If the Buccaneers truly care about winning, tomorrow morning should be when we finally start to see the starting running back role shift in favor of Rachaad White.
It feels like the running back role has been one of the biggest stories for the Buccaneers over the course of the past week (and the season as a whole).
This type of thing is going to happen when you have a big-name back like Leonard Fournette in an offense that has a running game that is so bad that the media has to talk about it every time the team comes up.
The Bucs want to run the ball. The Bucs can’t run the ball with Leonard Fournette like they have.
One of two things can happen now. First, Tampa can adjust their run game under Byron Leftwich to fit what Fournette does best. If that doesn’t work, the Bucs can simply use the back what is already on their roster that fits the scheme better than the current starter.
Rachaad White has the better skillset for the modern game and would be able to overcome more of Tampa’s offensive struggles on the ground. Fournette’s poor vision and pass-blocking have hampered Tampa’s offense in recent weeks, and these are two areas where White is far better, even as a rookie.
The Bucs probably won’t announce anything ahead of the game, but it feels like the winds are starting to turn in White’s favor. This might be the first week that we see a snaps split start to edge in White’s favor, even if Fournette does take the first touches as the “starter.”
One way or another, the Buccaneers coaching staff needs to recognize that a change on the ground is a requirement if the team wants to win with the current ideological change.
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