Watson: Thank Jameis
August 21st, 2018
Praised America.
For a receiver who made a nice catch and an even better toe-tap to stay in bounds, you would think the guy would beat his chest a little bit, considering it was his first touchdown grab in an NFL uniform.
But that’s not Justin Watson.
He showed why Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht drafted him in the fifth round this spring when he combined Adam Humphries-like hands with Mike Evans-like feet giving the Bucs a 20-7 lead capping a 10-plays, 72- yard drive just before halftime against the Titans on Saturday
Watson talked about his catch yesterday after practice noting he had a hunch the ball might come his way.
“It was third down and 19 seconds left on the clock, so I knew we either had to get in the end zone or get out of bounds. We got in the huddle and [Jameis Winston] called go routes on the outside, so I knew my route would be live, he’d be looking.”
Watson downplayed the catch claiming that America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, put the ball in just about the only place it could have been completed.
“We got a cloud look and that’s a tough throw for any quarterback, putting it in the hole against Cover Two” Watson said. “But [it was an] unbelievable ball. I saw it in the air and tried to go up and make a play on it.”
Joe is just geeked with this wide receiver competition for the last spot (or two?) on the roster. Watson seems like a keeper but he does seem to battle nicks. So staying healthy may be a concern. But the hands, the size and the speed? He fits the mold.
But the what about Bobo Wilson or the pride of the Vero Beach Ramada Inn’s velvet-lined lounge, Freddie Martino, or Bernard Reedy?
Bucs wide-receiver Justin Watson brings more than just a great pair of hands to the Bucs. His Ivy League degree is helping his roommate Ronald Jones with his finances. @jwat05 @rojo pic.twitter.com/BAdD2bBV7L
— Kevin ODonnell Fox13 (@ODonnellFox13) August 20, 2018
August 21st, 2018 at 8:02 am
Old school football mentality
August 21st, 2018 at 8:21 am
Oh yeah but Jameis is so inaccurate he can’t hit the broad side of a barn! He can’t hit receivers in stride. He over throws his passes. He doesn’t know how to read defenses or know what a hot read is, yet his receivers love him. Wait I know they don’t know what their talking about! The negative individuals who only see the select passes that are suspect in accuracy or in their own opinion should not be thrown know more than them! With their moral high ground and superior qb skills are better than Jameis.
August 21st, 2018 at 8:21 am
Very pleased to see this guy doing well. It sucks too because the other WRs in camp as performing just as well. I just hope we can keep one of these guys on the practice squad. Other NFL teams are going to pillage our ridiculous WR group once training camp is over. Who ever we lose, I wish them nothing but the best, they’ve earned it.
August 21st, 2018 at 8:22 am
I still wonder if there is a deal to be made? There has to be a WR needy team willing to trade a 2019 pick or a player for one of these guys?
August 21st, 2018 at 8:23 am
Oh I’m sorry walter ziegheil mr English teacher 101 I put their instead of they’re. Oh I also used a contraction which isn’t proper English . Oops I did it again!
August 21st, 2018 at 8:28 am
Here we go
Joe’s saying a player needs to thank Jameis for having a roster spot. Dude. Guys just stop.
August 21st, 2018 at 8:32 am
thunderchunkyPA Says:
I still wonder if there is a deal to be made?
Kinda wondering the same thing – keep an extra WR on the roster for the first 3 weeks JUST IN CASE a team has an injury. . . might be able to get a draft pick out of it. . . just thinking out loud
August 21st, 2018 at 8:45 am
The story about Watson’s upbringing, specifically his brothers disabilities will
make you like Watson even more. It’s worth a read if you haven’t read about. Hoping Watson makes the final roster.
August 21st, 2018 at 8:54 am
Bird it looks like you need to read the entire article and not just the headline…
August 21st, 2018 at 8:54 am
Very few NFL QB’s can make that throw. Jameis has incredible talent.
I think the franchise has got to be very excited about Watson. He looks very talented.
August 21st, 2018 at 9:12 am
Buc fans! SMH! Why are we so eager to want to trade players?! Why can’t we keep ’em and develop them? DJax will be gone after this year or next and injuries are always a concern. What happens when you trade a commodity like Watson and suddenly find Mike, Godwin, AND DJax injured? You’re fine with Hump and Bobo, or Martino?
Yea, didn’t think so!
I like this kid’s humility. It was a great throw AND a great catch. I think he’s got a future here.
August 21st, 2018 at 9:16 am
I think Watson takes Bobo’s spot….the other guys have been hanging around and done nothing to stand out. Bobo is the one guy that i think has additional upside but Watson is younger and looks to be more polished as a professional and the “type” of employee Licht wants to build the roster with. There are “playas” and “players”….Bucs are trying to acquire “players” and Watson fits that mold.
August 21st, 2018 at 9:17 am
I’m a Licht hater but I’m kind of liking him bring in some smart doods. Rojo, Watson, JPP, etc… smart guys. We need some brains on this team. Lots of dummies at the moment.
August 21st, 2018 at 9:25 am
bucsfanman
I agree….
develop your players….give your team depth…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
August 21st, 2018 at 9:27 am
Watson is the kind of player (along with Godwin) that you build a receiving corps around. He’s a keeper and IMO he’s already nailed the 5th WR spot. Still think though that we’ll keep 6 WRs for the season (and maybe 5 RBs during Jameis suspension). Dirk has some really tough decisions coming up shortly. Best guess on how the numbers work out for the 53-man roster (after Jameis’ suspension ends)?
o Offense: 3 QBs, 4 RBs, 6 WRs, 4 TEs, 9 OLine (total: 26)
o Defense: 4 DTs, 5 DEs, 5 LBs, 6 CBs, 4 Safeties (total: 24)
o S/Ts: 1 K, 1 P, 1 LS (total: 3)
Guess is that we’ll probably keep 1 punt return specialist on the roster while Jameis is suspended (might be a RB or WR). Also think that we’ll sign 1 veteran OLineman before the real season starts (and maybe even a veteran CB).
August 21st, 2018 at 9:28 am
avidBigBucsFan99 Says
Oh yeah but Jameis is so inaccurate he can’t hit the broad side of a barn! He can’t hit receivers in stride.
Prime example of a person who did not watch the last games. Jameis hit Desean Jackson deep in stride in this very game. He hits all of his other WRs in stride all the time. He has only had issues with Desean Jackson, and he showed that problem is fixed in this last game.
Which makes the above claim completely false.
Troll.
August 21st, 2018 at 9:29 am
Actually, DavidBigBucsFan99, I should have read your complete post. My bad. My original response is caught in the filter right now, but when it shows up, this is my apology 😉
August 21st, 2018 at 9:31 am
An embarrassment of riches, who’d a thunk it? I hope Watson and Wilson make it. Reedy and Martino may be expendable. I honestly believe Martino is waaaaaay underrated and it is just fun to make fun of him. That dude runs crisp routes and explodes out of his breaks. Having said that, Wilson can return punts and kicks and has huge upside. I wish we could keep 7 WRs but it ain’t happening. If anyone is getting traded, it is DJax if the team is a contender or Hump (unfortunately) if someone is needed in the slot. Surprised with Edelman being out for 4 games, NE hasn’t made a play for Hump. As good as he is, his position can be done by D Jax, Wilson, Martino and even throw OJ in the slot with Brate in as TE. Just my thoughts
August 21st, 2018 at 9:33 am
Listen armchair madden gms…..stop trying to trade our depth.
August 21st, 2018 at 9:34 am
thunderchunkyPA Says
“I still wonder if there is a deal to be made? There has to be a WR needy team willing to trade a 2019 pick or a player for one of these guys?”
The only tradeable one is Desean Jackson. Bucs would unload this year’s salary and he can be cut next year without penalty. They won’t trade Evans, Humphries or Godwin. If a rookie looks good, the Bucs need to keep him to make sure.
Rookies are cheap depth, and in this case quality depth.
August 21st, 2018 at 9:51 am
bird where do you get joe is saying that from this article. He took direct quote from Watson who said it. No agenda from joe just letting the jameis haters who think he still should be released. What his teammates are saying about him you know people that actually know him and are around him 7 days a week 10 hours a day.
August 21st, 2018 at 10:02 am
The Buccaneers normally keep six Wide Receivers. In past years, they had had only a few challenges in making cuts…but this year is going to be really challenging.
We already know which ones are guaranteed to be kept:
• Mike Evans
• DeSean Jackson (Unless Traded)
• Adam Humphries
• Chris Godwin
Objectively, let’s look at the chances for the other guys:
• Freddie Martino
Some fans feel the Bucs should move on from him, but they do not make the decisions, the team does. And Winston factors into the decisions. Jameis has chemistry with Martino, there is no point in denying that. Martino comes through for him in a pinch. This has to give Freddie at least a slight edge for that 5th spot. Some fans may not like that, but it’s most likely going down that way, and really, why shouldn’t it? People have said he’s had his chance…yeah, he has, and he has done well with it.
• Justin Watson
Watson is the one to blame for muddying the waters. Why? Because he has looked so good, it is making it hard for him to not make the team. If the Bucs waive him hoping to put him on the Practice Squad, another team will almost certainly snatch him up, and bye-bye Watson. Therefore, unless he has a complete production breakdown or gets injured, he has to make the team.
That’s the six WR unit we’ll most likely see in the final cuts. The fans might want one of the others to make the roster, but the odds are against it…except for one possibility: Returner.
If the Bucs decide to count the returner position as a separate roster spot, one of the others could make the team. If they count PR and KR separately, two could make the team, but what are the odds of that?
• Bernard Reedy
This is a tough one. Reedy is crap in the passing game, but he has been the best option for returns before this year. Unless a better returner shows up, this has to give him a slight edge. The question is whether they count it as a Special Teams signing instead of a WR signing.
• Bobo Wilson
He seems to be a fan favorite underdog, but objectively, I don’t see him doing anything to set himself apart from the competition. That’s just the truth of it. People who want him just want him to finally get a fair chance, but its something he has to earn. I think his one shot is as a kick or punt returner. If he can prove he is better at it than Reedy, he could make hte team that way.
• Sergio Bailey
Sergio has quietly been having a great training camp and preseason. Honestly, if the competition was not so strong, I would want him to make the team over Reedy, Wilson, and any of the other bubble guys. But since the only opening is as returner and the Bucs have not tried him out on returns, I think they will waive him in the hopes of putting him on the Practice Squad.
The following have almost no chance to make the team:
• Ervin Philips
• Jake Lampman
August 21st, 2018 at 10:06 am
webster Says
“Listen armchair madden gms…..stop trying to trade our depth.”
So, if a team offers a second round pick for Desean Jackson, the Bucs should not jump on it?
If they don’t, they get a year out of him then cut him with nothing to show for it. If they trade him now, they dump around $10million in salary and get a pick.
August 21st, 2018 at 10:57 am
The NFL needs to expand the rosters by a few players to help competition and injury potential problems. The billionaire owners can afford this solution. Why so tight a final roster? You found them, you keep them if you deem them worth keeping.
August 21st, 2018 at 11:12 am
Thanks guys
I know what I am reading . I know the Joe’s obsessive love (don’t blame Jameis ) article after article. From day 1. 18 articles Jameis. Rest of bucs 2
So yah. I k ow what I am reading. I read them everyday. Nothing has changed. Jameis is Jesus here
August 21st, 2018 at 11:26 am
Here is the filter I would use: What else can the receiver do?Specifically, does he block downfield? Consider Mike Evans as the measure. ME13 is a blocking beast, so does the WR in question perform well in this critical role? I’ll be watching for this Friday against the Lions. I did a bit of recon on Detroit vs Giants preseason game and while I admit dozing off here and there I don’t recall seeing any Lion WR distinguishing himself in that regard. So, when cut down decisions are contemplated, blocking is my separator.
August 21st, 2018 at 2:39 pm
All I can say is this is a NICE problem to have for a change. There are 31 other teams watching the waiver wires. Whoever gets cut will be signed to another club. Hopefully NOT in the NFC South. 🙂
August 21st, 2018 at 5:43 pm
I too love smart players. Wow we have to be the only NFL team with two Harvard guys playing and a third Ivy Leaguer in Watson.
He WILL make this team. He’s got the hands…size..talent and smarts.
And proof of smarts? He knows who butters his bread. Every young WR in the league should learn from this. Without Jameis you don’t get the ball…wise to stay on JW’s best side. If I was an up and coming WR with a franchise QB I would immediately know who to stroke. Nice job Watson…and of course Jameis get a ton of credit for the throw.