Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said after the team’s last game that he thinks running back Ronald Jones should be getting 20 touches a game and he revisited the topic of Jones’ usage on Tuesday.
Arians told reporters that Jones “is where we start” offensively and emphasized the need to “stay in the ballgames earlier and not fall behind” so that they can continue to run the ball with Jones. The running back is an appreciative audience for what Arians has had to say about his role.
“It definitely means a lot,” Jones said. “Again, as a player, all you can do is ask for the opportunity. They’ve given it to me and I’ve just got to make the most of it. Take it and run with it -- literally -- so that’s what I’ve been doing.”
Jones heads into Week 14 with the fourth-most rushing yards and ninth-most rushing attempts in the league. If the Bucs can follow through on improving his position on the latter list, it should be a positive for their offense down the stretch.