You have to walk before you can run. And that’s what Tampa Bay Bucs star tailback Bucky Irving did Wednesday – participating in his first walk-through since late September.
It was definitely a step in the right direction for Irving, sidelined since Week 4 by a shoulder and foot injury sustained against Philadelphia. But by no means does it signal that No. 7 will be back on the field Sunday when the Bucs play the Bills in Buffalo, cautioned Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles.
“He was limited today – we’ll see what he does tomorrow and does Friday,” Bowles told the media. “But it’s good to have him back out there. That’s the first steps to him becoming positive and starting to work his way back.”
Bowles has previously said he would need to know that Irving can take a hit on his injured shoulder, but added, “we’re not going to be in full pads” during practice this week. So Irving may not get the test needed to gauge his readiness for the Bills.
“He’s going to have to hit at some point,” he said. “I mean he’s lifting and everything, and he’s running. But it’s a progression and we’ll see how he does.”
Pressed for more details on what it would take to assess Irving’s status, Bowles responded, “I would like to see him practice and run tomorrow before I make any of those decisions. It was a walk-through, so I can’t really say he looked like this or looked like that.”
While questions remain about his status, there’s no doubt what Irving means to the offense in terms of posing a break-away threat the Bucs have been missing in the run game.
“He’s a change-of-pace back,” Bowles said. “I don’t know how much he changes us with our front five hurting, so that’ll be tough. But he’s a different pace. He’s a different type of back than Rachaad (White) or Sean (Tucker), obviously, but he gives us some juice. Not that they don’t. They all give us juice in certain areas. But if we can have some of our starters back, it always helps on Sunday and I think during the week.”
Indeed, quarterback Baker Mayfield could have been speaking for the entire team Wednesday when he called Irving a welcome sight on the practice field.
Sean Tucker had success against the vaunted Pats' defense. @ Nathan Ray Seebeck“I had to tell him to slow down a little bit,” Mayfield said. “Obviously he’s fighting to get back. You know, he’s a guy who loves to be on the football field. We love having him out there, but whenever he’s ready we’ll get him in there. He looked good today (and it’s) just good to have Bucky’s energy out there again and employee No. 7 back on the field.”
Irving is coming off a stellar rookie season, in which he tallied 1,122 rushing yards (for a 5.4 average gain per carry). Along the way, he amassed eight runs of 20 yards or more and a long of 56, plus eight touchdowns, and 47 catches for 392 yards. White and Tucker have been solid, but it’s clear what Irving’s absence has done to the running game – especially the big type of runs he is capable of making at any given moment. Yet his value to the passing game is equally important.
“He’s just a good athlete,” Mayfield said. “You guys saw that. As many times as you can try and get these guys – the running backs – the ball in space to make people miss, break a couple of tackles. It can be a simple checkdown that they turn into an explosive play you don't exactly imagine going that way, but it definitely helps you out and sparks the team.”
Even without Irving, the Bucs ran well against the No. 1-ranked run defense in the league in last Sunday’s 28-23 loss. Their 113 total yards between Tucker and White were the most against the Patriots of any team this season, and Tucker’s 53 yards marked the first time any ballcarrier has surpassed 50 yards against New England’s D.
“I thought we ran the ball decent against a very tough rush defense,” Mayfield said. “So, like I said after the game, you look at what we did well. We were very physical when we ran the ball, and so we’ve just got to continue that and execute.”
A job that will become substantially easier when Irving finally gets back on the field.
• • •
Meanwhile, here are some other topics touched on Wednesday by Bowles and Mayfield.
Bowles:
(On if it’s possible that guard Ben Bredeson plays against the Bills this weekend)
“It’s possible, but highly unlikely.”
(On if there was anything concerning on Bredeson’s MRI results)
“No, [it was a] sprain. I mean, [he is] just tight.”
(On if there’s an update on the status of wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr.)
“It’s the fibula. He’s working his way back. He’s making good strides and we’ll continue to work with him and see how he goes.”
(On whether Godwin is running)
“He’s running, yes. He’s definitely running.”
(On if the injury to Godwin is a pain-tolerance issue)
“I wish I could tell you. I really do.”
On if he’s still frustrated over the long runs allowed against the Patriots, or if he moves on)
“As a coach or a player, you always take the negative plays and you remember everything in life. So, I’ll remember those plays for the rest of my life. But, (I’m) not upset, I’ve moved on. I understand it. It’s a learning teaching point you can go back on and say, ‘I remember when…’ You just never get over it; you just move on from it.”
(On the fewer downfield shots in the passing game as of late, and if that’s due in part to any potential injuries to QB Baker Mayfield)
“I don’t think it affects his throwing. Obviously, the linemen getting shuffled around and receivers getting shuffled in and out kind of hurts a lot of things we want to do. Obviously, as good as Emeka [Egbuka] is, they start paying more attention to him and you start breaking things down. We’ve just got to find different ways to get big plays down the field. So, we’ve just got to continue to work at it and make sure the guys are playing [and] doing what they’re supposed to do to make them effective in the ball game.”
(On wide receiver Tez Johnson’s progression as a rookie)
“I mean, he’s progressed – obviously by force, obviously, and by need. We’re playing with two rookie receivers right now, but they don’t play like rookies. Tez has been thrown into a lot of things. Offensively, from a route standpoint, it’s very complicated to learn all the things that he has to learn, but he’s getting very comfortable that way. He’s a heck of a competitor, he’s not going to turn anything down, and he’s really coming into his own, finding his place in this offense.”
(On what he wants to see from the team during this challenge portion of the team’s schedule)
“I just want to eliminate the mistakes and do the fundamental things right. With a first place schedule, you get it all the time. We welcome it. It’s exciting to play. You get to test how good you are every week, but we’ve got to pull out those ball games and make less mistakes.”
(On Mayfield’s comments about players taking accountability for their mistakes)
“When you’re one of the captains of the team, you know what it looks like. You know, we encourage accountability here. We don’t pull any wooden nickels out of here. So, we talk about it when we do good and when we do bad and what we need to do better as a team. He spoke and everybody took it the right way. You know, we’re not getting on anybody in a bad way, but leadership counts on this team so when certain people talk, you know, everybody takes heat for it. So, I’m perfectly fine with it.”
(On safety Tykee Smith emerging as a playmaker, and if he’s becoming a “chess piece” alongside Antoine Winfield Jr.)
“Yeah, I believe so, because both can blitz, both can cover, both can tackle and both make plays. We have a few chess pieces on defense that we use, but with Tykee and ‘Win’ (Antoine Winfield Jr.), they get along so well together with the communication and understanding which one is coming and which one is not. They help each other out a great deal. I like the combination of the two.”
(On if guard Luke Haggard was a healthy scratch against New England)
“That was a healthy scratch. He was just getting back and obviously other guys have taken a lot more reps. He’ll take a lot more this week.”
(On how pleased he was with right tackle Luke Goedeke’s first game back)
“I was very pleased [with] the way he played, the way he fought and battled and [that] he came out okay after the ball game – which was more important than anything else. So, you know, for his first game back, I thought he did a very good job
(On running back Joshua Williams’ six-game suspension)
“I mean, it’s unfortunate. You know, a lot of these guys have trainers and probably don’t know what they’re taking or anything else like that. I don’t know what he did or didn’t [take]. I know the kid and he’s a good young man. He’s a very honest young man and forthright and I wish him the best. Obviously, the next man up will be Owen [Wright]. So, Owen [Wright] will probably come up and then we’ll go from there and keep it moving.”
Mayfield:
On how he is feeling physically this week and if injuries have affected his game in the past few weeks)
"It's the middle of the season in the NFL. Nobody feels good, [but] it is not an excuse. As a professional, you do everything you can to try and get as close to 100% and go from there. I only got hit a couple times, no setbacks or anything like that. (I'm) looking to stack a couple of weeks like that, personally for me, in a row to be able to continue to improve. As the team gets more healthy, likewise trying to get myself more healthy too."
(On starting the season with a lot of scrambling yards and slowing down in the past few weeks)
"First, I think schematically, starting in Detroit, they started with the spy defense on third downs. (They are) just disciplined in the rush lanes, and for me, not feeling like I was able to get up to full speed scrambling to throw, which is what I try and do every time. Sometimes earlier in the season, the run lanes were there. (I'm) looking to throw and as I get healthier, (I'm) still trying to take advantage of whatever they're giving me."
(On if his postgame comments on the team missing a "killer instinct" was received well by his teammates, and what the response has been)
"I think it was received. (That was) one of the best walkthrough Wednesdays we've had. Guys are locked in. The thing is, when I say something like that, it's not like all of a sudden, this brand-new idea. Guys know we have to execute, the guys know what our potential is on this offense and this team. The standard is the standard – it's a cliche thing to say. It was a locked-in Wednesday walkthrough and (we are) looking to stack that and have a good practice tomorrow."
(On if this was the right time for him to "speak up")
"There's definitely a time and place for team speeches – whatever you want to call it – or calling people out, whatever it is. There is a time and place, and for us offensively, that wasn't up to our standards. Our leaders have to be exceptional in those moments and everybody else has to do their role, their job, whatever that is, at a very high level. That's the NFL; it's professional football. We expect people to do their job at a high level. Nobody is perfect, but when it's things you've consistently seen on tape and we've executed, you expect them to do it well."
(On knowing his body is physically ready to go for football games)
"I can just relate back to 2021 for me. Physically not being able to perform as well as I really wanted to. A lot of times it's that case, but was I hindering myself and the team? Probably. You evaluate that, you go through the week, and you judge it by the end of the week. Are you feeling good enough to go? If not, just making sure the communication is there."