Former LSU star Leonard Fournette has had quite a playoff run this season. The Tampa Bay running back has totaled 313 yards from scrimmage this postseason which is more than half what he totaled (600) for the Buccaneers in the regular season.
Fournette’s efforts have earned him the nickname “Playoff Lenny.” He’ll look to continue showing why he earned that moniker when the Buccaneers face the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday in Super Bowl LV.
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Tampa Bay signed Fournette after he was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars prior to the start of the 2020 season. He’s spent most of the season serving as a backup to Buccaneers starter Ronald Jones II. But his coach Bruce Arians recently told the team’s official website that he informed Fournette to be ready for that role to change at a moment’s notice.
"It's very, very hard when you're a superstar and you're the focal point of the offense and you come to a [different] team and you're basically a role player for a while," Arians told the Buccaneers official website. "It's a very hard role to accept. I just told him, 'This team is special and you're a huge part of it. Embrace your role – you never know when your role is going to change.' Then, Ro got hurt. He got COVID and then he got hurt. I'm really, really proud of Leonard and the way he's handled it."
Fournette told the site he’s just happy to be a part of a team with a shot to when the Super Bowl.
“I just thank God every day. I was crying for like 30 minutes – I was on the phone with my mom and my dad just [talking] about my journey. I think it's a wonderful story how it's playing out,” he said.