Is 4,000 Yards In Reach?

August 18th, 2018

High standard.

It was a shame how last year turned out.

Yes, it was pitiful how rotten the Bucs defense played. Any reasonable hope of the Bucs having a winning season was destroyed by the defense with gutless play at Minnesota, at Arizona, at New Orleans and at Atlanta.

The cherry on top was the stunt pulled in Carolina by offsides-jumping, Lightning-trolling, belly-shirt-wearing, practice-hating, kicker-heckling, tree-grinding , non-contact-football-loving, chicken-wings-grilling, playing-time-squawking, TV-cooking-star, half-sack Swaggy Baker.

Of course, another sad element to last year was that America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, couldn’t add to his already wonderful NFL resume. In his first two seasons in the league, Jameis became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in each of his first two seasons.

Due to getting hurt and missing three games, Jameis only (relatively) threw for 3,504 yards. And of course, Jameis will miss at least three games this season while serving his three-game sentence handed down by NFL strongman Roger Goodell.

This prompted ESPN to wonder if Jameis can throw for 3,600 yards this fall. Jenna Laine suggests it is a safe bet.

In 13 games last season, Winston managed to throw for 3,504 yards. That included a couple of games where his accuracy was definitely impacted by a shoulder injury. It also included two games — Arizona and New Orleans — where Winston left early because of the injury. So if he can reach 3,504 in 13 games injured, he should be able to surpass 3,599 in 13 games in 2018.

It would be wild if, barring injury, Jameis threw for 4,000 yards again.

It still blows Joe’s mind how many Bucs fans can’t wait to run off the best quarterback this franchise has had not named “Steve Young.” Dude sets an NFL record for passing and that’s not good enough. Is it because Bucs fans are conditioned to accept the likes of “Son of Bob” Griese, Mike Glennon and Bruce Gradkowski, therefore, cannot recognize a good quarterback?

49 Responses to “Is 4,000 Yards In Reach?”

  1. Radsy Says:

    I’ll always back our quarterback. The problem is, Jameis tends to disappoint in heart wrenching fashion. Even his haters admit he can sling it and beat some tight windows, but he’s a slow starter and prone to the most costly mistakes. We couldn’t even move on from last season’s implosion with the investigation hanging over our franchise.

    He needs to reward the faith of the fanbase that’s been teased by his ability and hurt by his indiscretion. Leading futile comebacks with tonnes of passing yardage won’t cut it.

  2. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    There is some very serious continuous lobbying going on for “America’s Quarterback”…….
    I’m rooting for him to succeed as I do Fitz or any other player that wears our uniform…..but really?

  3. Dewey Selmon Says:

    You guys worry about stats, I want victories!

  4. Chris K Says:

    I’m not sure 4000 yards in 13 games will actually be a good thing. I would rather have leads in the 4th quarter and have a strong running game and defense to win games instead of having to throw all fourth quarter trying to play catch up and lose games.

  5. BrianBucs Says:

    If Winston or any Bucs QB throws for 4000 yards it shows they will be having a very bad year. So Winston threw for 3500 last year, but how many of those games did the Bucs win? 3

  6. Bird Says:

    Radsy

    Nailed it!

  7. ben Says:

    Winston is worst qb in division with the best weapons.

  8. Bucnut2 Says:

    No way he starts in Chicago! He may play if we get behind but most likely this will be a 12 game season for him.

  9. Cover Deuce Says:

    The Joes always trot out this stat as if it’s supposed to mean something. It’s not bad that he threw for that much, but ignoring the context is silly. The NFL has been juicing the offensive side of the game for at least the last decade. Defense is nothing like what it used to be – it’s so much harder to cover as a DB or LB. With the way the rules are these days, it’s a miracle if a QB doesn’t throw for close to 4000 yards. That should in theory be a bit easier to do if you don’t have to worry about receivers getting lit up/manhandled by coverage all the time. Take 2017 – 13 QBs threw for at least 3500 yards. It likely would have been 14 if Wentz stayed healthy, which is actually down from 2016 when 22 QBs threw for at least 3500 yards. Half the league got within spitting distance of 4000 yards passing. Again, it’s better that he *can* do that, I just don’t think it’s the remarkable feat the Joes keep making it out to be when at least half the league is getting pretty close to the mark every single year.

  10. Kalind Says:

    He’s also the youngest. By far. In the toughest division. And he’s getting better and better. You don’t run a 25year old who’s playing well, because he’s not winning esuperbowls.

    Do you really wanna lose to this guy when he’s 29 and somewhere else? Haven’t we don’t that enough as a franchise??

  11. Defense Rules Says:

    @Dewey … “You guys worry about stats, I want victories!” Nailed it Dewey, but Joe seems to be just about the only one enamored by Jameis’ passing yards. Most every other JBFer understands that POINTS win games, not yards.

    Nice touch BTW Joe throwing in how ‘pitiful’ the Bucs’ defense was last year, like that has any bearing on how well Jameis will perform THIS year. Like somehow the Bucs’ offense sucking in the Red Zone last year was the defense’s fault. That same Bucs’ offense that only managed to put up 8 TDs rushing and 26 TDs passing (despite having arguably the best receivers in the NFL). The combined 34 TDs only accounts for 238 points of the Bucs’ 335 total points (assuming each TD was worth 7 pts). That’s barely 2 TDs per game average … whoopee. The rest came from FGs and from our defense.

    Thankfully the putrid Bucs’ defense forced 26 turnovers last year & contributed 3 TDs of their own to that 335 pts total. BOTH the offense & the defense have to improve this year is the REAL bottom line. Jameis didn’t help that goal any by getting suspended for 3 games to start the season, but I’m still confident that Fitz will pick up the slack. Can’t wait for New Orleans … go Bucs!!!

  12. TheBucsAnthem Says:

    Jameis will always disappoint…..he’s a fraud

    …he’s something bucs fans want him to be but never will be

    ….He’s a David Carr in the works a journeyman QB in Daunte Culpepper

    AND HE WILL NEVER EVER EVER WIN THE BUCS A SB……

    PERIOD…..DOT….POINT….BLANK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  13. Wright Says:

    “If Winston or any Bucs QB throws for 4000 yards it shows they will be having a very bad year. So Winston threw for 3500 last year, but how many of those games did the Bucs win? 3”

    Yawn. Tom Brady threw for 4,500 yds last year….Matt Ryan threw for 4095, Drew Brees for 4334. Don’t give me that BS that Winston or any other Bucs QBs can’t throw for 4000 yards AND have success. The problem wasn’t Winston throwing too much last year (although I agree the more limited the better), it was the atrocities that were the rest of the team last year…that led to 3 wins.

  14. BrianBucs Says:

    Wright

    Comparing Winston to those 3 QB’s is laughable at best.
    Koetter is wanting the Bucs to be a run first team. Throwing for that many yards means the Bucs are again playing from behind

  15. Wright Says:

    I’m not comparing Winston to other elite QBs (you would know that if your reading comprehension was better), I said OR ANY Bucs QB. Football is a team sport so taking individual stats and trying to make them fit your argument comes with giant asterisks, and my reply was one.

  16. Kobe Faker Says:

    “It amazes the lack of football IQ of the Buc Sheep. At 24 , An NFL QB is not a finished product. Far from it.Right now the QB is supposed to be making mistakes and learning/improving from them. JW has improved statistically every year but the Sheep thinks at 24 JW has reached his ceiling. LOL! Like Kobe has stated, JW true potential and path to a HOF career will comeout when he is under the tutelage of a good OC in a west coast uptempo offensive scheme.”

    Kobe Faker

  17. webster Says:

    @ brian

    It only laughable because jameis haters like you downplay 4000 yards by jameis but praise 4000 by brees. It takes a team you dip$#!+. Brees threw for over 4000 yards for 3 straight years and his teams finished 6-10, 7-9 etc because the defense/running game sucked. Thats the same problem the bucs have been having but keep blaming winston. I hope he leaves this backwoods fan base.

  18. Realbucfan941 Says:

    Webster,

    Isn’t Brian to Jameis what you are to GMC? Glad you realized it takes a team though.

  19. BrianBucs Says:

    Webster

    Thank You for making my point for me

  20. OneBuc55 Says:

    What many people fail to realize is nobody wants to win more than Jameis Winston…

    In the perfect situation a QB doesn’t have to force the issue; it’s a luxury when a QB knows he can trust the defense and the kicker…Unfortunately, Jameis has not had that luxury since he’s been here…If you notice, Jameis never takes any of the credit when things go well, he gives it all to his teammates; on the flipside, when thing go wrong he gets all the blame; even more than the coaching staff at times….

    Does he have the occasional brain fart during games? Yes…He’s still a very young QB…Check the numbers though, the reality is Jameis is getting better every year; honestly, I beleive some of those turnovers last season had alot to do with him playing hurt…lets be real, often he puts us in position to win games only to watch the defense or special teams screw it up…Offense, Defense, Special Teams! the wins will come when the team as a whole gets better…

  21. OneBuc55 Says:

    My be a double post…

    What many people fail to realize is nobody wants to win more than Jameis Winston…

    In the perfect situation a QB doesn’t have to force the issue; it’s a luxury when a QB knows he can trust the defense and the kicker…Unfortunately, Jameis has not had that luxury since he’s been here…If you notice, Jameis never takes any of the credit when things go well, he gives it all to his teammates; on the flipside, when thing go wrong he gets all the blame; even more than the coaching staff at times….

    Does he have the occasional brain fart during games? Yes…He’s still a very young QB…Check the numbers though, the reality is Jameis is getting better every year; honestly, I beleive some of those turnovers last season had alot to do with him playing hurt…lets be real, often he puts us in position to win games only to watch the defense or special teams screw it up…Offense, Defense, Special Teams! the wins will come when the team as a whole gets better…

  22. Walter Seidel Says:

    Gee, Joe……it’s Bucs fans that are the problem here, not Winston. Got it.

  23. RODNEY J ALLEN Says:

    Brees hit 5000 n didn’t they have a run game? If jw is hot early it’s still possible to have both which we all want

  24. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    Bucnut2 Says
    “No way he starts in Chicago!”

    I almost certain he will start. Put it this way, if Fitz starts and the team loses, fans will immediately scream that Winston should have started and hold it against Koetter.

    But if Winston starts and loses, it will be blamed on Winston being rusty.

    Therefore, the smart move is to start Winston. He’d probably win the game anyway, and Fitz will have likely lost at least two games by then.

  25. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    Winston actually improved across the board except for total yards and fumbles, however, he was on pace for 4,300 yards, which would have been his best total yards, and sacks that the offensive line allowed on him last year also went up.

    I heard a host on a podcast say that he was under so much pressure that many times, the opposing team was in his face before he even planted his back foot.

    Combined with his injured shoulder, it is more than understandable that his fumbles increased.

    The claim that winston did not improve last year is a complete myth.

  26. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    And before someone points to wins, there is a reason wins and losses are not included in individual player’s stats…because it takes a team to win.

  27. Dapostman Says:

    Let’s not compare 23 yr old Winston to 30 something yr old Brees. That’s like comparing Walter, Brian and GD to The Most Interesting Man in the World. Let’s compare 23 year old Winston to 23 year old Brees.

    Brees> 16g, 60%, 3284 pass yds, 17TD, 16INT, 76.9 rating. His 24 yr old season was WORSE. Feel free to look it up.

    Winston> 13g, 63%, 3504 pass yds, 19TD, 11INT, 92.2 rating.

    Oh, did I mention the running game Brees had with LT standing behind him? Fools.

    #Get After It!

  28. Trench War Says:

    When half the leagues QB’s threw for 4000 yards or close to it last season, why is it being hailed as some glorious benchmark? Since they’ve changed the rules to benefit the receivers and QB 4000 yards has become just an arbitrary number. Show me 5000 yards and I will be impressed.

  29. firethecannons Says:

    It still blows Joe’s mind how many Bucs fans can’t wait to run off the best quarterback this franchise has had

    No Doubt!
    That kid was amazing, last drive of last game of 2017
    4th and 10 and a mile to go and he pulled it off. That performance was elite. You don’t just get that from any old quarterback-it was rare and a glimpse into the future.

  30. FairMinded Says:

    @TheBucsAnthem you’re going to eat those words…the guy is a winner. He’ll win SB’s we just hope it’s here with the Bucs

  31. Anonymous Says:

    Yeah yeah yeah, 11,504 yards in three seasons, this resulted in how many WINS? Enough to be us have a chance to see the post season? If Mr. Winston has another good season and passes 4000 yards I hope it is with a winning team record, not just another statistic record.

  32. OneBuc55 Says:

    @ Trench War…

    Actually only 8 QBs in the NFL threw for 4000+ yards last year…You act as if it’s an easy feat…In reality half the QBs in the NFL rarely if ever throw for 4000…

    Also please refresh my memory…before Winston who was the last Bucs QB to do it? I’ll wait…This isnt tennis; its football, in addition to a good QB you still need a solid defense, consistent special teams play, and a competent coaching staff to get victories…

  33. NPR SageBoy Says:

    If he throws for 4k yards in 12 games, it means running game or D stinks. Either way, season is lost. Who cares?

  34. John Says:

    Jameis can’t win games by himself!! All these idiots who want him run out of town need to look at the RB and D situation before you start with the QB. He puts the numbers up, okay he can lower the turnovers, got it. Even the Matt Ryan’s of the world throw a lot of interceptions every other year. Get off his back and blame the rest of the team. LOOK AT HIS NUMBERS

  35. Trench War Says:

    @OneBuc55

    Let me break it down for you, I said,

    “threw for 4000 yards or close to it”. I counted 14 <– That's almost half

    You said, "Also please refresh my memory…before Winston who was the last Bucs QB to do it?"

    I said, "Since they’ve changed the rules to benefit the receivers and QB"

    Evidently your reading comprehension lacks or you are unaware of the new CBA rules which went into effect in Freemans last season in 2012 in which he threw for (((((4065)))) yards too. So your question about past Buc QB's is B.S. since the only QB's since then were Freeman, McCown, Glennon, and now Winston.

    If you're gonna criticize my facts then have proof to back it up. The fact is It's no big deal to throw for 4000 yards in a season anymore.

  36. Trench War Says:

    @OneBuc55

    You also said, “This isnt tennis; its football, in addition to a good QB you still need a solid defense, consistent special teams play, and a competent coaching staff to get victories…”

    Also, where in the hell did I say Winston had to do it all on his own?

  37. Godeep66 Says:

    @webster: do you ever bring valid points to this site??? Seems like you just troll others. Your mentor, Alex Karras, is rolling in his grave. Let’s just all hope that Fitzpatrick starts off week and we will never have to see JW on the field again.

  38. Godeep66 Says:

    Side Note: I live in SouthEast Florida and always have the Bucs Flags representing……you should here that damn comments I get from folks when passing or anchored at lake Boca: Groper is one continual shout out I get, also a heavy does of “I hope you guys eat a W this year”. And today was the best/worst that I heard….my boats name is Pewter Power, some guy anchored behind me asked if I should rename it “Cooter Power”. Later referring that our starting QB received a 3 game suspension due to the power of the ……

  39. Eric Reyes Says:

    4000 yards passing used to be the standard for measuring and exceptional Qb just like 100 yards rushing was for a top tier running back. Fast forward to 2018 and 5000 k and 150 yards running are the new bench marks for greatness. As @ trenchwar stated above the rules have been changed to favor offense which is why it’s so common to reach the previous standards today. You don’t need a Delorean and a wacky scientist to see how it was back in the day, we now have the internet. So use it and see for yourselves.
    Who cares about what he did by age 24 considering most players are even starting until they are 23 to 24 years old like Drew Brees was when he first started. It’s a weak argument once you factor in the facts!

  40. Eric Reyes Says:

    I hope Fitz goes 3-0 and leads us to the playoffs while Winston watches from the bench how a professional conducts himself. If that bothers any of you it proves you are more of an FSU fan than a die hard Buccaneer!

  41. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    Trench War,

    Half the QBs in the league DID NOT throw for 4000 yards last year. Eight did. That means 24 did not.

    Amazing how math works.

  42. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    Eric Reyes, Nice try, but I don’t even care for ANY college football, so that blows your claim away.

    Not to mention: A real fan would want the team to win no matter who the QB is. Or do the other 23 starters not count?

  43. Buccaneer Bonzai Says:

    Oh, and FYI…no NFL quarterback came close to 5000 yards last year, so there goes another theory.

  44. Eric Reyes Says:

    Do your math buddy 4577, 4515 are pretty close to 5000. Actually if you were to round up that’s where you would be. 2016 Brees threw for over 5200 and Ryan and Cousins both passed for over 4900 so don’t try to isolate one year. In 2016 13 players went well over 4k so dude get over it. 2015 5 threw for over 4500 again while 12 went over 4k so like I said the true benchmark for greatness not just average is 5k. Now throw in Winston had the best recievers and tight ends in the league and it further shows he is average at best with massive character issues . If any other QB had this arsenal at their disposal and 6k is possible. Imagine Brady or Rodgers with the weapons we have, maybe that should put things into perspective for any human with a brain even you Bonsai. Then again….

  45. Trench War Says:

    Bonzai

    Good grief, I didn’t say just 4000 yards …I said 4000 or close to it. Even Jameis was close with 3500 in 13 games.

    4000 yards divided by 16 + 250 yards a game. That’s nothing in todays game.

  46. Trench War Says:

    @Bonsai

    …and I also said that 5000 would be a great benchmark. Nowhere did I say that anyone got 5000. You people need to learn to read.

  47. Dapostman Says:

    Drew Brees was so great at 24 that the Chargers drafted his replacement in the 1st round, Phillip Rivers. That’s what the Chargers thought of Drew Brees. Players mature at different ages. Winston isn’t going anywhere. Get over it!

    #Get After It!

  48. DavidBigBucsFan99 Says:

    Dapostman dont say players mature at different ages because walter ziegheil will scoff at you! You don’t want to incur his wrath because he ous such an internet tough guy who knows more than you, me and every other person up here. Oh by the way check your grammar before you post because of if you come up here incorrectly it will give him superiority over you! Be vewwy vewwy carefulll!

  49. Pryda... sec147 Says:

    Throw in a few bombs from D-Jax and others he most definitely can’t break 4K