The most discussed topic regarding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been the suspension of franchise Quarterback Jameis Winston. Recently, John Ireland, an analyst who appeared on the TV show First Take on ESPN, gave his take on the quarterback’s tricky situation and he basically believes the season is over already for the Buccaneers. While he gives him credit for speaking to the media about the incident, he does not see a chance for Tampa to survive the first three games of the season because of the strength of the opponents that they will be facing.
“This suspension kills the Bucs! It just kills them… They open the season at New Orleans, without Jameis Winston that’s probably a loss. Week 2, the Eagles come to Tampa, that’s probably another loss. Week 3, the Steelers… If he can’t be on the field for those three games, all games, by the way, where the Bucs will be underdogs, he’s killing his team.” – via John Ireland, ESPN
In addition to that, he said it is time for Winston to finally let his actions speak louder than his words,
“I’m past the point of letting him apologize for stuff and just taking him at his word, because he has got multiple incidents.”
Tough words by Ireland, especially in regards to the fact that noone who lost the first three games has ever made the playoffs since the NFL‘s division realignment in 2002. According to him, Tampa Bay can already start planning for the 2019 offseason. In Winston’s defense, other than the incident in Arizona, which happened almost two and a half years ago, he has been clean since becoming a pro.
Furthermore, Ryan Fitzpatrick is certainly capable of winning a game or two out of the first three contests, especially with the assistance of a decent running game and a strong, determined defense. Stranger things happen in sports all the time.
As far as Jameis Winston is concerned, his teammates seemingly have his back. If he manages to stay out of trouble off the field, the future is bright for the Bucs! Hopefully, Winston can prove all the doubters wrong.
If you would like to see Ireland‘s full video, you can watch it here.
