“The Million Dollar Question Is DeSean Jackson”
August 13th, 2018
BY IRA KAUFMAN
Jim Miller will always have a soft spot in his heart for the Buccaneers.
Pat Kirwan’s broadcast partner on “Movin’ the Chains,” a long-running SiriusXM NFL Radio program, landed in Tampa Saturday to watch the Bucs practice. The former quarterback of the Steelers and Bears who owns a Patriots Super Bowl Ring, came away impressed.
“If they can correct their red-zone issues from a year ago, they’ve got all the weapons,” Miller said. “I love this offense. Now I just want to see the defense come together and see if Mike Smith will be more aggressive.”
Miller’s resume reads like an NFL journeyman, but he did make 27 pro starts and he beat the 2001 Bucs twice en route to posting an 11-2 record for Chicago after an injury to Shane Matthews.
Ex-Bucs, Patriots, Bears and Steelers QB Jim Miller, of SiriusXM NFL Radio.
In midseason that year, Miller threw three touchdown passes to Marty Booker in a 27-24 triumph at Raymond James Stadium, where Brad Johnson set a Buc record that still stands with 40 completions. A month later, Miller tossed a pair of scoring passes in a 27-3 rout at Soldier Field as Anthony Thomas gashed the Bucs for 173 yards on the ground.
In 2003, the Bucs were defending Super Bowl champions and Miller was signed as Johnson’s potential backup, but he couldn’t overcome a slew of injuries and he was released in September.
When Miller looked out on the field from his perch in the indoor facility at One Buc Place Saturday, he saw potential.
“They’ve got a great front four,” he said. “Are the Bucs going to be vanilla and let those four apply the pressure? A better pass rush can make all the difference in the world. Hey, 22 sacks says it all. This team could not get to the quarterback.”
According to Miller, Tampa Bay’s roster is crammed with play-makers.
“The skill positions here are phenomenal,” he said. “The million dollar question is DeSean Jackson. I thought he’d have more of an impact last year. Believe me, this guy can still stretch the field. Then you look at Chris Godwin — he was the talk of camp last year and I get here and he’s the talk of camp again. There’s no reason this offense can’t put up big numbers.”
Will Dirk Koetter survive? It’s Miller time.
“Everybody knows there’s a lot of pressure on Dirk,” said Miller. “They went out and bought a defense to make them competitive, but the Bucs are getting no respect. Maybe they can use that to their advantage. I thought they would be at least a wild-card team last year, but they spiraled out of control.
“Granted, you need the ball to bounce your way in a tough division. They have the depth now to fill in when injuries happen. There’s no reason the Bucs can’t be one of those teams that come out of nowhere. It happens every year in the NFL.”
Miller knows what it takes to play under center and he kept a close eye on Jameis Winston.
“For Jameis, it continues to be the turnovers,” he said. “When you factor in the fumbles, it’s too much. He’s got to tighten up his game. I think he’s too sloppy … you can’t be careless with the football.
“If he just does that, those one-score games could potentially be wins for the Bucs. He tries to make a play, he holds onto it a little too long and sometimes, it’s just bad decisions. Jameis has all the talent in the world and this is a proving moment for him. He’s got to make everybody a believer. They’ve got to believe he’s going to be the leader he says he is and wants to be.”
Now in his 40th year covering the NFL, Ira Kaufman is the most revered sports personality and writer in the Tampa Bay area. He scored a full-time seat at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters in July of 2016. Tampa Bay’s only Pro Football Hall of Fame voter, Ira busts out columns here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and his award winning podcasts fire Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can also hear Ira on SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio Wednesdays at 5 p.m. during football season. Also a TV star, see Ira now on Mondays at 10:30 p.m. on Spectrum Sports 360 (aka BayNews 9). Ira also is part of the FOX-13 Tailgate Sunday NFL show and enjoys beet salads, Riesling, tennis, Chiefs victories and needling Joe.
August 13th, 2018 at 11:13 am
Oh my, doesn’t he know that your not supposed to mention JWs fumbles etc?
He’s obviously a hater.
August 13th, 2018 at 11:25 am
Actually, the million dollar question is can the new Bucs defense rush the passer?
Djax is about a half-million dollar question.
August 13th, 2018 at 11:26 am
“For Jameis, it continues to be the turnovers,” he said. “When you factor in the fumbles, it’s too much. He’s got to tighten up his game. I think he’s too sloppy … you can’t be careless with the football.
Lucky for you the Jameis crowd cant hear you, they are down by the river watching him walk on water
August 13th, 2018 at 11:44 am
The Bucs have terrible fans as evidenced by a large number of those that post on this site.
August 13th, 2018 at 11:54 am
I was unable to watch the game. How did Justin Watson do? I hear he had a fumble but was able to pull in 3 balls.
August 13th, 2018 at 12:23 pm
The key to the season is JW. But remember Ira, When you had over 55 turnovers in your 1st 3 years in the NFL as a starter that tells me poor ball security, most in the League in the 3 yrs. JW been a starting QB in the NFL. Plus JW has The Worst case of “Happy Feet” I’ve ever seen. The Vegas bookies at The Westgate Super Book rates JW one of The worst 10 starting QB’s in the NFL, so the The 2018 Tampa Bay Buccaneers will go 5-11. Time to retire Kaufman. David Corcoran, Winter Park, Fl.
August 13th, 2018 at 12:43 pm
Watson did fine
If you dare say anything negative about JW…. The JW sheep/blind lemmings will have at you and immediately label you
All signs point towards JW not being a franchise QB
All signs point towards JW keeps all making bone headed decisions
……. JW has set this franchise back another 8 years
August 13th, 2018 at 12:53 pm
I agree with everything Miller said – except that Winston being “careless with the football” was the reason for all those one score losses last year.
Late 4th quarter defensive collapses and bad kicking cost the Bucs at least 5 wins last year and Winston had put the team in position to win in every case.
If the Oline is fixed and the running game is working combined with the Bucs Defense being 15th or better in points given up – this 2018 Buccaneers team is going to do quite well. Better than many expect most likely.
August 13th, 2018 at 12:58 pm
The best QB the Bucs have ever had!
August 13th, 2018 at 1:06 pm
“JW has set this franchise back another 8 years”
They’ve sucked so long anyways…oh well.
August 13th, 2018 at 1:34 pm
JW May have the team in position to win a few of those games, but with turnovers, he also put the defense in a tough spot
August 13th, 2018 at 1:52 pm
Defiantly a Jameis Stan but don’t think he can walk on water, just know a heck of a football player when I see one. If this kid has even half a decent running game he can really light it up, not his fault our season went down the tube last year that was all the defense
August 13th, 2018 at 1:59 pm
Wausa you are totally right. We have the worst fan base in all of the nfl. Do you think patriots steelers bronco seahawk or even bears or bengals fans sit there and rip apart their qb, coaches and essentially anyone labeled a leader of their team? We cant even sellout a home game unless we are 7-2 and nation is talkin about us. Even then we hardly sellout. I get it we sucked for 10 years but the fans here have sucked for far longer. Would love for nothing more than Tampa to pack up and move this franchise to a city that would actually appreciate them and ve excited as opposed to finding fault with any and every one.
August 13th, 2018 at 2:04 pm
Marty Booker and Anthony Thomas?!!! Wow! What a trip down memory lane. Both players were underrated in their day.
August 13th, 2018 at 2:44 pm
yup i can tell we will be just fine, after all we now have even a great kicker too.
Pass the kool aid and tell me why we suc when it comes to them.
I don’t have faith in Castanza,but go ahead and please change my mind as why I had visions of Aguayo another Tally boy like Winston, danceing in my head after what I saw.
August 13th, 2018 at 3:53 pm
tape doesn’t lie.. jw is not a top tier QB you can take that to the bank quoting SB what does your eye test tells you…?exactly…!
August 13th, 2018 at 4:29 pm
Jameis isn’t perfect but he’s the best option at the right time. Steve Young had nothing on either side of the ball like Jameis has right now. This team has the best balance of talent since before or after 2002. Players have to gel and there are still some holes to fill, but this team has more talent at every level than we have ever had before. No true Buc fan would want to start from scratch with a rookie QB and waste the talent that we have right now. I want to see at least one more Lombardi trophy before I die. Jameis turns the ball over too much, but he still is waaay better than Doug Williams or even Brad Johnson, and this is by far the best receiving corps in franchise history. Make hay while the sun shines. Focus on football.
August 13th, 2018 at 5:07 pm
Dont knock Brad he won us a super bowl or Doug ,he won one too.
Im not a stat beliver but David said 55 turnovers im 3 years? You cant win with that and Winston proved it.
August 13th, 2018 at 6:25 pm
Every Bucs fan knows Winston’s strengths and weaknesses. Some choose to accentuate the positives and others choose to highlight the negatives. You can please some people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time.
August 13th, 2018 at 7:28 pm
“When you factor in the fumbles, it’s too much. He’s got to tighten up his game. I think he’s too sloppy …” But he’s the best QB we’ve ever taken down from the side of our stadium….so there’s that.
August 14th, 2018 at 7:36 am
I heard Jameis supports MS13 and open boarders.
August 17th, 2018 at 6:41 pm
What is a beet salad?
August 17th, 2018 at 6:43 pm
1Sparkybuc said, “I want to see at least one more Lombardi trophy before I die.“ shoot, I hope you’re a toddler. What’s a beet salad?