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.
#PATRIOTS RB TREVEYON HENDERSON TODAY:
14 CARRIES
147 YDS
10.5 YPC
2 TOUCHDOWNSHE HAS ARRIVEDđ„ pic.twitter.com/lfIZSt3zRC
â Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) November 9, 2025
November 9th, 2025 at 5:05 pm
Jordyn Brooks…coulda shoulda
November 9th, 2025 at 5:08 pm
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.
November 9th, 2025 at 5:10 pm
Coming from a guy who couldnât catch a watermelon
November 9th, 2025 at 5:11 pm
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
November 9th, 2025 at 5:11 pm
Winfield is a good player, but I donât know that he is truly great. He was truly great in 2023.
November 9th, 2025 at 5:13 pm
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 werenât 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.
November 9th, 2025 at 5:14 pm
Who places the players into position? The defensive call. Who call the defense? Case closed.
November 9th, 2025 at 5:18 pm
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.
November 9th, 2025 at 5:19 pm
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.
November 9th, 2025 at 5:19 pm
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!
November 9th, 2025 at 5:22 pm
Players still have to execute. And for the most part they did not.
November 9th, 2025 at 5:23 pm
Obviously there was going to be regression from him after darn near single-handedly winning us multiple games. You canât count on that kind of play. Whatâs concerning is he doesnât seem to be playing good fundamental defense. Missed tackles and bad angles. I donât think anyone is gonna be talking about him being a top 2 safety in the league the way heâs played the last 2 seasons. Maybe the reason they didnât blame his drop off last season on injury is because that wasnât the reason for it đ€·đ»ââïž
November 9th, 2025 at 5:25 pm
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.
November 9th, 2025 at 5:25 pm
Winfield is one of the worst safeties in coverage. He gets beat by whom ever every single time. His angles on tackling are horribkd
November 9th, 2025 at 5:27 pm
Winfield a bum
November 9th, 2025 at 5:28 pm
Alot of defensive players not hustling on that play
November 9th, 2025 at 5:28 pm
This loss is on everyone. Defense didnât 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 canât scramble he isnât that good. 3 Terrible games from baker. He better snap out of it and quick. Itâs not fun watching this terrible offense
November 9th, 2025 at 5:31 pm
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 didnât 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.
November 9th, 2025 at 5:32 pm
Also, this secondary is led by Tykee and the front seven by Vita. More credit needs to be given to those two.
November 9th, 2025 at 5:36 pm
I like Winfield but heâs clearly been overrated and overpaid.
November 9th, 2025 at 5:42 pm
again, not on AWJ. Look up SVD on that play (#8) , too slow. too weak.
plus who was our outside guy? that wasnât AWJâs assignment
November 9th, 2025 at 5:45 pm
looked at it again and again. that was on LVD as well as SVD. He should have contained.
November 9th, 2025 at 5:57 pm
All good. Winfield got paid, Zyon got paid, Dennis has no business being a starter. All overrated, all paid, fat, and happy.
November 9th, 2025 at 5:57 pm
Bad angles and no containment
Poor execution
GO BUCS
November 9th, 2025 at 6:23 pm
Got paid. Hasnât been the same.
November 9th, 2025 at 6:28 pm
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.
November 9th, 2025 at 6:48 pm
Junior HAD TO push him outta bounds there⊠Ya know, YOU CAN DO THAT. :/
November 9th, 2025 at 6:51 pm
Shouldâve never âallowed himâ to get that second foot down there, in the FIRST PLACE. đŻ
November 9th, 2025 at 6:59 pm
Saw Dennis quit on 2 plays today. He is almost always in on big plays for the other team. Embarrassing.
November 9th, 2025 at 7:07 pm
Oh thatâs funny, cuz when I repeatedly said our âbest safety tandem in the leagueâ was overrated and missing plays, everyone in the game thread tried to tell me I was crazy.
November 9th, 2025 at 9:22 pm
Get lost NE fan how arrogant of you to say New England is one of the best teams in the league. You have not played nobody this year. Wait until you start playing the good teams youâre not going anywhere so shut your mouth.
November 10th, 2025 at 12:06 am
J Whitehaed on line 1âŠ.
November 10th, 2025 at 1:40 am
Ever since he got the big money contract complacency set in with this guy. See it all the time in players after they get the big money.
November 10th, 2025 at 2:33 am
FINALLY. Outside of his game saving play on the ball against Atlanta and his play against the JV NO team, Winfield hasnât done much for me and is just cashing checks. You suits need to be more objective in your reporting and less worried about not pi$$ing off the Bucs and losing your seat at the table.
1) Nobody writes here with a care about “the suits” you referenced or locker room credentials. The site was built without this mythical seat you speak of and would be wildly entertaining and informative without it. It seems you’re not a regular reader here. Joe doesn’t tell fans how to be fans, and Joe doesn’t expect guidance on opinions. –Joe
November 10th, 2025 at 5:19 am
He has not been the same since the big contract
November 10th, 2025 at 5:55 am
I think the Joes are barking up the wrong tree. The stretch play killed the personnel grouping we had aligned to defend that particular run. Why was Kaevon Merriweather in the play? There’s a reason why this guy is just a core special team’s player, because the guys in front him are so much better that he doesn’t get that many snaps on the regular defense (Am I missing Merriweather as some goal line run stuffing savant?). Before this game, he only has taken 11 snaps with the regular defense this season. The only time he should be hitting the field is either its a special teams play or we are playing dime with a third safety as a “linebacker” in place of somebody like SVD or LVD. Did Parrish or Tykee Smith get hurt earlier? Surely either one of them would have played that run better.
Not doubt Winfield didn’t defeat his block, granted I think AWJR31 was probably overmatched with #95 Tonga running full-steam at 335 lbs playing fullback. Khyiris Tonga took both Winfield and Greg Gaines out of the play with his block, but Merriweather shouldn’t be seeing the field when the score was just 21-16 late into the game, as his limited football IQ makes him not reliable to help on the backside run support.
It looks like Lavonte had an opportunity to get to the runner but also whiffed, going for a kill shot instead of squaring up. At the snap, the safeties (Winfield and Merriweather) both dropped down tight to the LOS with what looks like 6 down lineman (Nelson, Hall, Vea, Simmons, Gaines, Diaby all had their hands on ground) meaning 8 defenders on the line), with LVD, SVD and McCollum playing the backend. The Bucs sold out on the run, but once Tonga made his block and LVD missed the tackle the runner was gone. Neither Nelson, McCollum nor Merriweather had the urgency to rally to the ball as the played developed on the other side of the formation. The Bucs probably were better off just playing their 3-4 base nickel personnel, even on this obvious run down Parrish and T Smith are already good run support defenders and probably have the extra gear that the wide bodies aren’t built for (looking at Hall and Vea in hot “pursuit” at the end of the clip). With wide-bodies like Simmons, Gaines and Vea personnel grouping would have made sense if the Patriots ran inside, but once the actual offensive play call opted to stretched it out to the boundary, there wasn’t enough athletes who were still upright to keep contain, especially with Tonga leading the blocking. The Patriots called a good run play against a personnel grouping that wasn’t equipped to defend horizontally. This is where we are missing someone like Kancey, who is more athletic than Simmons and Gaines or Reddick in place of Nelson strictly to defend against the strech play.