“Not Only On Sundays”
October 18th, 2022
Antoine Winfield, Jr.
Joe is picking up on a trend.
The Buccaneers Radio Network runs a one-hour player show each week featuring a different member of the roster. Joe listens, of course, even though the shows are sometimes as exciting as a House Agriculture Committee meeting rerun on C-SPAN.
This week Vita Vea was a guest on the heels of William Gholston on last week. Both showed great reverence for safety Antoine Winfield, Jr.
Their tone changed when talking about what makes Winfield great and how he attacks the daily grind consistently.
“When you put on the tape and you watch somebody and you want to watch somebody do it right, you just watch Antoine Winfield. That’s throughout the whole week, not only on Sundays,” Vea said. ” … Even when you put on the practice tape, just how he conducts himself at practice and how he carries himself. You see him, ‘Alright, he’s doing it right. He’s being a pro day-in and day-out.'”
Gholston shared great appreciation for how Winfield works and has steadily improved since Day 1. Vea added Winfield’s precision in practice — and his work before and after practice — is extraordinary. “You see that in him and it’s just like, ‘Dang, this guy’s going to be elite for a long time,'” Vea said.
Joe agrees with all the Winfield love. He’s made high-profile mistakes in his career, but he’s damn good and versatile, and he’s probably the best player in the Bucs’ secondary at 24 years old.
In only four of his 17 seasons did legendary Bucs cornerback Rondé Barber have three or more sacks. Winfield has three this year and had three in his rookie campaign.
Joe brings up Barber because from Day 1 that’s who came to mind when Joe watched Winfield — the quickness, the tenacity, the instincts, the production, and Barber needed more than a full season to start being, well, Rondé Barber.
It’s playmakers like Winfield, Joe believes, who will pull the Bucs out of their current rut.
October 18th, 2022 at 10:00 am
That’s the frustrating thing right now, Joes – we have the playmakers on this team! Most are under-performing right now, and certainly as a collective team, the Bucs aren’t playing up to their potential (not even close, actually).
Where are the leaders on this team to step up and light a fire? Where is the identity or the persona of this team?
Your premise is correct though, Joes, in that it WILL take playmakers in all 3 phases to get this team playing better.
October 18th, 2022 at 10:17 am
Been a staunch supporter of Bowles and this D
On the play Sunday late in game crunch time where 54 tried to call timeout and didn’t get it in time We Seemed to not really get set then 54 got beat for 45 yards
It sure felt a little like the devastating mishap play vs Rams in playoffs (no need to re live it)
Situation different granted , and looked like Vita took bad angle getting off field
Looked like he ran diagonal instead of straight line
Certainly not gonna watch it a second time too painful
I thought they were working on the details ??
Not good football
October 18th, 2022 at 10:17 am
What happened to Devin White last year when Lavonte David was injured is what’s happening to Vita Vea this year without Ndamukong Suh
October 18th, 2022 at 10:17 am
Zero pulse, no heart. Just like Todd Bowles. I see lots of guys going through the motions, starting with Vea
October 18th, 2022 at 10:20 am
AWJ…….a far cry from ASJ…….
What a great draft pick…..great pro…..Great Buc
He’s gonna cost us some money to resign……..
October 18th, 2022 at 10:37 am
Redeemer Says:
October 18th, 2022 at 10:17 am
Zero pulse, no heart.
Zero identity. I still think these guys really don’t know what they are good at yet. Once they figure that out amongst themselves, they will start playing much more competitively, IMO.
October 18th, 2022 at 10:49 am
How can Vea say this, yet his intensity blows. White and Vea should watch reruns of Winfield clips over and over until their eyes bleed. That kid as with heart, his old man taught him right. NO ONE in the NFL has better tackling techniques than him.
October 18th, 2022 at 11:15 am
@d-rok hope they figure out what that identity is soon doesn’t seem to me that they have the discipline to grind out games like they are trying to do so I hope to see them pivot to something else.
October 18th, 2022 at 11:28 am
SUH NOW!
October 18th, 2022 at 11:33 am
Joe, could part of the problems with the secondary the fact that we lost Two safeties to injury and SMB and they are having to move guys around to positions that they aren’t comfortable with yet? We don’t want to make excuses but we gave up way too many 3’rd and longs to Pittsburgh and I just wonder if a lot of it may have to do with injuries.
October 18th, 2022 at 12:31 pm
I’m convinced that what makes a championship season is team members who rise to the occasion and make BIG PLAYS. The NFL is a game of inches, and it doesn’t take much to miss a tackle or drop a throw or screw up an assignment.
Bucs made a huge number of BIG PLAYS in 2020. A lot of them were explosive plays on our part, but at the same time, we didn’t get burned (comparatively) by that many explosive plays by our opponents. This season there just don’t seem to be as many BIG PLAYS by our offense OR our defense. And unfortunately we’re giving up BIG PLAYS to our opponents.
For example, Sunday’s game. Steelers had the ball 3rd-and-13 at their own 26-yd line with 12 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. Trubisky completes a 14-yd SHORT pass to Pickens for a 1st down. Two plays after that they have it 3rd-and-6 at their own 44-yd line. Trubisky completes a 45-yd SHORT pass to Heyward that moves the ball to the Tampa 11-yd line. Two plays later they score an easy TD using a 5-yd run & a 6-yd pass. Steelers made several BIG PLAYS in that drive; Bucs made none.
Another great example was Sims 89-yd return when the Bucs kicked off to start the 3rd quarter. A great play by Jamel Dean kept that from being a TD, and ultimately our defense held the Steelers to a FG. BUT … that FG was the difference in the final score. That was a BIG PLAY by Jamel, but an even BIGGER PLAY by Sims. BIG PLAYS make a huge difference.
October 18th, 2022 at 12:32 pm
D-Rok, you could be right. The last Superbowl team in New England didn’t have an identity until very late in the season. Belichick finally started running over teams, and rushed all the way to a title. Problem here is I don’t know if the coaching is good enough. They want to be a run first team I’m afraid, and they don’t have the personnel to do it. I think they should start spreading teams out, and let Brady do what he’s best at. Hopefully they figure it out before it’s not too late.
October 18th, 2022 at 12:33 pm
Before it’s too late
October 18th, 2022 at 12:43 pm
But we are not winning games good luck. Trade SMB.
October 18th, 2022 at 12:57 pm
One of the few bright spots this year.
He had a rough day against Green Bay, but otherwise has been playing lights out every week.
I think he is the real leader of this defense, not our Dr Jekyll / Mrs Hyde linebackers…
October 18th, 2022 at 2:33 pm
Winfield is one hell of a player and yet another gem drafted by the best gm in the league.
October 18th, 2022 at 3:16 pm
31 & 13 are our best 2 players IMO
October 18th, 2022 at 4:35 pm
Kid can tackle! He should be hosting a class to the defense
October 18th, 2022 at 5:02 pm
Agree, Redeemer.
We seem to be a much better passing team than a running team. Very few fans would argue this.
The Bucs need to go Air Coryell on the league UNTIL they can figure out how to be an effective running team, as a complement to the pass game, not as a substitute for it. Perhaps another 6-8 weeks is needed to solidify the run game, or at least, opponents won’t salivate when we do run.
I mean, c’mon – every time this season Brady has went no-huddle, the results have been very good. In the red zone, not so much, but this team in uptempo mode sure can matriculate themselves right on down the field. Maybe the coaches are too stubborn to use what actually works vs. what their gameplan is? Egos? I dunno.
October 18th, 2022 at 6:14 pm
Many things just don’t feel right about this team.I THINK THAT THE PLAYERS UNDERSTAND THIS AND ARE NOT 100% COMMITTED.
October 18th, 2022 at 8:17 pm
Dean is the best player in the secondary!! Teams barely even Target his side!
October 18th, 2022 at 10:17 pm
Maybe Winfield can tell his coich and other playas how it was that he didn’t know his assignment on Sunday — because, maybe, no one else did either? Because. maybe. Toad’s Bowel just releases instead of providing specific, individual coaching to his keu players?
And Diva White — Hello! You be sittin’ the bench for the first half against Carolina.