Antoine Winfield Love
November 30th, 2021
Playah.
Joe had already typed the following but it’s fun repeating.
Bucs safety Antoine Winfield’s pick on Sunday was wild given that he was at a major height disadvantage against Michael Pittman, Jr. What a play!
And that play was getting a lot of airtime yesterday on the various NFL-themed hollering shows across many TV platforms. Yes, once again, Winfield was getting love, even from a famous former teammate of his dad’s.
A segment on the Monday Night Football pregame show, seen on BSPN, highlights the best football catches of the weekend — where a receiver outmuscles a defender for the ball or schools a defender for the catch. The segment is called “You Got Mossed.” It’s named after the segment’s narrator, Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss.
All levels of football are highlighted, NFL, college or high school. You make the play, Moss will give you props.
Yesterday, Winfield made the segment — for his pick! — and Moss said it was the best example of a guy getting “Mossed” of the weekend.
Joe heard on Sunday night — can’t remember the analyst — that Winfield’s play on Pittman was so impressive it looked like an Ed Reed move. Yesterday, Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians, who has seen a few football plays in his days, admitted Winfield’s pick was one of the best he’s seen.
“It’s up there, man,” Arians said. “Five-foot-11, or if he’s stretching to 5’11, over 6’4. If I’m the quarterback, I’m throwing that up every time.
“Most times that receiver is coming down with it or it’s broken up. To go up over top of him and catch it – and then he did a great job on the return too. That’s one of the all-time best I’ve seen.”
This Winfield is just a damn ballhawk, that’s all there is to it. He’s always around the ball, always making smart plays. And his forced turnovers are big, whether it is punching the ball out or making an acrobatic pick.
Would anyone argue if Joe typed that Winfield is a Pro Bowl-level baller?
“That was maybe one of the best plays I’ve ever seen by a defensive back.”
🗣: @RobGronkowski on @AntoineWJr11‘s INT pic.twitter.com/mLza0BVTNQ
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 28, 2021
WHAT. A. PICK. 🤯
📺: #TBvsIND on FOX pic.twitter.com/UfDrsrPRKB
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 28, 2021
November 30th, 2021 at 10:03 am
Antoine gives me the warms.
November 30th, 2021 at 10:09 am
Great safety….just insanely talented, but just as much or even moreso in tune with the game. He’s always right there. His work with his dad shows bigtime.
November 30th, 2021 at 10:16 am
The pick was Winfield or Antonio Gibson, Gibson is nice, but Winfield is a game winner/closer on the defense
November 30th, 2021 at 10:29 am
that play…and the shaq triple play changed the course of a very complicated game…Also the scooter one….but that was a great mistake by the Colts player…..
November 30th, 2021 at 10:38 am
And I remember back when one of the Joes was depressed we didn’t draft his man out of his favorite school Cam Akers or another running back.
Amazing how smart drafting works out.
November 30th, 2021 at 10:40 am
Be ready for Cordarelle….
November 30th, 2021 at 10:47 am
What’s missed here is the fantastic coverage….you don’t have the interception without the tight coverage……what a play!!!
November 30th, 2021 at 10:50 am
Awesome INT.
Looked like me back in high school when I played CB… except the receiver was the same height… I jumped about 12 inches… And I dropped the ball
November 30th, 2021 at 10:58 am
Has anybody seen the movie Angels in the Outfield?
November 30th, 2021 at 11:08 am
That Angels in the outfield catch was catching some Jordan air. It’s gotta be the shoes!!
November 30th, 2021 at 11:14 am
That INT was a thing of beauty. That was a combo of great technique, great ball tracking, great timing, and great execution. Oh, and he caught the damn ball, which is far from automatic when you’re talking about DBs. Though Lenny provided plenty of fireworks, that INT to me was the standout moment of the game.
November 30th, 2021 at 11:17 am
Phenomenal play. Glad he’s getting the national recognition for it. And props to Gronk for amplifying the play in his presser. We’ve got the horses back there. Once the team is back to full strength, I think the D will rule the playoffs.
November 30th, 2021 at 11:42 am
His college highlights from Minnesota have an almost identical pick. It is what he does.
November 30th, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Wirfs and Winfield in the same draft. Well done, Licht.
November 30th, 2021 at 12:06 pm
I like him, he is bad a$$. smart a$$, bad a$$.
November 30th, 2021 at 12:45 pm
Stud!! All 3 safety’s do a good job of hawking the ball. Edwards is nice whitehead does well also
November 30th, 2021 at 1:46 pm
He’s an all around great player. Great instincts. Usually a great tackler. Even good on the blitz. Seems to have a knack for making a huge play when we really need one. All of our safeties are really good, and YOUNG.
November 30th, 2021 at 1:56 pm
I wonder if …Pittman Sr. still likes the Bucs ?
November 30th, 2021 at 3:12 pm
I noticed on AWJ’s pick off of Wentz that Grant Stuard was in the end zone celebrating w/ him, was Stuard in on that play or did he come off the sideline to celebrate?!? Just curious if anyone knows….
I know Minter is backup for White when he was out for portions of the game and besides the rout of the Bears (when Grant got in for some snaps w/ Britt), I don’t remember him getting a defensive snap in a significant part of any ballgame this year.
November 30th, 2021 at 4:47 pm
It looked to me like Pittman Jr. just forgot he was being covered and assumed the catch would be uncontested. I bet he won’t make that mistake again anytime soon.