“It’s Hard”
October 9th, 2015
Jags QB Blake Bortles, who dumped his swimsuit model girlfriend Lindsey Duke (above), feels for America’s Quarterback.
America’s Quarterback, Bucs signal-caller Jameis Winston, had a not-so-good game followed by a decent game followed by a good game followed by a trainwreck.
Such is the life of an NFL rookie quarterback. Ups and downs. Of course, when you reference Jameis, the haters come out of the woodwork. And sadly, there are a number of haters that infest Bucs fandom, ready to dance on Jameis’ grave.
Jags quarterback Blake Bortles understands. Now in his second year after being the first quarterback chosen in the 2014 draft, Bortles struggled as a rookie and sees Jameis walking in his footsteps, sort of.
“It’s hard,” Bortles told the Tampa Bay pen and mic club this week. “After going through it last year, and even this year, it’s unbelievably hard to be successful as a rookie, seeing things for the first time. You’re seeing things you’ve never seen before, you’re doing things you’ve never done before, so I think it takes a lot of adaptation and time to get used to [it]. I definitely feel and know what he’s going through, and it does get better.
“There’s definitely a balance between being aggressive and being out of control. As a quarterback, you want to push the ball downfield, you want to make plays happen, especially when things aren’t going well, your record’s not what you want it to be and stuff like that. You want to be the guy that makes things happen and helps your team to victory. But you have to be smart with it and know and kind of trust that if you take it bit by bit, it’ll add up. Not every play has to be a touchdown. A checkdown can be your best friend at times. And I think being smart with the football and kind of just continuing like that.”
Joe has all the confidence in the world Jameis will turn things around. He is doing what rookies do: Playing well for a stretch, and just when you think he has turned the corner, whoops, the floor drops from underneath him.
Jameis will be fine.
October 9th, 2015 at 7:29 am
Great observations from Blake Bortles, and he’s definitely “Been there, done that.” No question in my mind that Jameis will get better … He’s got some good coaches and has a great attitude. But the footwork and the staring down receivers simply has to improve soon or it’ll be a very rough learning curve.
October 9th, 2015 at 7:53 am
Agreed. His mechanics have been at fault for a few interceptions and many inaccurate throws. Kids got a sharp mind but he needs to work out those mechanics to be successful
October 9th, 2015 at 8:15 am
The “ATM”…aka “America’s Turnover Machine”…aka Fameis Jameis Winston is what he is. Why is anyone surprised? He has a strong arm and a competitive spirit….but he also has some shoddy mechanics, terrible footwork, often stares down his targets and throws too many picks! That was his rap at FSU, why would it change now?
Can he get better…over time? Possibly. Some QBs grow out of these types of issues. But, right now, he is what he is….a turnover machine who probably should be riding the pine and watching and learning….not giving the ball away 5 times a game! If Lovie and Koetter want to help him, sit him down and tell him that if he throws multiple picks in a game again, he will be pulled and Glennon will be put in to finish the game. Let him KNOW that there are repercussions for those bad decisions! Might be the best thing for him!
October 9th, 2015 at 8:30 am
Imagine if Winston’s HC wasn’t basically incompetent at all aspects of his job. We could be talking about Winston struggling through the ups and downs of a rookie season on a winning football team.
In Lovie we suck
October 9th, 2015 at 8:39 am
“Winston is like a far better version of Bortles a year ago. ”
– nfl. com quarterly QB ratings.
And yet…a lot of Bucs fans want to bench him. They’ll never learn…
October 9th, 2015 at 8:45 am
@DallasBuc
OR…we could have fired in even less time than we gave the last one, and have to settle for basement dwellers for couches from here on out because Tampa doesn’t give their coaches enough time and the good ones will refuse to come to Tampa.
OR…we could hire an offensive coach for an offense that is already built and just needs time to develop its players, and ignore the defense entirely.
OR…the Bucs could stick with the plan, draft for defense next year, and develop a team that will win for years to come. All because they kept Lovie at least 3 years to give a coach time to implement his vision.
Anyone…ANYONE… wanting to fire Lovie right now is naive.
October 9th, 2015 at 8:46 am
omg…I give up. Obviously I can’t spell in the dark.
October 9th, 2015 at 9:04 am
Bonzai- Lovie Smith is incompetent at his job. You and all of the remaining Pollyannas that continue to excuse the poor job this man has done are the naive ones.
For the record, I do not beat the drum for Incompetent Lovie Smith being fired before the season ends because I realize that is not anything the owners want to do. However, I have said that if this team continues to get their doors blown off, especially in front of the home fans, the Glazers hand may be forced.
I had seen enough of this incompetent boob after the 2014 season was over. All the unfortunate crap since, sans drafting Winston, has just been further evidence of the same dysfunction and ineptitude that typified 2014.
October 9th, 2015 at 9:05 am
Sorry Bonzai, but I gotta disagree with you. Fans wanting Lovie gone is not being naive. What’s being naive is seeing the same thing over and over again and expecting it to suddenly change. Lovie has had 20 games to implement his “vision” and what have we seen? Where has his “vision” taken us? Just answer this question….where on this team are we significantly better than where we were 3 or 4 years ago before he took over? Offense? Defense? Special Teams? Free agency? Wins and losses? Anywhere?
I don’t like to see change so often, but it some cases it is necessary. Look at the success Dan Quinn has had in Atlanta with his vision. Are you saying that Lovie can’t do in 20 games what Quinn has done in 4? If that is the case, then how many more will it take before things change? If we lose Sunday to Jacksonville, Lovie will have a 6-1 losses to wins ratio….that is simply unacceptable. How high do you let that get before enough is enough?
October 9th, 2015 at 9:07 am
BuccaneerBonzai … Agree 100%. If we keep changing coaches and coaching staffs every 2 years we’ll never get anywhere. Lovie’s made mistakes (I’d bet that he’d be the first to admit that) but he and his staff are getting better. I see the Bucs now playing a lot better and I’m confident that’ll continue. We have some good talent, although several weak spots are evident. But we’re improving and that’s what’s important. Just need to translate that improvement into wins.
October 9th, 2015 at 9:21 am
So I woke up and was listening to Mike and Mike and it hit me. Has lovie put out a good defense this year? Absolutely. Have they quit on him yet? Absolutely not. Is Jameis a good quarterback that’s struggling to adjust? Yes. One more year and they will be in the playoffs. They drafted one defender and he’s a beast. Two good lineman. A star struggling receiver and have the second best d lineman in football. One more year.
October 9th, 2015 at 9:36 am
One more weekend if they lose badly to Jacksonville. Is anyone besides OneLove and Bonzai going to say one more year if they lose 31-14 this weekend? I seriously doubt it. Make or break this weekend, any loss should be the end by a bad loss should definitely be the end. Bad teams switch coaches every 2 years because they make bad hires to begin with, not because they don’t give them enough time.
October 9th, 2015 at 9:46 am
But according to the Big Dog, none of this is Lovie’s fault.
October 9th, 2015 at 9:47 am
Over 1/2 of Winston’s INT’s came against 1 team in 4 games.
Just chill.
October 9th, 2015 at 9:50 am
DefenseRules Says:
“Lovie’s made mistakes (I’d bet that he’d be the first to admit that)”
Let me know when Lovie admits a mistake. I’d like hear him say it someday.
October 9th, 2015 at 9:52 am
Pretty Weird… putting “It’s Hard” next to a picture of a hot chick… Almost didnt click the link….
October 9th, 2015 at 10:05 am
All the NFL coaching staffs work overtime to put a competitive team on the field. Somehow I feel the Bucs are just winging it with little clue how to get it done right.
October 9th, 2015 at 10:05 am
A hot chick? All I’m seeing is a horse on a paddle board. I guess it’s kind of funny but I prefer the skateboarding bulldog video myself
October 9th, 2015 at 10:08 am
The same people who want to ignore Lovie’s failures and give him 3rd year and say it takes 2 years to learn his defense. Are the same people who are Winston haters who has only played 4 games and don’t want to give him time to develop.
I’m pretty sure it is a lot more difficult to play QB in the NFL than play linebacker.
October 9th, 2015 at 10:10 am
Winston is a Pocket Icon. He is too slow to get out of danger when the Pocket collapses. Windup motion and footwork are another problem. Joe there is a difference in being a hater and pointing out technical flaws.
October 9th, 2015 at 10:14 am
BuccaneerBonzai Says:
October 9th, 2015 at 8:39 am
“Winston is like a far better version of Bortles a year ago. ”
– nfl. com quarterly QB ratings.
And yet…a lot of Bucs fans want to bench him. They’ll never learn…
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I am so glad that you are happy that he is better than Bortles, a 1st rounder, #5 overall I believe.
Blake Bortles 2014: 14 games, 13 starts
2908 yards 11 TDs 17 INTs RTG: 69.5
Bortles 2015: 4 games, 4 starts
996 yards 6 TDs 3 INTs RTG: 78.9
Bortles Totals: 18 games, 17 starts
3904 yards 17 TDs 20 INTs RTG: 71.8
For the “career backup”, third rounder — I believe.
MG8 2013: 13 games, 13 starts
2608 yards 19 TDs 9 INTs RTG: 83.9
MG8 2014: 6 games, 5 starts plus one quarter vs. ATL
996 yards 10 TDs 6 INTs RTG: 83.3
MG8 Totals: 19 games, 18 starts
4025 yards 29 TDs 15 INTs RTG: 83.7
I am so glad that JW3 has “IT” like Bortles does, otherwise we might be in trouble.
tickrdr
October 9th, 2015 at 10:32 am
Buc1987 Says:
October 9th, 2015 at 9:47 am
Over 1/2 of Winston’s INT’s came against 1 team in 4 games.
Just chill.
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Yeah, Glennon threw way more picks in his rookie year, but JW3 is gaining on him. He has had more “pick 6’s” though, so he’s got that working for him.
tickrdr
October 9th, 2015 at 10:40 am
tickrdr..lol I guess Glennon was lucky the defenders never reached the end zone then. Other than that I don’t know what to tell you.
October 9th, 2015 at 10:48 am
Wait a sec, we can’t expect a rookie QB to be excellent right away? Where was this patience with Mike Glennon was a rookie?
October 9th, 2015 at 10:51 am
But Dallas, if Jameis dosent turn it over six times in two games and our kicker dosent miss five fg in two games, we are 3-1. So it seems the rookie qb is the one costing us games this year, not the HC. Although week one is mostly Lovies fault.
October 9th, 2015 at 11:15 am
Bortles is a much better QB than Winston right now. We all need to be realistic.
October 9th, 2015 at 11:21 am
Watched the film again last night and came away with a few tidbits.
1. Next play after the pick 6, which was just a poor throw/decision, Jameis goes right back at Norman and hits Vjax for a 23 y strike up the middle. No fear, short memory.
2. When JW has a clean pocket he’s murderous. When he has pressure or hands in his face, he’s not great! To say the least.
3. I believe 2 of the Ints came off of tipped balls and/or pressure in his face.
4. Charles Sims III continues to be a huge liability in pass blocking.
5. When JW rolls out of the pocket he is capable of making big plays everytime. Runs for first downs, dump off passes or straight bombs 50y down field ala Murphy.
6. DROPS!!!! I remember being coached to catch the ball with your hands not your chest, something vjax n Evans seem to be forgetting but their professionals so they know much more than we do. But if you eliminate some drops JW looks much much better on the stat sheet.
7. He’s not going thru his progressions, I think bc he’s shuck/scared and hears footsteps. Can’t blame him he’s already gotten a broken ankle and almost broke his knee last week too.
Conclusion, give JW time to throw and catch the ball. Simple as that.
October 9th, 2015 at 11:36 am
If you are calm enough and wait for it……you will get to the these three stages of being a Bucs fan.
1. Anger
2. Depression
3. Acceptance
October 9th, 2015 at 11:45 am
OAR
Lol, I’m at acceptance. But you are so right.
October 9th, 2015 at 12:05 pm
Buc1987 Says:
October 9th, 2015 at 10:40 am
tickrdr..lol I guess Glennon was lucky the defenders never reached the end zone then. Other than that I don’t know what to tell you.
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I’m just surprised that 29 of Glennon’s teammates reached the endzone in 18 starts.
tickrdr
October 9th, 2015 at 12:32 pm
Now as far as Lovie incompetence goes, one could argue last year he made his bed. We all knew this team would struggle with a rookie qb. But last year we were so aimless. Year one is supposed to be the year we feel growing pains. But Lovie decided to go with Mccown instead of drafting/developing a qb. Were doing that this year so essentially Lovie gets two “first seasons” if you will. But why should Lovie get a mulligan when so few coaches do? Thats a valid arguement for why Lovie should be fired, as opposed to aimlessly blaming him for any and everything.
October 9th, 2015 at 1:04 pm
I can’t understand why anyone would want Jameis to fail, all that means is we keep losing! To all the haters, just do us all a favor and watch another football team each week.
October 9th, 2015 at 7:13 pm
Can the Miami Hurricanes beat FSU. Probably not since Miami lost to the AAC’s Cincinnati. Miami plus the points looks tempting. I’m looking at this Bucs-Jags matchup sort of like a UCF-USF college game, Tampa vs Orlando because of Bortles.
October 9th, 2015 at 10:15 pm
She would only score about an 8 on the UCF campus, while the hound dogs and Paki’s that roam the USF campus are another story lol