Trust Bruce
January 14th, 2020
Hall of Fame GM talks to Joe.
Among the many NFL grunts, scouts and suits out in force at the Fruitdome in St. Petersburg to monitor 2020 Shrine Bowl practices and talk to players who will play in Saturday’s game, there stood a man on the sidelines who possesses a great knowledge.
That would be Bill Polian, the Hall of Fame general manager who built three teams that found their way to a Super Bowl, including one that went there four times.
Joe asked Polian about the pickle the Bucs are in with Mr. Entertainment, America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston. Is it as simple as bringing Jameis back and riding the very-highs and tolerating the picks, or do the Bucs wave goodbye and try to win games by downgrading at an NFL team’s most important position?
Arians sort of said, in Bruce you trust.
“I don’t know that you are in a pickle, necessarily,” Polian said. “It happens in the league every year. There are choices you have to make.
“Bruce is the best at determining that. He’s around him every day. He has Byron [Leftwich] and Clyde [Christensen] to rely upon and add input. And then they have to look at the amount of money it would be.
“It’s a decision you have to make. It’s business as usual. It’s not that big of a deal.”
For a man who put very high value on quarterbacks on teams he built (Jim Kelly, Kerry Collins and Peyton Manning) that seemed awfully odd to hear Polian suggest the decision on Jameis is not a big deal.
That is unless Polian thinks Arians can turn Andy Dalton into Carson Wentz.
January 14th, 2020 at 7:52 am
One thing I took from the weekend playoffs was how silly we are sometimes.
So after Saturday’s games we all proclaimed playoff “old school” football was back. More running…take care of the ball..play stout defense..because that was what worked. I was sucked in for sure.
Then Sunday…and the great QB show. So do we need a gunslinger in today’s game? Depends whether you watched Saturday or Sunday. LMAO
It just confirmed something another poster shared a few days ago. There is more than ONE way to win in the NFL.
Before D.R. jumps me…there is a constant…good defense but Sunday even good defenses struggled.
The fly in the ointment was discussed yesterday. BA does NOT seem to be flexible when it comes to working with talent on hand. BA wants a gunslinger and is not going to accept a game manager even if it means winning.
This bodes well for JW’s return. Unless…we trade JW…and a boatload of picks to Cincy for Joe Burrow. I expect this to happen about the same time monkeys fly out of my butt.
January 14th, 2020 at 8:00 am
Carson Wentz also can’t win in the playoffs…. he is literally ALWAYS hurt. Even if he is Dalton’s ceiling – that’s a garbage plan.
January 14th, 2020 at 8:13 am
“Interceptions lose football games.” – Bill Polian
January 14th, 2020 at 8:15 am
Carson Wentz was going to be the MVP of the league until he dove in the end zone and tore his ACL at end of their super bowl season and then clowney speared him in the head in playoffs with a cheap shot. Carson Wentz would throw for 50 TDS if he had this receiving tandem in Philly. He is throwing to UPS workers. Joe is right in the wentz dalton analogy
January 14th, 2020 at 8:20 am
I’m always fascinated by business of running an NFL Team. Except a very few personal performances the results of those decisions since Gruden took over.
The Bucs sold their soul to win the SB. (Top picks for Keyshawn, Top picks for Gruden) that put us into the spiral mediocrity we are just now showing signs of crawling out of. Owners making bad personnel decisions,, GM and Caoches making bad decisions, some bad luck and there you have the lost decade.
That’s all changed now. This is the first time I’ve seen real improvement on our team. (Not flash in the pan aka Raheem’s 10 win season)
I’m ok with our progress coming mid season, but I acknowledge it would have been nice if it started in Sept. The mess on defense was just too big to overcome in one preseason.
Next Year should be fun right out of the gates! (Assuming we design our existing defensive players).
I’m not at all concerned about our QB either. We hold all the negotiating cards AND…..
In BA I Trust!
January 14th, 2020 at 8:21 am
Carson Wentz might not be healthy to win in the playoffs but at least he gets his team there. Jameis isn’t clutch and craps down his leg any time he has a chance to lead his team to a W
Look at the last two games. Gets the ball with a chance to win and turns it over back to back games
January 14th, 2020 at 8:23 am
Typos galore. My apologies.
Resign not design
January 14th, 2020 at 8:28 am
Trust Arains?
Well he said to help the QB we need to do 3 things:
Give him a running game….. (24th in the league in rushing)
Play good defense……(30th in pass defense)
Get a kicker…… (24th in FG%)
Reduce penalities……(most penalities in the NFL)
So you decide do you trust him knowing ⬆️
January 14th, 2020 at 8:36 am
Wentz ain’t availible, but that would be a good plan otherwise.
January 14th, 2020 at 8:37 am
Sport
No apologies necessary. If the metric is punctuation, grammar, or spelling I admit up front I suck,
January 14th, 2020 at 8:43 am
NDog – I realize you are sensitive to anything that fits your narrative, but do you realize you ARE what you complain about?
There are endless ways to pull apart someone else’s efforts (which I’ll admit is often entertaining to watch you go round and round with nearly everyone except Jamie’s 1of1). While I don’t agree with every one of your thoughts and positions in your tireless effort to be right and support JW, I do understand where you are coming from. All I’m asking you to do is appreciate the improvement from the first half of the year vs the second half, especially on defense. Special teams and penalties? Agree with you, we need significant improvement next year.
However, unlike you…
In BA I Trust!
January 14th, 2020 at 9:00 am
The Bucs will either go with Winston or will go full rebuild mode.
If the Bucs do not think Jamies is the answer they should make everyone on the roster available to be traded and get as much draft capital as possible for the next couple of years.
January 14th, 2020 at 9:04 am
Jameis is not a big deal !!! Polian thinks his head !!! JOE doesn’t !!!
January 14th, 2020 at 9:07 am
Polian thinks with his head
January 14th, 2020 at 9:11 am
Sorry I’m just so happy the $hit show is almost over and I can renew my tickets !!!
January 14th, 2020 at 9:15 am
I don’t think anyone is arguing that JW3 needs to be avg in interceptions. He is only 26. Burrow is coming in at 25. My issue is JW3 should be showing some appreciation to the Glazers for standing by him during the Uber incident. Sign a 2 year Deal 1 year guaranteed that voids if he meets incentives and he can become a FA again. Lower than the Franchise amount year 1.
January 14th, 2020 at 9:21 am
Like I said before. As long as they keep the defense intact with the FA’s I don’t care what they do with Winston. Although I must say I am not a Winston fan.
January 14th, 2020 at 9:22 am
Polian being very professional, being non committal and taking the high road.
January 14th, 2020 at 9:33 am
Ocala
With all due respect I simply do not understand your thinking.
“The Bucs will either go with Winston or will go full rebuild mode.”
Why on earth would they do that? We are on the cusp of have a very special defense. Why would you break it up? We have excellent receivers and an improving OL. Why break that up?
We are 28-42 with JW under center. Is that carrying this team? I realize that he’s blameless Jameis but at the end of the day he didn’t get it done.
Perhaps he still “can” get er done…but the FACT is that he hasn’t so far.
January 14th, 2020 at 9:50 am
I have one problem with winston and it is how clueless and unaware he is. It’s as if he has no clue why he hasn’t gotten the long term deal yet
NFL’s highest paid players regardless of position (average annual salary):
1. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson: $35 million
2. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger: $34 million
3. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: $33.5 million
4. Eagles QB Carson Wentz: $32 million
5. Falcons QB Matt Ryan: $30 million
6. Vikings QB Kirk Cousins: $28 million
7. 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo: $27.5 million
8. Lions QB Matthew Stafford: $27 million
9. Raiders QB Derek Carr: $25 million
9. Saints QB Drew Brees: $25 million
He wants 30+ a year…..if you love winston so much please tell me who you take out of these 10 to insert him to get that kind of money because everyone on this list has played in the playoffs. Haven’t heard anything about the lions great defense ever, green bay defense is finally good again. Some of these contracts are outdated but you cant give a guy 30+ with zero playoffs.
January 14th, 2020 at 10:02 am
NFL objective = WIN GAMES
Jaymiss Winsnot = 1st ever NFL HISTORY 30-30 CLUB very entertaining but I would rather win games . The cold hard facts are after 5 seasons his decision making process is flawed .
I would rather win games…………… for 2020
January 14th, 2020 at 10:03 am
Thank You…just what I’ve been saying, while the lovers and haters sound like idiots, believing they really know anything about the situation. This is all what Bruce was hired for… to make Jameis play like the real deal, and if he can’t or won’t be able to do that, send him packing, once and for all. Trust in Bruce.
January 14th, 2020 at 10:07 am
lol….
bill doesnt think its a big deal because he knows you cant win with a QB that throws tons of picks….simple as that…..
with that said, give him 4years 100mil, 2years 50mil guaranteed….
im hoping 1 more year with this staff will help solve the INT problem along with his decision making….
GO BUCS!!!!!
January 14th, 2020 at 10:12 am
So 813… 100 mil four years, means that if he doesn’t improve, attendance becomes so bad you move the team or sell it, because you can’t pay two franchise QB’s. Good idea.
January 14th, 2020 at 10:13 am
Carson Wentz gets hurt every year. You can’t win if you can’t play.
January 14th, 2020 at 10:45 am
Very interesting comments…I typically don’t reply, but this ones got my attention.
Heres my take with Jameis.
I think he is talented enough to get you to the playoffs…maybe even a playoff victory, but I do not see him keeping it together for the run it typically takes to make it to the Superbowl let alone winning that game.
I try to be objective….but what Ive seen of Jameis is that when the stage is biggest, at least in the pro game so far, he plays the smallest. Our Thursday night games, our London games, our televised Saturday game…in the biggest moments, he is not showing up consistently.
I would rather have a QB with a lower ceiling and higher floor.
Thinking about Dalton….i looked back at his winning seasons when he had healthy receivers to throw too, he had no problem getting the ball down the field while also not turning it over the way we are used to in Tampa. He may not be a long term solution, but he may give you 2-3 years if you want to draft a younger guy to develop behind him.
Long story short…I like Jameis, but I dont think he is capable of the consistency necessary to win the big one and if he cant do that, you need to move on.
January 14th, 2020 at 10:53 am
One thing that makes me unsure what ba will do is several months ago joe had a quote from ba where he said it’s easier to mold a rookie qb than it is to reprogram a seasoned one (or something along those lines)
January 14th, 2020 at 11:12 am
stpetebucsfan:
If the goal is to win a Super Bowl then the Bucs should go full rebuild if they want a new QB. The Bucs would be breaking in a rookie QB and it is going to take a few years for Jordan Love or Jake Fromm to be a quality NFL QB(assuming the Bucs get lucky and hit on the selection).
The Bucs are not going to be a playoff team let alone a Super Bowl contender if they go for a veteran such as Andy Dalton, Phillip Rivers or Marcus Marriotta leading the offense.
IF Jamies can cut his interceptions in half then the Bucs current roster with some appropriate upgrades can do some damage in the playoffs.
January 14th, 2020 at 11:13 am
Joe, you’ve got to stop with the Andy Dalton crap. If BA’s going to put a long-term winning franchise together, he’s got to pluck someone out of the draft.
January 14th, 2020 at 11:26 am
Trust bruce arrogance??????? Why?????? Did any of the BS that he talked about last offseason come true????????
Leading the league in penalties and turnovers is a clear sign of sloppy coaching!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With a very weak schedule the bucs were barely able to beat some awful teams that were clearly trending down, and now the sheep are saying that this franchise is headed in the right direction???????
Sad that they cannot see the truth!!!!!!!!!
January 14th, 2020 at 11:28 am
We’ll see
January 14th, 2020 at 11:43 am
Ryan Tannehill showed up and Tennessee never looked back. Bucs should do the same.
January 14th, 2020 at 11:56 am
8-15 72 yards
7-14 88 yards
Those are the passing stats Tannehill put up in the Titans last two games.
The Titans ask Tannehill to do very little, because they have a great running game, defense and a reliable kicker.
This is why luckily fans do not make decisions for a franchise.
January 14th, 2020 at 12:23 pm
Teddy Bridgewater is the anti Jameis. He understands that a QB’s job is to protect the football as he has the lives of 52 men in his control. Jameis in 5 years hasnt grasped that concept. Its unfortunate but its reality. If Jameis cant control throwing the football to the other team in an all out make or break contract year where millions depended on it why would you think he will be careful after signing a multi year contract where his financial future is guaranteed????
January 14th, 2020 at 12:31 pm
Love Bill Polian’s take on this, especially the part about ‘business as usual’. It’s a business decision (the entertainment business), and like Polian said, money factors into it. Lots of very good shows get cancelled every year because financially it just didn’t make sense to continue them.
The Bucs NEED to start winning … like yesterday. The Bucs NEED to make the playoffs … and soon. We have a lot of pieces in-place to help us do that. We have access to a lot of other pieces to also help us do that (IF we re-sign who we should re-sign). IF we draft well AND use our salary Cap intelligently, we CAN be a playoff TEAM this year.
The BIG question remains though: “Will Jameis be the QB to lead us to the playoffs?’ Agree with Lord C … “We’ll see”.
January 14th, 2020 at 12:36 pm
You cant sigh this guy to any deal other than 1 year and that is a stretch # WALK AWAY
January 14th, 2020 at 1:34 pm
stpetebucsfan Says:
January 14th, 2020 at 7:52 am
One thing I took from the weekend playoffs was how silly we are sometimes.
I been saying the same thing. We had a round of playoffs and many fans were acting like the only way to win is to have an established running game. One of the good things about the NFL is that there are a lot of ways to get to that golden title.
Improve in as many ways as you can this offseason. If that means picking a stud running back fine. If it means picking a right tackle fine. However, if you think the key for our team is getting another edge guy, or a safety, that is fine as well.
It seems like we have good coaches right now. At least I like them. Now just get more talent and keep the most important talented guys that you can. If some of those guys have been on your team and you think there value (business wise) makes sense then get them back.
If that is Winston then I support the Bucs and their decision. If the decision guys want to move on because of value elsewhere then do that as well.
I am with Polian and against all the posters that suggest that the only thing the Bucs can do is to sign Winston to a Franchise or Transition tag.
P.S. As good as Tennessee has been running the ball in the playoffs they miss the playoffs without the gift of the win they were given by San Diego.
By they way NE defense worked pretty well in the end against Tennessee if they do not have the Brady interception at the end of the game. Nobody is going to support the Tennessee method that they got a whole bunch of rushing yards and time of possession if they end up with only 13 points and lose the game. That was almost the scenario in that game.
Many ways to win in this NFL. Let’s just find a Buc’s way.
January 14th, 2020 at 3:08 pm
@geno 711 … “Many ways to win in this NFL. Let’s just find a Buc’s way.”
That’s the best single line I’ve read on JBF in a long time Geno, and you’re so right. I would contend though that that’s from an OFFENSIVE perspective. Still no substitute for having a strong DEFENSE to pair with the offense. Same with Special Teams BTW.
January 14th, 2020 at 3:41 pm
“That is unless Polian thinks Arians can turn Andy Dalton into Carson Wentz”
So we want a QB that only throws the ball to 1 target, and gets injured every season? LOL
January 14th, 2020 at 6:18 pm
Geno
Agree with DR that is an excellent line. And apologies if it was you I forgot to credit. My line about more than one way to win was posted yesterday or the day before and I assume it was you.
January 14th, 2020 at 7:16 pm
Transition tag on JW, book it. Bridgewater ain’t going anywhere, Dalton is not the answer. Jameis will have 1 more year to prove himself under the best coaching possible….or not prove himself and be gone.
January 14th, 2020 at 7:31 pm
StPeteBucsFan—
You’ve become my favorite commentator!
January 14th, 2020 at 7:41 pm
But I thought THIS YEAR was his “prove it or else” year. The only thing he proved was that his turnover problem is getting worse, not better. He certainly didn’t prove that he deserves a huge contract.
And Joe thinks not only that everybody that is tired of seeing this cr@p every Sunday is a “hater”, he also thinks that we all are a bunch of dumb sh!ts. And your go to denigration is the old Andy Dalton reference.
This is referring to the delusional, ride or die, Jameis defender Joe:
I love this site, and I love all the endless work you put in covering our favorite team, but for God’s sake, your writing style gets very tiresome sometimes.
January 14th, 2020 at 8:08 pm
Andy Dalton May be 2nd string at USF !!!