Jameis Winston was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and there were many that thought they should go with Marcus Mariota. He has gotten off to a slow start in his NFL career, but there have been some very good things that he has done as well. There is no question that he has the body to become a vey successful quarterback and he also possesses a very strong arm.
Throughout the first four games of the season, Winston has been able to lead his team to just one win. He has completed just 54.9 percent of his pass attempts for 965 yards, six touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Obviously those aren’t the numbers that the Buccaneers were hoping to see from their new franchise quarterback early on in the season, but there is plenty of room for him to grow.
As a young quarterback, it will take some time for him to figure the game out. Winston is just 21 years old and there are a lot of huge differences from the college game to the NFL. Simply being on the field and playing will help him develop his game and become the type of player that the Buccaneers drafted him to become.
That being said, Winston should have a very big game this week against the Jacksonville Jaguars and if he plays to his full potential will show some of the star potential that Tampa Bay saw in him.
Jacksonville doesn’t have a great secondary, nor do they have a great pass rush. They are solid in both categories, but Winston should have time to find receivers down the field against a secondary with plenty of holes to exploit. If Winston isn’t pressured and he has time to look down the field and make plays, he has plenty of weapons to work with to get the job done.
Mike Evans is one of the best young targets in the league, while Vincent Jackson is a smart veteran who can put up big numbers when needed.
Tampa Bay shouldn’t be panicking about their young quarterback and instead should be excited about putting him on the field each and every week. He isn’t getting destroyed by opposing defenses physically, but he is learning a lot about the game from a physical and mental standpoint. This experience will come into play next year as he will have a full offseason to grow and work on his game.
Expect to see Winston have a much bigger game this week than he has over the past couple weeks and to show flashes of why the Buccaneers made him their No. 1 draft pick.
