Bruce Arians gives Bucs RB Ronald Jones a vote of confidence with Week 2 start
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Ronald Jones had a disappointing Week 1 appearance, but he'll be getting right back at it in Week 2. Head coach Bruce Arians confirmed on Tuesday that Jones will be starting against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Bruce Arians confirmed RB Ronald Jones will be starting again this week.
— Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV) September 14, 2021
Jones' first NFL game of the season could have gone better. Ostensibly the starter, he wasn't actually on the field for the Bucs' first snap of the game, and would play just six offensive snaps in total. He had four carries for 14 yards, but that fourth and final one was a doozy: after getting the ball, Dallas Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence managed to punch it from his grip and force a fumble.
Ronald Jones loses the ball and the #Cowboys get it right back! #DallasCowboys
pic.twitter.com/6URYSaBwjp— Matty B (@mattthew_jordan) September 10, 2021
After that second quarter oopsie, Jones didn't see the field again all game.
Following the Bucs' win, Arians explained why he chose to put Leonard Fournette in for the rest of the game instead of Jones.
“Ro was running really, really well until the fumble,” Arians told reporters on Friday via Sports Illustrated. “Then he struggled mentally to get over it. That was too big of a game and not be totally focused. So Leonard [Fournette] got the rest of the way.”
That's the honest answer you hope a coach will give when he's asked a question like that, and it's an easy one to believe. Not even halfway into his first game of the entire season, Jones fumbled the ball and the Cowboys were able to capitalize on it and score a touchdown. Not a great feeling.
A few days later, Jones posted a tweet to let everyone know that he's over last week's mistake and he's ready to go whenever Arians needs him.
I’m always ready when my number is called … just call me ☎️
— RoJo ひ “The Breeze” (@rojo) September 11, 2021
And Arians responded by giving Jones the Week 2 start, as well as the big vote of confidence that comes with it.
I asked Bruce Arians about Ronald Jones being able to recover from his mistakes (Arians said Friday he didn’t think he’d gotten over his fumble during the game) and Arians said, “Rojo was ready” and “he’s starting this week and he’ll be ready to roll.”
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) September 14, 2021