2017 Buccaneers Preseason: Week 2 grades vs Jacksonville Jaguars
Jameis Winston is the unquestioned leader of the Buccaneers quarterback group. Barring catastrophe, we’ll never see Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Griffin, or Sefo Liufau once the wins and losses stick.
In game two of the preseason against the Jacksonville Jaguars, we didn’t see those last two anyway.
Winston came out and immediately looked poised and ready to attack a Jags defense which was missing several key starters in the secondary.
Hey, don’t blame the barrel if you put your fish in there and they get shot, right?
21-for-29 and 196-yards is a good outing for a quarterback who didn’t play after the first half. Of course, we’re still missing our first Winston touchdown pass of the preseason.
What started well didn’t necessarily end on such a happy note.
With just over half of the second-quarter remaining, Winston turned-in one of those plays which makes you shake your head as much as you cheer when he does the amazing.
In the clutches of a Jaguars defender, the third year Buccaneers leader threw a duck up in the air for any and all to grab.
It came down in the hands of a defender, but fortunately the officials ruled his progress had been stopped, and the play was dead from where he threw it.
Bullet dodged for the team, but not for Winston who got an earful from head coach Dirk Koetter on his way to the sideline.
I’m sure Winston agrees, he deserved it.
Half of his incompletions came in the last two drives of the first half, and he was also sacked near the end as the starters were hoping to put a final score together.
In the second half, it was all Fitzpatrick.
This may not be totally accurate however, as the soon to be 35-year old only threw nine pass attempts in the entire second-half.
To his credit, he completed six of those. To his discredit, he also gave an interception to Jaguars defensive back Jarrod Wilson.
He was looking for rookie Chris Godwin on the throw, and overshot him by a couple yards.
The play was just Fitzpatrick’s second pass of the game. He would go on to try seven more, with little success. He ended his evening with just 47-yards passing.
What started hot for the Buccaneers quarterbacks ended a little cold.
No points were scored after the starters rested, and it’s the second-straight week the backup quarterback play has been a little suspect.
We all know we don’t want to see them in the regular season anyway, but it’d sure be nice to have some confidence in them if it became a necessity.
Griffin didn’t play as he is nursing a shoulder injury, and Liufau didn’t make an appearance because he’s likely headed to the practice squad.