Summary:Jameis Winston played more than any other starting quarterback during the first week of the preseason. Lovie Smith opted to keep the No. 1 overall pick in the game for the entire first half, and based on how Winston performed, it looked like he definitely needed the work. Winston had an atrocious debut. He did some things well and had some bright moments, but struggled overall. Here's a drive-by-drive analysis of his first start: 1. Winston overshot his target by about five yards on his first and only attempt. 2. Winston heaved a pass way behind Mike Evans and then was nearly picked on his next throw. 3. Winston took a sack from Everson Griffen, but then hit Vincent Jackson with a 43-yard pass while getting hit. Tampa nailed a field goal, as this was Winston's only positive drive versus the Minnesota defensive starters. 4. Looking skittish in the pocket, Winston stared down his receiver and telegraphed a pass that was intercepted by a reserve Minnesota defensive back. 5. The Buccaneers took a big loss on third down because Winston mishandled a slightly high snap. 6. Winston once again failed to move the chains versus the Viking backups. This time, he bobbled a snap, picked up the ball, rolled out and took a big loss on a sack instead of throwing the ball away. This prompted the color analyst to say, "He's making mistakes that are not acceptable at this level." 7. Winston managed to finally get into a rhythm. He converted some impressive passes and then scrambled into the end zone. However, it must be noted that Winston and the Tampa starters did this against the Minnesota backups. Winston finished 9-of-19 for 131 yards, a rushing touchdown and the interception. If I had to grade this performance, I'd give him a "D." Winston appears as though he has a long way to go. Here were Winston's targets: Kenny Bell: 1 (1 end zone) Mike Evans: 3 Vincent Jackson: 3 Mike James: 1 Louis Murphy: 4 Bobby Rainey: 1 Austin Seferian-Jenkins: 2 Russell Shepard: 1 Luke Stocker: 2 It goes from bad to worse for the Buccaneers, as right tackle Demar Dotson, the team's best offensive lineman, sustained a knee injury. He couldn't put any pressure on his leg and was helped off. On a more positive note, Doug Martin rushed for 19 yards on five carries. There were reports that Martin was back to rookie form in training camp, and he certainly looked like it in this contest. His best gain was a 7-yard burst in which he made several Vikings miss. The box score will tell you that Mike Evans didn't catch a single pass, but he was targeted three times. Winston simply couldn't get the ball to him. Winston could improve, but if not, Evans will have a rough sophomore campaign. Meanwhile, Teddy Bridgewater was the far-superior quarterback in this matchup, as Winston's performance made the Viking signal-caller look like the second coming of Joe Montana. Bridgewater misfired on just one attempt, going 7-of-8 for 86 yards. He opened with a strong, 18-yard pass to Kyle Rudolph off a play-action bootleg to his left. His only incompletion was a deep end zone shot to Mike Wallace that had a chance of being caught. Wallace had good coverage from cornerback Johnthan Banks, so Bridgewater threw it to his back shoulder. Wallace simply couldn't reel in the ball.
