The Legend of ‘Playoff Lenny’: Reimagining Leonard Fournette’s Rise to the Buccaneers En route to Super Bowl 55

Leonard Fournette couldn’t beat Tom Brady in an AFC Championship. Joining him on the Buccaneers led to an NFC championship and a Super Bowl ring.

Fournette, Jaguar’s No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 draft out of LSU, was released by that team ahead of the 2020 season. Tampa Bay wasted no time in signing him and in less than two years. years, he’s revived with his strong pedigree as a feature back.

In the 2020 regular season, Fournette looks like a committee with limited powers back. He missed three games and averaged just 3.8 yards per take with his 367 yards and 6 TDs. He had limited use in the passing game, catching only 36 balls for 233 yards.

Bucs would never think about that again. Fournette blew up with the name “Playoff Lenny” during their wild card run through a Super Bowl 55 win over the Chiefs. In last year’s 18-game comeback round against Washington, Fournette was as effective as most of the top defenders in the league, just as he was at the early stages of his Jacksonville career.

How did ‘Playoff Lenny’ begin

Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich changed their plans and decided to feed Fournette with consistent double-digit touches in the 2021 post-season. Results in four the playoff is 64 300 yard runs. Fournette also has 18 more catches for 148 yards received. That’s an average of 4.7 yards per take and 112 yards per game

Add that to his 13 games in the 2021 season prior to a late hamstring injury, and that’s 1,714 script measures and 14 total TDs in just over a full table. That’s better than Fournette’s best two seasons with the Jaguars, his 2017 rookie year, and his 2019 scenario breakout, in which he surprised many by improving his hands to become the such a reliable receiver.

The Bucs split Fournette’s job with Ronald Jones a lot last season. That’s not much the case in 2021, with Fournette starring right in Week 1 against the Cowboys. Despite signing Giovani Bernard to help as a receiver in the backyard, Brady most trusted Fournette as an outlet for his short pass.

The Jaguars have enjoyed a big winning season with Fournette, but there are unfair questions about whether he is still oriented to play at a high level and his readiness issues are as well. overly inflated. Fournette has long had an elite talent. The Bucs just gave him the ideal second chance with the best motivation possible, playing with GOAT and promoting the Super Bowl.

Fournette signed a one-year, $3.32 million deal to return to the Buccaneers in 2021. That should have been a sign that they would build his usage on the way he broke. playoff competition. He went from in-depth player to essential producer for Brady and Bucs’ attack.

Brady is responsible for recruiting Fournette to the Bucs. “Playoff Lenny” became “Lombardi Lenny” as Fournette’s teammates raised his nickname.

How is ‘Playoff Lenny’ going?

The Buccaneers entered the knockout stages this year with two broad receivers, Chris Godwin (ACL torn) and Antonio Brown (released). Fournette (hamstring) won’t be on the injured substitute for Sunday’s home wilds playoff game against the Eagles (1:05 ​​p.m. ET, Fox) but has a good chance to play. in the division round. Jones is also injured. He missed Week 18 against the Panthers with an ankle injury he suffered Week 17 against the Jets. Jones, like wide receiver Cyril Grayson (hamstring) who filled room for Brown, will also not face Philadelphia.

Brady will need to rely heavily on Mike Evans to narrow and close Rob Gronkowski as his main pass target. Then it was a committee made up of Scotty Miller, Breshad Perriman and Tyler Johnson.

That means Fournette will need to return to a big role, with Bernard, sophomore Ke’Shawn Vaughn and insurance addition Le’Veon Bell as filling options. Fournette was a key factor in the Bucs’ 28-22 win over the Eagles in Week 6, with 127 yards from script and 2 TDs on 28 touchdowns as he also caught all six of his goals.

The missed time with a hamstring problem also comes with the good fortune that Fournette gets a bit of a refresh whenever he is able to return in the knockout stages. He averages under 18 touches per game, up from the 16 he received during last year’s Super Bowl.

The Buccaneers, as the No. 2 seed, will have a chance to face the Cowboys again in the split playoffs if they beat the Eagles as expected. He had just 14 touchdowns for 69 yards in that game, but Dallas ended up finishing just 16th in the game. The Rams and Cardinals, playing in a 4 vs. 5 game, also proved vulnerable when running.

Ultimately, Fournette and the Bucs are keen to have the Packers and Chiefs go head-to-head in the NFC championship and Super Bowl rematches, knowing how important he was to both wins on the ground. As a receiver, with Evans and Gronkowski’s attention in field coverage, short engineered and tested passes from Brady to Fournette will remain a key element of his offense. Bucs to compensate for staffing constraints elsewhere.

If the Buccaneers do another deep run, there’s no doubt Fournette will be relied upon to be the “Playoff Lenny” once again.