TAMPA, Florida – Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back and New Orleans native Leonard Fournette make their debut against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC divisional game on Sunday, said coach Bruce Arians on Friday.
Regular running back Ronald Jones, who suffered a hip injury and missed last week’s wild card game against Washington, will be a “decision for the game’s timing,” said Arians.
“Ro, he improved today – it will be a game time decision,” said Arians after Friday’s training, which was conducted on the court. “But Leonard will start the game and we will see how Ro is doing and at full speed, so he will have his normal repetitions.”
Even if Jones, who returned to practice to a limited extent on Thursday, managed to play, Fournette, who ran 93 yards and swerved 39 yards last week, will still open the game.
“He is a great player and played very, very well last week,” said Arians of Fournette, who only found out that he would start last week just before the game. “I trusted him all year.”
Fournette acknowledged the challenges of taking on a different role this season in Tampa Bay as a reserve and described it as a “humiliating process” and that he “was not playing as much as he was used to”.
But he believes the move has helped to extend his career. He feels more refreshed than ever in the past, when the season ends, and feels less pressure when surrounded by Tampa Bay’s weapons, including those in his own meeting room.
“At the beginning, I was looking on the bad side, for not catching the ball, but in the end, it is helping me in the longevity of my career,” said Fournette, who was personally recruited by Tom Brady when he was released from Jacksonville. Brady sent him a text message, saying that they would need your help.
“I thought that was the perfect decision for me,” said Fournette, who declined another opportunity to join a team where he would be the focus of the attack, but chose Tampa Bay. “I love it here, to be honest. We have a brotherhood which is going well now. We are working our tail each day to make each other better. “
Arians praised Fournette for embracing a different kind of role and putting the team first.
“He’s been great. As soon as he got here, we explained what the situation was: ‘His role can change with the drop of a hat,'” said Arians. “Exactly like last week. And ‘Be ready’. And he has. He trained a lot, he’s prepared and I can’t say enough about him – he’s a great player and he’s doing a good job “.