Mr. Fix It: The Bruce Arians Effect
2 min read
Jameis Winston was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the number one overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. The Buccaneers were looking for their franchise quarterback. Jameis came with some baggage when he entered the draft, but that didn’t matter to the Buccaneers. Lovie Smith and Dirk Koetter drafted the troubled quarterback, and the rest is history. The Buccaneers fired Lovie Smith and gave Koetter the head coaching title after Winston’s rookie season. Now Bruce Arians will look to help develop the young quarterback. The Buccaneers need Winston to become a smarter quarterback if they have any chance to make the playoffs.
Jameis Winston has lit up the sky in his first two seasons in the NFL. He threw for 8,132 yards in his first two seasons in Tampa Bay. The problem is he also threw 33 interceptions. Winston’s career has been a roller coaster, but the stats don’t lie. Since 2015, Winston has thrown for 14,628 yards, 88 touchdowns, and 58 interceptions. The problem is that he has been in double-digit turnovers every single year since the rookie campaign (15,18,11,14). What can Bruce Arians, Byron Leftwich, and Clyde Christensen do to help Winston progress into the franchise quarterback we all know he can be?
Jameis has to be able to cut down on turnovers in critical situations for the Bucs. He has continually thrown interceptions, fumbled, or taken a sack in the closing minutes of games. Arians has already spoken about Winston throwing faster and playing smarter. The game of football is a chess match, and unfortunately for the Bucs, we’ve been playing checkers. Arians preaches trust, loyalty, and respect. These three things no one has really shown Winston in his career, nor has Jameis shown the Buccaneers organization with his actions. Coach Arians has produced quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger (Super Bowl Champion), Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning (Super Bowl Champion), and Carson Palmer. The one thing that could help Jameis Winston is a faster-paced offense. If we’ve learned anything from the Los Angeles Rams, it’s Coach Sean McVay wants to play fast. The average fan may think, “Why does this make a difference?” Well, the answer is simple; Coach Arians can talk to Winston until the play clock hits 15 seconds. This gives them multiple views of the defense and how to dissect it.
Jameis has all the potential in the world, but until someone can control his emotional side, we will never see it come to fruition. The Buccaneers will be leaning on the new coaching staff to get Winston where he needs to be in 2019 and beyond. Bruce Arians thinks that Jameis has everything needed to be a superstar in the NFL. We will continue to watch and hold our breath in 2019.
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