TAMPA, Fla.– New Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette stated Tuesday that after facing stacked boxes every Sunday with the Jacksonville Jaguars, hes eagerly anticipating not being the focal point of an offense, one that has six-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady as its quarterback.
” For the very first time in my life, I truly have a quarterback, so thats an eye-opener for me. Not a lot of pressure is going to begin me,” stated Fournette, who played together with Blake Bortles, Nick Foles and Gardner Minshew the previous 3 seasons.
1 Related” Me coming to Tampa made perfect sense. I believe its most likely one of my first seasons running in probably a six-man box.
With a carousel of quarterbacks over the previous 3 seasons, Jacksonville developed its offense on the ground. From 2017 to 2019, Fournette had 800 touches– 5th the majority of any running back in the league– despite playing in just 8 video games in 2018.
Fournette saw groups stack the box versus him less often and DJ Chark emerged as a Pro Bowl receiver, Fournette saw a loaded box on 47.8% of his snaps in 2017, 39.1% in 2018 and 34.7% in 2019 according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
The Bucs, with one of the NFLs highest-powered passing attacks last season with a league-high 4,845 passing lawns, however also an irregular ground video game, saw a packed box on just 21.5% of snaps in 2015– 3rd least expensive in the NFL.
Fournette not just will not be the centerpiece of the Bucs offense, he wont be the feature back, with coach Bruce Arians stating last week that Ronald Jones will stay the starter, with LeSean McCoy noted as 2nd on the depth chart.
How does Fournette, the No. 4 draft choice in 2017, feel about strolling into a scenario where hes not the guy?
” Everythings gon na look after itself,” Fournette said. “My job is to come out here and complete the very best I can, get in the playbook, understand what they desire from me, and the rest will look after itself.
” We have guys– Shady, RoJo, other guys in there– Im comfortable with my function right now. Im great with my role right now.”
When asked why things didnt exercise in Jacksonville, Fournette stated, “I do not know. Time changes whatever. Im moving past that. My time there was great. I made a bond with a lot of the coaches and a few of the players– thats my bros for life, and some of those coaches I developed a relationship with– things take place. I guess it wasnt Gods strategy– God had other things for me to do. … Im carrying on from it.”
As for his brand-new team, Fournette will need to get up to speed quickly, but Arians said he will have a “solid role” Sunday at the New Orleans Saints, which will be the previous LSU stars very first time playing in the Superdome.
While the Bucs offense– with Pro Bowlers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, O.J. Howard and Cam Brate– certainly had a big role in Fournette picking Tampa Bay, former LSU colleague Devin White, the Bucs draft choice at No. 5 in 2019, may have played the most significant role in recruiting him.
Fournette utilized to make White work out with him at 6:30 in the early morning when White was a freshman. Fournette said things have actually come “cycle” now.
” Devin FaceTimed me really and resembled, Man, whatcha gon na do?” Fournette said. “Im like, Man, theres a lot of groups today. Its hard right now. I simply felt my heart was needed in Tampa– to be around a great deal of guys like that, and likewise to be around Devin.”
Fournette already got a running start on the playbook over the weekend by conference with Brady.
” Hell have a strong role in this plan. Obviously he cant do everything, but hell have a strong function in the strategy for the week,” Arians stated.
Rather than pigeonholing him into a role, Arians believes its up to Fournette to create chances for himself, although helping in the passing game– not a strength for Jones– might be where he has a chance to shine.
” Hes a huge, strong back that can really capture– he can do everything– he can secure, hes a big third-down back and hes been a solid guy in the league. It just provides us another weapon,” Arians stated.
” The beauty of it is he does not need to discover the playbook anymore– he simply has to discover the game plan. Its about one-third of the playbook. So if he studies the strategy this week, he must understand it by Friday.”
1 Related” Me coming to Tampa made ideal sense. When asked why things didnt work out in Jacksonville, Fournette said, “I do not understand. Fournette stated. I just felt my heart was needed in Tampa– to be around a lot of guys like that, and also to be around Devin.”
Clearly he cant do everything, but hell have a strong role in the strategy for the week,” Arians said.
