There wasn’t much for Rueben Bain to smile about in Cincinnati.
Lost in the glorious debut of Josiah Trotter and how fellow rookie Ted Hurst demonstrated he’s a clutch player, arguably the most hyped rookie the Bucs have drafted since America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, Bucs outside linebacker Reuben Bain was pretty much invisible.
That’s because his play was invisible. If you didn’t see No. 3 on the field, it’s likely because he made only one tackle. That’s it.
That may have been the quietest debut of a Bucs first-round draft pick that Joe has ever seen, given how folks were talking prior to Week 1 how Bain was going to single-handedly force KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles to respect the sack and Bain’s ornery attitude would transform the Bucs defense overnight.
None of that happened. In fact, Bowles even mentioned that Bain may have taken a step back.
Who kidnapped the Miami Mauler in Cincinnati?
If it gives any Bucs fan comfort, outside linebackers coach Larry Foote said Thursday that Bain was really down in the dumps that he was a non-factor in Week 1.
In fact, Foote said he made a point of trying to give Bain a pep talk after the game he was so depressed over his one-tackle debut.
“[I was] just picking him up,” Foote said. “He was down. [There are] a lot of expectations for him, and he was down and out – the whole room was, up front.
“We wanted to hit the quarterback, and we didn’t do it, but [there are] going to be games like that. You’ve only got a couple opportunities, and you’ve got to make the most of it.”
Joe doesn’t know who was more frustrated, Bain or Bucs fans. Social media was alive after the loss to Cincinnati, venting their frustrations that nothing seems to work in the Bucs’ never-ending quest to find someone, anyone, who can come off the edge and put the quarterback on his backside.
One fan came at Joe outraged that Bowles had Bain drop into coverage on a critical third down in the fourth quarter. Joe replied that Bain was so ineffective on Sunday, Bowles may have felt like, since Bain was being owned by the Bengals’ offensive line, Bowles may as well tried to use Bain as a safety, hoping he could make an impact in the game that way.
In summary, Bain can only go up from here. Why not this Sunday against the hapless Browns before the home crowd?
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Todd Bowles: Rueben Bain Probably Took A Step Back