Buccaneers: Jameis Winston and his crucial third NFL season

This just in, much of the Buccaneers high expectations for the upcoming season are dependent upon the development of Jameis Winston in his third season.

It has been a long time since the Buccaneers have had a franchise quarterback. You all know the names that have passed through. Some have done big things in other places, like Steve Young, most have found their way out of the league. For decades, the Bucs had the most difficult time finding a quarterback. That is until now, of course.

Jameis Winston is the face of the Bucs. After being selected with the first pick of the 2015 draft, he has ascended to the leader of this football team. He helped this team to six wins in his rookie season and nine wins in his second year. He also made the jump from 22 touchdown passes as a rookie to 28 in his second season.

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Heading into his third year, Winston finds himself leading a Bucs team that isn’t taken for granted anymore. This is not a team that is expected to be at the bottom. Experts who don’t expect a Falcons repeat believe that the Bucs will take the division. They appear to be a team poised to take the next step.

However, the Bucs and their fans are going to learn something as well. Danny Jaillet talked about it at NFL Spin Zone and he is absolutely right. Much of the Bucs hopes are on the right arm of Jameis Winston.

First and foremost, the third year is an important developmental year for a quarterback. During the first two years, the quarterback learns the offense as well as, if not better than the coach. He works within the system as he gets his feet wet as a starting quarterback.

In the third year, however, things start to change. That is the year that the offense opens up even more than in the first two years. A great example would be Mark Sanchez with the Jets, although not a very successful example. We also see quarterbacks take big strides in their third year. Peyton Manning, for example, led the NFL in completions, yards and touchdowns, all for the first time in his third season. His 33 touchdowns that year (2000) remained his high mark until 2004.

For Winston, however, it is even bigger for him. Success is all there waiting for him. He has a treasure trove of weapons at his disposal. Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, Cameron Brate, O.J. Howard and Chris Godwin are just some of the names that will be out there on offense for the Bucs. Add to that even a mediocre running game and a defense that is on its way to the top and you have the makings of something special in Tampa Bay.

But it is on Winston to take that next step with his accuracy. Yes, the touchdowns increased from year one to year two, but so did the interceptions. He went from 15 interceptions in year one to 18 interceptions in year two. That trend makes the third year potentially very interesting. It shows that Winston still has a tendency to try to make things happen when he doesn’t have to. He still tries to force things when they aren’t there.

A quarterback has to understand when it is time to throw the ball into the third row, when it is time to run for two yards and slide, and live for the next play. A five yard pass to Cameron Brate on third and ten is better than forcing it to Mike Evans and throwing an interception. Winston understands that at times, but not at all times. When he tries to do too much, he makes mistakes, specifically 33 over his first two years.

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Winston’s ability to cut those down in his third year may very well be the difference between a playoff berth and waiting until 2018.