EASY CATCHES !! And the difference between Lenny and the rest of the RBs , is that Lenny can BLOCK , CATCH , AND RUN !! THE OTHERS CAN ONLY RUN