Jameis’ Struggles Compounded By Latest Injury
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in turmoil. At the center of it all is their star signal caller, Jameis Winston.
In addition to the struggles he’s facing on the field, Winston is battling some health concerns as well. On October 15th, he sustained an injury to his throwing shoulder against the Arizona Cardinals. Winston has noticeably struggled with his throw power and velocity since getting hurt. But it seems like the shoulder injury isn’t the only thing holding him back at the moment.
Frankly, Jameis’ head just isn’t in the game of late. Playing quarterback at the NFL level is as much a mental task as it is physical, and his poor decision making reflect a lack of preparation. Winston’s increase in interceptions are throwing away games for the Bucs, no pun intended. The former Florida State star has looked gun shy when blitz by opposing defenses. The poor play from his offense line hasn’t done him any favors either, especially when he’s under duress.
Generally speaking, sometimes it is the smarter play to take a sack rather than release the ball. Winston has demonstrated a propensity to force a throw down the field rather than take a hit. Even with constant reminders from Buccaneers’ Head Coach Dirk Koetter, Winston doesn’t seem to kicking this habit anytime soon. Growing pains are natural for young quarterbacks, but in year three, Winston has to simply be better if he is going to be a player that Tampa Bay continues to build around. After another poor performance against the division rival New Orleans Saints, the vultures are circling. It may not be entirely his fault, but the poor play of Winston may cost Dirk Koetter his job.
Despite having plenty of weapons available to him, Winston has a propensity to lock in on Mike Evans and Cameron Brate, a habit that makes him prone to turnovers. One of the best favors he could do himself is to get DeSean Jackson more involved in the offense. Jackson joined the Bucs on a three-year, $33.5 million dollar deal, but has yet to make the impact everyone expected of him. Through eight games, Jackson has only caught 27 passes for 422 yards and two touchdowns. He has only eclipsed the 100-yard mark once this season and if Jameis is going to snap out of this funk, he needs Jackson to help him in a big way.
On paper, Winston’s stats don’t look that terrible. On the season he has thrown for 1,920 yards, ten touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He only recorded 67 passing yards this past Sunday against the Saints after being knocked out of the game due to his ailing shoulder. Winston has put forth some great efforts this season including a stellar Thursday night performance against the New England Patriots, where he threw for 334 yards and a touchdown. He also had a dominant game against the Buffalo Bills in Week Seven, tossing 384 yards and three touchdowns, despite it being a losing effort.
A return to prominence from Tampa’s former star running back, Doug Martin, could go a long way in taking the pressure of Jameis. A lack of running production has hurt this team’s ability to sustain the passing attack. Without balance, a tremendous amount of pressure falls on Winston’s shoulders.
However, the future is now cloudy for Winston who will be shut down for the next few weeks to rest his shoulder. The young quarterback will visit the Andrews Institute to get some clarity on his injury situation, but in the meantime, Ryan Fitzpatrick will have to captain this ship.
