By now, you already know about Jameis Winston.
He’s the best quarterback in the history of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He’s set multiple passing records throughout his career, including one as recently as last week against the Lions. He can make all of the throws needed out of an NFL quarterback. He’s one of the toughest, hardest-working quarterbacks in the league.
He’ll also makes some of the worst throws that you’ll ever see from an NFL quarterback. His decision-making is abhorrent, at times. He’s currently leading the league with 24 interceptions on the season.
He can simply lose you games.
The rollercoaster ride of a career has left Winston and the Bucs at a crossroads. Even though it seems likely Winston will be back in 2020, there still hasn’t been any official word or hint toward what will happen in that regard.
We’ve seen the good and the bad throughout the years. As always, there are many points to support both sides. When it comes to the bad, there are plenty of factors people can point to when it comes to discussing Winston’s shortcomings as an individual player.
But there’s one area you can’t point to and that’s a lack of weapons on the offensive side of the ball. Winston - outside of an offensive line - has had some very, very good players at the skill positions since his rookie year.
Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson were already on the roster by the time Winston came to town. Doug Martin - a former first-round pick - also ran for over 1,400 yards that year. Next came DeSean Jackson, O.J. Howard, and Chris Godwin in 2017.
Obviously, things will look much different on Saturday against the Texans. Evans and Godwin won’t be available and neither will rookie wideout Scotty Miller. To make things worse, Donovan Smith still isn’t practicing and is probably in danger of missing second straight game.
The positive in all of this is that Winston can show that he doesn’t need an arsenal of talent to be an effective quarterback. In fact, he could possibly continue his recent play and actually elevate the play of those around him, which is one of the most important traits of a franchise quarterback.
How many times have we heard that talking point when it comes to the true franchise quarterbacks in the league? Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson, and others all have this ability. And if you want to even step it down a notch from those examples, you can use Carson Wentz. The Eagles are completely bare at wide receiver, yet Wentz has completed 68% of his passes and has thrown for 591 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions over the last two weeks.
So far, Winston’s been up to the task. He led the Bucs to a comeback victory against the Colts after losing Evans in the first quarter and had over 300 passing yards in the first half against the Lions. He also completed 8/11 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown after Godwin went down against the Lions.
This is a prime opportunity for Winston to add another bargaining chip when it comes to contract negotiations during the offseason, and to add another layer of confidence in his teammates, the fan base, and the franchise that he is indeed the guy moving forward.
What do you think? Will a strong performance against a good team with a lack of weapons help persuade your thinking that Winston could be the answer? Will you feel the same as before? Let us know below!
Poll
If Jameis Winston has a strong game against the Texans it means...
This poll is closed
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31%
That he’s definitely a franchise quarterback
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48%
I think he can be a franchise quarterback
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4%
I’m indifferent
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6%
I’m still not sure
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8%
He’s still not a franchise quarterback