Can Jameis Winston make the leap in year three?
By Luke Drage
Can he make the leap this season?
There are enough signs of improvement, not only in his game, but throughout the organisation that suggest this could be the year that Winston pops.
His career thus far has been characterized by ill discipline with his throws. Thanks to a shaky O-Line and a less than stellar defense.
This experience has undoubtedly enabled him to identify his weaknesses as a passer. These are nearly all mental, and he has shown progression in his outlook if not in his production thus far.
Starring in HBO’s Hard Knocks this offseason, multiple conversations between Winston and head coach Dirk Koetter have shown the pair discussing the quarterback’s tendency to throw hurtful, silly interceptions and have detailed the will of Winston to cut these out and improve upon his decision-making.
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However, his rather bizarre pick in the preseason game at Jacksonville showed that old habits die-hard and that eliminating instinctive throws like that is easier said than done.
Those kind of picks, not too dissimilar from some that Brett Favre used to throw, are hard to eliminate from someone’s game who operates under that Favre-esque mentality. The mind-set of making plays under any circumstance, the almost deluded perception that one can fit a ball into any window no matter how small.
These traits are part of what made Brett so great, and could be the same things that make Winston great in the future. But, thus far, those decisions haven’t yielded the success for Winston that they did for Favre.
So one must beg the question of whether the Bucs signal caller can ever eliminate those glaring errors.
He certainly has the willingness too, but it is exceedingly difficult to restrain one’s nature instincts. And, when under duress, Winston tends to panic and force throws rather than taking his medicine.