Meaningful Vote For Antoine Winfield, Jr.
August 19th, 2022
Antoine Winfield, Jr.
Yes, the Bucs selected a Pro Bowl defensive back in Round 2 of the NFL Draft.
No, not Carlton Davis.
Joe’s talking about 2020 second-round pick Antoine Winfield, the Pro Bowl safety who was selected by his NFL peers as the 75th-best player in the league via the NFL Network Top-100 feature.
Joe talked to Winfield about the honor in Nashville yesterday and it’s no made-for-TV prize to him.
Winfield is in the generation of players who were little kids watching the Top-1oo feature, which debuted in 2011. (That was back when Josh Freeman was honored as the 86th-best player in the league!)
“I grew up watching the top-100 all the time. I would go to the DB videos and watch the highlights and see what they do well, so it was cool to actually be on it.”
An email came from the NFL about two months ago with the news and an invite to participate in the production, Winfield said. He was surprised a bit, he said, because he has never voted for the Top-100.
In past years, NFL Network has shared that about 700 players get ballots annually year. So more than half the league doesn’t vote.
Winfield said his former Pro Bowl dad was super proud and excited about the honor, and Winfield said the No. 75 ranking is confirmation that he’s on the right track while still having a long way to go.
Joe asked Winfield if he’s one of those players with a chip on his shoulder because he wasn’t a higher draft pick — like Tom Brady or Rondé Barber. Not a chance, Winfield said, adding that landing in Tampa was perfect and he’s a guy who appreciates what he has.
August 19th, 2022 at 11:23 am
Mature beyond his year. Congratulations. And congratulations to you too, Antoines father. These things usually just don’t happen out of the blue.
August 19th, 2022 at 11:38 am
Top notch talent….top notch character……what a very good pick.
August 19th, 2022 at 11:40 am
AWJ is a special guy. Great football player, but even better person.
August 19th, 2022 at 11:45 am
31 and 13 are my guys
August 19th, 2022 at 11:51 am
Bucs Win — agree with your comment.
August 19th, 2022 at 12:21 pm
Winfield Jr is a class act – on and off the field, just like his dad, and just like a few key players on this Bucs roster. Excited to watch AW play and see how his career develops.
August 19th, 2022 at 1:57 pm
It’s still beyond shocking to remember that Josh Freeman used to be a good player.
Til he started drinking too much with other substances and stopped caring ab out football.
August 19th, 2022 at 2:10 pm
Winfield is damn good and certainly deserving. Josh Freeman was good that year! Million dollar talent and 2 cent brain. Josh had the world by the cajones man and just pi$$ed it away.
August 19th, 2022 at 3:06 pm
@BucZilla
**Sniffed it away
August 19th, 2022 at 4:00 pm
mike felger said he heard brady had a bad lasik job done. take it for what its worth
August 19th, 2022 at 6:30 pm
Hust dont let him walk like jordan whithead
August 19th, 2022 at 6:44 pm
Dooley – you’re right about Failman. Loved partying way more than football. To almost miss the team bus to the opener against the Jets cause he was so wasted he didn’t hear his alarm or the phone – unbelievable. And still Schiano stuck with him for two more weeks.
I would have demanded he enter a rehab program right then if I was in charge. That is so messed up.
August 19th, 2022 at 7:03 pm
He is a good player but I am wonder if GOAT is lost interest due to what is going on in the Bowls Blunder Camp. From a distance and reading JBF it appears a bit discombobulated and not too organized. I am no expert. Only a old timer fan what it looks like to me so far. Any other perspectives welcome. Guess Dallas will tell.
August 19th, 2022 at 7:52 pm
That’s pretty cool – he’s on pace for a Ronde Barber type of career, he reminds me so much of Ronde it’s ridiculous. Ronde of course did it forever, and became the best player at his position (nickel corner) in the most important defense of his era (Tampa 2), so Winfield Jr is going to need to keep improving to have that sort of impact, but he’s so good, so solid, so smart, he might just do it.
Also, the idiots at EA finally made him a good player this year in Madden. Now maybe they can take 2 seconds and fix Donovan Smith, who they have rated consistently, for years, as one of the worst starting LT’s in football who commits lots of penalties.
August 19th, 2022 at 7:58 pm
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more consistent open field tackler than JR,
August 19th, 2022 at 11:35 pm
[There are no documented, confirmed reports about what caused Freeman to go mental. At least none that have seen the light of day. All kinds of speculation, though. — Joe]
Wasted career? Yes. Totally his fault? That depends on how you view mental illness,
August 20th, 2022 at 11:20 am
Buccaneer Bonzai
Well said. Speaking as a Bucs fan from before we had the name, and as a man who sought and accepted help with addiction. I blew about 23 years of my life and with it many opportunities.
But I can not and will not use my addiction as an excuse. If addiction played a part in his NFL demise I hope he gets help and can move past it and enjoy a life beyond football.
August 20th, 2022 at 12:08 pm
A CB should only be selected in the 2nd to 7th round ever. But congrats to Winfield. I hope he moves up in the rankings this season.