Simms QB School: Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Jameis Winston

One of the responsibilities of any good scout, coach, or player, is the ability to break down both game film and workout performance videos to see where improvements can be made, and both the strengths and weaknesses of everyone involved. They will break down entire games, separate quarters into sessions, and even individual plays in an effort to get a closer look at not only what needs to be worked on, but also what can be utilized from one team or player to another. When it comes to evaluating quarterbacks, one of the main purposes of video is to slow down the movements in an effort to closely study the mechanics or throwing motion of the quarterback.

With that in mind, today we’re going to take a look at a short film breakdown and mechanics scouting that former Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms recently did on current Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston.

As you can see from the breakdown of Winston’s throwing style, it’s easy to see where his fluid mobility can greatly benefit his playing style, much in the same manner that a pitcher in baseball finds far more success with a full windup motion rather than simply standing still and tossing the ball. For some quarterbacks such as Andrew Luck of Indianapolis and Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay, they have the size and strength to simply stand in the pocket and fire the ball downfield with pinpoint accuracy. For other quarterbacks such as Jameis Winston and DeShaun Watson, it simply isn’t in their best interest to expect them to stand still and throw it as hard as possible downfield. Players like Winston need the ability to use their entire body in aiding their throwing mechanics. They don’t always necessarily have to be on the run, nor do they have to be considered a mobile quarterback, but they do have to figure out the best way to get the time necessary to get the full movement going. It could be scrambling out of the pocket, it could be a great play action that gets the defense to bite, or it could simply be stepping up into the pocket and utilizing the blocking protection provided by the offensive line.

When Winston is given enough time to get the full motion going and find that perfect release, he has proven he knows how to create plays and shows why he has more passing yards than almost any other quarterback over the past 4 seasons. The problem becomes when he is forced to hurry through his motions and simply throws or toss the ball without getting the full range first. Without the ability to a Brett Favre type gunslinger, being forced to hurry will often result in Jameis throwing his passes off target and much to the dismay of his teammates, the ball will wind up in the hands of the defender, resulting in a turnover, the one thing that has plagued his career more than any other fault.

Assuming Arians and his staff are able to get Winston to the point that he either no longer requires a full range of motion or they’re able to get him to the point that he simply stops trying to force passes when he’s unable to get his full range of motion, there’s no reason that Jameis can’t correct his turnover issues and put his name in the conversation for MVP. We simply have to trust the process and hope that Jameis is able to do the same.