It has been quite a journey for running back Leonard Fournette after the fourth-year player out of New Orleans became a huge part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' incredible Super Bowl 55 run. However, according to head coach Bruce Arians, Fournette almost didn't make it past the regular season.

A disgruntled Fournette was having trouble finding his role behind RB Ronald Jones during the regular season. The 26-year-old RB, playing in just his first season in Tampa Bay, struggled and was clearly unhappy with his situation under Arians. This was all highlighted when he was left inactive for the Buccaneers' pivotal Week 14 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Arians got real with his RB after the win.

“I said, ‘This is your situation. It can change at the drop of a hat,'” the Buccaneers coach told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (h/to NFL.com). “But this is your situation. Either embrace it, or you say, ‘Cut me.' I said, ‘What do you want? Because this is a very special team that you're part of. I think you've got a feeling of that. Just see if you can hang in there to see what happens.' And he did, and I'm really proud of him.”

Soon after, ‘Playoff Lenny' was born.

Jones was sidelined to the reserve/COVID-19 list in the next couple of weeks and eventually strained his quad before the playoffs. Leonard Fournette was ready for the opportunity and blossomed into a true star.

In four postseason appearances, Fournette had 64 rush attempts for 300 yards–which were way different than his first 12 weeks with the team when he only had 69 rush attempts for 271 yards. He also tied his season total of three TDs in the playoffs by scoring three more and that unforgettable touchdown to seal the Super Bowl 55 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.