The Lenny playoff almost never happened.
Tampa Bay runner Leonard Fournette played an important role in the playoffs, helping Buccaneers reach and win the Super Bowl. According to coach Bruce Arians, Fournette barely made it to the postseason with the club.
After his release from Jacksonville, where he was mostly a workhorse in his first three seasons, Fournette landed in Tampa and shared defensive moves behind Ronald Jones. The latter was clearly the best defender for most of the regular season. During the first 12 weeks of the season, Fournette had 69 running attempts for 271 yards and three TDs, adding 28 receptions for 171 yards.
Fournette was dissatisfied with his role and inactive for the Bucs’ victory in week 14 over the Minnesota Vikings – a victory that would start a string of eight consecutive Super Bowl victories. The next day, the Aryans had a frank conversation with the running back about their choice: deal with the circumstances or we can move on.
“I said, ‘This is your situation. It can change at the drop of a hat,'” Arians told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “But this is your situation. Or hug her or say, ‘Cut me off’. I said, ‘What do you want? Because this is a very special team that you are part of. I think you have a feeling for that. Just see if you can handle it to see what happens. ‘ And he did, and I’m very proud of him. “
The rest is playoff history.
Fournette had her chance when Jones entered the reserve / COVID-19 list for the next two weeks. Then Jones suffered a hip injury before the postseason, opening the door even further for the Playoff Lenny. Fournette took the opportunity. In four playoff games, he ran 64 times for 300 yards and three TDs, including 89 yards and a TD in the Super Bowl, and added another 148 yards and another score in 18 receptions.