To be a quarterback in the NFL you know atleast two things are guaranteed. One, you will always get more credit for the teams success than necessary. Two, you always take more of the blame for a teams failure than necessary. Jameis Winston knows both sides of this very well, the latter more than the former.
Polarizing Figure
To say Jameis Winston is a polarizing figure would be an understatement. A good percentage of the fanbase says he’s “trash”, another percent says he’s going to be fine. Then there’s that small percent that just wants the other two groups of fans to shut the hell up. Call them “Couch GM’s” or “armchair quarterbacks” or whatever you want. The reality is they know less than they think they do. They point back and say “I played in high school” or “I played some college ball” as if that somehow gives them a better understanding than actual NFL coaches, GMs and players. Newsflash, it doesn’t and you look foolish trying to convince us it does.
Their Guy
Jameis Winston turns the ball over, ALOT. Proven by his league leading INTs. You know this has to change, I know this has to change, Winston knows this has to change. That’s why when we hear offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich answer the question of whether or not Winston is “their guy” we have to wonder why Leftwich is so staunch in his defense of Winston? Leftwich elaborated a little for us.
“I love working with Jameis and I think Jameis is getting better. Yes, we’ve got to fix the turnover thing, I know that and I understand that. Regardless, if they are on him or not, as an offense we’ve got to fix the turnover thing. It’s not really all Jameis, when we talk as a group, anybody that touches the football is in control as you can see the past couple games.”
Pretty sure the last part of that quote was a dig at Buccaneers O.J. Howard.
Balance/Unbalanced
Winston is currently third in the league in passing yards (3,078) and tied for fifth in touchdowns (19). Ahhh, but then there’s the fact that he leads the league in interceptions (18). Not the kind of “balance” the coaching staff is looking for. It’s only fair to mention he has been sacked a total of 36 times this year and hit/pressured nearly every time he drops back.
QB Recognizes QB
Byron Leftwich has his hands full in correcting Winston’s turnover issues. Leftwich, a former NFL quarterback understands Winston on a level most of us can’t comprehend, unless you’re a former NFL quarterback. So while alot of what coaches have said about Winston falls on deaf ears, Leftwich’s comments should garner more attention. The Buccaneers defensive coordinator has “been there, done that”. Leftwich commented on the “live to play another down” logic that seems to be what Winston is struggling with the most.
“One of the hardest things to do, is to throw the ball away. It’s hard when you’re trying to do what you can, every single play. You never know the play that’s going to win the game. You never know when that big play is going to happen.”
Summary
I know what you’re thinking, excuses, excuses and more excuses right? The difference here or maybe the issue is that unlike that guy you were arguing with in the comments section, Leftwich HAS actually played the game at this level. Remember, coaches coach, players play and fans? Well they think they have.
