Tag: bucs qb 2020

Did Bruce Arians just throw shade at Jameis Winston?

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians had some interesting things to say when talking about the team’s quarterback situation on Monday.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season ended with a Jameis Winston pick-six in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. It was Winston’s 30th interception of the season, making him the first quarterback ever to throw for 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same year.

It was a tumultuous year for the former No. 1 overall pick, who also threw for over 5,000 yards. Given that Winston was playing on the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, the team is under no obligation to bring him back next season. And, while reports have indicated that the team plans to bring Winston back in some capacity, nothing is certain as of right now.

And, when asked Monday if he thinks the team can win with a quarterback other than Winston under center, head coach Bruce Arians provided an answer that some may view as a shot at Winston.

“Another quarterback? Oh, yeah. If we can win with this one, we can definitely win with another one too. We’re gonna have a defense.”

First, referring to Winston as “this one” instead of by name is a bit of a slight in and of itself, but to say “we can definitely win” with another quarterback makes it sound like Winston is nothing special.

Maybe that’s not how Arians meant it, but it has to be frustrating for a head coach to see his team suffer losses because of the quarterback’s erratic play.

Arians also admitted that the injury to backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert provided Winston with more leeway than he otherwise would’ve gotten had a healthy and experienced backup been available.

“A big part of it was [backup] Blaine [Gabbert] getting hurt and we had to find out [if] this was the franchise [quarterback]. We had to find out.”

Arians said he and management will look over film from all 16 games in the coming weeks before deciding what direction to head in. Should Winston be back next year, you can bet the team won’t be as patient with him when it comes to his turnovers.

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Twitter destroys Jameis Winston after he throws an interception on the second play of game

See how Twitter reacted to Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston throwing an interception on the second play of the game.

Jameis Winston is using these last four games to make his case to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that he deserves a new contract, at least a one-year deal.

But, given that he entered Sunday with a league-leading 20 interceptions, it might be hard for the team to justify paying him to return, especially when you consider the Bucs have failed to make the playoffs in any of his five seasons.

And, given how the game started today against the Indianapolis Colts, Winston’s case for returning might be slipping away. On just the second play from scrimmage, Winston threw an interception while trying to get it to Mike Evans. The Colts took over and three plays later Indy quarterback Jacoby Brissett threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marcus Johnson.

See how Twitter reacted to Winston’s costly mistake (again).

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Bruce Arians dodges question about Jameis Winston’s future

See what Bruce Arians had to say when asked whether or not he thinks Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston should return next year.

The uncertain status of Jameis Winston has been the elephant in the room all season long for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Actually, it’s been more like an elephant sitting on your lap and refusing to get up.

Ever since the Bucs hired Bruce Arians to take over for Dirk Koetter, the biggest question has been whether or not Arians — the alleged quarterback guru who’s worked with players like Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck over the course of his NFL coaching career — could save the career of the former number one overall pick and Heisman Trophy winner, who is playing on the fifth and final year of his rookie contract.

Winston has put up big passing numbers this year, and could make a run at 5,000 yards. But, as has been the case since he came into the league in 2015, turnovers have been the biggest issue for the Bucs quarterback. So far this season, Winston’s thrown a league-high 20 interceptions, and since coming into the league he’s turned it over an NFL-high 101 times.

Today, Arians was asked point blank if he’d endorse Winston returning beyond this year if Bucs management asked for an evaluation this week.

Take a look at what he had to say.

(Per Jenna Laine of ESPN.)

“I’m gonna pass on that one… I’m gonna wait until the end of December.”

I doubt any of us expected Arians to come right out and give a definitive answer one way or the other, but it’s clear that these last four games will be the most important of Winston’s career. Even if Tampa Bay chooses to go in a different direction and let Winston leave, a strong finish to the season would be a great way to convince other quarterback-needy teams to take a chance on him, even if only on a one-year deal.

The Bucs welcome the Colts to town in Week 14 and then face off against the Lions, Texans and Falcons to finish the season. Those last three opponents rank near the bottom of the league in pass defense, so Winston will certainly get the chance to put up big numbers.

The question is, can he do so without turning it over?

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Why Jameis Winston could pass for 5,000 yards

Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston has a chance to reach the 5,000-yard passing mark given the opponents he’ll face over the final three weeks.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are just 5-7, but they’re 3-1 over their past four games and have been playing some of their best football of late.

With three of their final four games at home, the Buccaneers have a chance to eclipse the five-win mark for the first time since the 2016 season, when they went 9-7 (they’ve gone 5-11 the past two years).

While Tampa Bay was hoping that by this point in the season they’d have some clarity as to what to do with quarterback Jameis Winston, who is playing on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, it still seems as a big a question mark now as it did heading into Week 1.

Winston has put up big passing numbers this year, but leads the league in interceptions with 20. Still, a strong finish would go a long way in convincing the franchise to bring him back for at least another year under Arians.

One way Winston could do that is by hitting the coveted 5,000-yard passing mark. Right now, Winston ranks second in the NFL in passing with 3,659 yards. He’s on pace to finish with 4,879 yards, but could easily put up more when you consider his opponents over the final three weeks.

Week 14 will present the biggest challenge for the Tampa Bay quarterback, as the visiting Indianapolis Colts have the league’s 12th-best pass defense, allowing just 226.9 yards per game.

But the three opponents Tampa Bay will face over the final weeks of the season rank near the bottom of the league in pass defense: the Detroit Lions (30th), Houston Texans (28th) and Atlanta Falcons (26th). Remember, Winston already hung 313 yards on the Falcons in Week 12’s win.

Even if he comes up short of 5,000, Winston is on pace to obliterate his previous high for a season. But, will big passing numbers be enough to justify giving him another contract, especially when you factor in the turnovers?

That’s the question the Buccaneers are inevitably going to have to answer.

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Could Jalen Hurts be the Buccaneers’ answer at quarterback?

Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts could be the perfect player to draft to replace Jameis Winston.

Several Jameis Winston defenders have come at me this season for pointing out the obvious, which is that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be better off parting ways with the quarterback at the end of the season and going in a different direction.

It’s no secret that the former Heisman Trophy winner’s tenure in Tampa Bay has been marred by inconsistent play and a very public scandal involving an Uber driver, an incident which ultimately resulted in the league handing Winston a three-game suspension prior to the 2018 season.

After the team hired quarterback guru Bruce Arians this past offseason, it was clear the organization was giving Winston one more chance to prove himself in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract.

But at 4-7 and with Winston leading the league in interceptions with 20 through 11 games, the team needs to think about the long-term plan. They have a proven head coach in Arians and the best receiving duo in the game in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, so it’s imperative the Bucs find a way to turn things around sooner rather than later.

Should they land a high draft pick, the 2020 NFL Draft could be the perfect spot to find a quarterback. Guys like Tua Tagovailoa (should he declare), Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow are sure to be the biggest names on the draft board come next year, but there could be one quarterback we are overlooking: Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times gave a list earlier this month of five college prospects worth scouting for the Bucs, and along with Oregon quarterback Herbert, Stroud had Hurts on the list.

Here’s what he had to say:

“He could go midway in the first round where the Bucs are most likely to pick. Again, if Winston moves on, no reason Hurts couldn’t do what Kyler Murray is doing for the Cardinals. Proven winner but would have to change the offense.”

Comparing Hurts to Murray may be a stretch, but there’s no denying that Hurts has evolved as a passer in Lincoln Riley’s system at OU. The chart below, courtesy of Sports Reference, shows the leap Hurts has made this year.

Remember, Hurts played a supporting role in 2018 when he served as Tagovailoa’s backup.

Hurts has the ability to be a dual-threat quarterback in the NFL, and spending a year under Riley will certainly go a long way in convincing NFL scouts that he can play at the next level. I mean, after all, Oklahoma has produced the last two number one picks in the NFL draft in both Murray and Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Plus, can you imagine teams having to account for Hurts’ ability to run the ball on top of trying to defend Evans and Godwin? It would open this offense up even more.

Again, it’s all speculation at this point, but you have to imagine the Bucs will leave no stone unturned when it comes to finding a new franchise quarterback.

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