Winfield Focused On Job
September 9th, 2020
Locked in.
The way this offseason has transpired because of The Sickness, it has been a damn shame in so many ways, on and off the football field.
One minor way is that with social distancing mandated by the NFL, members of the Fourth Estate cannot get anywhere near a player. In other training camps, you could pull a player aside after practice and talk. Learn about him. Learn about the team. Learn about the coaches. Learn about goals.
Now Joe isn’t about to say he knows the players. Joe knows who they are and they know Joe but that’s about it only because there is limited time with them and nobody invites Joe to a pool party.
With the 2020 rookies, Joe hasn’t met one yet. Joe wishes he could get to know Tristan Wirfs and, of course, this Antonie Winfield. The Minnesota product sure looks like a baller. Even better, Joe is becoming enamored with his attitude (not ‘tude).
Winfield being named a Week 1 starter at safety is the dream of just about every rookie. But make no mistake, Winfield explained he has a job to do Sunday.
“It was Coach [Todd] Bowles,” Winfield said of the guy who told him he was starting. “He came up to me after a practice and said it was my spot. ‘Now go out and own it.’
“I was just excited. I had put in a lot of work over the camp to get to the starting position. Now it is my goal to be the best I can be for my team.
“I feel like I am getting prepared. I think [Bowles] has a great gameplan so I am studying and making sure I am on top of my things so I can be at my best on Sunday.”
Of course, Winfield’s dad, Antoine Winfield, Sr., logged 13 seasons as an NFL corner. When the junior Winfield called his dad to tell him the news, he said his dad was surprised telling his son, probably loaded with sarcasm, “I thought it would take a couple of games before you got in?”
From how Winfield explained it, it seems dad was almost as excited as he is about starting against the Saints.
September 9th, 2020 at 3:54 pm
Excited to see what this kid can do against Brees. Tough first game.
September 9th, 2020 at 4:11 pm
not sure what that says about winfield or the other safeties on the roster…
GO BUCS!!!!!
September 9th, 2020 at 4:13 pm
“He’s a little Gopher, they destroy beautiful farmland. He will destroy offensive coordinators beautiful plays”.
September 9th, 2020 at 4:22 pm
My guess is that Winfield is a star in the making. Am looking forward to watching him develop.
September 9th, 2020 at 4:29 pm
Winfield will have the 1st pick of the season.
Ball-Hawk is NOT teachable in a short off-season, but it simply comes naturally to him at this point.
I don’t think he will fall for Brees’ look off because he will see the routes developing on his own.
I actually think Dean is better suited to handle M Thomas so I’m not worried about C Davis.
Especially because I know Winfield can play the slot and M Edwards will come in at Safety.
Go Bucs Baby!!!
September 9th, 2020 at 4:37 pm
Don’t think they make enough beer to get me through Sunday!
September 9th, 2020 at 4:45 pm
Hamstring issue AGAIN for ME.
This is getting ridiculous.
Sports science my a$$.
Please ask Arians WTF.
Somebody needs to hold this team accountable.
Top 3 wrs on IR last year for Hamstring and right now we have 3 guys listed with it.
Hire me, I’ll make these a$$ hats stretch.
I learned it when I was 6.
September 9th, 2020 at 5:43 pm
Perfect type of safety to turn PD into turnovers. Let’s do it Adub2.
September 9th, 2020 at 5:44 pm
BillyBuc
I get your frustration but I do not blame ME’s hammy problems on his efforts or the training staff’s directions at stretching and maintaining obsessive focus on his hammies for the past several years.
Here is the real problem…the same thing that make ME great is also his weakness…his genes. Muscles are funny things down to the way they attach to the bone…length etc. A LOT goes into a person’s physiology.
In short I do not blame anybody but bad luck for ME’s hammies
September 9th, 2020 at 6:29 pm
Joe – how about an interview with the old man?
September 9th, 2020 at 9:50 pm
Nice!!
I love it when we nail a pic