Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Why We Should All Get Behind LeGarrette Blount

Every day it seems as if I hear more bad things about LeGarrette Blount. I go onto the Bucs section of B/R, and what do I see? Lashing out against Blount. I go out with friends to get a bite to eat, and what do I hear? Lashing out against Blount.

I, for one, am shocked about this hate against him. 

Look, I get that the guy is not the most...humble person (I think he needs his own team of PR personnel), but what he is showing us now is an undying urge, a hunger, to go out there and compete.

Some have interpreted his comments about his carries as selfish or obnoxious. They think that him saying he will be the starting running back is an arrogant, premature statement considering they drafted another running back in the first round.

Personally, I don't think Blount meant that at all. If people would read the entire article (I know it's hard to do so when it refutes some of your points), they would realize that he is determined more than anything. 

Last year Blount showed a lot of promise and some form of consistency, which he intends to build on for this next year. He realizes that some of his weaknesses were in the passing game and his inability to be the all-around back they wanted him to be:

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Even before the draft, Blount knew the Bucs were going to find someone to come after his job. So he took advantage of the offseason program to lose between 5 and 10 pounds. 'I kind of had the idea they were going to draft another guy, so you've got to come back in the best shape possible,' Blount said.

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Blount has seemingly taken the initiative to better himself for next season. If we were talking about an arrogant or obnoxious LeGarrette, we would probably be hearing something about how he came into practice out of shape and cocky.

But we didn't get that. We got a man who realizes that his starting job is not guaranteed. In order to become the running back Tampa wants, he needs to show guys that he is dedicated.

"You've got to be a competitor and competition is what makes guys better than what they would usually be," Blount said.

This is not a knock on Martin or Smith, as some have interpreted it. He knows the business of a training camp battle, and he is ready to compete for his starting job. Why else would he show up to camp 5-10 pounds lighter if he knew he had competition?

Blount even admits that he has faults:

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Nobody in the NFL can ever be comfortable. You have your select few that can. Adrian Petersons and your Ray Rices and your Arian Fosters. You have a handful that can be comfortable in their offense no matter who you draft. No, I haven't gotten comfortable, I haven't established that kind of credibility yet.

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The fact that he realizes he has things to work on is a big sign of maturity from him. While he is still outgoing, he has been humbled in some ways. What he is showing now is a determination to win and get better. Why people can't get behind that is beyond me.

Now, I'm not trying to take anything away from Michael Smith and Doug Martin. They are two great running backs that provide great changes of pace. If the Bucs play their cards right, they could have one of the most talented backfields in the league.

Long story short: Don't hate, appreciate!