The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have underachieved in the past few seasons with Jameis Winston under center. The time to win must be now.
With the roster general manager Jason Licht has built for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the lack of wins is not only disappointing, it’s discouraging. For the 2018 Bucs, the time to win must be now.
Jameis Winston has discussed this with the local media. With his rookie contract expiring soon, the allocation of funds will soon dwindle, making high-tier players cap casualties. Players like Jason Pierre-Paul, Lavonte David, and Gerald McCoy are all high priced players that may find themselves on the open market due to the money quarterbacks are commanding in today’s NFL.
Along with high priced players already under contract, there are players like Kwon Alexander, Ali Marpet, and Donovan Smith that will be signed to extensions before March of 2019. The window to win with this roster – which they can do – is closing rapidly.
Winston had this to say following the first day of mini-camp;
"”One of the things that we always talk about is who we are every single day. From day to day, despite your emotions or how you feel that day, you have to come with that same level of urgency every day. In every profession that’s tough. But here, in this profession when all of the spotlight is on us all of the time, we have to find a way to overcome any adversity that we may be facing at home or even in the locker room. We have to make sure that we’re our best selves out here on this football field.”"
Their best selves were not on display during the 2017 season, leading to a massively disappointing 5-11 record after an off-season of hype and playoff aspirations. Now, they have the chance at redemption with a newly formulated defensive line, built on nastiness and depth. They have a newly reformed offensive line, responsible for protecting Winston and regenerating a broken running game.
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They have the talent, they have the tools. They need the sense of urgency that success has to happen now before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are dismantled from a financial standpoint, leading them back to square one yet again.