As the disappointment of the Buccaneers season rolls on, the source of agitation for their losses can be traced from one lesson: they refuse to learn form their previous mistakes. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers season continues to suffer by making silly plays to not only lose games but extend their playoff drought as well.
After a 23-17 OT loss to an Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers, it has become apparent where the Bucs go wrong: quarterback Jameis Winston, who still makes rookie like mess-ups. I know he’s been out, but the plays he makes sometimes are downright embarrassing. This is the play I’m talking about:
Jameis Winston’s favorite play pic.twitter.com/VfMvLglOm7
— Eric Rosenthal (@ericsports) December 3, 2017
These are the same kind of things Jameis has been making since his 1st season. How many times does he have to turn the ball over trying to make a play while caught dead to rights before he gets the message?
For every talented athletic play Winston will make, he counters that by trying to overcompensate a lost play through his own creation. At some point he has to realize that he won’t turn water into wine. It’s like the movie Ground Hogs Day or 50 First Dates, just repeating it game to game.
Had Jamies ate the ball there like he tries to eat “W’s”, the Packers may never get that touchdown on the way to 27 points. Oh, this one might not be all on the embattled quarterback because the center had an early snap but you just can’t have a fumble when you’re on 3rd down from the goal line.
View a recap of the Buccaneers' game against the Green Bay Packers on this week's Bucs Rewind! https://t.co/h4TdJVGlbv
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 5, 2017
Jameis Winston is not the only culprit though. The defense isn’t off the hook. Only 77 yards were let up through the air on Sunday and yet some way, somehow, the Bucs lost. The D’s most glaring issue other than a lack of sacks and turnovers is third down conversion.
The Bucs are dead last in that category. That’s right, 32 out of 32, bottom of the barrel. Ironically enough, last season they were first in the league in defensive efficiency. A boost in this rating could be coming with the return of Robert Ayers who has been out the last two weeks with a concussion. Ayers has been practicing this week so the signs point to him facing off against the Lions.
Lofty expectations were brought onto the Bucs this season before they even added DeSean Jackson to make a lethal offense. Due to injuries to guys like Winston, Ayers and Brent Grimes, they’ve never been able to succeed as a healthy team. It’s starts with limiting the aforementioned mistakes. However, if their stars haven’t learned from their mistakes by now, they may never will.