After Further Review: 3 plays show Jameis Winston has the skills to winPETE PRISCO Senior NFL Columnist CBS SportsSeptember 3, 2015 5:52 pm ET 
TAMPA -- Throwing an interception off your back foot as you are falling to the ground in front of the home crowd is never good. It might make some rookie quarterbacks shrink in the moment, even in the meaningless preseason. The affect of plays like that can linger, like the stink of cologne from a guy who wears too much.But if there's one thing Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston has shown in his college career -- on the practice field and now in the preseason -- it's that he can overcome bad plays, horrible starts, and interceptions to bounce back and forget the mistakes.Winston threw a terrible interception that marked a bad performance by the quarterback and the team Saturday against the Cleveland Browns at Raymond James Stadium. But instead of sulking on the sidelines, he spent the moments after it acting like a seasoned veteran.Watching him through my binoculars, I saw him spend five or so minutes around offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter looking at the play on a tablet. Then he went to the offensive linemen and tapped a bunch of them on the shoulder pads, and mouthed the words: “That's on me.”Even if it truly wasn't, since the line play was downright dreadful that night for the Bucs and the blitzers were in his face on that play, seeing a young quarterback play the role of the anti-RGIII and take responsibility is a good thing for the Bucs.When I asked Winston after the game about his ability to bounce back from mistakes, including that doozy, he used the same words he did when I talked to him earlier this summer.“Snap and clear,” Winston said.That means on to the next play.“Guys are depending on me,” Winston said. “I will always try and fight. It's survival of the fittest.”For much of the Browns game, survival was the right word to use. The Browns came after him with a variety of blitzes and the Tampa Bay offensive line had no answer for them, and Winston struggled because of it. He finished the 31-7 loss going 6-of-15 for 90 yards with the pick and no touchdown passes. He was sacked four times, pressured a bunch more and it looked like he had almost no time all night long.Winston was bothered by an ankle sprain, which limited his mobility some. But even with healthy legs it wouldn't have mattered much against the Cleveland rush. For the preseason, Winston's numbers seem pedestrian for a player picked with the lofty first pick last May.His completion percentage is less than 50 percent, with 311 yards, no touchdown passes and two interceptions.Don't dare put this all on Winston.“I like what he's done throughout the games, but (Saturday) he was part of a bad effort that we had as a football team," Tampa Bay coach Lovie Smith said after the game. "There's not much we did well, Jameis or any other position you bring up. Coaching, all of it.”Don't get the idea, though, that this team has lost any faith in Winston. It's quite the opposite. He has been everything they expected and more from a work standpoint. He's a true grinder, a film devotee and almost needs a cot at the team facility he's there so much.“The football junkie stuff is absolutely legitimate,” Bucs general manager Jason Licht said. “He can't get enough of it.”Watching the game, I wanted to focus on three Winston plays here. One was the interception, the second was a 22-yard completion to Louis Murphy and the last one was a 26-yard rifle shot to Vincent Jackson.
So far the Bucs really like Winston's approach and work ethic. (USATSI)After the game, I asked Winston about all three plays. As he waited to exit the stadium, a bag of Outback food waiting to go home with him, Winston didn't mind talking about the interception first. He didn't deflect or shrug or make a face when I mentioned it like some quarterbacks would do.Play 1: Winston's interceptionThe interception came on a third-and-11 play at the Tampa Bay 24 with four seconds left in the first quarter.Here's a closer look at the play:
video linkThe Bucs were in a “posse” formation: three receivers, one back, one tight end with two receivers to the right outside the tight end. Cleveland countered with a nickel package, and then blitzed out of it, bringing a linebacker and a safety and Doug Martin failed to pick up the blitzer.The key to the play, though, was linebacker Karlos Dansby dropping out from the A-gap into coverage, Winston said.“It was a sight adjustment and I was supposed to throw the backside slant,” Winston said. “But the linebacker in the A-gap dropped out and took it away. I should have just thrown it away.”Instead, he backpedaled and threw awkwardly to Russell Shepard. But Charles Gaines picked off the floater and returned it 18 yards to the Tampa Bay 12 to set up a field goal and a 17-0 Cleveland lead.As one Tampa Bay source said, “He can't compound mistakes made by others by making his own.”Play 2: A 22-yard completion to Louis MurphyThe throw to Murphy, which came before the interception, was a dart for a 22-yard gain. On the play, Vincent Jackson ran a deep clear-out route, with Murphy running the square in behind it. Winston was able to use play-action to hold the linebackers.Here's a look:
video linkWhen I asked Winston if Murphy was the primary option against the Cover-2, which it looked like initially in the stadium, he quickly corrected me.“It was quarters,” he said.OK, so quarters. But he was the first option, right?“That's where it's supposed to go,” he said.Play 3: A 26-yard completion to Vincent JacksonThe third play we discussed was the 26-yard throw to Jackson, the veteran who has done nothing but rave about the young quarterback.Here's a look at the play:
video linkOn this play, Winston used a nice play-action fake to Martin to hold the linebackers and create a cavity behind them and in front of the safeties. He was able to get a clear view of Jackson on the cross and hit him in stride to help set up Tampa Bay's only touchdown of the game, which came on a Martin run on the next play.“Doug was running well, so they had to respect him,” Winston said. “Vince slipped behind them and we had an explosive play.”When Tampa Bay uses more of that play-action stuff, and Winston's line plays better, those are the types of throws he will likely make on a consistent basis. He does a nice job of reading the field, understanding passing concepts, and getting the ball to the receiver on time.His football IQ is impressive, even if he really doesn't like talking about himself. When I asked him if there were any other plays that stood out for him, he mentioned the 19-yard touchdown run by Martin. Winston's face lit up as he said it.Winston's preseason hasn't been a glowing one, but it shouldn't deter the enthusiasm for his game. This is a quarterback who loves to work, loves the process, and wants to be great.As the line improves, and it will with two rookie starters, Winston will show off his skills. It just might take some time. But the best thing about him is one bad play or one bad game isn't going to deter his drive to be the best, and there will be a lot of them along the way.“He never cowers,” Jason Licht said. “He wants to win on the very next play after he makes a mistake. After a bad day, he sits in meetings with the same attitude he did after he had a good day. He has little short-term memory.”That's a good thing, especially after his performance last week against the Browns.
Winston's play should improve if the Bucs' offensive line gets better. (USATSI)
