94
History says a risk-taking QB like Winston won’t change (especially when his scheme
remains similar). That, plus an overhaul on defense, means that a turnaround is at least a year away.×BRUCE ARIANS STRUGGLES TO SAL-
VAGE JAMEIS WINSTON. Winston can
read coverages and play from within
the pocket—two vital traits for an NFL
quarter back. But the No. 1 pick of the
2015 draft remains inconsistent in his me-
chanics and especially his
decision making. Winston
can be excellent targeting
deep- intermediate routes,
but he too often throws
late across the middle,
which is a great way to be
intercepted. Arians, who
can be notoriously blunt,
emphasizes to Winston
the virtue of safer throws.
The problem is that Ari-
ans’s scheme is heavy on
downfield route combina-
tions, often with five re-
ceivers out in patterns; for his offense
to thrive, the quarterback must be willing
to reach for the opportunities created.
Arians’s greatest successes have been
with Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck
and Carson Palmer—three aggressive
downfield throwers. Winston could be a
fourth, if so much of him didn’t need to
be reprogrammed.× THE GROUND GAME REMAINS HOT AND
COLD. Stylistically, Tampa Bay’s road-
grading O-line fits Arians’s inside zone
scheme, as does nimble Peyton Barber ,
who might be football’s most underrated
tailback. But it’s hard to expect too much
from the rushing attack; last year, with
the same players and the same inside-zone
scheme, the Buccaneers ranked 31st in
yards per attempt.
× YOUNG DEFENSIVE BACKS PLAY A KEY
ROLE. Carlton Davis, Tampa Bay’s 2018
second-round cornerback, struggled
early as a rookie but improved down the
stretch. At 6' 1", he has the length to han-
dle press coverage, which
happens to be the specialty
of ’19 second-rounder Sean
Bunting from Central
Michigan, one of three
DBs taken with the team’s
first four draft picks. These
backs can jam receivers,
giving the signature blitzes
of new coordinator Todd
Bowles time to get home.
× OPPOSING GUARDS AND
CENTERS HATE PLAYING
THE BUCS. Bowles’s
blitzes often attack the in-
terior of the offen sive line. With speedy
linebackers—No. 5 pick Devin White of
LSU, veteran Lavonte David and former
Cardinal Deone Bucannon—and no proven
edge rushers, Bowles relies on his preferred
inside pressures. That also happens to be
a good way to attack the pocket-oriented
passers of the NFC South: Cam Newton,
Matt Ryan and especially Drew Brees.WHAT LIES AHEAD
SI’S 2019
PREDICTION
5 – 11
2018 RECORD 5Ð 11
SEP T. 8
VS. SF
SEP T. 12
@ CAR
SEP T. 22
VS. NYG
SEP T. 2 9
@ LAR
OC T. 6
@ NO
OC T. 1 3
(in London)
VS. CAR
OC T. 2 0
BYE
OC T. 2 7
@ TEN
NOV. 3
@ SEA
NOV. 10
VS. ARI
NOV. 17
VS. NO
NOV. 24
@ AT L
DEC. 1
@ JAX
DEC. 8
VS. IND
DEC. 15
@ DET
DEC. 22
VS. HOU
DEC. 29
VS. AT L
We
ak
ne
ssQB
24
RB
23
WR/TE
8
OL
15
FRONT 7
30
DB
32
LAU
RA
HEA
LD
(WI
NS
TON
); (^) M
IKE
(^) EH
RM
ANN
/GE
TT
Y (^) IM
AG
ES