Buccaneers: Worst argument surrounding the offense in 2021

There is one bad take on the Buccaneers that sits alone compared to the rest.

Before we get to the existence of “bad” takes surrounding the Buccaneers, let’s at least take a moment to be thankful for the presence of consistent media coverage surrounding this team in the first place.

Gone are the days of mediocrity and sitting in obscurity for years on end. The Bucs are one of the best teams in the NFL and are covered as such, so while Buccaneers fans may disagree on some aspects of the team, the added publicity is at least a good step in the right direction.

In this day and age, anyone with access to a computer or phone can put their takes on anything out for everyone to see. This can be a good thing or bad depending on the circumstances, but sometimes we see bad a bit more than good.

On the Bucs front, one terrible take still gets far too much attention: Tampa needs to run the ball more.

No, the Buccaneers absolutely do not need to run the football more. It isn’t 1990. The run still has a place in the game, but the pass is king in the modern NFL. Running backs matter little in the grand scheme of things offensively, and this is especially true on a team like the Bucs.

Why would fans openly call for more touches to go to Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones when players like Mime Evans and Chris Godwin are on the field? The run gets fewer yards per play, directly leads to more punts, and it does nothing to set up the rest of the offense.

There is no analytic or numbers basis for a ridiculous reliance on running the football. There is a time and a place, but it almost always comes after a pass and should never been the main focal point for an NFL offense.

Tampa can always afford to pass the ball more, Tom Brady has the endurance to throw the ball 40 times a game with no drop-off as we have seen this season, and Byron Leftwich has a clear course of action going forward if the Bucs want to win games on offense.

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