Post by Guvmintcheeze on Sept 14, 2015 11:33:09 GMT
Buccaneers' Jameis Winston needs better awareness, stronger game plan
TAMPA, Fla. -- Jameis Winston lacked vision, wanted to escape the pocket at any sign of trouble and desperately needed help from a lackluster supporting cast during his dismal NFL debut.
The draft-day decision to pass on Marcus Mariota, who torched the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for four touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating, will haunt the franchise for a long time unless Winston improves his decision-making and Tampa Bay improves, well, everything else. That requires Tampa's offense getting Winston comfortable early in the game with throws he can make quickly to mask the offense's deficiencies up front.
No matter how much the Buccaneers say they won't react to one bad game, it felt like so much more in the 42-14 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
"I believe we're going to bounce back," Winston said. "That's what we'll do."
First, the good news: Winston's two interceptions are correctable, or at least his thought process wasn't necessarily flawed on those plays. He didn't recognize defensive coverage lurking from underneath the routes. That's less offensive than throwing aimlessly into triple coverage downfield. Winston's pick-six on his first NFL throw -- Brett Favre was the last one to do that, back in 1991 -- was a telegraph on an out route. He had a one-on-one matchup. Throw the ball higher, that might be a completion. On the second pick, he wanted to dump off when he had nothing downfield. That's a good decision in theory. Deiontrez Mount was in the way.
Once Winston calmed down, which was far too late with the Bucs down 42-7, he made a few convincing throws in garbage time, including two nice, high passes to Vincent Jackson in the back of the end zone that were called off. Winston seems to have a rapport with tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who finished with 110 yards and two scores.
But all that's being far too nice. Only one quarterback looked decisive and clean Sunday.
This sums up Winston's day: When Mount clogged the passing lane on the screen pass, he remembered making eye contact with Winston. "He was like, crap," said Mount about Winston's reaction. That Winston would even throw that ball when he saw the player there should be alarming to the Bucs. Throw it away or pump-fake.
What stood out was how the Titans used Mariota wisely, while Winston appeared to have a limited arsenal. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter should bring more sophistication to the Buccaneers' offense, but the game plan looked flat Sunday. Clever adjustments were scarce.
Three things likely attributed to this: A struggling offensive line, Winston's ankle injury and the absence of Mike Evans, who helped Johnny Manziel look great at Texas A&M and could have a similar effect on Winston.
Winston was hobbling around the field for much of the game with possible lingering effects of a preseason injury. When asked whether Winston's ankle hindered play calling, Bucs coach Lovie Smith said a lot of his players dealt with bumps and bruises.
Regardless, the man looked hobbled. That's an injury to watch. If Winston struggles to plant and throw because of the injury, then he might need a week of rest, which means it's Mike Glennon time, which isn't necessarily what Tampa Bay wants. Not because Glennon isn't talented, but because it messes with their No. 1 pick.
The Buccaneers didn't run play action with Winston, which would have helped him because of the Titans' pressure. They should consider doing so in Week 2 at New Orleans. Coty Sensabaugh, who returned an interception for a touchdown, said Tampa Bay liked to throw a lot of inside breaking routes, which the Titans sniffed out early. They were far too too predictable.
Meanwhile, the Titans ran play action with Mariota, and so much more. Mariota finished 10-for-10 for 176 yards and two touchdowns out of the shotgun. One effective play in particular involved Mariota dropping back, faking the handoff and immediately turning to throw to a wide-open Kendall Wright over the middle. The Buccaneers' defensive backfield hurt Winston as much as the Titan's backfield by leaving Tennessee's receivers so open.
The Bucs should use Ken Whisenhunt's Week 1 game plan as an example of how to accentuate the strengths of your quarterback.
"I don't think it will be much for him [to respond]," Sensabaugh said about Winston. "I think he will bounce back fine next week. He'll rally his guys."
Sensabaugh is going off Winston's rep at FSU, where he was known for shrugging off poor first halves with killer comebacks.
You can't have that attitude in the NFL.
That's how you get blown out 42-14.
And that, give or take 10 or 15 times, is how franchises make wrong decisions at quarterback.
TAMPA, Fla. -- Jameis Winston lacked vision, wanted to escape the pocket at any sign of trouble and desperately needed help from a lackluster supporting cast during his dismal NFL debut.
The draft-day decision to pass on Marcus Mariota, who torched the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for four touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating, will haunt the franchise for a long time unless Winston improves his decision-making and Tampa Bay improves, well, everything else. That requires Tampa's offense getting Winston comfortable early in the game with throws he can make quickly to mask the offense's deficiencies up front.
No matter how much the Buccaneers say they won't react to one bad game, it felt like so much more in the 42-14 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
"I believe we're going to bounce back," Winston said. "That's what we'll do."
First, the good news: Winston's two interceptions are correctable, or at least his thought process wasn't necessarily flawed on those plays. He didn't recognize defensive coverage lurking from underneath the routes. That's less offensive than throwing aimlessly into triple coverage downfield. Winston's pick-six on his first NFL throw -- Brett Favre was the last one to do that, back in 1991 -- was a telegraph on an out route. He had a one-on-one matchup. Throw the ball higher, that might be a completion. On the second pick, he wanted to dump off when he had nothing downfield. That's a good decision in theory. Deiontrez Mount was in the way.
Once Winston calmed down, which was far too late with the Bucs down 42-7, he made a few convincing throws in garbage time, including two nice, high passes to Vincent Jackson in the back of the end zone that were called off. Winston seems to have a rapport with tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who finished with 110 yards and two scores.
But all that's being far too nice. Only one quarterback looked decisive and clean Sunday.
This sums up Winston's day: When Mount clogged the passing lane on the screen pass, he remembered making eye contact with Winston. "He was like, crap," said Mount about Winston's reaction. That Winston would even throw that ball when he saw the player there should be alarming to the Bucs. Throw it away or pump-fake.
What stood out was how the Titans used Mariota wisely, while Winston appeared to have a limited arsenal. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter should bring more sophistication to the Buccaneers' offense, but the game plan looked flat Sunday. Clever adjustments were scarce.
Three things likely attributed to this: A struggling offensive line, Winston's ankle injury and the absence of Mike Evans, who helped Johnny Manziel look great at Texas A&M and could have a similar effect on Winston.
Winston was hobbling around the field for much of the game with possible lingering effects of a preseason injury. When asked whether Winston's ankle hindered play calling, Bucs coach Lovie Smith said a lot of his players dealt with bumps and bruises.
Regardless, the man looked hobbled. That's an injury to watch. If Winston struggles to plant and throw because of the injury, then he might need a week of rest, which means it's Mike Glennon time, which isn't necessarily what Tampa Bay wants. Not because Glennon isn't talented, but because it messes with their No. 1 pick.
The Buccaneers didn't run play action with Winston, which would have helped him because of the Titans' pressure. They should consider doing so in Week 2 at New Orleans. Coty Sensabaugh, who returned an interception for a touchdown, said Tampa Bay liked to throw a lot of inside breaking routes, which the Titans sniffed out early. They were far too too predictable.
Meanwhile, the Titans ran play action with Mariota, and so much more. Mariota finished 10-for-10 for 176 yards and two touchdowns out of the shotgun. One effective play in particular involved Mariota dropping back, faking the handoff and immediately turning to throw to a wide-open Kendall Wright over the middle. The Buccaneers' defensive backfield hurt Winston as much as the Titan's backfield by leaving Tennessee's receivers so open.
The Bucs should use Ken Whisenhunt's Week 1 game plan as an example of how to accentuate the strengths of your quarterback.
"I don't think it will be much for him [to respond]," Sensabaugh said about Winston. "I think he will bounce back fine next week. He'll rally his guys."
Sensabaugh is going off Winston's rep at FSU, where he was known for shrugging off poor first halves with killer comebacks.
You can't have that attitude in the NFL.
That's how you get blown out 42-14.
And that, give or take 10 or 15 times, is how franchises make wrong decisions at quarterback.