From The Cheap Seats: Leonard Fournette Bucs Talk

Leonard Fournette is a free agent so here we go again. “We should sign this guy immediately” posts are about to flood my social media feeds and the there is only one reason for this Leonard Fournette Bucs talk: I have heard of him.

That is right. That is the only real reason to even begin thinking that the Buccaneers should sign Fournette. He rushed for a little over 1,100 yards last season and is a decent back with what might be “chronic” ankle issues.

Fournette is a name, primarily from his college days at LSU. That is most likely why you know him. He has been decent in the NFL, never spectacular. He is solid but oft injured and never reliable.

The Buccaneers have a lot of decent bodies at the position already. Fournette’s potential is not all that high, while Ronald Jones and Ke’Shaun Vaughn have a much greater upside. Dare Ogunbowale is a solid blocker and pass catcher. Fournette simply is not bringing any improvement to the position.

Every time you see a name that you have heard of or know please hesitate before you hit the “enter” key. Think. Is this guy a fit for the team? I mean, REALLY a fit. Does he know the scheme and system?

Right now these running backs know what Brady, Arians, Leftwich and Bowles expect. In an off season riddled with challenges and obstacles do you really want to add new ones? Do you want to add an injury prone veteran that does not know the language of this system? What is your last on-field memory of Fournette? When was that memory?

Stop And Think

Stop and think. Don’t just react to every name that you have heard of with a post saying “We should get this guy”. It reminds me of fans who want to get rid of coaches after a few bad games. Those fans rarely think through who the replacement will be.

Have you ever heard this one? “We should trade for (insert superstar name). We could trade (insert multiple average or below average players) and a 6th round pick next year.” These fans genuinely think some team will take your trash and give you their treasure.

The Buccaneers do not need Leonard Fournette, or Antonio Brown or  Devonta Freeman. This team seems to have a very special chemistry. Just stop the Leonard Fournette talk now. Whether you have heard of a player or not is not a good measure of whether or not they are right for your team. This is VERY clear, even from all the way up here in the Cheap Seats.