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Running back Tank Bigsby gets a hold on the ball and his role with the Jacksonville Jaguars
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- Running back Tank Bigsby gets a hold on the ball and his role with the Jacksonville Jaguars
The photo captured by the Florida Times-Union's Corey Perrine shows exactly what second-year Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby has been proving to himself and coaches during the preseason.
It was snapped at the combined practice against the Tamp Bay Bucs on Aug. 14. Bigsby is running inside during an 11-on-11, full-contact period. Bucs linebacker J.J. Russell has missed the tackle but he's trying to reach inside Bigby's left elbow. The hand of another Bucs player is seen in the picture trying to grab Bigsby's arm.
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They've got no chance.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (4) runs the ball against Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker J.J. Russell (51) during a combined NFL football training camp session between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024 at EverBank Stadium’s Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
Bigsby has both arms around the football, the muscles in his forearms and upper arms bulging as he holds the ball to his chest and keeps running through the hole. It's a wonder he didn't squeeze the air out of the ball.
It's part of two things Bigsby has done well in the preseason: run and hit holes quickly and decisively and hold onto the ball.
"I learned from last year," Bigsby said following the Jaguars' practice on Aug. 28 at the Miller Electric Center. "I just thank God for being here and giving me this opportunity of a lifetime."
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Tank Bigsby had rough start to rookie season
Of course it hurt.
Tank Bigsby is in his early 20s and he has social media accounts. So when critics, even Jaguars fans, began to rip him, ridicule him and poke cruel jokes at his expense last season, he was painfully aware.
"I always try to shut out the noise," he said. "But you get on Twitter [X] or IG [Instagram] and they tag you ... you don't have a choice but to see it. I've seen those things, the negative thoughts and people."
There was the fumble on the 1-yard line in a preseason game against Miami . Passes bounced off his hands and were intercepted in the opening game against Indianapolis and later against San Francisco . Then were was a fumble at Pittsburgh .
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (4) runs through defensive obstacles designed to help skill position players with ball security during a training camp practice on July 31 at the Miller Electric Center.
Mind you, in a season in which the Jaguars' offense was fifth in the NFL with 30 turnovers, Bigsby was far from alone. Other players had more drops in the passing game. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence had 21 turnovers of his own.
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But Bigsby bore more than his share of criticism, likely because of the bizarre nature of one of his two turnovers in the opener against the Colts, a game the Jaguars still found a way to win on the road, 31-21.
Lawrence was hit by DeForest Buckner , knocking the ball loose and forward. Bigsby, who had gone out on a short pass pattern, turned and saw the ball coming toward him. He caught the ball on one bounce and stood there, seemingly confused as to whether it was an incomplete pass or a fumble, or whether the whistle had blown.
So was Colts defender Kwitty Paye, who stood next to Bigsby and did nothing while Bigsby held the ball loosely in his right arm. However, Zaire Franklin came up and popped him. The ball got loose again, Buckner scooped it up and pranced into the end zone.
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Yes, it was a rookie moment, in his first NFL game.
Bigsby admits that it still stings.
Was the criticism unfair?
The social media and sports bar criticism was relentless, perhaps unfairly so since the Jaguars won two of the three games in which Bigsby had a turnover. The loss was to the 49ers was a rout, 34-3, so the miscue wouldn't have mattered.
One post on YouTube, titled " Jacksonville Jaguars Fumble Machine Tank Bigsby" spliced Bigsby's fumbles with a snippet from the movie "Friday Night Lights" in which Tim McGraw's character, angry that his younger brother fumbled in a high school game, drunkenly and forcibly taped a football to his brother's hands.
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Given the fact that Bigsby was responsible for five turnovers — not great, far from the worst on the team — it was a bit over the top.
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (4) watches a pass interned for him get tipped into the hands of San Francisco 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga (29) as linebacker Dre Greenlaw (57) defends during the third quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-3. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
He made no excuses.
"I'm a ball carrier," he said. "That's the No. 1 thing around here, ball security."
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson never lost faith in Bigsby, even last season when the knock on his rookie running back was that he couldn't be trusted not to lose control of the ball in some manner.
"The one thing about Tank is he's a good player," Pederson said after the Steelers game. "He's a really good player and he's a young player, so our confidence doesn't drop, nor should it. We still got to show confidence in him and he's still a good back."
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Bigsby took everything to heart — the mistakes, the hurt, the confidence the team still had in him — and attacked the issues in the offseason, OTAs, mini-camp and the preseason. He credited running backs coach Jerry Mack with helping him put in the work.
"I've really worked hard on my craft and focus on the little things," he said. "Coach Mack is helping me, helping the running backs. He's doing a really good job."
Bigsby's faith also sustained him.
"Last year was kind of brutal," Bigsby said. "You don't really expect it for doing something you love. I always look to God ... always keep my joy and I always keep my smile. I always kept who I was because I know eventually He was going to pull me out of it."
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And the work in the offseason and training camp has paid off, said offensive coordinator Press Taylor.
"It's very, very important to him," Taylor said of Bigsby's work ethic. "There's not a lot of guys that care more than Tank cares. There were kind of some unfortunate things that happened to him early last year when he just got started as a rookie. But to watch him throughout the course of last season as well and then attack the offseason program, attack training camp, he just continues to take the steps that you hope to see from a young player."
Is Bigsby quicker? Or more decisive?
Bigsby, always a powerful runner, has been slashing to the holes in training camp and preseason games, seeing daylight and then darting to it like a moth to a light bulb.
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Is he faster and quicker than last season or is he so comfortable in the offense that he's recognizing where the holes might be, even before they open?
"I think that's part of it," Taylor said of Bigsby's grasp of the offense. "I think just understanding what we're asking within each concept, understanding just time on task. Two years of running a lot of these concepts, seeing what the blocks look like, what the timing looks like."
Two years. That doesn't seem like a long time but for Bigsby it's been one of the blessings because he knew nothing but turmoil in three years at Auburn. He came in at the end of the Gus Malzahn Era and counting interim situations, he played for four coaches and four offensive coordinators.
"This is my second year in the offense and I haven't had the same offense since high school," the LaGrange, Ga., native said. "I had a different head coach, different OC [every year] in college so it feels comfortable to be in the same offense. I'm looking forward to that and seeing how things go."
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The preseason has been promising for Bigsby
Bigsby led the Jaguars with 105 yards rushing during the preseason, with a 5.0 per-carry average. He tied for third on the team with four receptions.
Unofficially, Bigsby had 97 carries and caught 18 passes during team periods in training camp. Adding his 21 carries and four receptions in the preseason games, he had at least 140 touches without a fumble.
All signs point to a bigger role than last season, when Bigsby gained 132 yards and averaged only 2.6 yards per carry, and caught just one pass. Taking some of the load off starting running back Travis Etienne would be a huge factor in the offense.
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"[Bigsby] is somebody that we do believe we'll be able to count on," Taylor said. "He shown that, he's earned that, and we're excited about what's ahead for Tank."
Bigsby can't wait for the season to start Sept. 8 at Miami so he can show the fruits of his labor when it counts. But his main goal is not to answer his critics.
He's in it for his teammates and coaches.
"They can say what they want," he said. "A few months ago, I was the worst person ever. I just remained who I am and continued to grow."
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tanks Bigsby never lost his self-belief
