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Jameis Winston's Newfound Accuracy


bucsfan333

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https://www.floridafootballinsiders.com/buccaneers/bucs-qb-winston-accurate-ever-can-sustain/

After incredibly hitting on 21 of the 29 throws he made during the Bucs 12-8 victory over the Jaguars on Thursday night, Winston’s completion percentage currently stands at an eye-popping 71.4.

"The numbers we keep in practice are up about the same percent, about 10-percent higher than he was in training camp last year,’’ Koetter said. “And there’s a big enough body of throws there that, if you’re a stat guy, you would say (he is throwing with more accuracy).’’

You can see it in every throw. He threw the ball all over the field against Jacksonville, and his passes were all on the mark. I'm not talking about the forced throw to Godwin in double coverage or his "I thought one of our guys would come down with it" 'WTF IS YOU DOIN'???' throw in the redzone. I'm talking about the darts he threw 10, 15, 20 yards down the field that were on time and where only his guy could catch it. Even his bomb to Evans was money. And he's been doing it since day one in camp.

Is this the new Jameis? He's not gonna hit the 70% he's currently at. But can he be closer to 65% than 60%? The oline did a great job of giving him time Thursday. And that obviously helps. But is accuracy suddenly a positive trait of our QB?

He checked the ball down three or four times against the Jags. That's something it seems he only did three or four times all last season. Getting a few yards and living to play another down has never been a strength of Jameis; all the way back to FSU. But he's doing it now.

Those dump offs are gonna help his completion percentage, no doubt. But is he gonna maintain that touch and pinpoint accuracy he showed this week? The past two years have been awful, erratic Jameis in the first quarter, followed by good Jameis the last three. He's absolutely been a better second half QB in the NFL. But that wasn't the case against the Jags.

Is this something we have to look forward to? Has he taken a big, big step in year three? He always preaches getting a little bit better every day. And we've seen it in other areas since his first pick six; his release is less of a wind up, his footwork is a million times better, his decision making is better (even if he has those lapses from time to time). But has he finally improved on his accuracy? 

We sink or swim with him. Our running game is still a question. Our starting front four haven't shown up in a game like they have in practices. Our secondary is still sketchy. We go as far as Jameis takes us.

For the sake of getting over the hump and finally making the playoffs, I certainly hope so.

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So I guess the comparisons to Byron Leftwich coming out of FSU appear to be false.   I really believe him being able to dedicate the last 3 summers to his mechanics has been the catalyst.  Also, he has really worked on his conditioning and flexibility.  His overall physique has been completely transformed.   As a comparison, we look at Tom Brady coming out of Michigan.   In his early years,  we see him adjusting his mechanics and reshaping his physique also.

Finally, I don't think it can be under stated how important it is to be in the same offense for the third year now.  When Lovie was fired, the Glazers did the right thing by giving Winston his best chance to succeed by maintaining continuity. Look at the personnel packages being used so far. Guys lining up all over the place.  I don't think it is a stretch to see this current offense even more diverse then the Gruden Era.  It should be a fun year.

He's going to have those crazy Favre moments.  Sometimes it leads to the debacle in Jacksonville, the flip side is the play against the Bears last season.  

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I remember him making the Pro Bowl as an alternate his rookie year. He said he looked around at the other QBs and noticed they were all ripped. So he decided to try and emulate them. That's dedication from a man on something that's merely visual. Imagine the work he puts into things that actually matter.

And him having those moments like he did against Chicago feed into and helps contribute into his biggest weakness; he trusts his arm and his guys too much. That's probably something that'll never be coached from him. And it sucks. Granted, he's done it less and less since his rookie year. But it's still a problem. And one that can change the course of a game.

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It's encouraging to read stuff like this and actually have it tie up to what you're seeing on the gamefilm. Winston seems happier to take what he's being given and isn't trying to play hero ball every time he drops back.

There likely isn't a single reason for that. It's probably a combination of hard work on his mechanics/ footwork, being more willing to take what's there, and having more options because of an improved supporting cast (both guys getting better and offseason acquisitions). 

The only criticism I have of him this preseason is where he's putting the ball on crossing routes. In both preseason games he's hasn't lead the receiver enough, causing the receiver to slow up and allow the defender time to recover to make the tackle before the first down marker. I've not seen the film from behind the QB, so I don't know whether he didn't have a throwing lane to lead the receiver further.

Overall, I'm encouraged by Winston's development. We'll likely never coach that tendency for one play of absolute stupidity out of him, but he might continue to surprise us all.

As goes Winston, so go the Bucs. This season should be fun.

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well he's going to need to TBH to offset the bone headed plays he makes

 

ive always been "the Mariota" supporter but we have Winston and hes been great , his progression throughout these couple years has been on the upward trajectory. 

His main issue is his accuracy, and im in the belief that that is the hardest aspect of a QB to fix. If he actually makes that jump to inbetween 65-70%, he's going to be fantastic....and i'll be able to cope with the dumb interceptions

1 thing i do love about him though is how he does get it to everyone in the offense , spreads the heck out of that ball

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Year 3 we should expect a more consistently good Winston. I want to point out first, that he actually looks comfortable in the pocket. The OL is doing better you can see improvements in Don Smith. Winston has been money with his throws and for a guy as talented as is... does not come to a surprise

 

Repetition is key. We tend to forget Winston rookie year he basically was a JR in college. The more live XP he gets the more he can grow as a player. Expecting a big year.

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Winston pocket awareness is most times a great advantage.   He feels pressure and is able to move and a lot of times forward as opposedto around one of the tackles cutting the field in half.  I expect a lot less running past the line of scrimmage and more completions like the one to Humphries in the 1st quarter against Jacksonville.   

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One of the highlights of episode 3 of Hard Knocks was found at the very beginning.   They showed footage of Winston s offseason training program.   A lot of work on core training and balance exercises, pretty impressive stuff.  I believe the combination of work ethic and the ability of Winston to compartmentalize distraction and mistakes is what will turn him into an elite QB.

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Jameis has all the arm talent in the world. He's also got a gunslinger mentality that often gets him into trouble. One thing to consider is that Jameis routinely went for the risky throw instead of taking easy checkdowns dating back to his FSU days. I think his accuracy problems aren't 100% just his inability to throw accurately but his mentality to try tough throws over checking it down.

He's a 23 year old entering his third year. He just needs to keep developing. Learning when to take risks is definitely something that can be learned.

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