Mr. Versatility
April 24th, 2020
New Bucs safety Antoine Winfield led Outback Bowl-winning Minnesota in forced fumbles in 2019.
Ask and you shall receive.
That seems to be the motto of new Bucs safety Antonio Winfield, Jr.
While Winfield is a new Bucs rookie, he has a couple of connections to the Bucs.
1) His coach at Minnesota, P.J. Fleck, is a Schiano Man who coached Bucs receivers in 2012.
2) His old man, Antoine Winfield, picked off new Bucs quarterback Tom Brady when Winfield, Jr. was three-years old.
Winfield said he believes his best trait is versatility.
“I can play pretty much everywhere,” said Winfield, who led the Gophers in forced fumbles and tackles while earning All-American honors. “I can play on tight ends. I can play on slot receivers. I can blitz. I can play in the post. My versatility is my biggest asset.”
And is that why the Bucs drafted him? Winfield thinks so.
“I feel like Tampa Bay sees it that way.”
First impressions on Winfield is he comes across as a really intelligent guy. And if you play for Fleck, you better have a passion for the game. Few coaches are as wired for football like Fleck. That’s the Schiano influence.
The way Todd Bowles likes to use safeties, it’s a good thing Winfield is versatile. To go along with Jordan Whitehead, Joe isn’t stepping out on a limb to predict the Bucs will have the two hardest-hitting safeties in the NFC South.
April 24th, 2020 at 9:18 pm
Next Troy Polamalu?
April 24th, 2020 at 9:20 pm
Todd Bowles is loving it!
April 24th, 2020 at 9:20 pm
tbb…think more like the next Honey Badger.
April 24th, 2020 at 9:22 pm
I guess we can read between the lines here that Justin Evans may be done….if so, that’s very unfortunate for him and the Bucs…..
Hopefully he can return healthy and will provide great depth….
Looks like Winfield can return punts & possibly kicks……
I will reserve judgement……not on the player but the position selected at that spot when i see what we do with the RB position……
April 24th, 2020 at 9:22 pm
Top 5 safety in nfl .. Just watch and see.. Everyone will be in love with this cat.. Its in his dna
April 24th, 2020 at 9:24 pm
Idk watching his film he seems like more of a scrappy player like Polamalu while the honey badger is a lot smoother.
April 24th, 2020 at 9:24 pm
Winfield is 4.45. Polamalu was sub 4.4…supposedly. Badger is 4.51.
April 24th, 2020 at 9:25 pm
Shorty
April 24th, 2020 at 9:26 pm
Tanard jackson
April 24th, 2020 at 9:27 pm
Destin…shorty..like Ronde and Honey Badger.
April 24th, 2020 at 9:27 pm
Im just speaking on style of play, mark not 40 times.
April 24th, 2020 at 9:28 pm
” who led the Gophers in forced fumbles and tackles while earning All-American honors.”
And Minnesota had a damn fine team his senior year. Great pick.
TEACH HIM UP BOWELS!!!
GO BUCS!!!
April 24th, 2020 at 9:28 pm
Even though Polamalu was an absolute brick wall
April 24th, 2020 at 9:30 pm
tbb…I was talking speed because running a 4.3 like Troy vs a 4.45 like Winfield is a heck of a difference. But then, Troy was a much higher draft pick. Frankly, I’d be happy with something in between Troy and Honey Badger.
April 24th, 2020 at 9:32 pm
Not sure if Evans is done but there is no way in hell you can bank on the guy.
“Availability is your best ability.”
April 24th, 2020 at 9:32 pm
kid is a beast everyone and i mean everyone will like this pick. like father like son. kids a playmaker. dont worry about rb. theres veteran fa rbs every year.
April 24th, 2020 at 9:37 pm
Solid player, just don’t know that he’s elite. There were some good players available. Now they are looking at a third tier RB.
April 24th, 2020 at 9:38 pm
Yes great college cb, 5″9 against 6’3 receivers with NFL talent he has no chance for jump ball’s and will likely just draw pass interference calls when it’s not an easy reception for the receiver. We still have no running game that scares anybody. D coordinators in the NFL can game plan and shut down a passing attack when there is little to no running threat. If ROJO was a serious threat to be that the team would have never
needed to split carries between Jones and Barber last year so heavily. I’m not pretending to be any kind of expert in X’s and O’s expert, but I’m fearful we will be very at the end of this next season we didn’t have a threatening running attack to go with our passing ability and have some kind of balance.
April 24th, 2020 at 9:39 pm
Hack. At 5’9 and change…he ain’t his dad, and certainly NOT in 2020, which is…the only…only..year that matters. Dad was over 6 feet and mattered more than 2 years in.
Krispy Kreme pounding nervous pervis…heard about how many teams, quote unquote wanted Winfield in last 24 HOURS.
Versus taking what affects the ball…the most. And most often in frequency.
D’Andre Swift.
While you’re at it, line your arteries, and your gut with Crisco. Right…guy. line your ever-expanding gut…with bad decisions, and your gut, with the lack of consensus days. You don’t have, an mba, a phd, an…anything.You’re a guy. That makes, hack decisions, at critical Times. Like Winfield. Which will take at least 2 extra years to pay off, when seasoned, versus drafting Swift now, and restructuring contracts to allow Tony Jefferson, to handle that position, at a veteran presence with suitable height.
Hack. Krispy Kreme, decision.
April 24th, 2020 at 9:41 pm
Yes great college cb, 5″9 against 6’3 receivers with NFL talent he has no chance for jump ball’s and will likely just draw pass interference calls when it’s not an easy reception for the receiver. We still have no running game that scares anybody. D coordinators in the NFL can game plan and shut down a passing attack when there is little to no running threat. If ROJO was a serious threat to be that the team would have never
needed to split carries between Jones and Barber last year so heavily. I’m not pretending to be any kind of expert in X’s and O’s, but I’m fearful we will be very sorry at the end of this next season we didn’t have a threatening running attack to go with our passing ability and have some kind of balance.
April 24th, 2020 at 9:42 pm
No thank you to cross training a rookie all over the field please let him get comfortable at one position and let’s not go the route dirk koetter did with offensive lineman
April 24th, 2020 at 9:49 pm
Look if Evans returns I feel he should be strictly special teams at this point not counting on the guy trust Bucco isn’t either. Edwards will come around I think but needs some time on special teams to do it as for Evans as well. This pick does a lot for our versatility and depth just as AW2 says.
April 24th, 2020 at 9:49 pm
So you guys are telling me that 5’9″ Ronde and the Honey Badger can’t play in the NFL now days. Do me a favor and tell Ronde that…and let me know how that plays out for you.
April 24th, 2020 at 9:57 pm
Justin Evans comes back and battles for the number two spot with Mike Edwards. That’s some good safety depth.
April 24th, 2020 at 10:01 pm
First of all his dad was 5’8″ and was an all pro. Winfield jr. Is the same size as the honey badger which for a free safety is just fine And this kid plays like the honey badger.. Swift and Akers were already drafted, and we need a free safety. This kid is All American. Do the math. Scouts were high on him for a reason. Excellent pick at a position of need.
April 24th, 2020 at 10:06 pm
And then blows an ankle in the second preseason game.
April 24th, 2020 at 11:57 pm
Man this dude is really small!! I imagine Thomas and Jones going over this guy like nothing…. BUT.. the dude is intense!! He plays on fire man and has a real passion for the game and is an absolute ball hawk!! Greeeeeat instinct and closing timing!! Always around the ball…. But man is he small…. He is for sure better suited for free safety! Let’s see if Edwards takes a jump and gets better plus they got Dixon and Evans coming back… Could be a full house back there
April 25th, 2020 at 12:33 am
Good thing he will never have to cover those guys 1v1.
Hes not the ideal height, but Id say hes right at the minimum height, pretty much same height as Earl Thomas iwhos listed at 5’10”. What he lacks in height he makes up for in IQ and passion for the game.
April 25th, 2020 at 3:06 am
Watching a lot of film now…..Ballhawk, thumper for his size, rangy in the backfield (which is what we need)….a little small but that can work to his advantage with his speed, hips and agility.
Xav was gone, Dugger was gone…so he was the next best! Ilove it!!!!
We got positions of need in our first three picks with great players………………. OT, Safety, RB
Now we need to find a diamond in the rough with our 5th (no 4th 🙁 )…..
Im thinking Robert Taylor Jr. Big hitting RB that we’re missing right now.
April 25th, 2020 at 7:15 am
blah blah blah.. he may turn out to be great but wtf??? Why does Jason Licht hate running backs???? Dobbins was there for the taking, Rojo Sucks Im sorry.
April 25th, 2020 at 8:03 am
Nah, ROJO is gonna heat up this year. This whole offense will look different when it hits the field. The Oline will be better, the pre snap reads will be better and first and second down production will be better.
There’s a new field general now that will help everybody elevate their play.
April 25th, 2020 at 9:59 am
Led the gophers with a grand total of TWO yes TWO forced fumbles
April 25th, 2020 at 10:08 am
No Acres was not gone. He was picked at 51 and we took Winfield at 45. Now if we make the Super Bowl against the Chiefs. How is a 5’9” Safety going to tackle the mammoth KC TE like Kielce. I don’t think so! The better Safety Pick for that is Jeremy Chinn who is 6’3” and runs a faster 40 at 4.46 than Winfield and hits like a linebacker. He too is a good playmaker with thirteen interceptions and dominated at the Senior Bowl so Licht should have known about him. He was picked at 64. Likely BA wanted Winfield as the next Honey Badger and knew Winfield’s Father who was an all pro. But after all the talk about us giving Brady a strong running game we give him only the 12th best RB in this year’s draft in Vaughn who will be a good pass catcher for Brady but is a poor blocker, and a stretch where he was picked but even Gibson was gone at 66. The Ravens got a much better RB who can block and catch passes out of the backfield at 55, Dobbins from Ohio State. So Licht could have traded down and gotten likely both Chinn and Dobbins or an even better RB, Big Back Dillon, who the Packers picked up wisely at 62 (and makes Green Bay a big threat in the playoffs this year against us while they still have their Super QB). Remember Brady only hit 30 percent of his passes when under pressure, which is why we needed Dillon!
April 25th, 2020 at 10:41 am
Winfield small & injury prone. Really bad pick but thats what loser Licht is known for. Another infamous 2nd rd pick. I guess at least it wasn’t a kicker. But hold on thats coming. Maybe in rd 4. Oops wait don’t have any 4th rd picks. Oh well there’s always the 5th.