Are The “Football Gods” Speaking?
June 22nd, 2018
Did Jameis’ actions blow up the careers of these two men?
The real sad thing about the upcoming suspension for America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, is that it could cost others their jobs even though they didn’t have a damn thing to do with an Uber driver in Arizona.
That’s what it appears to Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com .as he types Jameis’ suspension may be worse news for others with the Bucs than it is for Jameis.
The looming suspension raises questions about the organization as a whole and Winston’s future leading it. Bucs coach Dirk Koetter and general manager Jason Licht already entered this season on the hot seat after the Hard Knocks darlings underperformed by winning only five games last year. Even before this suspension, Winston had plenty of growing left to do on the field with his potential second contract looming.
Those are some of the big picture problems, but the immediate concern for Koetter’s staff will be an opening slate of games rather cruelly administered by the Football Gods.
Joe wrote about this yesterday. Could this suspension be a precursor to heads rolling at One Buc Palace? Maybe, but that is so premature.
Again, few believed the Bucs would navigate the first three games with a winning record. That was before factoring in Jameis’ suspension. Now let’s say the Bucs are 1-2 when Jameis returns. The season isn’t even remotely over.
Now if the Bucs are 0-3 and players start throwing in the towel (circa 2011 under Raheem Morris), then yeah, that could doom people’s jobs. Joe is of the mind Jameis’ suspension is not necessarily the first domino in a chain reaction of Team Glazer throwing the entire football staff out on Martin Luther King Drive.
June 22nd, 2018 at 2:05 am
This is The Perfect Storm heading right for Tampa Bay. Having a brutal 3 weeks to start the season, factor in the possibility of injuries during the Preseason, and losing our Starting QB to a suspension is potentially catastrophic since we could very likely be 0-3 heading into the Chicago game. I believe Winston is innocent since there’s no proof that he’s guilty (All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in the Court of Law).
June 22nd, 2018 at 2:31 am
The NFL acts upon it’s own sovereignty. They have their own rules and bylaws they adhere to, just like any company that has employees. They are not a public Court of Law. We have no clue what the investigation has discovered or uncovered but the 3 game punishment seems a little harsh for the failure to not report. I don’t know if he’s guilty but the perception is damning.
June 22nd, 2018 at 3:01 am
Oh but Joe, our general manager, Jason Licht, was the one who decided to draft this guy to the Buccaneers organization in the first place. In spite of all his off-field concerns, Mr. Licht assured us fans that he and his scouting team turned over every stone possible and ran a comprehensive background check on this guy.
No way Jason Licht should be spared his job if the season goes into the gutter. Now as for coach Koetter, yeah I will feel sorry for him if he loses his job as he had no control over bringing in Winston and I’d personally bet he’d rather have Marcus Mariota as his quarterback instead.
Also, if Koetter gets fired come January 2019, I won’t be surprised if Koetter tells people publicly that he tried to get Winston to follow the gameplan he devised but that Winston repeatedly ignored the coaching throughout his tenure, and calls Jameis an uncoachable player.
June 22nd, 2018 at 5:05 am
If Dirk goes two and one in the first three weeks he bought himself another year. In the mean time, I’m all in on Fitzmagic.
June 22nd, 2018 at 5:12 am
I think the excuses and the backing of a repeat offender need to end. Resign this bag of trouble? That would be a huge mistake. He’s already set this team back a number of years and hello…he’s only an average QB! Bring someone in like mccarron in Buffalo who can be acquired cheaply to compete with Fitzpatrick and trade this overrated clown asap. Add McCoy for a package deal. Some will say, trade the 2 best players on the team? Guess what, they’re frauds and fake leaders. Way better off with both gone.
June 22nd, 2018 at 5:13 am
Or it could be the best thing for Licht & Koetter (and Smitty), as long as Fitz stays healthy. This isn’t a 1-man team. Gut feel is that the Bucs will be 2-1 after the first 3 games this year. Saints, Eagles & Steelers can all be beaten … and Bucs have the talent to git er done this year. Fitz is still somewhat of a gunslinger in his own rite, BUT … looking at the 4 games he got a lot of time in last year, he’s also very good in ball control types games. This force Koetter & Company into more of a run/short pass game plan to control the clock, plus Fitz also showed better ball security (much better actually). This team WILL rise up & kick some ass, and that’ll be a very good thing moving forward.
June 22nd, 2018 at 5:32 am
We should have got cook last year and a Qb at 7 this year point blank
June 22nd, 2018 at 5:32 am
Winston has had and still has , a disturbing pattern of actions
Joe Blahak hit it, time to move on.
June 22nd, 2018 at 5:40 am
Jameis has been a slow motion train wreck going back to FSU , he has devided the fan base like No other player in franchise history
June 22nd, 2018 at 6:13 am
It is a very “real” possibility that this sinks the front office and coaching staff!!!!! We may all look back and think instead of trying to load up with castoffs and trades for this year, that they should have not traded for JPP but instead traded GMC and load up for 2019 and beyond!!!!!!!! The Bucs should be looking at QB’s in the second or up for next year!!!!!!! We might see a purge of the roster next offseaon!!!!!!
@joe
what kind of GM and coaches are the Bucs going to find, after JW3 has the coach killer tag applied (or worse)???????????
June 22nd, 2018 at 6:14 am
I’m all for being patient with a new QB entering the NFL; however, with that said, JW’s actions defy logic. Even if he did nothing, he had a responsibility to file an incident report. Incident reports are what professionals file as part of the job to protect the organization as well as themselves. He has so much maturing to do. Not sure he will get there before the organization parts ways with him. This is all on him.
June 22nd, 2018 at 6:24 am
I hope the only person fired after all this is Mike Smith. Please don’t throw away the start to a good thing.
June 22nd, 2018 at 6:40 am
What Defense said….
June 22nd, 2018 at 6:53 am
I’m pulling for Koetter, Licht, and Jameis this year. I think Glazers will take everything into consideration when evaluating the coach, GM and QB this year.
I agree w Realist, who wants to come coach and GM here if We have a bad year?
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:00 am
Tua/Fromm 2020!
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:04 am
I guess this Winston feels this is one female who should have been silent. He’s lied to fans yet some people defend him because he can throw a ball. They’re part of the problem.
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:07 am
If we play well without Winston….that will certainly impact his contract negotiations…..if there are any. The real question now is whether or not the Bucs stick with Winston.
Joe want’s them to all have his back……we will see.
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:10 am
America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston,
Putting Jameis on a pedestal makes things even worse for him……Joe, time to stop this….you are losing credibility day by day.
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:10 am
Another wasted season. I guess there’s next year. In all reality The NFL needs to get out of the police business and let the police do their job. If a player isn’t locked up he should be able to play because most people don’t care about what someone does after they are off the clock.
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:27 am
We simply can’t right the ship. Jaboo will be our season’s albatross. I’m know folks may want to rip Tom Jones, but even Ira said that if it’s found that Jameis was proven untruthful/untrustworthy by the facts associated with this matter, that he would’ve so significantly breached the organization’s trust to a degree where booting him would be a necessary consideration. I hate that we’re here on the cusp of a season lost to controversy. A player billed as the savior, but in reality a dumb kid (at best) or somewhere between a sexual miscreant or outright deviant. It sucks to be a fan of this team. It really sucks.
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:27 am
What really upsets me is that the NFL could have figured this out long before the draft and chose not to. They should have informed the Bucs of their decision and allowed the Bucs to move on and draft a quarterback.
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:28 am
I only had three concerns when Winston was drafted. 1. Accuracy 2. Turnovers & 3. Staying out of trouble.
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:31 am
This is a disappointing way to start the season.
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:32 am
Go play baseball..
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:36 am
“I only had three concerns when Winston was drafted. 1. Accuracy 2. Turnovers & 3. Staying out of trouble.”
And he really hasn’t improved any of those things, not really. I was a supporter at first but it’s hard not to lose faith when it doesn’t look like he is getting any better. His win-loss record speaks for itself. Are we sure we can win at Chicago? Is a 0-5 start possible?
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:36 am
Dear Jameis
Go away. This idiot fan base doesn’t deserve a liar
Respectfully yours naked all day long
Webster
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:39 am
I can’t stand Tom jones
However , he may be right How can coach , GM and owners trust this kid anymore He lied about Darby in vehicle on groping a woman.
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:39 am
Darn the suspension! This TEAM is bigger than ONE player. The Bucs have known this was coming and will have had an ENTIRE off-season to prepare. There are no excuses. ZERO!
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:41 am
The Saints always give us a hard time. The Eagles are Super Bowl winning team. The Steelers have one of the best offenses and football. Good shot we were going oh and three with Winston anyways. The latter part of our season lightens up and this team has done a better job of never throwing in the towel under cutter. I believe as long as they look competitive The coach and GM will be fine. Winston may be in trouble simply because of his huge contract looming and this may give us an escape.
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:43 am
@Joe
You are very short sided looking at the first 3 games. Is Jamis done in Tampa should be the question? I cannot see the Glazers throwing a very big long-term contract at Jameis. Should this go down as you have written, 3-6 games, JW probably will not have the respect of the team, coaches, fans nor ownership when he returns. Will players want to play for him? I think enough players will be conflicted enough that he may become a pariah. Personally, if I owned the club, he would not play all year and his fate would be determined at the end of the season. Anything less would be signaling the Tampa Bay community that the Bucs are a dollar only organization and morals and ethics be damned.
I also find it revolting that this site continues to put JW on a pedestal. I believe you will suffer a backlash from advertisers.
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:46 am
All the Haters are out in force! Milking this for more than it is worth!
I’ll burst their bubbles:
– the owners and team knew this was coming, and yet both recently said they are 100% behind Jameis. News they already knew was coming won’t change that.
– It will not result in Jason Licht getting fired. People keep saying Licht drafted him…but from the very start, it as Lovie who insisted they draft him.
– This happened years ago. Since then, Jameis has started charities, become more active in the community, AND GOTTEN MARRIED!
– The suspension was coming either way, regardless of guilt or innocence. That it was so short means the investigation went nowhere. But of course, public image means everything to the NFL, so they had to suspend him.
– It is three games! That’s all. It’s no different than if he was out with an injury for three games.
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:49 am
At worst, this means we get a better deal on his next contract.
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:50 am
I want to know who is advising Winston? Has to be a complete idiot! When last season was in the toilet should have went to NFL and let them know hey yes I was hitting on the driver and got a little out of hand in the process. Probably could have even negotiated down to two games. Instead they forced the NFL to dig up evidence. Sorry but three games isn’t for non reporting! Will the Bucs have any fans left? This is a huge embarrassment in a decade long debacle.
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:52 am
Defense rules got it right. Maybe Dirk changing from a vertical offense to a more short route offense is a blessing in disguise.
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:52 am
And to add, Fitz should be getting all the 1st team reps when training camp opens.
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:53 am
@Joe
If the joe’s were so adamant the doug martin let the team down, Why are the joes giving JW3 a pass????????????
June 22nd, 2018 at 7:58 am
Wow the amount of idiots that call themselves Bucs fans is crazy, this why we never win, our fan base throws in their towels at the first sign of adversity every year, just negativity on top of negativity, go root for another team already! He got in trouble not for he was being accused of, but for not telling anyone what happened, and yea he’s been immature but for some reason all of you think playing football should make you mature faster than the average 23 year old! He’s about to have a child and I think that will help him mature a lot. This guy is going to get us to the playoffs and beyon, and those of you who have his back, we don’t want you on the band wagon once he’s taking us there!
June 22nd, 2018 at 8:05 am
@Bonzai.
If as you say, the organization, i.e. the Glazers are behind JW, we know exactly their moral and ethics.
June 22nd, 2018 at 8:07 am
Well there is one thing right….a 23 yr old kid.
A immature 23 yr old kid about to have a kid, who needs to grow up
June 22nd, 2018 at 8:20 am
Rosenthal also said that’s the toughest 3 game opening stretch in the super bowl era!! Those c+ck sucking a$$holes(the NFL) pull that sh;t knowing their gonna suspend JW!! WTF?! We just gotta rise up and overcome this BS. What the hell did the Glazers do to make the NFL hate them so much? Got admit, GO BUCS!!!!
June 22nd, 2018 at 8:21 am
Got dammit, GO BUCS!!!!
June 22nd, 2018 at 8:22 am
@Bonzai
– It is three games! That’s all. It’s no different than if he was out with an injury for three games
I beg to differ…..an injury is no fault of the player…..this was certainly Jameis’ fault…..there is usually no stigma attached to an injury….and when the player comes back, it is over…..not here.
The deception and dishonesty is almost worse than the thought he committed the act……enjoying Football is a family endeavor in many cases….Jameis’ despite his community efforts may not be able to overcome this.
Yes….the 3 games is 3 games….but the reason for the absence is critical.
June 22nd, 2018 at 8:34 am
Koetter and myself wanted Mariota.. we both now are left with told ya so.. and one of us looking for a new job after season.
June 22nd, 2018 at 8:38 am
All about 3. #3 . First 3 games. And what happened to the mysterious 3rd person?.
June 22nd, 2018 at 8:39 am
That’s not true, AT ALL. It’s been well documented Jason Licht has had his eye on Jameis since 2013. I’m not sure why you’re making stuff up.
Your overall point still stands though. Jason Licht should not be fired for drafting Jameis Winston. Drafting him was a no-brainer.
The team having a worse win-loss record under Jason Licht than they did under the Mark Dominick era is another story…
June 22nd, 2018 at 8:42 am
Joe…. With current circumstances what they are, its High Time to lose the America’s Quarterback title and settle for just Jameis Winston! I am not convicting our QB as guilty of the alleged action in Arizona, but I do believe he knows this current set back for his team was avoidable.
June 22nd, 2018 at 8:47 am
I am not a Jameis hater at all but I agree with you here. There is no fundamental difference here. Whether he groped her or not is up for debate. What isn’t up for debate is that Uber banned Jameis Winston from using their service and they will only do that if you break one of their passenger rules.
June 22nd, 2018 at 8:48 am
Accused of sexual assault twice….starting a fight from the sideline (NO game) eating w’s like a dumb ass. I don’t think this guy should be the face of the franchise. I find it hard to believe that he’s going to wake up one day be a mature responsible leader. He is as advertised, and a turn over machine…….The rest of the team deserves better than this guy.
June 22nd, 2018 at 8:49 am
Bucs always have been and always will be a laughingstock league wide. Small market garbage team ran by incompetent morons. This franchise will never win a single meaningful game again. 42 year rebuilding year plan with one accidental super bowl win.
June 22nd, 2018 at 8:54 am
Okay, I get it. This is fresh (although EVERYONE knew it was coming at some point, and almost EVERYONE agreed that he was innocent). You all need a couple days to process.
I’m out until reason returns to this place.
June 22nd, 2018 at 9:03 am
Joe, I humbly and respectfully suggest that it is finally time to end the “America’s QB” crap. It has turned into a joke. And you’re (plural) smart guys.
June 22nd, 2018 at 9:10 am
From what I am hearing is true, The “real” fans are beyond disappointed!!!!!!! From The JW2 camp releasing that it is only about not reporting (allegedly) To the plea deal from 6 games down to 3!!!!!
Let my words be very clear!!!! I really like the coaching staff, The “real” fans think they can really coach and motivate players!!!!! But at this point some have to be about 75% that we see a huge difference at One Buc next year!!!!
@Joe
What are they going to do??? Had over top 5 or 10 QB money to a guy that cannot throw a deep pass, Is one bad pick up line from being suspended all year????? And guess what Joe!!!!! Defenses will give up a lot of yards when the QB hands over the ball at an alarming rate!!!!!! And don’t say it is playcalling!!!! How do we know JW3 was not distracted and not focus because a pretty girl was in the front row!!!!!!!!
@Joe
How can you say the table is set????? when all the GM did was bring in a bunch of “salary cap casualties”?????? How can the table be set, and the offense be firing on all cylinders when after the bye week the repeat offender has played in 1 game in 2 months?????????
It is a shame, that once again, Our coaches have to deal with distractions and obstacles before the season starts!!!!!!! When we look back, drafting the QB and free agency sunk the current regime!!!!!!!!
Very disappointed fans indeed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 22nd, 2018 at 9:16 am
6 dash 10 with or without him
June 22nd, 2018 at 9:24 am
DBS, good question,what about that 3rd person.
Looks like there wasnt one, or I would think they would have been brought forward by now.
Only one word comes to,mind looking back at all the past history.
Thug
June 22nd, 2018 at 9:38 am
I don’t know how much of this was on Smith and how much was on Licht. But if it was on Licht and the team tanks this year, it is much more likely that he would be shown the door with Koetter. Before this, I thought there was a good chance he was relatively safe, particularly if this years draft picks step up. But now, I’m not nearly as confident it will play out that way.
June 22nd, 2018 at 9:38 am
Agree w you, Realist. It’s a shame.
June 22nd, 2018 at 9:40 am
I guess the third person was the Burger King drive through employee, who stuck their hand in the window with the whopper and fries.
June 22nd, 2018 at 9:41 am
Buc realist
Good point on earlier Doug Martin comment. Jameis lied to this organization , his bosses, fans. Involving incidents with female. Not deflated footballs. His teammates must be pissed. You wonder if they have his back. Whether he did it or not , he lied. A lot of these guys have young daughters
He shouldn’t get free pass and shel be nicknamed Americas qb
June 22nd, 2018 at 9:42 am
And I’ll say it again. You don’t think Gruden had wind of this? In retrospect, not only was it a kings ransom in salary, but he has a QB he can count on.
June 22nd, 2018 at 9:43 am
The people still defending him are just like the mutants who think it’s okay to separate kids from their families. What is wrong with society
..
June 22nd, 2018 at 9:44 am
Realist,
You are not an arbitrator of who are and are not real fans. You never have been and you never will be. The people who disagree with your rhetoric, and there are many, only want to see the Bucs win. People who do not believe this current regime can get the job done are not fake fans and they are not any less of a fan than you are.
If you are being honest with yourself you simply cannot look at this situation and think the Bucs are going to somehow find a way to have a winning season. Just because you put on rose-colored glasses, use an extraordinary amount of exclamation points and question marks, and blather on and on about old coaches and GMs, it doesn’t make you a “real fan”. You’ve been spewing the same nonsense for years.
June 22nd, 2018 at 9:51 am
D Rome,
Realist is right more often than not.
June 22nd, 2018 at 10:14 am
@Eric “the mutants who still support him are the same ones who think it’s ok to take kids away from their families” ????? WTF are you talking about dude??? Sheesh you libs ALWAYS bring politics into things. If people don’t agree with you they are homophobes massaginest sexist baby haters racists all the time. Get over yourself.
June 22nd, 2018 at 10:29 am
SteveK – Realist is right about some things, wrong about others, just like all of us. For example, his earlier post about Doug Martin vs. JW and how on earth the Joe’s can’t admit that JW has let his team down while piling on (rightly) Martin is spot on. That said, D-Rome is also correct about Realist not being the arbiter of who real fans are. Trust me, if we’re taking the time out of our days and jobs to leave a comment, we’re real fans. ALL of us.
June 22nd, 2018 at 10:30 am
@D-Rome … “If you are being honest with yourself you simply cannot look at this situation and think the Bucs are going to somehow find a way to have a winning season.” If you look at the situation & believe that Jameis Winston ‘IS THE BUCS’ then you’re right; we probably won’t have a winning season. I personally don’t agree at all with that premise. Jameis is ONE PLAYERon a team of 53. Is the starting QB the most important player? On most teams, yes, but not all. Would you say that Trent Dilfer was the most important player on the 2000 Ravens when they won the SB? Probably not … he only started 8 games that season, went 7-1 (including a 34-7 win against the Giants in the SB), but wasn’t re-signed). Baltimore’s defense was what got them to the SB that year. Just like the Bucs’ defense was what got us our SB win (way back when).
This Bucs’ T-E-A-M WILL rise above this. Hopefully Jameis will too, but that’s more up to him than anyone else. He’s obviously very much influenced by the company he keeps. Great role model when working with kids. When hanging with some of his past ‘friends’ he seems to do some pretty dumb things … just like a lot of young people in today’s world. Hopefully this ends up being a life-changing event for him, not because of losing out on $$$ in the future, but because, at the core, Jameis is better than this IMO. Time to grow up and show some real maturity.
June 22nd, 2018 at 10:33 am
Dfense
How many times can we say” he’s better than this” before we come to the conclusion that he just isn’t?
June 22nd, 2018 at 10:39 am
Also, to get back to the OP, Gregg Rosenthal says “the looming suspension raises questions about the organization as a whole…” was the same thing said about the Steelers organization when Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for 6 games for much more heinous accusations? I don’t believe so. The situation here is somewhat different as the coaching staff has to have success and of course JW’s contract status is looming like an albatross.
And yes, for the love of god please, Joe’s, please, PLEASE lose that utterly ridiculous, comical, and at this point eye rollingly ironic moniker of America’s QB, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston. He has not earned that title. If you’re vying for accuracy try this: Tampa’s Current QB (starting game 4) Former One Time Pro Bowler Jameis Winston. Yep, though actually fully accurate it still sounds ridiculous.
June 22nd, 2018 at 11:02 am
I agree w Realist, who wants to come coach and GM here if We have a bad year?
plenty……
marquad manuel
jim schwart
harbaugh
buckner
and many more
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
June 22nd, 2018 at 11:04 am
Steven007…
Joe’s should use;
Should be Crotch Grabb’n, Crab Leg Steal’n, Former Prowl Bowl’n, W -Eat’n
Current Tampa Bay QB’n; Jameis Wins-none
June 22nd, 2018 at 11:10 am
bonsai
your dead wrong trying to blame lovie for this!!!!!!!
licht was in charge of the draft…..lovie was in charge of the final 53…..get your facts straight and hold the right folks accountable!!!!!!!
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
June 22nd, 2018 at 11:15 am
realist
the only part that I agree with you is the fact that “real” fans are very disappointed……
but this staff has had more than enough time to create a game plan around fitz and win…..
totally confident huh!!!!!!…..where’s your confidence is this staff that they can get it done…..
your lack of confidence illuminates this staff incompetence…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!…#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!…GO BUCS!!!!
June 22nd, 2018 at 9:39 pm
Alcohol is probably the worst drug there is. It’s cheap, it’s legal, and it’s been ingrained in young people’s minds for decades that you need it to have a good time. Alcohol has wrecked so many lives. DUI, DUI manslaughter, murder, you name it. And different kinds affect people differently. I’m thankful he wasn’t driving and killed someone. He did something really stupid but it could have been much worse. His best bet is to treat it like alcoholism and give it up for good. The Devil is in the Drink. Be smart and don’t bow to peer pressure, kids.
June 23rd, 2018 at 12:55 am
With such a QB rich draft, it was utter incompetence not to draft a QB, especially since the Winson investigation always had the chance to turn ugly. The Bucs could have drafted Lamar Jackson.