Captain Fear
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- Mar 20, 2019
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Leonard Fournette transformed into “Playoff Lenny” when he accounted for 448 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns in four postseason games, helping the Buccaneers win Super Bowl LV.
He’s now back with Tampa Bay on a one-year deal, saying he chose to return in part so that he wouldn’t have to acclimate to another team.
“I know what I deserve, I believe in myself and I just wanted to come back and enjoy myself instead of being a new face on the block,” Fournette said Wednesday, via PewterReport.com. “I came back to the team that I enjoyed my process with. Me coming to this team kind of humbled me a lot, coming to a team that had so much talent. You get used to being ‘that guy’ on the team. It helped develop me as a better man, too. I could have went somewhere and got some more money. I just think this is the place right now for me.”
But, Fournette is now expecting to be a part of a competition for the starting role in 2021. The Aside from Fournette, the Buccaneers have Ronald Jones — who was the lead back until dealing with multiple injuries late in the year. Head coach Bruce Arians also mentioned on Tuesday that Ke'Shawn Vaughn is primed to take on a bigger role.
“We’re going to camp and we’ll have to compete,” Fournette said. “Nothing is promised to anyone. I’ve been here before and I understand about competing. It’s like college. … Right now, we’re just training and getting our bodies right. It’s just coming in and knowing that we’ll have to start all over and compete for that starting job. It’s going to be a great one.”
With the Jaguars, Fournette twice rushed for over 1,000 yards — once as a rookie in 2017 and again in 2019. If he becomes the Buccaneers full-time starter in 2021, based on his playoff performances, he’ll have a chance to push that mark to three.