Tag: Tampa Bay Bucs

Jags request to interview Bucs OC Byron Leftwich, DC Todd Bowles

The #Jaguars have turned to the defending Super Bowl Champions to interview two of their assistants for their HC vacancy.

The Jacksonville Jaguars put in requests to interview a wide variety of names Tuesday thanks to the league allowing them to get a two-week head start on their search through a new rule. That now means the process to replace Urban Meyer will be underway relatively soon.

Two coaches who won’t have to travel far if they want to interview are Tampa Bay Bucs coordinators Byron Leftwich and Todd Bowles, both of whom the Jags have asked for permission to speak with. Both coordinators have been a part of Bruce Arians’ staff since he was hired by the Bucs in 2019 and aided him to a Super Bowl victory in Jacksonville.

Leftwich’s name had been associated with the Jags dating back to last week, as it was expected that the Jags would send a request his way. Of course, a big reason for that is because of his familiarity with the franchise as he was their first-round pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.

Leftwich got into coaching in 2017 as he was hired by a former coach of his in Bruce Arians to be the Arizona Cardinals. The previous year, Leftwich was on Arian’s staff as an intern and impressed him in the process.

Leftwich eventually got a shot as an interim offensive coordinator in 2018 with Arizona, and when Arians was hired by the Bucs, he brought Leftwich along as the offensive coordinator. As of this moment, the Bucs have the No. 1 ranked passing offense and second-ranked offense overall under Leftwich.

As for Bowles, he’s been coaching in the NFL since 2000 and brings some head coaching experience to the table (with the New York Jets from 2015-18). Throughout his run with the Jets, he went 26-41, but after having time to learn from his mistakes and take a smaller role as the Bucs’ defensive coordinator, he could be ready to be a head coach again.

Before his current stop, Bowles was a secondary coach for the Jets, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and was a defensive coordinator for the Cardinals under Arians. He also held an assistant head coach and interim head coach role in Miami and an interim defensive coordinator role with the Eagles.

Before coaching, Bowles also played in the NFL with the Washington Football Team and San Francisco 49ers as a safety. So, like Leftwich, he’s seen the game of football from many perspectives.

Touchdown Lenny likely heading to the IR

Bad news for “Touchdown Lenny”

It was a rough night in New Orleans for Tom Brady, sideline tablets, and former LSU running back Leonard Fournette. He suffered a hamstring injury during the game and now is likely done for the regular season. With only three games remaining on the schedule, he wouldn’t be eligible to return until the playoffs.

On Tuesday ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now likely to place Touchdown Lenny on the injured reserve. This report came moments after it was announced that the team would be signing Le’Veon Bell to the team. This would reunite him with former Pittsburgh Steeler teammate Antonio Brown.

Fournette carried the ball nine times for 34 yards against New Orleans in the 9-0 loss at home. He was close to posting his first 1,000-yard campaign since 2019 with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Fournette ran the ball 180 times for 812 yards. His longest run of the season was 47 yards. Fournette also accounted for 10 touchdowns on the season, eight coming on the ground.

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Leonard Fournette discusses how difficult it was to get past the Jags waiving him

Leonard Fournette had been a football star for most of his life, which is why being cut by the Jags took some getting used to.

Just over a year ago, the Jacksonville Jaguars made the surprising decision to waive running back Leonard Fournette, who eventually found a new home with the Tampa Bay Bucs where he won a Super Bowl title. To make matters even worse, he was a player who the Jags initially hoped would be a part of their nucleus after taking him fourth overall in 2017, but after enduring a rocky relationship, it seems as though a split was overdue. 

Of course, with Fournette being a key player, some fans couldn’t get over the move immediately and they weren’t the only ones. In an interview on ESPN’s “Jalen and Jacoby” show, Fournette said the sting of being waived by the Jags lingered into his move to the Bucs, which didn’t help the early stages of his transition.

“I think when I got cut, it kind of just set me back to what I used to do,” Fournette said, via a transcription from JoeBucsFan.com. “You know, I had to get my rhythm back. It was bothering me all through the season when I got signed by the Buccaneers. Every day, I’m like, ‘Damn, I got cut.’ So it was bothering me, too. So I had to just get my mind right, get adjusted. I was still new here, too.”

For those who watched the playoffs last season, it was clear that Fournette found his footing and was a key contributor to the Bucs playoff success. He totaled 300 rushing yards in the postseason and had three rushing touchdowns while averaging over four yards per carry. 

Ultimately, it appears both parties won in their breakup. The Jags found out they had an undrafted gem on their hands in James Robinson, who set many rookie records. Meanwhile, Fournette joined a coaching staff and roster that was more suitable to get the best out of him and finally get him back into the winning ways he witnessed in 2017 and before.

ESPN suggests this ‘daring’ offseason move to help the Jags improve on defense

ESPN’s Football Outsider suggested the Jaguars improve their defensive line by signing edge rusher Shaq Barrett if the Bucs don’t tag him.

Jacksonville’s defense was second to last in the league in 2020 in both yards and points allowed. The team may be landing a potential franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, but as long as the other side of the ball lags behind the rest of the league, it’s going to be hard for the Jaguars to compete for the postseason.

The Jags also have the 25th pick courtesy of the trade with the Los Angeles Rams for Jalen Ramsey, but if they choose to address defense with a big free-agent signing, ESPN’s Football Outsiders have an idea.

Tampa Bay defensive end Shaq Barrett is set to become a free agent, and if he isn’t tagged by the Bucs, the Football Outsiders think the Jaguars should make a play for him. The 28-year-old has burst onto the scene for the reigning Super Bowl Champions the last two seasons after a slow start to his career in Denver.

He totaled 19.5 sacks in 2019, and though his production dipped a bit in 2020 when he had just eight sacks, he was a key part of the defensive improvements the Bucs made this season.

The Jaguars finished last season with just 18 sacks, second fewest in the NFL. Josh Allen needs running mates up front, and the Jaguars need to rebuild the defensive line after trading Calais Campbell last offseason. Thanks to landing the No. 1 pick, the Jaguars actually don’t have to play the quarterback sweepstakes.

That leaves an easy intersection of a player whom Tampa probably shouldn’t franchise, one who is good enough to make an impact for a bad team, and the team that can afford to pay the freight to move Barrett across the state. The Jaguars are projected to enter free agency with more cap space than any team in the NFL. Lawrence and Urban Meyer will create a culture that should be easy to get excited about, but the defense is still problematic on quite a few levels.

The Jaguars probably aren’t going to turn it around and make it a top-10 unit in a year, but Barrett can make them more respectable than they were in 2020, and it costs nothing but cash.

Jacksonville clearly needs help in the pass rush, and playing Barrett opposite Allen is certainly tantalizing, but there’s one major hangup: 2020 first-round pick K’Lavon Chaisson. He didn’t have the most productive rookie year, notching just 19 tackles and a sack despite playing in all 16 games with three starts.

Much of that can be blamed on coaching, as Chaisson spent much of the season playing outside his natural edge-rushing position. With the new multiple defense being installed under defensive coordinator Joe Cullen, it seems unlikely Jacksonville gives up on him. Especially when they could address the interior defensive line, a much greater position of need, with a player like Leonard Williams.

Still, signing Barrett would undoubtedly be an immediate improvement for one of the league’s worst defenses. It would also bolster the Jags’ pass-rush rotation, which can carry them a long way if fluid.

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Former Jags RB Leonard Fournette aids Bucs to NFC Championship victory

Leonard Fournette is heading to the Super Bowl and he’s taking a lot of lessons learned in in Jacksonville with him.

The NFC and AFC Championship games took place yesterday, and as usual, the NFL provided the nation with some quality entertainment.

On one side, fans watched the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills duke it out in a battle that resulted in a 38-24 win for Patrick Mahomes and company. Then, on the other side, fans got to see the Tampa Bay Bucs and Green Bay Packers battle at Lambeau Field. In the end, quarterback Tom Brady (and his teammates, of course) ended up becoming the first team to host the Super Bowl in their own stadium after a 31-26 win.

Many Jags took the field in both games, but none may be more notable than former Jags running back Leonard Fournette, who has had quite a postseason. His run as a big-time contributor for the Bucs continued Sunday, as he found the end-zone in the second quarter. During a run on the Packers’ 20-yard line, Fournette had a rushing attempt where he veered right and eluded several defenders.

In the open field, he was able to juke past cornerback Jaire Alexander and put a spin move on safety Adrian Amos to find his way to the end-zone. Simply put, it was a beautiful run that was one of the best of the postseason.

https://youtu.be/XYY8LIbaS_Q

Ultimately, Fournette ended up with 70 total yards on the day with 55 yards coming on the ground and 19 coming through the air.

After the game, Fournette expressed how emotional the 2020 season has been for him as he went from being arrested in 2019 for traffic violations, to being cut in August of last year, to a trip to the Super Bowl.

“It feels good just to be a Buc,” Fournette said Sunday, via the team’s official transcript. “(Brady) is a great one. I just thank God every day. I was crying for like 30 minutes — I was on the phone with my mom and my dad just [talking] about my journey. First, in Jacksonville, from me going to jail, from me getting cut — I think it’s a wonderful story how it’s playing out.”

Fournette had fans on both sides of the spectrum when it came to whether he was liked or not in Duval. Those of them who liked and connected with him probably couldn’t be happier for him as he now has a chance to be a world champion.

Le’Veon Bell, Felton Kansas City Chiefs heading to Super Bowl LV

The Kansas City Chiefs are heading to the Super Bowl.

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Despite being inactive in the AFC Championship game, Le’Veon Bell will be heading to Super Bowl LV with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills 38-21 on Sunday to advance. They will be playing fellow former Spartan Will Gholston and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Feb. 7.

Bell is currently out with a swollen knee he aggravated in practice and his status for the Super Bowl is currently unknown.

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Two Spartans suiting up in NFL Championship games today

Former MSU teammates Le’Veon Bell and Will Gholston are both playing in Championship games on Sunday.

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Two former Spartan teammates will suit up on Sunday in their respective AFC and NFC Championship games with the hopes to meet each other in the Super Bowl.

Will Gholston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the Green Bay Packers at 3:05 pm ET on FOX.

Le’Veon Bell and the defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, will take on the Buffalo Bills at 6:40 pm ET on CBS.

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Former MSU Football QB Drew Stanton signed by Tampa Bay Bucs

Former Michigan State football QB Drew Stanton has been signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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Former Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton has been signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a member of the practice squad. A move that will bring the veteran quarterback into an already experienced QB room to help develop gameplans.

Stanton will provide experience as a backup QB, if necessary, and familiarity with coach Bruce Arians will help bring another qualified set of eyes to the film room.

Stanton was a member of the Michigan State football program from 2003-2006, starting in over 32 games. His play as a Spartan led the quarterback to a second-round selection in the 2007 NFL Draft. Stanton has spent the last 13 seasons in various locations in the NFL.

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Watch: Former Spartan Will Gholston lights up Saints’ Justin Thomas for Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Bucs and former MSU defensive end Will Gholston laid the boom on the Saints Justin Thomas on Sunday.

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Football is back!

The NFL returned this weekend and there were twelve former Spartans in action around the league in action for week one. One of those former Michigan State players is defensive end Will Gholston, who was in action today for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the New Orleans Saints.

In the first half, Gholston absolutely lit up the versatile wide receiver Justin Thomas in the backfield.

Watch it below:

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