The Longest Drought
May 19th, 2024
It’s been that long.
This really shocked Joe.
So the guys at the 33rd Team twittered out a stat that had Joe leaning back in his chair amid the empty beer-can-cluttered, pizza-box-strewn JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters.
The Bucs have the longest drought in the NFL of not having a 1,000-yard rusher. Well, the Bucs are tied with the Jets (nah-ah!).
The last time the Bucs had a running back who broke the 1,000-yard barrier was Doug Martin nine years ago, the second year of the lousy Lovie Smith administration.
Well, maybe that’s a lesson learned. (Of course, none of this factors in the Bucs screwing Ronald Jones out of 1,000 yards in favor of a mental patient.)
Yes, the NFL is a passing league. Yes, you throw to win in the NFL (sorry, Ira). Yes, the Bucs won a Super Bowl without a 1,000-yard rusher (two actually). And yes, the Bucs are a three-peat NFC South division champ without a 1,000-yard rusher.
Still, this stat really took Joe aback it’s been that long since the team had a 1,000-yard rusher.
For those curious, the Jets running back who last had 1,000 yards back in 2015 was Chris Ivory.
We will never forget the Muscle Hamster 💪🏴☠️ pic.twitter.com/fgjhDEE05J
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) May 18, 2024
May 19th, 2024 at 12:05 am
1. Alvin Kamara is the most overrated player in the league
2. The Falcons drafting an RB immediately after getting a 1k rusher is just amazing
3. CMC showing up for multiple teams
May 19th, 2024 at 12:17 am
What about Justin Fields being in the list?
May 19th, 2024 at 12:44 am
didn’t Blount have a 996yd season? I had a couple drinks, but also factor into short passing as a type of run style. I get eh 1000yd rusher, but we have been close. And offense has changed to more passing league.
May 19th, 2024 at 12:45 am
ROJO was 22 yards short of 1000 yards in 2020
And White was 10 yards short last year
Its just a #
White had 1539 total yards and 9 TDs in 2023 – Those #s seem more significant. And White did that trying to run mostly up the middle – behind the worst interior OLine in the league…
May 19th, 2024 at 1:09 am
Bucsfaninchina, you brought up an odd thing about the Falcons. Two seasons ago they had one of the better running games in the league, but they chose another RB in the first round. This spring they signed Kirk Cousins for almost $40 million a year for four years and yet drafted a QB #8. Odd decision making.
May 19th, 2024 at 1:09 am
It is what it is.
No use making excuses for a stat.
May 19th, 2024 at 1:40 am
It’s just a #?
Our Team’s Abysmal Rushing Performance (2023).
Advanced Rushing Stats: (2023)
• Rushing Yards: 1509 (32nd)
• Rushing Touch Downs: 8 (28th)
• First Downs Rushing: 79 (31st)
• Yards Before Contact: 900 (29th)
• Rushing Yards Before Contact Per Rushing Attempt: 2.1 (31st)
• Rushing Yards After Contact: 609 (30th)
• Rushing Yards After Contact Per Rush: 1.4 (31st)
The pitiful state of our rushing game is exposed in these damning stats: dead last in total rushing yards, a feeble touchdown count, and a woeful scarcity of first downs on the ground.
Our offensive line’s inability to create opportunities is stark, evident in dismal numbers for yards before and after contact. The urgency for a radical shift in our rushing strategy has never been more apparent
A strong ground threat makes defenses bite, creating prime opportunities for game-changing play-action plays that can make our offense more potent.
Note: In a so-called passing league where powerhouses like San Francisco and Kansas City dominate the rushing charts with their commanding statistics, our team languishes at the bottom.
May 19th, 2024 at 2:19 am
The Bucs also have the longest playoff streak in the NFC and that’s what matters.
May 19th, 2024 at 6:36 am
If Ronald Jones hadn’t have missed a game with the virus we wouldn’t be on this list.
May 19th, 2024 at 6:42 am
LUVMYBUCS if I’m reading that list correctly it says KC last had a 1k rusher in 2017 and it was Kareem Hunt
May 19th, 2024 at 7:44 am
We’re do, right?
May 19th, 2024 at 7:52 am
Does Jie have amnesia? This same subject has been referenced countless times on this site. I’ll give you the same advice you so arrogantly give your loyal readers. “Check the archives”! I mean, seriously, do you think your readers are clueless or is this article purely written for brand new customers?
May 19th, 2024 at 8:57 am
I think part of the poor “yards after contact” number is that most situations, it’s a linebacker or a db, which you can mebbe run over. In our case, it’s nearly always a lineman
May 19th, 2024 at 9:00 am
Bring back Chucky!
Go Bucs!
May 19th, 2024 at 9:25 am
Wow, blast from the past Doug Martin! It is time for us now.
Noticed free agent Dalvin Cook is on the list for 2022, along with his brother James for 2023 Bills.
May 19th, 2024 at 9:32 am
Sign ROJO
May 19th, 2024 at 9:57 am
I hear Keshawn Vaughn is available
May 19th, 2024 at 10:02 am
Why do you think Licht & Co. aggressively restructured the OL room for this season?
Contrary to popular casual opinion, backs don’t gain yards by themselves. They are the downstream of OL play, for better or worse.
May 19th, 2024 at 10:45 am
Main Priority this off-season is improving the run game. Liam Coen already hinted as much and the decision we take at O-Line (complete restructure, Barton and Klein (who excels in run-blocking by his own admission), more responsibility on Mayfield instead of simply executing DOA run plays)
All of that more than tells a story.
It’s a straight up expectation that Rachaad rushes for a 1’000 this season. Even with less snaps.
And he will.
May 19th, 2024 at 12:27 pm
As long as our longest carry through week 12 isn’t 13 yards we might be ok.
May 19th, 2024 at 12:54 pm
Here’s hoping Bucky Irving turns out to be a 4th round steal and neither he nor White have 1000 yards rushing. I’d like to see the load shared this season before poor White totally wears out.
I’d like having a 1A – White and 1B Irving. I do not care about individual stats but would like the team to do a better job overall of running the ball. Hopefully the OL improvements are a good start and Bucky can also bring some juice.
May 19th, 2024 at 1:58 pm
Haleywould is right; and it means the KC dynasty of the modern-era has won all of their championships without one.
May 19th, 2024 at 4:08 pm
And the Chiefs last 1000 yard rusher was 2017. The game had changed.
May 19th, 2024 at 4:39 pm
With an now 17 game season…It’s shameful that there are not more 1k RB’s around the league. (12 in 2023).
The NFL is a passing league & that is 100% re-enforced by the # of 1K WR’s…(28 in 2023)…But still love me some smash mouth FB & expect White to end the Bucs 1K RB drought in 2024.
May 19th, 2024 at 6:17 pm
I don’t think a team needs a 1,000 yd. rusher anymore. Besides, 1,000 is meaningless today. It was meaningful when the NFL was 14 games.
A team needs a threat to gain yards on the ground when needed. Think about how a tush push affects D calls, but make the threat not necessarily a tush push but the ability to impose will on the ground when needed; keep the LBs and DLs honest. Make teams sneak more men into the box.
Then play action or RPO are daggers.
Give me 4 more 1st down on the ground per game, and that tilts the ToP in the Buc’s favor significantly.
I suspect this is what Coen wants, and this is why the emphasis was on the OL this offseason.
I look forward to the results.