Jones coming into his own

Jones coming into his own Howard Jones causes Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan to fumble during overtime, leading to the Bucs victory on Sunday.THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Published: November 6, 2015TAMPA — For the Bucs, a typical Friday practice ends around 1 p.m., or about two hours earlier than Wednesday and Thursday sessions.For a few players, though, practice goes on a little longer.Defensive end Howard Jones usually spends an extra 30 minutes or more trying to improve his pass-rush technique, and the overtime appears to be paying dividends.A converted wide receiver, Jones has plenty of speed and quickness, and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said he’s quickly developing the technique necessary to become an impact player.“Early on, we were saying it would be a while before he could counter this move or be stout at the point of attack, but he’s showing us that, for him, the learning curve has been decreased,’’ Frazier said of Jones, who has three sacks in three games.“He’s picking up things technique-wise a lot sooner than we thought. He’s still very raw and very young and there’s still a lot to learn, but we don’t feel as intimidated about putting more on his plate.’’The Bucs might have no choice.Fellow DE Jacquies Smith will miss Sunday’s game against the Giants with an ankle injury and DE William Gholston is listed as questionable with a knee injury. The possible absence of Tampa Bay’s starting defensive ends means Jones and reserves George Johnson and Josh Shirley could get a bump in playing time.“That’s definitely a possibility,’’ Frazier said. “We are tinkering with some things, so we’ll see what happens there.’’Run, Jameis, runQuarterback Jameis Winston might never be considered one of the NFL’s most mobile quarterbacks, but that doesn’t mean his legs and feet aren’t viable weapons.Winston scrambled three times for 24 yards and a touchdown during the 23-20 overtime victory over the Falcons last week and has run 24 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns on the season. It’s a modest degree of success, but enough to prompt the thought in Winston’s mind that he could indeed help the Bucs out by running the ball every once in a while.“I’ve been trying to talk to coach about putting in some QB runs,’’ Winston said with a laugh this week.The Bucs probably didn’t laugh along. Coach Lovie Smith has made no secret of his appreciation for Winston’s mobility, but has made no secret of his desire to keep his quarterback grounded.Winston understands. He doesn’t see a whole lot of designed runs in his future, but said his running style can prove beneficial.“My running style, man, I just compete,’’ he said. “That’s what I do. I compete. I know people talk about my (4.97-second) 40 (yard dash) times, but game speed is my deal. Like I said, I just compete.’’Fun with numbersDuring the first three weeks of the season, the Bucs converted third downs in the second half at a 19.0 percent rate (4-for-21). In their past four games, they converted second-half or overtime third downs at a rate of 51.6 percent (16-for-31).In their past three games, the Bucs recorded seven takeaways and only one giveaway. They scored 41 points off the takeaways and didn’t allow any points off the giveaway.Rookie honorsMiddle linebacker Kwon Alexander joined Winston as a two-time winner of the Pepsi Rookie of the Week award Friday when he was named the recipient of the honor for Week 8.In a courageous performance just two days after he learned of the shooting death of his 17-year-old brother, Alexander led the Bucs with 11 tackles and recorded an interception, forced fumble and fumble recovery during the 23-20 overtime victory at Atlanta.Alexander, the Bucs fourth-round draft pick out of LSU, also won the award in Week 3. Winston won the award in Weeks 2 and 5.Injury reportIn addition to DE Jacquies Smith, the Bucs declared WR Vincent Jackson (knee) and S Major Wright (hamstring) out for Sunday’s game, while TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins (shoulder), DT Tony McDaniel (groin) and S D.J. Swearinger (toe) joined Gholston as questionable. DT Gerald McCoy (shoulder) and LG Logan Mankins (non-injury related) are probable.For the Giants, three starters were ruled out: MLB Jon Beason (ankle/knee), WLB J.T. Thomas III (ankle) and TE Larry Donnell (neck).Roy Cummings