Warrick Dunn Talks Jameis “Wake-up Call”
January 25th, 2019
You see that JoeBucsFan logo atop this page, that No. 28 on the jersey is for Warrick Dunn, a special Buccaneer and a great man.
Dunn always has been about walking the walk, not talking the talk.
And in a private chat with Joe, Dunn applied that principle to America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston.
Dunn, 44, a part owner of the Atlanta Falcons and a man providing houses to disadvantaged families for 20 years, keeps an eye on the Buccaneers and he certainly watches them play his team twice per year.
After the Bucs-Falcons season finale a few weeks ago, Joe asked Dunn what he saw from Jameis. (Monday Morning Joe podcast listeners heard the audio here.)
“I saw a better quarterback. I think he was more focused, better anticipation; I just think he was on it. At times, you know definitely this game here, he looked like a guy who the Bucs have been waiting to see,” Dunn said of Jameis. “And, you know, you just want him to be consistent. And I think that’s the main thing. If he can play at the level he played today and be consistent, and have good anticipation and have control of the huddle and not really the rah-rah guy, just be a guy who’s going to lead his team. They got enough guys who can be the rah-rah guy.”
Joe asked Dunn if “rah-rah guys” every impacted or impressed him.
“No, it’s all about action,” Dunn said. “Action speaks louder than words. I was all about what are you going to do, what are you actions going to show, not necessarily things you’re going to say. And I think now his approach is probably, ‘I’m going to go out and prove that I can play and not necessarily be the hype guy in the locker room.’ It’s called growth. Right?
“Sometimes you have to fall down to get back up to really understand what you need to do and how you need to move forward. And I think, hopefully, this is a wake-up call, that these are things that he needs to do to move forward and be the best player he can be.”
Powerful stuff there because it’s from Dunn.
The table is certainly set for Jameis: from coaching to weapons to experience to powerful life lessons and good health. He’s got it all.
January 25th, 2019 at 10:04 am
Way to go Dunn
January 25th, 2019 at 10:06 am
Except a running game and a defense. Which is what has burned him over his career.
January 25th, 2019 at 10:11 am
well said dunn……
growth+good coaching=wins….
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
January 25th, 2019 at 10:12 am
Dunn is truly a great man unlike some of the career losers on this current team. It’s a shame that Dunn and Alstott had to play for such an ignorant one-dimensional coach in dungy the clown… it is terribly sad how many careers were wasted by that one-dimensional fool on two franchises. No one knows how to waste a hall of fame players career like dungy the clown and nobody celebrates a loser like a bucfan…. 2 playoff wins is laughable, not legendary.
January 25th, 2019 at 10:14 am
andrew
i agree…
the previous coaching staff never developed a run…never developed a defense….and couldnt develop any player outside of pass catchers….
im confident this staff can at least develop an average run game and defense in addition to players outside of pass catchers……
#REALISTKNOWSNOTHING!!!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
January 25th, 2019 at 10:28 am
foles
January 25th, 2019 at 10:30 am
So if Winston fails ONE MORE TIME, then you’re done with him Joe? ….smh
January 25th, 2019 at 10:32 am
“They got enough guys to be the rah-rah guy.”? I love Dunn and would like to know who he has in mind. Kwon? JPP?
On and unrelated note, Yahoo has an article about a 10-year-old boy who won a science fair with a project “proving” Tom Brady is a cheater. It is cute and entertaining. FYI.
January 25th, 2019 at 10:37 am
I think we are all going to see a huge difference this year. Actual coaching and player development. How many players have we cast out only to watch them to go to other teams and have great success? It should not take a team, any team 10+ years to make the playoffs. Especially when your drafting in the top 10 every stinking year.
The failures have been organizational, not understanding how things are built, not understanding the value of great coaching and player development, not understanding player evaluation.
Sometimes you need to stick to tried and true methods! Old isn’t always outdated! Rolling the dice on untested and unproven coaches & GM’s has killed this team & almost the entire fanbase.
Here’s to better days ahead!
January 25th, 2019 at 11:05 am
Great advice from Warrick! Hopefully Jameis understands the gravity of his erratic play because action does speak louder than words. We need a focused general who puts his team in a position to win. Set the example and the rest will follow. No more eating W’s stuff.
January 25th, 2019 at 11:16 am
Maybe Koetter did the Bucs a favor by sitting Winston, the “Wake Up Call.”
January 25th, 2019 at 11:18 am
Dungy definitely not a clown!! His hiring was the end of the 80’s and most of the 90’s losing culture!! Gruden was the “clown”. Gruden could not coach to our teams players strengths!! Everyone had to adapt to his Way!! The knowledgeable fans saw his ignoring of what Alstott brought to a game cost us many of them!! Alstott got used in limited fashion after the Super Bowl because of Alstott love for Older washed up players!! If Alstott had a coach that used him correctly there is a possibility of a Hall if Fame career.. Gruden is SO overrated it’s amazing!! Collector of veteran QB’s cause he could NEVER develop one on his own!!!
January 25th, 2019 at 11:30 am
TBUC North Carolina Says:
2-6 is failure pal anyway you cut it… dungy is nothing more than a popular failure who is a media darling. It is a disgrace to the NFL hall of fame that he is enshrined with a career losing playoff record ahead of real men and more deserving winners.
dungy is nothing more than a clown poster boy for a pathetic media with no standards… simple as that! he wasted more hall of fame players on indie and Tampa than any coach in NFL history. dungy the clown would have never won a super bowl coaching against anyone other than loser lovie.
January 25th, 2019 at 11:42 am
My favorite Buc of all time. Great man.
January 25th, 2019 at 12:09 pm
I’m all for free speech but why are bitter morons like tmaxcon allowed to spew their ignorant and misdireted venom. First of all, the article is about Dunn, secondly noone cares what you think about Dungy, thirdly his playoff record with the Bucs was 2-4, his career playoff was 9-10 and he won a SuperBowl dufus . Lastly, do you recall the state of this team when he was hired? He should be in the HOF simply for the turnaround he set in motion here.
Please cut this guy off Joe.
January 25th, 2019 at 12:19 pm
Always wished Dunn would have decided to live in the TB area. He’s an asset to whatever communtiy he lives in. Good stuff here Joe.
January 25th, 2019 at 12:21 pm
same story every year
jameis, aka crabman, had a huge end to the season.
he’s corrected his mistakes, blah, blah, blah
he’s ok when the season is lost, but he fold under pressure. he’s not a MONEY QB.
he’s a stats QB, it’s all about crabman
January 25th, 2019 at 12:23 pm
Dunn on the other hand is a blessing to the sport. He is the definition of heart, soul and character. The type of guy every father hopes their daughter would meet.
January 25th, 2019 at 12:24 pm
But wait, Joe and the Jameis Mob say he was neutered and boring and “ordinary”, right?
Yet Dunn is saying he played well and liked what he saw while the Jameis Mob are disgusted?
Hmm
January 25th, 2019 at 12:32 pm
Some people are too ignorant to see young people change. They forget how stupud they were when they were younger. Glad they are not our gms.
Well said Dunn!!!
January 25th, 2019 at 1:20 pm
Dungy is a HOF idiot.
January 25th, 2019 at 2:08 pm
Warrick Dunn. 5’9″ 187 but had 100k mouths to feed. Always fought always worked always excelled. Go find you some Warrick Dunn’s BA.
January 25th, 2019 at 2:09 pm
Always hated when we had to let Dunn go. I mean I know why, he got a huge deal from Atlanta and the money was going into the defense, which was the correct thing to do, but still, it sucked losing him.
BTW, Dunn, 20th all time in yards from scrimmage, 22th all time in rushing, had over 500 receptions, much better stats than that fatso Bettis yet Dunn never is brought up in the HOF discussion. Why is that? I don’t think Dunn is a HOF’er, but I know Bettis was not, yet Bettis is in and Dunn doesn’t even have his name brought up.
January 25th, 2019 at 2:32 pm
@Walkdaplank,
I guess you could consider me part of the Winston mob. I have never stated he was neutered.. I was the first here to state after he was benched that he needed it. He would start the last 6 games and he would probably be a better player. Winston needed that tough love to which I was fully behind. Now with a better coach and maybe a better team around him he will take the next step. The last 6 1/2 games offer a glimps into what he can become. Time will tell.
January 25th, 2019 at 4:19 pm
TBucs, NC,
Your idea of Alstot, personally love the guy, being missed used by Gruden is the popular opinion. But it’s wrong. The A Train was super effective in the right spots but as time passed His limitations, His not how Gruden used him, relegated him to a specialist. I mean there came a point He was lining up 7 to 8 yds deep . Most coaches would have moved on by then.
Now that said, I can only imagine how much bigger a star that guy would have been had he played for the Steelers. Loved him as a Buc but for him, had he been a steeler my goodness the career he would have had
January 25th, 2019 at 8:50 pm
Yes, year 5 is normally a “wake up” call. Lmao! This team is just a tragedy.
January 25th, 2019 at 9:11 pm
@tmaxcon
I do agree Dungy was loyal to a fault and the Bucs with their roster should have won the Lombardi with more emphasis on the offense. A lost window for that incredible defense. However to call Dungy a clown and fool is weak and irresponsible. It is easy to have a keyboard and type those words with out any accountability I feel sorry for you as it shows your weak character to eschew words on this site with no responsibility! Give all of us a break and go Bucs!
January 26th, 2019 at 7:58 am
Shorter version
action talks and BS walks
January 26th, 2019 at 8:40 am
Come on tmax. If you don’t like a player or coach that’s fine an it’s your opinion but to always insult them while putting them down come on bro. Talk about the bad but leave the insults out there’s no reason to insult them