TAMPA, Fla. — The burly, north-south ball carrier didn’t sidestep Wednesday. When the question arose, Leonard Fournette’s answer resembled many of his recent rushing attempts: a very short burst.
So, was he dejected, as CBS’s Tracy Wolfson reported, when he was taken out for a possession Sunday against the Rams?
“Of course. You’re frustrated,” the sixth-year veteran said. “Who wouldn’t (be)?”
As if the beleaguered Bucs run game didn’t have enough issues, it seems disgruntlement is festering over the burgeoning tailback rotation. Fournette (405 rushing yards, 3.3 per carry), who signed a three-year, $21 million deal in March, now is being periodically relieved by rookie Rachaad White (117 yards, 3.1), who has been slightly more effective the last three games.
During that stretch, White has averaged 3.9 yards per attempt (18 attempts, 70 yards); Fournette has averaged 2.4 (26 carries, 62 yards, one touchdown). While Fournette remains Tom Brady’s favorite safety-valve target (42 catches, three touchdowns for the season), White has seven catches on eight targets over the last three contests.
“(White) is ready to play any time we put him in there,” coach Todd Bowles said. “Obviously, Lenny’s playing hard, Lenny’s playing good for us, so when Lenny gets a break and Rachaad comes in, he gets to show what he can do. So, I think it’s a good combination.”
Statistics, and sentiment, suggest otherwise.
The Bucs’ rushing attack is a mess, a distant last in the NFL (60.7 yards per game). The mediocrity clearly transcends the guys taking the handoffs: Run-blocking remains an issue, the scheme has been blasted for its lack of creativity, and there’s a penchant for straightforward first-down runs that borders on the stubborn.
In Sunday’s 16-13 win against the Rams, the Bucs gained 51 yards on 20 carries, attempting runs on nine of their first 10 first downs.
“(There was) some good, some bad from the run production,” Bowles said the day after the win. “We missed a few blocks here and there; I think that had a lot to do with it. Again, we’re making an effort to (run), but not at the expense of losing the ball game. We’re going to continue working on it and go from there.”
Now comes the platoon system, which clearly is frustrating Fournette to a degree.
“I think (developing a rhythm) is very important, but we have guys who can step up and make those plays too,” Fournette said Wednesday. “I mean, it is what it is at this point, you know what I mean?”
Hence the scene during the second quarter Sunday, when White — playing his ninth NFL contest — was consoling his 27-year-old peer, whose frustration over his diminished role in 2020 nearly ended his Bucs tenure before it had a chance to begin.
“Yes, he was trying to get in a rhythm,” White said. “But when you rotate, sometimes it’s kind of hard throughout the game to get in a rhythm. But (I was) just letting him know that we need him and ‘Keep your head in there. Don’t get discouraged by anything, and let’s go.’”
The solution going forward remains unclear. Can a structured rotation work? Could Fournette find his mojo this weekend in Germany, where the Bucs face a Seahawks defense that ranks 27th in the NFL against the run (138.7 yards per game)? Will White — deemed a faster, shiftier option than Fournette — unseat Fournette on the depth chart at some point?
“It’s going to work out how it’s supposed to work out,” White said. “I’m a firm believer in that.”
For now, the rushing attack remains mired in a funk.
And, evidently, frustration.
