Arians Says Jameis Needed To Adjust To O.J.
December 12th, 2019
The struggles of O.J. Howard this season are well documented. But who was (is?) to blame?
Lots of fans hurled knives early at offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.
Joe sure did, with a mindset of, ‘hey, Howard’s got mad skills, so find a way to use them.’
Leftwich typically told media Howard’s production would have to happen organically, which is code for ‘we’re not changing the damn offense for O.J.’ Of course, it didn’t help anyone that Howard’s hands failed him, beginning on opening day.
Four games ago, Howard had a goose egg against New Orleans, followed by 1 catch for 10 yards against Atlanta.
In the past two games, Howard has seen a significant revival, capped by four catches for 73 yards on Sunday.
Hall of Fame general manager Bill Polian asked Bruce Arians about the Howard surge last night, and Arians surprised Joe by putting a share of the slow growth on America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston.
“You know, it’s taken him a while to adjust to the system and Jameis to adjust to him in the system,” Arians said. “The last two weeks, you know, his numbers are up and I would they’d just continue to climb.”
The Jameis part felt new to Joe. Three weeks ago, Howard came clean and said, “I’m finally getting the hang of it.”
Bottom line: Howard is just too talented to be unproductive. He must be a valuable piece going forward. If not, the Bucs should find value for him on the trading block.
TAMPA TWO is on! Another great episode with Ira Kaufman presented by Caldeco Air Conditioning & Heating produced by The Identity Tampa Bay.
December 12th, 2019 at 11:19 am
NOt sure if jameis is the best roller coaster in tampa because arians, licht and the glazers are getting pretty up there as well
December 12th, 2019 at 11:20 am
Love the talent, but if OJ had the mindset of Godwin he’s be in the HOF one day. Gets tackled way too easily.
December 12th, 2019 at 11:21 am
O.J. Howard’s recieving stats for the season, look like a horrible day for a QB. 27/39, 367 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, 1 fumble lost. That behind the back pass he made to the Saints receiver was the most awkward Intereception I’ve seen him throw his entire career, definitely a highlight for his career tape. Hes got a long way to go to make up for this game.. bust it’s only the 4th quarter..
December 12th, 2019 at 11:33 am
BA…put on some film of Koetter running OJ in those shallow crossing routes for 6 points
December 12th, 2019 at 11:34 am
oj is too fragile mentally and physically to be elite or to be counted on. he is a nice piece but nothing to build around nor should he be counted on he will let you down.
December 12th, 2019 at 11:35 am
Reminds me of the old doozy that our wideouts had to adjust to The Cannon’s superb accuracy
December 12th, 2019 at 12:07 pm
RG will make him standout this weekend when he pulls a FitzMagic!!!
December 12th, 2019 at 12:13 pm
You know who has integrated rather well with their offense?
Dalvin Cook.
December 12th, 2019 at 12:17 pm
OJ has had minimal contributions to this team since he been a Buc. Been here a few years longer then the coaches so sure looks like it’s a OJ problem.
OJ is the textbook definition of overrated. Everybody has fallen in love with him because of his combine scores and body type
Look at Travis Kelce, Zach Eartz. Lee’s of athletes but both are game changers. Athletic ability and combine scores don’t make great players. If they did the draft would not be the crapshoot that it is
December 12th, 2019 at 1:04 pm
i agree with BA….
imo, OJ had to get comfortable in the system….knowing his assignment and trusting what he sees….
GO BUCS!!!!!
December 12th, 2019 at 1:07 pm
PUGS&BUCS Says:
December 12th, 2019 at 12:13 pm
You know who has integrated rather well with their offense?
Dalvin Cook.
———————-
Same dude that missed his whole rookie season and has been beset by injuries? His career is closer to ending than beginning… and Howard is just scratching the surface.
December 12th, 2019 at 2:10 pm
Dear Brandon,
OJ has been the picture of health?
Let me ask you, whose year 3 would want on the Bucs roster right now?
Cook has put up more yards in THIS season that Howard has in his entire career.
OJ literally hands the ball he catches to the other team.
December 12th, 2019 at 2:48 pm
JimmyJack you can’t really compare his production to Ertz or Kelce though.
Those guys get targeted as much as Mike Evans does, maybe even more. I mean Ertz is practically the only guy that CarsonnWetz even throws the ball to lol.
That said, OJ def needs to work on his game more. His hands were very suspect in the beginning of the season, and I’d like to see him fight through contact more the way a guy like Gronk or Kelce does. I’m sure he’d see more targets if he was working a bit harder.
Or maybe it just took a while for him AND Jameis to figure it out in this new system.
December 12th, 2019 at 3:51 pm
Unbelievable…..Fair point. Not really a good comparison.
Agree though his hands need work. I’ve never liked his hands personally. Double agree about the contact.
Last few games he has used his big frame to shield off defenders and make catches through traffic. Would be nice to see him do that consistently down the stretch. If he can do that I’ll rethink my “overrated” comment.
December 12th, 2019 at 4:17 pm
Yea exactly. He’s got freak of nature measurables, so learn how to keep using that big body to run through defenders, and then take off with that speed.
December 12th, 2019 at 5:26 pm
“The Jameis part felt new to Joe.”
I don’t see why. First, OJ has been injured a lot. Second, Jameis cannot get used to him in the new offense until OJ gets the offense down.
Makes complete sense to me.
However, I still do not think OJ gets it completely. Not yet.
#ShowMeDon’tTellMe
December 12th, 2019 at 5:35 pm
tmaxcon Says
“oj is too fragile mentally and physically to be elite or to be counted on.”
I agree he has stamina issues…but I do not buy in that he is mentally weak…yet. To me, he just needs better conditioning.
“he is a nice piece but nothing to build around nor should he be counted on he will let you down.”
Built around? I agree. But then, how many Tight Ends are actually built around? At best, they are pieces to build around someone else, and for that he may or may not be the right one.
So far as him letting us down…I agree he has not proven himself yet, but I also think it is too soon to be sure of anything where he is concerned. Part of the issue is the offensive line is so bad that Arians cannot use him as much in the offense. For that reason, we can’t evaluate his pass catching abilities well enough.
December 12th, 2019 at 6:35 pm
IMO Jameis doesn’t trust OJ anymore. Whether it is the fumbles, dropped balls or possibly slow routes (speculation) he would just rather throw to Brate. I think that will change with more comfort in this offense. Brate needs to restructure his contract IMO
December 12th, 2019 at 7:49 pm
OJ needs to work on catching passes behind him, 3 ft over his head, around his shoelaces etc… as soon as he gets really good at that he do great.
December 13th, 2019 at 12:48 am
OJ won’t be a huge factor until the Bucs have a right tackle that can handle blocks 1v1.
MTM.. You are right, because when he gets hit in the numbers he gives it to the other team.
December 13th, 2019 at 5:17 am
Arians was simply saying that now and ONLY NOW does Jameis TRUSTS OJ to run the right routes …