Peyton Barber acknowledged as starting running back

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With the selection of Ronald Jones II in the second round of this year’s draft , it was clear that the Buccaneers were going to mix him into a one-two punch with third-year pro Peyton Barber. But what has seemed fairly unclear throughout the summer was which of the two would occupy the No. 1 spot. After Monday’s practice, head coach Dirk Koetter acknowledged that Barber currently occupies the starting role. From Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times: Koetter appears to be sending mixed signals here, as he both names a starter and says there’s still time to sort things out. Regardless, it seems that Barber is making it hard for Jones to come in and take over as the lead guy, despite what many have predicted over the last few months. Koetter later made it obvious that Tampa Bay won’t be using a three-down back, noting how difficult it is to rely on just one guy with the way the NFL is nowadays. Barber got almost all of the snaps with the starting offense in the preseason opener against the Dolphins , rushing for 21 yards and a touchdown on four carries. In 2017, he was the lone bright spot in a poor Buccaneer backfield. He finished the year as the team’s leading rusher with 423 yards, averaging 3.9 yards per carry. Doug Martin had 30 more carries than him, but put up just 406 yards.Jones only nine yards on eight carries in last Thursday’s preseason opener, but did pick up his first touchdown. He saw most of his snaps behind a second team offensive line that was missing a few guys, so his lack of production shouldn’t be all that alarming.Rotating in behind Barber could be what’s best for the rookie as he continues to further develop as a pass-catcher and improve his pass-blocking. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get some snaps with the starters as the preseason rolls on , but it’s more than clear that the Bucs have no plans on phasing Barber out of the mix. For now, and potentially for the foreseeable future, Barber is the “one” in what should be a strong one-two threat.By The Numbers: Drew Brees vs Tampa Bay Drew Brees replaced Peyton Manning as the NFL’s all-time leading passer last night after Tre’Quan Smith scored a 62-yard touchdown on Monday Night Football.With 72,103 yards, Brees now sits atop the list of some of the greatest quarterbacks to play the game. Tom Brady is the next active quarterback on the list with 67,418 yards.This got me thinking , how has Brees performed against the Bucs over the years?Drew Brees vs. Tampa Bay Career Statscareer statsGWLTW-L%CmpAttCmp%YdsTDIntSkYdsRatecareer statsGWLTW-L%CmpAttCmp%YdsTDIntSkYdsRateDrew Brees vs. the NFL Career Statscareer statsGWLTW-L%CmpAttCmp%YdsTDIntSkYdsRatecareer statsGWLTW-L%CmpAttCmp%YdsTDIntSkYdsRateBreaking it down, Brees has averaged around 281 pass yards per game with about a 2:1 TD-INT ratio against the Bucs compared to around 297 pass yards per game with about a 2:1 TD-INT ratio as well. Even though his overall numbers drop slightly against the Bucs, his win percentage is a tad higher. In the end, both splits show just how dominate he really is. Regardless, Brees has had an outstanding career and will go down as one of the top ten quarterbacks of all-time, if not higher than that by the time he retires. Even the most ardent of Bucs fans have to appreciate what he brings to the game. Congratulations , Drew!