Key Player
June 4th, 2018
Hang on to the ball.
When glancing at the NFL landscape, plenty of players could change the outcome of the 2018 season virtually by themselves.
Aaron Rodgers springs to mind. J.J. Watt is another. So too is Tom Brady. As far as coaches, Bill Belicheat naturally sits atop the list.
So when a trio of BSPN NFL writers chose to pick the 99 most important players, coaches and themes in the NFL for the 2018 season, America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston landed at No. 19.
19. Jameis Winston, Buccaneers: It was a disappointing season all around in Tampa Bay. Winston tried to play through injuries and ended up missing three games. But the way he played when he returned from injury — 317 yards per game, 9 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in five December games — offered hope that this could be the big breakout year the Buccaneers were hoping 2017 would be.
Numbers-wise, despite the hysteria of the Jameis haters who howl like hungry Beagle puppies, Jameis’ numbers actually improved last year. Except for two key areas: wins and fumbles.
Naturally, there was nothing Jameis could do when the gutless Bucs defense coughed up leads in the fourth quarter four times last year, not to mention a rotten kicking game urinated away a winnable game over the Belicheats.
The fumbles are concerning. Jameis’ fumbles increased by 50 percent last year and Jameis played in three fewer games than in 2016.
If anything worries Joe about Jameis, it is the fumbles.
June 4th, 2018 at 12:08 pm
Hope Jameis watches how Eli shredded the Bucs last play off game in the RayJay and how his older brother did with the Colts in the MNF come back….hit eligible WR on time…to the spot…seeing the play as it unfolds….not a giant wind up….I see him now…50/50 ball
June 4th, 2018 at 12:13 pm
Slow starts are what concern me the most. Doesn’t matter if you score 21 in the 4th if you are down by 24!
June 4th, 2018 at 12:20 pm
Fumbles are one of my biggest knocks on our soiled Messiah but there are many on this site that refuse to see that as his problem.
They claim it was the offensive line.
I say about half of his fumbles were the OL fault. That means half were on #3.
For the record, I’m not a JW hater.
I’m just tired of his boneheaded mistakes and his continued mantra that “I just need to play better”.
Yes you do Jameis……so start doing it.
I hope the additions to the line and RB will make the game slow down for you this year.
Prove the “haters” wrong JW……. just don’t try too hard to make it happen.
And please…….no more pre game speeches!
June 4th, 2018 at 12:29 pm
Dear Jameis
Please leave this idiotic fan base as soon as you can. They do not deserve you.
June 4th, 2018 at 12:43 pm
My thoughts exactly
June 4th, 2018 at 12:44 pm
^
June 4th, 2018 at 12:45 pm
What people don’t realize is that if we had even a decent kicker or a defense that did blow a lead with anything over 10 seconds left this team would have been 10-6 last with not one thing different from Jameis.
1 At GB defense blew a 4th quarter lead
2 At Buffalo defense blew 4th quarter lead
3 At Carolina defense blew 4th quarter lead
4 Home at NE missed 4 FG’s that would have won the game
5 Home defense gave up a ton of yards and we missed a game tying FG at end of game.
June 4th, 2018 at 12:57 pm
To Brett @od @amned Hundley
To Tyrod friggin’ Taylor.
All Joe has to say is that Mike Smith is living a charmed life.
June 4th, 2018 at 1:01 pm
Ndog
There are none so blind as those who will not see. You can beat them over the head with facts but they only see what they want to focus on…the W-L’s.
I get that but planning your future based on stats from the past can be very misleading and take you down the wrong rabbit hole. Some here have actually talked of trading #3!!!!
The statistical base we are using is far to small to make pronouncements…yes Jameis fumbled too much last year and some was the result of trying to extend plays longer than he should. But how many? How many were caused by…wait for it….a great play by another NFL player…how many were simply bad luck…wrong place at wrong time.
Going up 50% in one year is normally an aberration. But I get it….it can’t go up 50% again this year if we’re going to win.
June 4th, 2018 at 2:01 pm
1 At GB defense blew a 4th quarter lead
Green Bay’s Defense Racks Up 7 Sacks & 1 int. for a TD
2 At Buffalo defense blew 4th quarter lead
Humphries fumbled the ball at Buffalo’s 32 with 2:20 on the clock. A FG wins the game.
3 At Carolina defense blew 4th quarter lead
missed 51 yard FG with 3:00 left in the game. Had we made our FG the Panthers would’ve had to try 2 point conversion to win or tie and go into overtime.
It’s not all the defense’s fault.
June 4th, 2018 at 2:26 pm
Humphries fumbled *after* the defense choked away the lead. Defense isn’t getting a pass from Joe on that one.
Bucs had the lead late and the defense let Brett @od @amned Hundley march down the field to tie the game AND score in overtime to win. Not Aaron Rodgers — Brett @od @amned Hundley.
Sure, the Packers were one sack away from a franchise record sack total for a game. Still, after all of that, the Bucs had the lead late and the defense choked away another win.
Mike McCarthy coached rings around Mike Smith that game. McCarthy broke out the spread option in the fourth quarter and it looked like the Tennessee Ready-game all over again.
Joe’s not letting the defense get a pass there either.
June 4th, 2018 at 3:39 pm
Any intelligent person would be ecstatic to have a just turned 24 year old QB with the experience Jameis has that CLEARLY progressed over the final month of last season and has improved many key performance metrics every year he has played.
The same people who are trying to run Jameis out of town are the exact same uninformed folk who spew their vitriol all over the internets about, well, everything.
The problem is that sites like these think they are a majority or large percentage of the fan base.
THEY
ARE
NOT
The truth is simple: angry people comment more
Unintelligent people are more often angrier than most
Do the math
So Joe,
I hope you do realize that the percentage of negative Jameis posters on your site in the comments sections does not accurately reflect the percentage of Buc fans that dislike Jameis. It’s hard to quantify – yes – but what I wrote above is very true.
So – why do I comment so much?
To do my part in balancing out the ignorance.
As a lot of others on this site do as well.
Yes – Jameis needs to win more games.
But to have the experience and numbers he already has at this age is a dream come true to knowledgeable Buc fans who realize the rewards that are about to be reaped for this franchise.
June 4th, 2018 at 4:11 pm
^^TRUTH
June 4th, 2018 at 4:22 pm
It feels so good to see actually some fans here – I really started wondering if I am alone.
Please keep spreading out your positive thoughts, Tony, ndog and St Pete. We need more guys like you!
June 4th, 2018 at 4:36 pm
I have reached the decision as to no longer defend JW’s play against people who is not in the game, can’t play the game, underestimate his game, overlook his game, can’t and won’t appreciate his game, I will just wait for him to defend it on the field. SO I’LL JUST WAIT FOR IT…GO BUCS!
June 4th, 2018 at 5:10 pm
Said well by others. Even Tom Brady wouldn’t have gotten this team to a winning record. But let’s just bi*$h!
June 4th, 2018 at 5:27 pm
Okay, so let me get this straight. You think Jameis fumbles too much, and needs to improve in that area. Yea, we got that the first 30 times you’ve brought it up. Move on. What the hell do you think he’s doing? Not worrying about it. C’mon man, turn back into a fan site. You’ll never have another athlete want to give Tampa a winner like Jameis again. This horse is dead and buried. Let it go.
June 4th, 2018 at 6:46 pm
Wow America’s quarterback isn’t even middle of the pack standards in this country must have really eroded. He is Florida’s quarterback though we just aren’t Florida’s team, Wed have to crush the jaguars to get that title.
June 4th, 2018 at 7:10 pm
Also there’s that little thing about poor decision making and have ZERO deep ball to speak of.
June 4th, 2018 at 8:46 pm
Yeah and Brady dinks and dunks, Rogers has turned his supreme talents into how many Superbowls? Eli is second in active QBs with 2 sb rings with big Ben and you’re telling me you’d rather have Eli? Ugh. What do you want from a 24yo qb who will break almost every buc record on his rookie contract. Mariota whom many of you wanted is trending downward. Goff and wentz…small sample size. Cam is below average if he had to stay in the pocket. What the hell else you guys want? Oh Brad Johnson cause he was a winner right? I hate to say it but Tampa fans embarrass me sometimes. Like when I see a guy with a Yankees hat on and start taking to him about his team it becomes apparent in 2 minutes they no nothing about the sport and just rep the hat for NY pride, half of em.
June 4th, 2018 at 8:59 pm
Know
June 4th, 2018 at 9:24 pm
And don’t forget NE. The defense held Brady and company to 19 points! If the great JW3 could get the ball in the End Zone and score instead of always counting on the kicker they could have won. I love it when the famous 3 people come out here and throw out stats of how great he is. Only to turn right around and blame everything like not scoring on the worst offensive line. A coach that can only coach between the 20’s. A defense that was NO not the greatest but spent more time on the field than off and was worn out by the 4th qt. And of course every kicker we had was garbage. All of them. Man your excuses are never ending.
June 4th, 2018 at 9:29 pm
Well this season should clear up the speculation on Winston good, bad or indifferent. It’s about time, people jumping off and on the bandwagon. One side telling I told you so, the other side saying Go Bucs.