Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bucs can withstand one game Winston suspension
By James Yarcho
Some are pointing in the direction of Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal caller Jameis Winston getting a one game suspension in the Uber case.
This thing just drags and drags and drags, doesn’t it? Recently, some outlets have pointed to the strong possibility that Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston will be receiving a suspension as a result of the Uber investigation, but nothing is set in stone yet. Joe Bucs Fan said there would likely be the one game and Rick Stroud spoke about it on his podcast.
All that said, a suspension doesn’t mean that the NFL found any evidence of guilt, just simply reinforcing the whole “protect the shield” stuff we hear so much about and how the players “are held to a higher standard”, meaning it doesn’t matter if they have any evidence – they will suspend you if anything negative is said just because they can.
Remember the Ezekiel Elliott nonsense last year? There was no evidence against him, no charges filed against him, yet he was suspended six games.
It doesn’t sound like Winston will be hit that hard, but we should expect some form of discipline beyond just a fine.
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If Jameis Winston is suspended week one against the New Orleans Saints, that doesn’t mark the season as doomed. Not even close.
What it does mean is utilizing the new running back Ronald Jones early and often.
Jones, who has yet to officially sign his rookie deal, was brought in to replace the disappointing Doug Martin and energize the run game. In a matchup with a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Drew Brees – who will be missing running back Mark Ingram – the Buccaneers will likely play keep away all afternoon long.
If Jones is the back they expect him to be – and the offensive line has improved to the level we hope it has with the addition of Ryan Jensen and moving Ali Marpet back to guard – Koetter will go back to his bread and butter of pounding the rock. A lot.
Keeping Brees off the field and controlling the tempo with the run game is a recipe for success any time you face a quarterback like Brees, but without Winston you would want to keep the fate of the game out of Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s hands as much as possible.
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Escaping this long drawn out investigation with a one game suspension may sting a bit, but it isn’t a death sentence on the 2018 season. Not only that, but if they can escape with the upset of the year it may be the catalyst for a very successful 2018 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season.