There’s rightfully lots to be involved about with the Bucs by the primary two and a half months of the 2024 season. In a really primary sense, their 4-6 file and what’s basically a three-game deficit within the NFC South race stand out as probably the most problematic.
Beneath that umbrella, there are accidents, an absence of move rush from the group’s edge rushers, poor linebacker play and erratic performances from the secondary to be apprehensive about.
Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photograph by: USA At this time
However one of many vivid, shining lights of the primary 10 weeks for the Bucs has been the drastic enchancment of their run recreation. 12 months over 12 months, the soar that Tampa Bay’s backfield has made is nothing wanting outstanding.
Tampa Bay’s speeding assault has been abysmal for a very long time now. It averaged 95.1 yards per recreation in 2019, which was Bruce Arians’ first 12 months because the group’s head coach. That was solely good for twenty fourth, however contemplating what adopted, the Bucs most likely would’ve killed for that rating within the years since. They have been twenty ninth in 2020 (94.9 YPG) and twenty sixth in 2021 (98.4 YPG) at the start actually bottomed out.
In 2022, Tampa Bay averaged 76.9 yards per recreation on the bottom. That was dead-last within the league, and it was a part of the rationale Todd Bowles fired Byron Leftwich because the group’s offensive coordinator after that marketing campaign. There was some enchancment underneath first-year offensive coordinator Dave Canales in 2023, because the Bucs’ common jumped from 76.9 to 88.8. However that 88.8 mark nonetheless made them dead-last within the NFL.
Now, by 10 video games in 2024, it’s been an evening and day distinction. Tampa Bay is averaging 125.3 speeding yards per recreation. Coming into play on Sunday, that ranked them eleventh in your entire NFL. The Bucs haven’t even been top-20 in speeding since 2015, after they averaged 135.1 yards per recreation on the bottom and ranked fifth. The subsequent 12 months, they averaged 101 speeding yards per recreation – and that was the final time their common hit triple digits.
What Has Led To This A lot-Improved Bucs Speeding Assault?
The development in Tampa Bay’s run recreation has loads of contributing elements. For starters, an overhaul to the offensive teaching workers has helped. Whereas Canales changed Leftwich because the Bucs’ offensive coordinator heading into 2023, little else modified. There was a change in philosophy with Canales coming in, however a lot of the workers remained the identical because it was underneath Arians.
Bucs OC Liam Coen and C Graham Barton – Photograph by: Cliff Welch P/R
This offseason noticed extra sweeping adjustments. When Canales left to take the Panthers’ head teaching job, he took offensive line coaches Joe Gilbert and Harold Goodwin (additionally the run recreation coordinator) with him. With that, Bowles introduced in Liam Coen as his new offensive coordinator and together with Coen got here offensive line coaches Kevin Carberry and Brian Picucci. That trio has confirmed to be a large improve for the group’s run recreation.
A part of it’s Coen’s scheme, and a part of it’s the work Carberry and Picucci have completed with the offensive line. Personnel adjustments up entrance have contributed as effectively, with first-round middle Graham Barton changing Robert Hainsey and left guard Ben Bredeson stepping in to exchange the mix of Matt Feiler and Aaron Stinnie.
The improve of going from Hainsey to Barton (at the same time as a rookie) has helped, and the large leap from 12 months 1 to 12 months 2 for proper guard Cody Mauch has been one other issue. Throughout, the working lanes are there way more usually for Tampa Bay’s working backs than they’ve been in recent times.
That has helped Rachaad White, who’s in his second season because the group’s beginning working again. His carries are down from the place they have been at this level final season, largely as a result of emergence of rookie Bucky Irving and the truth that he missed a recreation in October. White did go on to place up a blazing-hot end to the 2023 season and fell simply shy of the 1,000-yard mark. However by 10 video games of final 12 months’s schedule, he was averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Proper now, his common is as much as 3.8 yards per carry.
Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photograph by: USA At this time
However although White is working extra effectively, the most important supply of enchancment for the Bucs’ speeding assault has been the addition of Irving, a fourth-round draft select of Oregon.
By way of the primary 10 weeks of the season, Irving is Tampa Bay’s main rusher. He has 492 yards and 4 touchdowns on 92 carries, and he has a 5.1-yard common to date. Like White, he has benefitted from Coen’s run schemes and the lanes that the offensive line has been creating. However Irving is shiftier and may break tackles in addition to anybody. He’s a creator, with 30 missed tackles compelled after a rush (per PFF). That’s the Tenth-highest mark of any working again within the league.
Sean Tucker might have pale again into the background in latest weeks for no matter cause, however there’s no forgetting that he contributed big-time to the Buccaneer speeding assault in Week 6. He received NFC Offensive Participant of the Week honors for a 14-carry, 136-yard efficiency on the bottom (in addition to one other 56 yards receiving and two complete touchdowns).
Bucs’ Backfield Has Been The NFL’s Most Improved In 2024
The Bucs’ enchancment within the run recreation hasn’t simply been drastic by their very own measure. It’s additionally the most-improved throughout the league, as instructed by Professional Soccer Focus. In a latest article titled “Probably the most-improved NFL groups at each place group in 2024,” working again went to Tampa Bay by a big margin. Based mostly on the distinction between total PFF grades from 2023 to 2024, Buccaneer working backs are up 23.2 factors. The subsequent-closest by way of enhancements have been the Falcons (+15.2) and Eagles (+11.0).
Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photograph by: USA At this time
Right here’s what PFF’s Bradley Locker needed to say concerning the upgraded Bucs run recreation:
“Tampa Bay could also be extremely shorthanded at vast receiver, however its working again room has been spectacular in Liam Coen’s first 12 months as offensive coordinator. All three of Sean Tucker, Bucky Irving and Rachaad White have earned total grades of 72.6 or higher, with Tucker and Irving eclipsing an 80.0 mark. The Bucs have a legit three-headed monster at RB in 2024 after White posted solely a 67.5 total grade final season.”
What’s been particularly spectacular about Tampa Bay’s enchancment on the bottom is that it’s largely been on show week in and week out. Even when the Bucs took on the Ravens’ top-ranked run protection and the Chiefs’ third-ranked run protection, they ran for 125 yards (4.2 avg.) and 95 yards (5.0 avg.), respectively.
With the remainder of the schedule together with six of seven video games in opposition to porous run defenses, would possibly the Bucs offense attempt to trip their improved run recreation to a playoff push?
Bucs’ remaining schedule vs. the run:
Giants: twenty eighth (147.1 yards per recreation)Panthers: thirty second (160.1 yards per recreation)Raiders: twenty second (129.9 yards per recreation)Chargers: ninth (110.6 yards per recreation)Cowboys: thirty first (152.1 yards per recreation)Panthers: thirty second (160.1 yards per recreation)Saints: twenty seventh (141.0 yards per recreation)
