TAMPA, Fla. — It didn't take long for Buccaneers rookie running back Bucky Irving to become a fan favorite. The crowd at Raymond James Stadium was chanting his name after a pair of impressive runs in the second half.
"It was a great experience – hearing the fans cheering my name [and] welcoming me into Tampa," Irving said when describing what it felt like to hear his name. "I mean, it’s always a blessing to hear those types of things in the crowd."
Listed at 5'10" and 195 pounds, Irving has never been the biggest or strongest back. He's had to fight for everything in his football career, and he wants to show that he belongs in the NFL.
"I mean, you get a little emotional. It’s something that you always dreamed about, but I always go by, ‘You shouldn’t take this game for granted.’ So, every time I go out there and compete for the Buccaneers, I go out there and do it at a high level," he added.
Bucky, whose given name is Mar'Keise, joins a long line of rookies who learned how much faster the pro game is than college.
"You’ve got no time to pity-pat your feet. You gotta [hit the hole] when you see it," he said with a grin. "I pretty much go by that. You gotta trust what you see. I pretty much say when I get the ball, I trust what my eyes see, and I hit the hole."
Teams with successful offenses have more than one running back that can run and catch the ball. Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield doesn't see any drop-off in production when Irving subs in for starter Rachaad White.
"It’s really important with a guy like Rachaad, who’s going to be in the game a lot. When he needs a breather, he needs a breather," Mayfield explained. "So being able to have Bucky come in and play how he did is good for us, but [there’s] a lot of room to grow. We expect Bucky to play really well."
It's only week two, but Mayfield admits that playing Detroit—the team that ended Tampa Bay's season last year—can be used as a measuring stick for this season.
"At this level, if you don’t show up, you can get beat any given week. This is one of those – on the road with a team who was in the NFC Championship, where we aspire to be, so it’s one of those – you said it, measuring sticks to great competition [and] see how our guys handle it early on," he added. "You know, it’s a long season, but we can learn a lot from this one."
Kickoff from Ford Field in Detroit is set for Sunday at 1 p.m.
