As Winston’s play improves, Bucs’ shortcomings become more apparent
Martin Fennelly wonders whether Jameis Winston is a lifeline for Lovie Smith or another reason to sink the Tampa Bay head coach? By Martin Fennelly | Tribune Staff Published: October 31, 2015The Good Ship Lovie-pop continues to take on water, now starring the Washington fiasco as the flooded mailroom.Question: Is Jameis Winston a lifeline for Lovie Smith or another reason to sink the Tampa Bay head coach?Young Winston is clearly making progress at quarterback for the Buccaneers. There will be more bumps, for sure. But he’s supposed to make mistakes, more than someone in his 11th season as an NFL head coach.The rest of the team is supposed to be leading the way while Jameis grows. But it’s the other way around. That’s a problem when it comes to Jameis saving Lovie if the losses pile up, beginning Sunday in Atlanta.The better Jameis does, the more it underscores the rest of this team’s shortcomings — Lovie’s, too.Winston might have played his best game at Washington, those 297 passing yards, that deep touchdown ball to Mike Evans, no turnovers, all that. There were even coach-to-QB headset problems between Jameis and offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter.“Jameis, he handled that like a champ,” Koetter said.If only Koetter’s headset had gone dead before he sent in that cruddy third-down toss play on the goal line.I say Winston has given the Bucs a chance to win four games this season. That they’ve lost two of those games — at Houston and Washington — is a bad thing. You can’t waste good rookie QB moments. The Bucs, beginning with the head coach, are doing just that.The better Jameis looks, the more he looks like the right guy for this job. I bet the Glazers think they’ve finally found their franchise guy.Yes, that could help Lovie if the Bucs keep losing.“Hey, I got my guy. Hey, I wanted Jameis! I wanted Koetter, too! “If we’re pummeling Lovie for all the bad things that have happened, does he get credit for Jameis?But Jameis’ improvement will really work against Lovie if the losses mount, especially if the defense Lovie has built continues to be an open gate, points everywhere. After all the Lovie changes and moves, this defense should be further along.If I’m the Glazers, and I think I have my quarterback, it might occur to me: You don’t have to fire the quarterback with the head coach, or with the head coach and general manager. Koetter is clearly working well with Winston. There’s a smooth transition if this whole thing falls apart as November deepens.Of course, this Jameis question — Lovie lifeline or Lovie anchor? — would go away if the Bucs began winning games, maybe in December, with Jameis ascending, with the defense not getting beaten all over creation at critical junctures, with penalties not reaching critical mass.A good tip-off might come in Atlanta.The Bucs didn’t show up to play and were pulverized accordingly by the Falcons in Atlanta last season. The game also brings Julio Jones, arguably the NFL’s best receiver. But defenses are adjusting to Jones with a linebacker underneath, a corner on him and safety over the top. Tennessee had success with it last week, as Atlanta put up just 10 points in its win.So if Lovie’s defense has no clue, well, add it to the butcher’s bill.Jameis playing well and the Bucs winning is Lovie’s ticket to a third season. But Jameis evolving as the team around him is devolving, especially the defense, is trouble for Lovie. I mean, if ownership thinks the franchise has turned the corner at quarterback, they might decide Lovie is what’s weighing down the kid — and the franchise. The conversation should eventually be on the table. The table is already below the water line.
