Too Smart?
August 9th, 2018
Unique take.
Sometimes his off-field stunts make one wonder. But America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, is a very bright guy.
He was academically accepted to Stanford. There aren’t too many rockheads who get such an opportunity.
Then there is his football IQ. With all of his head-scratching plays on the field, which sometimes totals more than the good plays he makes, Joe wonders if Jameis really is that smart of a player, but Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said Jameis’ noggin’ for football is what won him over.
In breaking down the Bucs for his preseason previews, Andy Benoit of theMMQB.com seems to believe Jameis may be too smart.
Besides needing to mature off the field, Jameis Winston still has much growing to do on it. He has a rich understanding of defenses, but that, mixed with one of the league’s stronger arms, has caused him to take too many chances. If a coverage is 90 percent sound and 10 percent vulnerable, too often Winston goes after that 10 percent. He can be especially reckless when plays break down. If this doesn’t get corrected, Winston won’t be here in 2019.
This reminds Joe of a now-famous story when Koetter, as Bucs offensive coordinator, first met Jameis at Jameis’ pro day in Tallahassee. There, Jameis told Koetter he wasn’t afraid to make any throw. Koetter responded that he should be!
And for reasons unknown, it appears Jameis still hasn’t fully grasped that concept. He believes he can make any play that Koetter calls work, even if that play isn’t there.
It is sad that a bright guy and a gifted guy like Jameis could blow up his own promising career because he may be too smart.
Or, some may suggest, too stubborn.
August 9th, 2018 at 8:03 am
Too smart????
I don’t believe that for a nano-second.
tickrdr
August 9th, 2018 at 8:08 am
If he’s that stupid, he’s not smart. Period. And Benoit is right…he won’t be around in 2019.
August 9th, 2018 at 8:10 am
i don’t interpret that quote as “jameis is too smart”. i interpret is as “jameis is smart enough to know what he is seeing but is too prone to take risks”.
personally i think that when the bullets start flying he reverts to his instincts and not his reads. he throws a desperate ball to his security blankets or to some blur who may or may not be an open teammate
August 9th, 2018 at 8:14 am
Quoting Dirty Harry in the movie Magnum Force:
“A man has to know his limitations”
August 9th, 2018 at 8:21 am
Winston will be a Yankees pitcher by 2020. America’s Relief Pitcher
August 9th, 2018 at 8:22 am
I think Jameis is bright. But too smart? Part of being smart means doing or not doing what is necessary to being successful in your chosen career, on and off the field. I appears he wasn’t very smart in his choice of trusted friends, on the night of the Uber drive, and likely drinking too much. Part of being smart is also choosing friends and associates that help you succeed. And frankly, if he can’t play the position in a way that allows him to throw effectively and avoid turnovers, he isn’t too smart. And to sincerely speculate such a thing isn’t overly smart.
August 9th, 2018 at 8:24 am
I’d argue too stubborn. You HAVE to take what the defense gives you sometimes. He has a tendency to want to throw to certain WRs with others standing wide open. It’s OK to take the checkdown Jameis. You just have to move the chains. Games aren’t won or loss with one throw….usually.
Just a part of his game that he needs to work on.
August 9th, 2018 at 8:31 am
It’s just semantics but we’re pretty far off here using the word “smart” especially the kind of “smarts” that get you into Stanford.
What Jameis is missing is not smarts but rather Judgement. Some very “smart” people have poor judgement and some dumbarses can also have poor judgement.
Jameis is not so stupid that he didn’t realize that going out with two questionable dudes…staying out till 3AM and getting blackout drunk a year after beating a rape allegation and numerous other scrapes was not “smart”.
His reason for doing that has nothing to do with his intellect…just as on the field his forcing the football and doing things like jumping Lattimore…trying to get to an official have nothing to do with his “smarts”. Of course he knows better. He simply has poor judgement. What makes it frustrating for many is that he clearly does HAVE THE SMARTS.
August 9th, 2018 at 8:36 am
Bucsfanman… don’t disagree that he isn’t stubborn. But you have to be smart enough to know where you are in the scheme of things. And if you are too stubborn to change to be successful, you aren’t too smart. Bright…I don’t doubt. But smart is another thing….that includes all those things in the mind that results in success, unless there is a lack of physical ability. And I don’t think Jameis lacks physical ability.
August 9th, 2018 at 8:37 am
Did Winston graduate from FSU? No. He told us he was going to finish when he got here 4 years ago. “It was important to him”.
How is that online course going since Feb 2017? “Only 26 credits away?” he said in at Melrose Elementary to a bunch of kids
Total BS. Fraud.
Mount Everest. I wish the best for Winston. I am just not sure he will be able to get past all this stuff without finding a new team. Sucks for Buc fans cuz he does have tons of potential.
August 9th, 2018 at 8:45 am
Jameis is a lot of things. Too smart is not one of them.
August 9th, 2018 at 8:51 am
Bucsfanman Says:
August 9th, 2018 at 8:24 am
I’d argue too stubborn. You HAVE to take what the defense gives you sometimes. He has a tendency to want to throw to certain WRs with others standing wide open. It’s OK to take the checkdown Jameis. You just have to move the chains. Games aren’t won or loss with one throw….usually.
Just a part of his game that he needs to work on.
————————————————————
Copy, paste, repeat.
August 9th, 2018 at 8:59 am
Joe,
The comments on this site really show what lousy fan base the Bucs have. Jameis Winston was never charged with a crime, yet these idiot fans want to get rid of the best QB since Doug Williams.
August 9th, 2018 at 9:04 am
Fitzpatrick is a genius, but he isn’t a franchise QB. He makes smart plays and he moves the ball. Jameis COULD/SHOULD learn a lot from Fitz in that arena.
August 9th, 2018 at 9:09 am
Smart has nothing to do with it. The problem is he’s too confident. He believes he can make any throw any time. People tend to forget how young he is. I believe this is the season he gets it. This suspension is a wake up call. He has to know now that he has to make the most of this opportunity if he wants a long and successful career in the NFL. He will settle down and utilize all of the weapons available to him. I believe he will do exactly that.
August 9th, 2018 at 9:12 am
StPeteBucsFan, I agree 100%. It’s a matter of judgement, not intellect!
August 9th, 2018 at 9:16 am
Joe: this blog will break your record for most entries.
August 9th, 2018 at 9:22 am
some of yall turned on Winston quicker than a door knob….lol….some of you same folks were praising him for being a gun slinger not too long ago….now he’s not smart, stubborn, a pitcher….lol….
yall want fitz or someone else….be careful what you wish for….the grass aint always greener on the other side….we see that with dirk!!!!
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
August 9th, 2018 at 9:26 am
BigScott55……..so what you’re saying is “agree with me that Winston is good man, and innocent, or you’re an idiot”……..got it. I’m sure we’ll all do your “TOES ON THE LINE” for America’s Crotchgrabber.
August 9th, 2018 at 9:28 am
No playoffs for a decade will do that to a fanbase. Too many want to run the best quarterback this team has ever had due patience being burned away.
August 9th, 2018 at 9:29 am
Sheep, 813, plain and simple. Sheep. They can’t think for themselves. And here I was thinking the Joe’s were gonna take the high road. Nah, let’s keep the hate going right into the season.
August 9th, 2018 at 9:30 am
BigScott55….not really it’s the same old clowns anyways. They should just copy paste and repeat….. it’s the same rubbish as yesterday. They’re not repeating anything new….
August 9th, 2018 at 9:31 am
They’re not *saying*
August 9th, 2018 at 9:31 am
gilhealy:
Not sure what you are talking about.
August 9th, 2018 at 9:32 am
[Naw man, you are not putting out a bunch of falsehoods because you would rather see the guy dismembered by a gang of MS13 thugs than play for the Bucs. — Joe]
August 9th, 2018 at 9:35 am
@813Buc: your a tool as usual. He turned on us not the other way around.
August 9th, 2018 at 9:36 am
Falsehoods?
August 9th, 2018 at 9:38 am
People like Walter and the such…make me wear my Winston jersey daily. I have 12 or so jersey’s. Getting bored with the Jameis one….but oh well.
DID see a Mom with her son at CVS…both had Jameis t-shirts on…made me smile and think of Walter!
August 9th, 2018 at 9:45 am
Joe: you have to be close enough to the team to have a pulse of the JW situation. Give us a over/under on if he will be back next year. My guess is 20% chance he stays. I am also assuming the Bucs hopes he does well enough for trade bait.
August 9th, 2018 at 9:47 am
When I tell friends I am a Bucs fan I have so many friends tell me they couldn’t because of their treatment of black players starting with DOUG WMS, QB…how they ran him off and Coach Dungy…
Told them I was going to follow Jaboo… and during the course I really dig most of these players! However, I have given up on trying to defend Tampa Bay…it has a unique fanbase, but I LOVE THE STICKCARRIERS so there is hope!
GO BUCS!
August 9th, 2018 at 9:48 am
Godeep66 Says:
“Joe: this blog will break your record for most entries.”
You have no idea what you’re talking about ……. as usual.
In fact this site had about 10 TIMES the Jameis Winston haters during the 2015 draft. I fought them all off. Me. 10 TIMES the posters…. Where are they now? Has their hatred died down? Surely this can’t be. Where are those “fans”? They HAVE to be outraged….like the 4 fans on here now.
August 9th, 2018 at 9:49 am
JOE, wasn’t there a stat a while ago that said Jameis was best when on the move?
It;s obvious that Winston is reckless. He takes chances. He thinks he is supernatural. That is exactly…EXACTLY the issue Brett Favre had early on. Jake Plummer was the same way (there’s a name from the past).
Plummer threw a lot of picks even, but he balanced it with winning.
The truth, so far as turnovers, is that Jameis is equal to Matt Ryan. In fact, their stats are similar. What does that tell us?
That the Falcons have surrounded Ryan with a team that is good enough to cover for his turnovers.
That’s all Winston needs. A defense that can get him the ball back as quick as possible, and who can reduce opposing teams average score by 2-6 points.
I think he’ll get that this year.
August 9th, 2018 at 9:53 am
Buc1987 says “where are they now?” LOL….they LEFT because of ONE player. One.
August 9th, 2018 at 9:54 am
“My guess is 20% chance he stays.”
Are you a gambling man?
I am….and I’ll pay up…yes …even online.
August 9th, 2018 at 10:00 am
No some of them are still here Walter…in support of Jameis.
Laugh and think what you want…they used to laugh too. So did Hillary supporters.
Yes you’re right they gave up on the team…….if he stays for the next 10 years will you? Their HATRED was a lot deeper than anyone here today, BUT you’re right LOL they just gave up. You’re right. In fact you guys are like kindergarten compared to them.
August 9th, 2018 at 10:01 am
This is one place where I completely understand (from experience) what he is saying here. For example if you know a defense is in cover 3 then you also know where each player in the field is supposed to be. So this can hurt you if you also don’t use your eyes, especially against the best of the best. You see the best of the best use their instincts and knowledge of what your do on offense to bend their zones/responsibilities to make whatever defense they are in the best it can be. So if you are throwing to a spot with strictly the knowledge that this guy “should be open” then you are putting that throw at risk cause a seasoned vet might be cheating also knowing that you know where to go with the ball and jump that throw. He has to learn to use his knowledge of football AND his eyes to see the field and what those equally knowledgeable players are doing to him then make his throws. The best example of this is the play last year where the Bills picked him off going to Brate. By the looks of the defense every underneath defender was playing zone but when it was Brate on that LB’s side he carried him down the seam but JW read the coverage and threw it to a spot that SHOULD HAVE been open but when that one LB carried up the seam, due to our tendencies, it becomes a pick. So on that play if he looks at that LB before making that throw he would have went to his next progression, but instead he went with what that LB normally does in that defense and threw to a spot which he cannot do. So this is something he can fix as it is great the know that defense but you have to been able to adjust to their adjustments and that will get him/us to the next level with this offense.
August 9th, 2018 at 10:08 am
Eighty percent return.
August 9th, 2018 at 10:15 am
Seriously I just don’t get it. Maybe if the off the field issues was the problem but even the uber thing occurred like 2 years ago. On the field he deserves to come back with a big contract. The Defense sucked, the running game sucked, special teams sucked, and the only part that worked was the passing game. Give him the Matt Stanford benefit of the doubt on the field.
August 9th, 2018 at 10:22 am
“the best quarterback this team has ever had”
While this may be true, its not exactly saying much…
August 9th, 2018 at 10:26 am
87,
We get it Ur LUV 4 Winston goes far far beyond the football field.
August 9th, 2018 at 10:30 am
66
as joe said, quit the falsehood and grow a pair…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES….GO BUCS!!!
August 9th, 2018 at 10:31 am
Buc1987, thank you for reinforcing my comment with “no SOME of them are still here”….exactly. And readers have to laugh at you “Hillary” and “kindergarten” comments. So mature!!
August 9th, 2018 at 10:32 am
“Too smart” – that’s the dumbest premise for not winning I’ve ever heard.
How about “no defense “ how about “no running game”
how about “pathetic kicking game”
Jameis made bonehead plays because he was trying to find a way to win. Better players around him should fix that issue.
August 9th, 2018 at 11:05 am
I have the patience of a sloth, slow but steady. Winston is like a drummer in a band playing better when staying in sync with the flow of the music that is controlled take what they give you football. No eratic improvising drum solo needed Jameis.
August 9th, 2018 at 11:12 am
@buc1987: you are fighting a losing battle. Just curious if you have seen our record since 2015???????
6-10
9-7
5-11
20-28 total= Losing record. I do see the progression from 2015 to 2016 but I also see a dramatic decline for 2017. No excuses: don’t use shoulder surgery as an excuse. We will rebuild next year After all, we rebuild every 2 to 3 years. Will Grier to the rescue
August 9th, 2018 at 11:13 am
Shoulder injury.
August 9th, 2018 at 11:15 am
Different careers, different paths in life, require different types of intelligence. I would absolutely believe that a man that got into Stanford can have too much going in his head to block it all out and just play.
Think of the great QB/Coach combos and you rarely would say they were both geniuses. Players need to have instincts not just be able to learn the playbook. I’ll take ah shucks Brett Favre or “learned to speak properly after his playing days” Troy Aikmen any day over a smart guy that thinks that half second too long when a guy is open.
August 9th, 2018 at 11:15 am
Winston scored just 27 out of 50 on the Wonderlic test and sounded like an idiot playing with cockroaches on Hard Knocks. Not smart…
August 9th, 2018 at 11:23 am
Joe, read the comments. Still no idea what I meant? Sure you don’t. This is exactly what you were looking for.
August 9th, 2018 at 11:42 am
Jameis is smart alright, too smart for own damn good.
August 9th, 2018 at 11:49 am
He got into Stanford because he was an athlete. Not because he was smart. Smart people don’t don’t the dumb crap that he has done. And what good is football IQ when you can’t keep yourself from those dumb mistakes and turning the football over?
August 9th, 2018 at 12:11 pm
87
with all due respect… we now know exactly how often you wear your 3 jersey, and how many you see (most always on women) at the grocery store, the mall, etc. etc. Lather rinse repeat.
gilhealy, watch yourself, you’re about to get told that JW doesn’t move the needle….
August 9th, 2018 at 12:32 pm
Truth is….I have not seen one….not ONE Winston jersey since the Crotchgrabbing news broke.
August 9th, 2018 at 12:35 pm
Hopefully, Fitz coaches Jameis up to make smarter decisions. Hopefully, Jamies can improve.
August 9th, 2018 at 12:46 pm
This article gives me a little vindication from Bozai’s attack on my earlier comment. Thank you Joe.
It’s up to Winston to come back and manage the game within reason. Take what the defense gives him rather than trying to force a play into coverage. Or get rid of the ball when under serious duress. He has all the physical attributes but now he needs to mature and grow between the ears.
August 9th, 2018 at 1:05 pm
Walter Seidel Says:
August 9th, 2018 at 12:32 pm
Truth is….I have not seen one….not ONE Winston jersey since the Crotchgrabbing news broke.
——————————————————————————-
It’s probably hard to see anything from your mommy’s cellar.
But if you go to Buccaneers.com and look at the photos of the fans you will see plenty of Winston’s jerseys on men,women and children.
August 9th, 2018 at 1:07 pm
Stanford, like the Ivy League, does not bend admissions for football. If you get in as a student, you can be an athlete, but the standard ACC/SEC/BIG recruiting of giving out scholarships to SATs of 700 is not policy.
There are a lot of you that may want to question why you’d attack a story suggesting Winston is smart. He may have issues with drinking, with women, with eating W’s and with forcing the ball into coverage – but he isn’t dumb because you think so.
August 9th, 2018 at 1:15 pm
LUV- Even if those “reposts” aren’t real, that is the funniest ‘ish I have seen in a long time. I didn’t know 1987 had it like that!!! That’s passion! LOL!
1987- You’re still alright with me bro!
August 9th, 2018 at 1:27 pm
Jameis clearly has an ability to process information well and retain it. That is certainly a characteristic of intelligence, but there are a lot of other characteristics as well such as abstract reasoning or judgment. Winston reportedly got a 27/50 on the wonderlic which is very solid, but not Ryan Fitzpatrick earth-shattering 48/50 after he came out of Harvard.
Being accepted into Stanford is a feather in anyone’s cap, but being a certainly 5-star QB helps with admissions. And while I’ve heard that Jameis had a 4.0 GPA in HS in Hueytown which is great (but no guarantee you are getting accepted into Stanford) if you think that Jim Harbaugh was trying to ensure that Stanford’s academic admissions department was just as strict for 5-star football players as it was for everyone else, I have a bridge to sell you.
August 9th, 2018 at 1:35 pm
If InspectHerGaget is too smart than, why can’t he read, recognize and throw sooner? Far too often he throws too late and/or to a (double) covered receiver?!
I have one family member who may be, intellectually, the smartest cat in our family; he certainly believes so. He also is the worst at handling relationships, pressure, “unfair circumstances”, growth (of any kind), forgiveness and people in general and if ever clinically evaluated, may be diagnosed as sociopathic.
…Sounds likes a lot of people these days, doesn’t it?
August 9th, 2018 at 1:42 pm
LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 9th, 2018 at 1:44 pm
jmark….cause I look for them. Just reporting back.
August 9th, 2018 at 1:45 pm
As I have been saying for the past two years: he is as dumb as a bag of hammers. That makes our general manager as dumb as a bag nails. That makes all of you supporters as dumb as a pallet of wood. The theee groups should get together and rebuild a new organization. Give up, it’s over. JameISNOT is gone!!! He will follow the mighty Tim Tebow to AA baseball.
August 9th, 2018 at 1:52 pm
Tom S, David Shaw was the head coach, and he’s said as much on tv numerous occasions. They wanted him badly, but Jaboo wanted to stay closer to home.
August 9th, 2018 at 1:54 pm
Godeep66…have you seen the record for the last 15 years? Have you seen the record that got us Jameis?
August 9th, 2018 at 1:55 pm
@gilhealy: the tree hugging college ladies of Stanford were spared since JW “decided” not to attend.
August 9th, 2018 at 1:56 pm
Godeep88 and Walter 2 posers that prove how fake they are on a daily basis.
August 9th, 2018 at 1:57 pm
@Bucsfamnn
They’re True!
“Ears Wide Open”
https://www.joebucsfan.com/2015/04/ears-are-wide-open/
Lol, we had a beastly blog back then.
August 9th, 2018 at 2:14 pm
@buc1987: just curios if JW throws you out of bed when he leaves at 5AM for the practice facility OR does he let you sleep in?
August 9th, 2018 at 2:20 pm
lol, keep telling yourself that. If it helps you sleep at night.
August 9th, 2018 at 3:09 pm
That’s even more hilarious LUV! I missed that one it looks like.
August 9th, 2018 at 3:57 pm
Andy Benoit – another millennial who is given a platform to write on when his experience clearly isn’t up to the task. There’s a guy that everyone, who isn’t a dope, has said Winston is like since day one… that is Brett Favre. Winston is the closest thing to Favre, in terms of play style, that I’ve seen since Favre. Favre would come to Tampa, against those great defenses, throw 4 INTs and yet somehow always have the ball with the game on the line at the end. Of course Favre was playing against Sapp, Brooks, Lynch, Rice, Barber, etc – and so he’d fail in the end, but the point is that whatever happened, no matter how many times he threw into the Tampa 2 and got intercepted, he never gave up, he kept going, and as a Bucs fan who hated Favre, it was really annoying to see him bounce back time and time again.
Anywho kiddo millennial writer, perhaps you should watch some film of other players so you have context for you dopey thoughts.
August 9th, 2018 at 4:37 pm
Yep, Winston was bright enough to do something really stupid, get himself suspended, and hurt his team
BRILLIANT!!!!!
August 9th, 2018 at 4:42 pm
Hey Walter, godeep and Casey Morgan, a banner ad flashed across my screen called “Death of a Nation”. It had the picture of someone I think was in your family line. Ziegheil Walter! Ha ha ha!!!🤔🤣😂🤣
August 9th, 2018 at 4:49 pm
Though they played in two different systems & eras of football.
About the only comparison between Favre & Winston – would be the bonehead mistakes.
Outside of that – No Comparison.
August 9th, 2018 at 4:58 pm
Throwback
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXHmHoumApg
August 9th, 2018 at 4:59 pm
The best quarterback the Bucs have ever had. Also the most suspended, tied with multiple Buc quarterbacks to have never played in let alone won or even lost a playoff game lol. Too smart. That is rich Joe. With Joe’s favorite quarterback’s win loss record, I wouldn’t brag how smart he is. I’d rather have a winning quarterback that is actually on the field and not home playing xbox during games 1-3 than Joe’s favorite quarterback. If we lose two or three of the first few games, I blame Joe’s favorite quarterback for screwing up the season period. It’s one thing to be injured and miss games, another to be “smart” and let your shortcomings doom your team. Go Bucs!
August 9th, 2018 at 5:49 pm
…and Moe was the smartest stooge….
August 9th, 2018 at 6:55 pm
@rob: duh duh duh… JW the best QB we ever had. You do recall we had Steve Young and Vinny Testaverde, don’t forget about Doug Williams
August 9th, 2018 at 10:51 pm
Godeep66 Says:
August 9th, 2018 at 6:55 pm
“@rob: duh duh duh… JW the best QB we ever had. You do recall we had Steve Young and Vinny Testaverde, don’t forget about Doug Williams”
I rest my case. FRAUD!
#poser
August 10th, 2018 at 3:31 am
A Godeep66. I was being facetious. I also think we have had better quarterbacks than Joe’s favorite quarterback, the human turnover machine. The worship Joe has of Jameis is startling seeing how I don’t even think he will be here in a year or two. He has so much growing up off the field to do that he doesn’t stand much of a chance… He has used those chances up and I expect him to continue to do dumb things like he has been doing for years. Hope I’m wrong but I shouldn’t have to cross my fingers that the Buc franchise quarterback, the savior in fact, will keep his nose clean etc. Hash tag history repeats itself. Rant over. Go Bucs!
August 21st, 2018 at 1:27 pm
@Walter Seidel:
Correct me if i’m wrong but wouldn’t America’s crotchgrabber would be your current dumb a$$ president??? I mean her admitted to it and even made jokes about it right?