Antoine Winfield Will Cover For Zyon McCollum
July 23rd, 2024
Cash in the bank.
Todd Bowles doesn’t come across as a gambler. But he sure is taking a couple of gambles on his defense this fall.
One is no established edge rusher — please don’t get Joe started on MIA Randy Gregory. He’s established all right.
The second gamble is expecting Zyon McCollum to replace the team’s former top corner, Carlton Davis. McCollum might be that guy but previously, he seemed to be a little up and down. Excellent athlete, but a starting NFL corner? We shall see.
Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com seems to think Bowles can afford to go all-Vegas with McCollum. And that’s because Bowles has a massive safety blanket in the secondary with All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield.
[Starting McCollum at corner] It’s less of a risk, however, when the Bucs have perhaps the league’s best safety, Antoine Winfield Jr., covering up mistakes.
That’s a helluva point and indirectly is major street cred shaded to Winfield. He’s earned it.
Joe also believes Jordan Whitehead factors in here. With Whitehead rejoining Winfield in Tampa Bay, the Bucs have an excellent duo and those guys can take care of a lot of real estate.
The way Bowles can have Whitehead and Winfield cheat because they can cover so much, that lessens the chances of McCollum potentially being exposed.
So yeah, Winfield allows Bowles to roll the dice on McCollum. And so too does Whitehead.
July 23rd, 2024 at 11:11 am
Speaking of edge rushers your boy Hassen Riddick hasn’t shown up for any OTAs, and now training camp. He wants a massive contract. Don’t know how you thought the Bucs could get him Joe, having signed Winfield, and hopefully soon Wirfs. Let’s hope the young crop of edge rushers we have can make names for themselves.
July 23rd, 2024 at 11:35 am
I’d be curious to see how Tyreek Funderbunk from Appalachian St. could do. I liked him coming out, too! I hope they give Watts a chance (maybe even Ramirez also) because Watts & Ramirez were a couple others I liked coming out of Charlotte & Eastern Michigan. They’re probably gonna draft a CB still next year & I wouldn’t mind seeing them get Tacario Davis from Arizona. Cam Oliver from UNLV Aydan White from North Carolina St & Alijah Huzzie from North Carolina like they could be a couple of steals & I wouldn’t mind them. I know everybody is probably gonna want Morrison & Johnson.
July 23rd, 2024 at 11:54 am
Wayyyy too early Tony
July 23rd, 2024 at 11:59 am
That pic of AWJ is stone cold. He is locked in and look’n to ruin someone’s Sunday.
July 23rd, 2024 at 12:00 pm
With Winfield backing up McCollum it will allow McCollum to play more aggressive and take more risks as a playmaker, something he was very good at in college.
I love the personnel in our secondary with McCollum at CB and the additions of Whitehead and Smith. I predict they’ll be a Top 5 unit in the NFL in 2025. If Licht adds a blue chip pass rusher next season we could have another boat parade.
July 23rd, 2024 at 12:04 pm
“The way Bowles can have Whitehead and Winfield cheat because they can cover so much, that lessens the chances of McCollum potentially being exposed.”
This has been an element of our defense since Bowles got to town and it also works the other way around where a speedy CB like Dean/McCollum can sink back into a deep half 2 man look mid-play with the safety on his side cutting off the underneath routes.
Dean made a play on the ball back in ’22 in our first game against the Saints that resulted in a pick & touchback.
McCollum made the same exact play last season, going from boundary trailing his man to the deep middle & not only sticking with Scotty Miller but being able to time up a jump and make a play on the ball.
Having quality players at CB & Safety just broadens what we can do manipulating coverages while confusing QBs pre-snap, it’s 100% an element of the scheme.
July 23rd, 2024 at 12:26 pm
“The second gamble is expecting Zyon McCollum to replace the team’s former top corner, Carlton Davis.’
Well here is a gamble that is a sure thing. McCollum outplayed Davis at minimum of 5 games last year when Davis was starring in the whirlpool and out with injury.
The season before that McCollum could have absolutely outperformed Davis 4 games when Davis was a no show. Or the season before that when McCollum would have outperformed Davis at minimum SEVEN games that Davis missed.
That’s 16 games in three years where Davis has failed the most important test of ability, availability! He has plenty of talent…WHEN HE’S HEALTHY. The odds on Davis health didn’t seem to be improving.
July 23rd, 2024 at 12:29 pm
Zyon is a great athlete but let’s see if he’s smart enough to learn from last year. He’s likely to get picked on this year, and he’ll need to be tough-minded to recover from the inevitable mistakes. Bowles is already talking him up to help him.
July 23rd, 2024 at 12:43 pm
McCollum doesn’t worry me a bit.
July 23rd, 2024 at 1:07 pm
Gee, how did the Bucs ever keep a Super Bowl team together, actually 23 starters? Strange how when teams want it, they can find cash, isn’t it?
But hey, if a rookie getting 7.5 sacks is good enough for you at a defense’s most important position, cool. Awesome. But it ain’t for Joe. And it ain’t for most teams, specifically teams that desire to play in the Super Bowl.
And, no Joe has no desire to lower his standards thinking a team can get away with no edge rush.
Just keep reminding yourself of how you were good with 7.5 sacks leading your team if opposing quarterbacks have time in the pocket to order from La Teresita this fall.
July 23rd, 2024 at 1:09 pm
Watch Zyon is gonna be dope this year and everyone that was down on him will see his rookie year I was punching and yelling at the tv but last year he showed a lot of improvement I just know he’s gonna take another step
July 23rd, 2024 at 1:57 pm
Every play was a risk with Davis out there. We will not miss him at all.
July 23rd, 2024 at 1:57 pm
@AL121976
Yeah I know but at least we’d already have an idea on the players & what positions they’re “probably” gonna be leaning towards, too! Since it’s probably gonna be CB, DL & maybe OL again.
July 23rd, 2024 at 2:24 pm
“Just keep reminding yourself of how you were good with 7.5 sacks leading your team if opposing quarterbacks have time in the pocket to order from La Teresita this fall.”
12.5 sacks by himself, Chargers finished with the same sack total as Tampa, know what that means? Mack had 25% of the teams sacks, know what happens when goes down? 25% of your sack production would be on IR.
I’ll take the group effort over that one guy doing the heavy lifting everyday and twice on sundays
July 23rd, 2024 at 3:58 pm
It’s not a bad point, but it won’t matter since Bowles will just have them standing around in a soft zone all year like Mike Smith is back.
July 23rd, 2024 at 6:05 pm
I LOVE me some Winfield, but this is a ridiculous thought process. One defender “covering” for another means you have at minimum, 1, if not 2 different players out of position.
And even Winfield himself was caught out of position on more than a few occasions last season.
July 23rd, 2024 at 9:43 pm
The Joe’s are miffed about NFL Media not acknowledging the addition of Whitehead. I am just as miffed at why the Joe’s fail to acknowledge the addition of Bryce Hall. Reminds me of the original Shaq Barrett signing. Just too much talent in front of him, to get on the field.
July 24th, 2024 at 1:31 am
If you want to get out of the hole you have to stop digging Joe. 100 million in dead cap still on the books for the next two years. 50 mill a year to players not playing. It’s time to pay the Piper. We’ll never get better paying guys not on the field. It would be great to have pro bowlers on the edges. Sometimes you have to be patient stop using the credit card.