The QB Whisperer

If any coach out there is going to be able to mold Jameis Winston into an elite level NFL quarterback, it’s Bruce Arians. Arians has worked with some very talented QB’s in the past, including Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer, and Andrew Luck, having a great deal of success with all of them. Arians is known as “the quarterback whisperer.”

Most Bucs fans are aware of Winston’s turnover struggles so far in his first four years as the Buccaneers starting quarterback. In fact, there were several times throughout the 2018 season where legitimate questions about whether or not Winston would return to the Bucs in 2019, or if the front office would decide to go in another direction. Obviously, turnovers can really hurt a team’s chance to win, especially when a team commits too many. In certain games, Winston would turn the ball over multiple times, whether it’s multiple interceptions or fumbles. Granted, not all of his recorded turnovers have been solely his fault, but certainly, many of them are. There were also a few times where Winston played very well during the 2018 season. Those questions and rumors about whether or not Winston would return to the Bucs in 2019 have been squashed thanks to Bruce Arians.

It sounds to me like the first goal is to try to limit Winston’s turnovers to only one per game. Hopefully, he doesn’t turn the ball over at all. Like Arians pointed out, some of Winston’s turnovers result from him trying to be a hero and make something out a broken play when there is nothing there.

Drew Stanton, who also played for Arians with the Arizona Cardinals, compliments Winston’s ability, but also sees how he can improve. Stanton is quoted by Jenna Laine of ESPN as saying, “There are times where you have to pick and choose your battles at this position. It’s OK to throw the ball away. It’s OK to hit a check down and do all those things and not take those chances in the first half,” Stanton told ESPN. “I think B.A. respects the quarterback position enough to give you that leniency once he kind of instills all those values. He can do everything you need a franchise quarterback to do,” Stanton said of Winston. “I’ve watched enough film of him to believe that. It’s just a matter of fine-tuning that stuff. He has all those intangibles you look for, and he can do all those things. Part of the reason B.A. took the job is because of who he has in place at that position.”

Arians has stated previously that this team is going to be built around Jameis Winston and Arians has also said he believes Winston has what it takes to win it all and that the Bucs have the core to win now.

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