NFL.com columnist Judy Battista detailed the struggle to build quarterback depth last month.
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09 November 2014: Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman (24) is tackled by Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Lavonte David (54) after picking up the first down during the National Football League regular season game between the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
That’s not to say that the Buccaneers are about to snap a seven-year postseason drought-Sunday’s win bumped them only to 5-5, well back of the Panthers in the NFC South and outside the wild-card picture.
Think back to that opener, a humiliating 42-14 loss to Tennessee.
The Bucs converted a third and 16, a second and 20, and a second and 14 along the way, the drive capped by Jameis Winston’s 8-yard touchdown pass to TE Cameron Brate. Winston torched the Eagles for five touchdowns without throwing an interception.
Things figure to get ugly before they get better.
“To be a leader, first off, you have to be a good football player for people to want to buy into”, said Smith about Winston. “We got to make sure it doesn’t destroy us”. They got into the secondary and we didn’t get it knocked down. Over that 6-game span, Winston completed 61 percent of his passes for nine TDs and just two INTs.
The Bucs dominated time of possession, keeping the Eagles’ uptempo offense off the field.
Armstead was seen, at least by some, as an athletic freak that was very “raw” as he entered the draft, making this type of performance incredibly encouraging in the midst of his rookie campaign. The future of coach Lovie Smith also then appeared to be tenuous, at best.
Winston played for the Florida State Seminoles in college. The Bucs started the season looking again like a team with an outdated scheme, but like the offense, the play has come together of late.
Winston threw four first-half touchdowns.
Winston’s first touchdown pass, a 4-yard fade to Mike Evans in the corner of the end zone in the first quarter, was well defended by Nolan Carroll, but Evans’ four-inch height advantage was too much to overcome.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had probably the worst offensive line in the year last season. Winston has gone from being a questionable No. 1 pick after Week 1, to showing us all why he went as the top pick. “You just can’t allow them”. “We’ve had situations like that in the past where we’ve had a couple of penalties and all of a sudden everything goes awry”.
Winston’s ability to handle pressure is evident in those clips, as he repeatedly stands in the pocket and makes throws despite defensive linemen being inches away from laying a hand on him. He’s been on roster with the Texans for the past six games, though he was only active for one of the six games, playing primarily on special teams.
Tampa Bay has every reason to feel encouraged by what it’s seen thus far, though.
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“Finding competent backups is complicated by simple math, as Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley explained in an interview a year ago: There aren’t even enough good starting quarterbacks for the 32 teams, let alone 32 good backups”, she wrote.
