Quarterback Jameis Winston pitches the football to Doug Martin during a game against the Washington Redskins on Oct. 25, 2015. Courtesy of Keith Allison/Flickr.
By Bryce Lawson
With new coach Bruce Arians at the helm and quarterback Jameis Winston in the last year of his deal, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to rebound after a 5-11 season.
The Bucs were able to get Arians out of retirement, with the hopes of making the team one of the most high-powered offenses in the league. Although Arians struggled in the playoffs as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, he was able to take a Ben Roethlisberger-led offense to two Super Bowl victories as offensive coordinator.
As the so called “QB Whisperer,” Arians’ biggest task this year is to help Winston grow up and really take this Bucs team to the next level. With underrated Pro Bowl receiver Mike Evans as his main target, there should be no reason for Winston to have a mediocre season entering the prime of his career.
The Bucs selected the former Florida State Heisman winner with the first overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, but various off-the-field issues have affected his playing career. Last season, after facing suspension, Ryan Fitzpatrick took his position as starter. Coming into his fifth NFL season with a new contract approaching, it’s now or never for Winston.
Former New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles has been brought in to run the defense. In the offseason, the Bucs released one of the team’s longest standing players, Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy, in favor of the NFL’s version of a mercenary, Ndamukong Suh.
Since being drafted second overall by the Detroit Lions, Suh has been on three teams in the last three years, including last year’s NFC Championship-winning Los Angeles Rams. The Bucs also lost a former Pro Bowler and fan favorite, Kwon Alexander, to the 49ers in the preseason, but this year’s fifth overall pick from LSU, Devin White, will hopefully boost the linebacking core.
The Bucs have a storied history with defensive prowess.The team has been known for its defense from its very first pick — the legendary Lee Roy Selmon — all the way to the Hall of Fame defense that won Tampa Bay its first ever Super Bowl in 2003.
I would like to see the organization take a turn back in that direction, because when you compare Winston with the other quarterbacks in the NFC South, he comes in fourth every time.
Which isn’t to say that I want Winston to fail; I just hope he can prove himself this season as the team’s leader and not a bust.
The NFC South is pretty stacked this year, so I see them winning about six or seven games. If I’m correct, the Bucs wouldn’t have a playoff run this year, but they could finally figure out what they have on the team so Tampa Bay can have a Super Bowl contending team in the future.
