Adversity reveals character and this week was definitely a character check for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After the New Orleans Saints decimated the Buccaneers the previous Sunday night, the Buccaneers had to practice around Tropical Storm Eta. Then on Saturday, their flight to Charlotte for Sunday’s game with the Carolina Panthers was a challenge.
The team sat at the Tampa International Airport for five hours before finally lifting off mid-evening, arriving in Charlotte at around 11:30 p.m.
Through it all, the Buccaneers got back on track with a resounding 46-23 win over the rebuilding Panthers. It wasn’t until midway through the third quarter that Tampa Bay took the upper hand.
As the Bucs were backed up on their own 2-yard line, running back Ronald Jones hit the middle of the line and then burst out to the left and sped 98-yards for a Buccaneers touchdown and a 26-17 lead with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter.
“You have to thank the big boys up front for getting that push – making my job look easier – and the coaching staff, too, for believing in me and keep giving me opportunities,” said Jones, who had a career high 192 yards on 23 carries. “That’s really what it really came down to. It felt good to get back in the win column.”
Coach Bruce Arians gave Jones plenty of chances to redeem an early fumble which led to a 7-yard touchdown toss from Teddy Bridgewater to Colin Thompson and a 7-0 Panthers lead.
Jones chipped away at the Panthers defense through the running game and once he was able to get a crack in the line, he made good on redemption.
“I saw the linebacker shift over, and then I’m thinking probably cut back to the left, and then it’s off to the races,” remembered Jones. “I started looking at the Jumbotron, and I’m like, ‘Dang, buddy is moving back there.’ So, I changed the angle and keep striding cold turkey.”
Arians said that in the Bucs’ 25-23 win over the Giants two weeks ago, Jones had a fumble that bothered him to the point of where it affected his entire game. He finished that game with only 23 yards on seven carries. Sunday, Arians wasn’t about to let Jones morph into that mindset again. He assessed the situation and gave Jones confidence.
“We told him, ‘Hey dude, you’re our guy,’” noted Arians. “I knew he was going to break one sooner or later. (Backup quarterback) Blaine (Gabbert) and I looked at each other and Blaine said, ‘He’s going to take it to the house.’ I said, ‘Good chance on this play’ … and he did.”
Jones took Arians’ reassurance to heart and it revamped his mindset. This time, he didn’t dwell on the fumble as he went play by play and put that part of the game in the past.
“Good play, bad play, you just have to forget about it, and that’s what happened,” explained Jones. “Again, still have a lot to improve on. I have to stop making those mistakes, but ultimately we came out with the win, so it feels good altogether.”
Tom Brady was able to get back on track as well as Jones became the catalyst as Brady passed for 341 yards and three touchdowns.
After Bridgewater scored on a 3-yard run to cut the Buccaneers’ lead to 32-23 early in the fourth quarter, Jones was key in the next few minutes as he carried four times for 25 yards in a 9-play, 75-yard drive that was capped on a 1-yard touchdown run by Brady.
“You don’t have too many 98-yard runs,” said Brady. “I don’t think I’ve ever had any 98-yard runs that I’ve been a part of, so it was great to see the back of the 27 jersey rolling down the field. It was just great to see him make that play.”
