According to General Manager Jason Licht, Jameis Winston is not a lock to be the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 4, after his suspension is over (See article HERE). Licht said on the Buccaneers‘ TV broadcast last Thursday that the position is still up for grabs,
“I don’t think it’s fair to say right now that he’s going to be the guy…. [If] Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Griffin, whoever it is, is playing lights out, I don’t think it’s fair right now just to say, ‘Yes, automatically, [Jameis] is going to be the guy… Now, he may be. Dirk and I — Dirk in particular — he’s got some time to think about that.” – via Jenna Laine, ESPN
Apparently, even after Winston’s strong preseason, he is not set as the starting quarterback. Winston’s performances in the three contests he played, in were nothing short of excellent. He completed 73 percent of his passes (30 of 41), had three touchdowns and no interceptions, concluding in a stunningly impressive passer rating of 126.9. His great performance was also acknowledged by Head Coach Dirk Koetter, who said after Jameis Winston’s last preseason game,
“I think performance-wise, you’d have to give Jameis an A for the preseason… I don’t think anybody in their right mind would say that wasn’t an A performance on his part. I think he handled it well. I think he performed very well, and I think he did a really good job of working on things he needed to work on.” – via Jenna Laine, ESPN
Whether or not Licht was serious about his statement pertaining to the starting job being up for grabs, is uncertain. However, if anyone other than Winston wants to be the starter in week 4, it would take three absolutely flawless games from Ryan Fitzpatrick, or Ryan Griffin, for that matter. Barring any unexpected super star performances by Fitzpatrick or Griffin, Jameis Winston will be the Bucs‘ starting quarterback in week 4, especially after playing the way he has been lately.
