Calling Out Antoine Winfield, Jr.

November 9th, 2025

So the Buccaneers employ an Xs and Os guru to analyze games on radio, a guy who was named one of the top-50 players in team history.

Joe’s referring to retired tight end Dave Moore, who logged 15 NFL seasons.

After today’s game, Moore agreed with the postgame comments of Bucs head coach Todd Bowles: Tampa Bay didn’t play a fundamentally sound game. Per Moore, those failures led to multiple big plays on defense.

Rookie Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson busted a 69-yard touchdown run on a 2nd-and-9 play with the Bucs trailing by five points in the fourth quarter. It was the back-breaking play and the winning score.

Moore pointed a finger at Antoine Winfield, Jr. during a mini-lecture on run defense.

Moore said on the sweep play Winfield had a contain position and needed to run through his block and turn Henderson inside. That was a pure fundamental mistake, Moore said, and a great example of how the Bucs weren’t on their basics today. In the mind of Moore, Winfield turned a very short gain into a breakaway run.

“Tackling through the outside hip” was missing today too often for the Bucs, said Moore, adding “discipline, aiming points and technique” escaped the Bucs on Patriots’ big plays this afternoon.

“Guys caught out of position, as well,” Moore said.

Not a good day for Winfield, who also was on the wrong end of the Stefon Diggs touchdown pass to close the first half.

Winfield wasn’t in bad position there, but that highlight played over and over again today — and all this week — won’t help Winfield’s shot at postseason awards.

30 Responses to “Calling Out Antoine Winfield, Jr.”

  1. Regulator16 Says:

    Jordyn Brooks…coulda shoulda

  2. TheBucsAnthem Says:

    I think there’s a morale problem on the team……

    Baker said the Bucs came out flat today….that’s more than once this season

    Players are outta position again

    I think there’s an internal mutiny between the Bucs offense and John Grizzard because he’s such a bad play caller.

  3. Bucs 1 Says:

    Coming from a guy who couldn’t catch a watermelon

  4. Miller5252 Says:

    Not a good game for all their big money guys. All the big name guys for the Bucs looked bad today. Wirfs had another bad game, baker, Winfield, David, white and the list keeps going. They look completely different from the team that started the year. Get Gruden in to help our OC and have Arians show up to rip into the team and his replacement coach

  5. Alvin Scissors Harper Says:

    Winfield is a good player, but I don’t know that he is truly great. He was truly great in 2023.

  6. Rod Munch Says:

    Moore said on the sweep play Winfield had a contain position and needed to run through his block and turn Henderson inside. That was a pure fundamental mistake, Moore said, and a great example of how the Bucs weren’t on their basics today. In the mind of Moore, Winfield turned a very short gain into a breakaway run.

    ———-

    Moore can be a bit of a curmudgeon, but I generally appreciate his takes, but isn’t that exactly what Winfield is trying to do there? Henderson does turn inside, but the offensive lineman who has 150lbs on Winfield, just plows him over. What am I missing here?

    Also, again, the defense gave Baker the ball back three times in a row in the 4th quarter with a chance to take the lead, and Baker turned that into 0 points. So if they had done it 4 times in a row, Baker would have then finally came through with no timeouts and 45 seconds on the clock?

    Some ridiculous commentary from people in my opinion. I’m not even bashing Baker, I don’t think he had guys to throw it to – but the defense more than did it’s job. The offense did not.

  7. SBucs Says:

    Who places the players into position? The defensive call. Who call the defense? Case closed.

  8. SBucs Says:

    Good players playing bad is totally on the coaches. Who has a 6.7 defensive end one week pass defensing a five foot eight slot receiver. Coaching is fundamental to professional football. Good coaches place players into position to win. Bad coaches place players into position not to lose. Big difference. We have bad coaching. No one on this staff would coach with the Eagles, the Patriots, the Rams, Green Bay, etc.

  9. FlumundaCheese Says:

    The last thing Winfield needs to be thinking about is post season awards. He’s been real mediocre for going on 2 years now. He’s not the reason we lost, just one of them.

  10. NE Fan Says:

    What made you all belive the Bucs could walk over one of the best teams in the NFL? They played without their #1&2 RB and #1 WR Boutte. Most of you are counting the Bill’s as a loos, they too lost to the Patriots, they’re beatable. Your front D 7 played well today except two plays. Beside a bad int, this game was over in the 3rd qtr. Out played, definitely out coached, Bucs NOT that good, your division stinks!

  11. jcscycles Says:

    Players still have to execute. And for the most part they did not.

  12. I Remember 21 Says:

    Obviously there was going to be regression from him after darn near single-handedly winning us multiple games. You can’t count on that kind of play. What’s concerning is he doesn’t seem to be playing good fundamental defense. Missed tackles and bad angles. I don’t think anyone is gonna be talking about him being a top 2 safety in the league the way he’s played the last 2 seasons. Maybe the reason they didn’t blame his drop off last season on injury is because that wasn’t the reason for it đŸ€·đŸ»â€â™‚ïž

  13. Godlovesbucs Says:

    Why is a safety covering the best reciever on the opposing team? Thats what corners are for.
    Why is a safety being forced to contain the edge? Thats what d ends are for.

    Bad play calling IMO.

  14. Buc2Blame Says:

    Winfield is one of the worst safeties in coverage. He gets beat by whom ever every single time. His angles on tackling are horribkd

  15. Buc2Blame Says:

    Winfield a bum

  16. Alanbucsfan Says:

    Alot of defensive players not hustling on that play

  17. #1bucsfan Says:

    This loss is on everyone. Defense didn’t execute. Did we even get a sack today on the 2nd most sacked QB in the league. The blitz was brought but never got there. Totally on the defense. GRIZZ has bin trash at play calling. Baker seems like his only target at times is EE. several times Otton and others we wide open. What is bakers prob. Still no rushing from him. The biggest knock on baker is if he can’t scramble he isn’t that good. 3 Terrible games from baker. He better snap out of it and quick. It’s not fun watching this terrible offense

  18. KnoxvilleBuc Says:

    Articles are spot on as usual. We were not the hungrier team, we were not the more disciplined team, we were not the aggressors, or the better coached team. I didn’t have us winning today due to the holes we have and Bowels statistics coming out of the bye week but I had a lot of hope with all the opportunities given. Bad play from Baker, interior O-Line, and defensive fundamentals. Braswell was a 2nd rd pick? Wonder what player we could have got with via trade with a 2nd rounder. Picks are not everything in a win now window. Thank you Saints and Colts. A long road ahead we have and we can do it, just have to put it together.

  19. KnoxvilleBuc Says:

    Also, this secondary is led by Tykee and the front seven by Vita. More credit needs to be given to those two.

  20. ElioT Says:

    I like Winfield but he’s clearly been overrated and overpaid.

  21. BucksNBucs Says:

    again, not on AWJ. Look up SVD on that play (#8) , too slow. too weak.
    plus who was our outside guy? that wasn’t AWJ’s assignment

  22. BucksNBucs Says:

    looked at it again and again. that was on LVD as well as SVD. He should have contained.

  23. Hodad Says:

    All good. Winfield got paid, Zyon got paid, Dennis has no business being a starter. All overrated, all paid, fat, and happy.

  24. 813bucboi Says:

    Bad angles and no containment

    Poor execution

    GO BUCS

  25. FrontFour Says:

    Got paid. Hasn’t been the same.

  26. Saskbucs Says:

    Dennis was awful again. Wanna talk outside contain
 last TD run by Henderson he could have run to the edge instead he got redundant on Lavontes lane. Saw Dennis fishing multiple times out there.

    The stop David got on that 1 goal line run Dennis was out to lunch, overran it to help. Definitely needed a new inside LB.

  27. MelvinJunior Says:

    Junior HAD TO push him outta bounds there
 Ya know, YOU CAN DO THAT. :/

  28. MelvinJunior Says:

    Should’ve never ‘allowed him’ to get that second foot down there, in the FIRST PLACE. 💯

  29. mistermarty Says:

    Saw Dennis quit on 2 plays today. He is almost always in on big plays for the other team. Embarrassing.

  30. unbelievable Says:

    Oh that’s funny, cuz when I repeatedly said our “best safety tandem in the league” was overrated and missing plays, everyone in the game thread tried to tell me I was crazy.

 

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