It’s no secret the Buccaneers are struggling to find footing on offense with future hall of fame quarterback Tom Brady under center. It certainly helps when the defense get four turnovers. Let’s be honest here. How often will that happen?
The single play that defines clear as day who the rock-toter of the offense should be is running back Leonard Fournette. His 46-yard game-clinching run against the Carolina Panthers is the exclamation point for his audition to be the featured back. The fourth overall pick of the 2017 season just came off his best season in Jacksonville. He just dropped in the Buccaneers lap to “ease” into the offense? Sorry, but not sorry, but the byproduct of LSU should be the workhorse. If Ronald Jones II was the answer, then the team wouldn’t need to sign Fournette.
Leonard Fournette Stats Speak for Themselves
There’s really no comparison and no more excuses as the Buccaneers’ schedule gets tougher to play “favorites” just because Jones has a year on Fournette in the system. In Jones’ second year, his long was 49 yards which shows potential, but the team is in a win-now scenario. In Fournette’s two 1,000-yard seasons, he had runs of 90 and 81 yards. The first was in his rookie season and his second was his third and final year. If that doesn’t say, “workhorse” then I don’t know what does.
Via Fox Sports
Fournette is the home run hitter the Buccaneers need to lean on to close games if Brady isn’t in sync enough with his receivers. On 12 carries against the Carolina Panthers Sunday, he averaged 8.6 yards including the 46-yard run clincher. Jones can still be a changeup back, but a man who’s run for 19 more yards on seven fewer carries doesn’t warm the bench. Head coach Bruce Arians and OC Byron Leftwich need to make that call now just as every single Buccaneers fans playing Madden already has. If Arians doesn’t make that call, I guarantee you Brady’s pedestrian stats now will look far worse when he goes to Denver against a desperate 0-2 Bronco team.
