For the first time in three years, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers run game is rocking and rolling. More than that, there’s an arguement to be made that it’s the best part of the offense, which is saying a lot given how Baker Mayfield continues to play at an MVP-level.
One of the key pieces of the run game’s success is the addition of rookie Bucky Irving into the mix. He’s by far the best back Tampa Bay has, which is not a knock on Rachaad White or Sean Tucker who are also running well.
After ranking dead last in back-to-back seasons, the Buccaneers are fourth in the NFL with a 5.1 yards per carry average. Bucky is a Top 10 running back int he category on his own, with 5.0 yards per carry through his first nine games. White is ranked 40th among running backs with 3.1 yards per carry, which is almost exactly what the team averaged as a whole the past two seasons.
Everything is going well for what has been the weakest part of the offense, and it’s something that former player Gerald McCoy is urging caution with moving forward.
Gerald McCoy cautions Buccaneers against overworking Bucky Irving
McCoy made an appearance on KBNR this week and offered up some advice in regards to how the team should move forward with using Irving. In short, he thinks the Bucs need to be careful not to overwork him just because he’s show so much flash early on.
“When you put all of the carries on his back, then you’ll get to see who he really is,” McCoy said. “Right now, I like him in the role he’s in. … Leave him in the role’s he’s in. Don’t put too much on him too early because what he’s doing right now is working.”
He compared the situation to what happened in Dallas a few years ago, cautioning against overworking Irving the way the Cowboys made Tony Pollard the lead back. What’s notable about that is Skip Peete was the running backs coach in Dallas when both Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott were a tandem, although the full switch over to Pollard as RB1 didn’t happen until Peete was already in Tampa Bay.
Still, the fact that the situations mirror each other so much shouldn’t be ignored, especially since it serves as such a cautionary tale. The Bucs don’t have to lean into the ‘hot hand’ approach that was teased a few weeks ago, as we’ve seen what a three-headed monster out of the stable looks like with Irving, Rachaad White, and Sean Tucker.
The depth in the backfield is tailor made to help avoid burning Bucky out. Things are finally going well with the run game, so there’s no need for the Bucs to try and fix what’s not broken.
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