Tag: winston stats

It’s always family first for Jameis Winston

Former Bucs QB Jameis Winston posted the perfect family picture on his Instagram recently.

Regardless of how you feel about former Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, there’s no denying the fact that his teammates loved and respected him. Even though he won’t be a part of the Bucs in 2020, his presence in the locker room will certainly be missed.

While Winston still remains without a home a month into free agency, he’s still keeping his head up. With social distancing preventing him from going to the gym, he’s been finding ways to stay active at home, which means more time with his family, including his lovely new bride and son.

Take a look at Winston’s recent Instagram post, which looks like the perfect picture of the All-American family, dog and all.

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Jameis Winston’s turnover-filled December sealed his fate

See what Bruce Arians had to say about former quarterback Jameis Winston’s play down the stretch last season.

At this time last year, the Buccaneers were all-in on quarterback Jameis Winston, who was entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract. Despite off-the-field issues and inconsistent play on the field, the Bucs were convinced the former number one pick could turn things around. To help him, they even convinced quarterback guru Bruce Arians to come out of retirement to coach Winston.

Fast-forward 12 months and Winston is now looking for a new home, while the Bucs prepare to usher in the start of the Tom Brady era. So, what went wrong exactly for Winston? Well, the turnovers certainly didn’t help, including those 30 interceptions he put up.

In his piece today looking at what went wrong for Winston in Tampa, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times quoted Arians, who said Winston’s turnover-filled December, namely those final two games, ultimately sealed his fate.

Per Arians:

“I think it was that regression in those last two ballgames after he had made so much progress. You don’t throw for 5,100 and (33) touchdowns and not have any talent. Those numbers are amazing in themselves. Those turnovers in December made us look to see if there was something better behind Door No. 2. We owed that to our owners and the rest of our football team to see, not thinking it was going to be Tom Brady.”

Winston had 10 interceptions over the final four games, including a pick-six in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17 that ended the Bucs’ season.

In Stroud’s piece, Arians went on to prove that Winston wasn’t really in the cards, at least realistically, for the Bucs this offseason when it came to their plan at quarterback. “(Winston) didn’t work out for us only because Tom Brady was available,” Arians said. “And we had Teddy Bridgewater if that wouldn’t have worked out. If not, we were going back full steam with Jameis.”

Bridgewater landed with the Carolina Panthers, meaning he’ll get his shot to go up against Brady and the Buccaneers twice next season. The NFC South is going to be must-watch football, even without the unpredictable and entertaining play of Winston.

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Dan Hanzus offers up the ‘most likely scenario’ for Jameis Winston’s future

See where Dan Hanzus of “Around the NFL” believes Jameis Winston will wind up once the free agency dust settles.

The NFL QB carousel is about to go into overdrive in less than two weeks when the new league year begins. The 2020 NFL free agency class will feature some big-name quarterbacks like Philip Rivers and Tom Brady, both of whom could be leaving the only franchises they’ve ever known (Rivers and the Los Angeles Chargers have already officially parted ways).

The Buccaneers are likely going to be active riders on the carousel this year, as they have to address their own QB situation. The team could very well look to free agency to find a veteran QB, or, they could opt to bring Jameis Winston back for another year, despite the fact he threw 30 interceptions in 2019 and the team finished with a losing record again (7-9).

There are hundreds of scenarios that could play out for every quarterback on the market this year, which is why Dan Hanzus of Around the NFL tried to make sense of it all by offering up his best/worst-case scenario for 15 QBs, including Winston.

While Hanzus says the best scenario for Winston would be getting one more shot with the Bucs, his worst-case scenario is a dark one for the former No. 1 overall pick. “Tampa Bay walks away, and Winston wanders the free agency wilderness looking for a starting job that might not exist,” says Hanzus about the worst-case scenario for Winston.

As for what he thinks will most likely become of the QB? “Wearing a new uniform, Winston is on the sideline in Week 1 as someone’s backup.”

Again, that scenario isn’t all that bad, especially if Winston signs with a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers. He could watch and learn for a year sitting behind Roethlisberger and then inherit the starting gig in 2021. Plus, he’d get to play for Mike Tomlin, one of the best coaches in the NFL and an overall great guy. I think there are lots of quarterbacks in the NFL who would love an option like that.

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The Ringer calls Jameis Winston the ‘Benjamin Button of interceptions’

See what ‘The Ringer’ had to say about Jameis Winston’s crazy statistical year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have played their best football over the last half of the season, it still wasn’t enough to get them to the postseason for the first time since 2007.

When they take the field Sunday in their Week 17 finale against the Atlanta Falcons, the Bucs will be watching to see if their quarterback Jameis Winston can make franchise history by becoming the first Buccaneers quarterback (and eighth overall) to throw for 5,000 yards in a single season. Winston needs just 92 more yards to hit that mark. And, with two interceptions, he could make another kind of history — the bad kind — by becoming the first quarterback to throw for 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a season.

The Bucs are planning to bring Winston back next season, but he’ll have to fix his interception problem if he wants to stick around for the long-term.

But, if you ask Rodger Sherman of The Ringer, he doesn’t believe the problem is fixable. Sherman wrote a great in-depth piece about Winston and his seemingly inexplicable statistical season. It’s certainly worth a read, and this little excerpt below from Sherman’s article gives you an idea of why he thinks Winston won’t change.

“There’s no evidence to suggest that Winston will figure this out with time. He had 10 picks as a freshman in college, then 18 as a sophomore. His interception rate went from 2.8 percent as an NFL rookie to 3.2 percent in his second year to 3.7 percent in 2018 to 4.7 percent this season. Quarterbacks should get better at avoiding turnovers as time goes on. Winston is the Benjamin Button of interceptions. There aren’t going to be more players like Winston. He’s a one-of-a-kind anti-star who cloaks his devastating tendency for self-destruction inside of a game that reasonably replicates the things good quarterbacks do. He succeeds often enough that teams might be convinced to let him ruin them.”

If you think, too, that Sherman wrote this piece out of a bias or hatred for Winston, think again. He actually ends his piece by pointing out how much he enjoys watching him.

“As a neutral observer, I love it. Efficient quarterback play has become the standard in the modern NFL. Everybody is chasing the most efficient path to success … except this one guy who seems equally interested in success and failure. I’m just glad it’s not my house exploding.”

Unfortunately, for Bucs fans, it is their house Winston is playing in.

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Great defensive effort by Bucs squandered by another Winston pick

Despite great field position, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were again let down by quarterback Jameis Winston.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are slated to bring quarterback Jameis Winston back in 2020 in some capacity. But, after seeing how he’s played in the first half of today’s game against the Houston Texans, they may want to rethink that decision.

Winston has already thrown three interceptions, bringing his league-leading total to 27 now. He threw one on the opening drive for a pick-six, only to throw an interception on the next drive, too.

His third pick of the day squandered a terrific effort by the Bucs’ defense, who had forced a Houston fumble before Bucs rookie linebacker Devin White scooped it up and took it back to the Houston 31. But, the team couldn’t capitalize on the great field position as Winston threw a pick on the very first play.

Surprisingly, Tampa Bay still only found themselves down 10-3 at that point. But, all those points by Houston can be attributed to the miscues of Tampa Bay’s quarterback — one the team will be bringing back again next year.

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Bill Simmons calls Jameis Winston ‘most exciting player in the league’ after Lamar Jackson

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons thinks Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston is the most exciting player in the league after Lamar Jackson.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking for their fourth-straight win on Sunday when they take on the Detroit Lions. The Bucs may very well be one of the hottest teams in the league right now, having gone 4-1 since Week 10.

The big story of their season, of course, has been quarterback Jameis Winston, who is playing on the final year of his rookie contract. He’s on pace to throw for 5,000 yards, but also has a league-high 23 interceptions, leading many to wonder what the future holds for Winston and the Bucs franchise.

The main issue for the quarterback has been consistency. You never know which Winston is going to show up on Sundays — the one who will throw for over 400 yards and a few scores, or the one who will throw three interceptions.

That perplexing weekly question might be why Bill Simmons of the Ringer thinks Winston is the most exciting player in the league to watch after Lamar Jackson. You might think Simmons is joking, but the more he explains it, the more sensible he sounds.

Take a look.

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Buccaneers crack the top 15 in latest USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been playing some of their best football of late and are climbing up the power rankings.

Less than a month ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were sitting at 3-7 after a Week 11 home loss to the New Orleans Saints. Fans were clamoring for Jameis Winston’s job and the team seemed destined for a top spot in the 2020 NFL Draft.

But, oh how fast things can change in the NFL.

Following Sunday’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Buccaneers are 6-7 and riding a three-game winning streak as they prepare to head to Detroit in Week 15 to take on a Lions team that’s lost six-straight.

Tampa Bay has averaged 33.7 points per game during their streak and are proving to the rest of the league that they aren’t going to go down without a fight, even if they have already been eliminated from the playoffs.

This week, the Bucs took another big step forward in their quest for respectability by climbing up two spots in the latest USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings, coming in at No. 15.

As usual, the enigma that is Jameis Winston was the focal point of the analysis.

“Jameis Winston conundrum deepens. Showed toughness playing with injured thumb. Has engineered three straight wins with (mostly) strong play. But he’s one pick-six from matching league’s single-season record (6).”

With the win over Indy, Tampa Bay avoided their third-straight 5-11 season. If they win out, they’ll finish 9-7, which would give them their first winning season since 2016.

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Field Yates says the Bucs are the best fit for Jameis Winston in 2020

See why ESPN’s Field Yates believes the Buccaneers will ultimately bring quarterback Jameis Winston back for at least one more year.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are riding a three-game winning-streak after Sunday’s comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Tampa Bay has averaged 33.7 points per game in those wins, but, as usual, things aren’t always as they appear. Despite the big win over the Colts, the Bucs had to play catch-up most of the game thanks to early interceptions by Jameis Winston, who had his first pass attempt of the game picked off and then another taken back 80 yards for a pick-six before halftime.

Winston finished the game with four passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and three interceptions, bringing his league-leading total to 23. Fans have been wondering all season long whether the Bucs would bring the former number one pick back after this season. Some will say enough is enough and it’s time to move on, while others feel Winston is still the best option for a Bucs team looking to win now.

And, according to ESPN’s Field Yates, when it comes to the best team fits for 2020 free agents, Tampa Bay still remains the best place for Winston.

Here’s what Yates had to say:

“My own evaluation of Winston is that he is not a starting quarterback whom I’d feel comfortable relying upon for a full 16-game season because of his carelessness with the football. But after evaluating the Buccaneers’ ability to acquire a new signal-caller, seeing their recent comments on Winston and understanding their overall commitment to him over the past five seasons, I’d expect he will be back — with the franchise tag in play.”

It’s no secret that the Bucs brought in head coach and quarterback whisperer Bruce Arians to try and save Winston’s career. It’s certainly been an up-and-down season for the Winston as he adjusts to Arians’ offense. But, as former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer proved, things get better after Year 1 under Arians.

Tampa Bay is hoping the same will be true for Winston, should he return.

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Jameis Winston’s 20th interception puts him in a class with Jay Cutler

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston now shares this “honor” with former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston certainly has his defenders still, even after last week’s four-interception game against the New Orleans Saints.

It might be hard for those defenders to stand by him after watching him today against the Atlanta Falcons, though. Despite a 71-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Godwin, Winston threw two interceptions in the first quarter, with the second one eventually leading to a Falcons touchdown.

The two picks give Winston 20 on the season, a new career high. And, those 20 picks in 11 games puts him in a class with former NFL quarterback, and interception aficionado, Jay Cutler.

Take a look.

Winston is the first Buccaneers quarterback since Josh Freeman in 2011 to have 20 or more interceptions on the year. Freeman had 22 in 15 games for the Bucs that year, so Winston could easily break that mark before the year is over — or even today’s game against Atlanta.

It’s time to stop defending Winston. The Buccaneers, and more importantly their fans, deserve a whole lot better.

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