Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5 Takeaways from 42-14 loss to Tennessee Titans
By David Rumsey
Sep 13, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) runs off the field at the end of the first half against the Tennessee Titans at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Jameis Winston has a lot to learn
Obviously things couldn’t have started worse for Jameis Winston when he threw a pick-6 on his first pass attempt in the NFL, there’s no doubt about that.
Everyone had been stressing that he couldn’t make bad decisions, so I’l just say this: that wasn’t a bad decision. Yes, it was a terrible result but Adam Humphries had room for a first down and Winston just under-threw the ball by a lot; I jock that up to jitters more than anything.
Okay, sorry, just had to defend Winston for a second. Now to be fair, the rookie QB did play like, well, a rookie. I’m not going to try and compare Mariota and Winston here (let’s save that for later) but I will admit Winston was outplayed by his counterpart on Sunday.
Winston finished the day 16/33 for 210 yards w/ 2 TDs & 2 INTs. He made two very bad throws that resulted in the interceptions, but other than that he protected the ball fairly well. Even though he was under a lot of pressure he didn’t try to force the ball too often.
The transition to NFL speed is something Winston has talked about and I think it’s clear he’s not quite used to it yet. Hopefully he can learn from this game and be better prepared for what’s ahead.
Being comfortable in the pocket is another thing Winston has to work on, but I know that’s a tough task with the Bucs offensive line. Being down by multiple scores early made the Bucs offense more predictable; hopefully if they can keep the game closer then Winston can have a better chance to get in a groove.