Everything's ducky for Bucky Irving, who spearheads rout of Carolina Let's talk about the duck. Not the one that settled on the grass next to Trey Palmer before a Carolina punt that was blocked and returned for a Bucs touchdown in Sunday's 48-14 rout of the Panthers. "That just gives you a hint that the Ducks are going to win the national championship," Bucky Irving said of the wayward waterfowl, hyping his former Oregon team. No, let's talk about Irving (Ducky Irving?) and how the talented rookie finally was given the role as the Bucs' starting running back. More than that, offensive coordinator Liam Coen let Irving ignite the offense with 190 yards from scrimmage while setting up two Tampa Bay touchdowns against the Panthers. The Bucs took care of business thanks in large part to Irving. And Sunday night, the Falcons gave them an assist by losing in overtime to the Commanders, handing control of the NFC South back over to Tampa Bay Irving's performance included 113 yards rushing, making him the first Bucs running back to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark since Doug Martin in 2015. Todd Bowles said the decision was made during the week to not only give Irving the first touches at running back ahead of Rachaad White, but to immediately feature him against the Panthers. "We knew that we were going to start him, starting this ball game," Bowles said. "He knew that and everybody else knew it. We were going to try to get him off to a fast start and let him go. He did a good job for us. He's been playing great, you know, as he got the offensive system down. His play speaks for itself. Rachaad (White) is a very good back. Bucky is playing better." Irving had only started one other game this season: at New Orleans on Oct. 13 when White was out with an injury. He responded with 105 yards from scrimmage (81 yards rushing, TD) but was outdone by Sean Tucker, who had 192 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns that day and was named NFC Player of the Week. But let's be honest, this move was long overdue. Irving has been the Bucs' best skill player on offense. On Sunday, he proved it again with two plays in the second quarter that helped cement the win. The Bucs led 13-7, having settled on a pair of field goals by Chase McLaughlin to keep the game closer than it should've been. But Irving took a handoff and disappeared behind pulling left tackle Tristan Wirfs for a 34-yard run. On the next play, he took a pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield in the left flat and went 42 yards to the Carolina 1. From there, Mayfield threw a touchdown pass to Mike Evans. "We had a counter call," Irving said of the 34-yard run. "We had two pullers. I've just got to be able to trust the pullers. Read it out and let my instincts kick in. Then on the second one, we had slow screen. You've got to be able to sell the run and pretty much avoid if there's a blitzer or not and get out in space and do what I do." What Irving has done as a rookie is rare and should not go unnoticed. If he can maintain his pace through next weekend's regular-season finale against the Saints, finishing with more than 1,000 yards and a 5.5-yard average, he would become only the fourth rookie in NFL history to do it, joining Franco Harris, Clinton Portis and Adrian Peterson. He also would be the first in 17 years. "Bucky always brings the aspect - even if it's a dirty run - not all of them are blocked perfectly, but he's able to break tackles and create explosive plays," Mayfield said. "So just proud of him. Anytime you give him that many opportunities, good things are going to happen." You can say this about Coen, who has resurrected the worst rushing attack the past two seasons to one that is the envy of the NFL: He learns from his mistakes. Last week against a Dallas team that was 31st against the run, Irving was limited to 16 rushing attempts for 68 yards and a touchdown. In fact, with the Bucs trailing 26-17, Irving did not get another touch on offense in the final 10 minutes of the game. "At the time, felt better about (White) being in there for protection, check downs, he makes people miss in space, he's our best protector," Coen said leading up to the Carolina game. "… We definitely want to get (Irving) more touches and carries as we go, for sure." On Sunday, the Bucs did that and it paid off. The run game made Mayfield's play-action passing work, and he had as many touchdown passes (five) as incompletions. Irving's work ethic is well-documented. He's usually the second one in the building behind senior offensive assistant Tom Moore, who arrives at 3:30 a.m. "I've learned a lot about the game," Irving said. "It's different from college. You pretty much hit that rookie wall, but I tried not to let myself hit it. I did it by being consistent and also being humble." One more thing Irving noticed was all the No. 7 jerseys being worn Sunday. "That feels amazing to be able to look into the stands and people have (my) No. 7 jersey on," he said. "Also seeing the little kids. Just go out and do it and put a smile on their face and bring joy to the game." Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times, published 30 December 2024