It’s no secret that a big reason the Buccaneers hired Bruce Arians as their head coach was the hope that he could help lift quarterback Jameis Winston to greater heights in 2019.
Arians hasn’t been shy about discussing where Winston needs to improve and identified decision making as one of those areas shortly after being hired. Mechanics are also an issue that’s come up as Arians, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen have reviewed Winston’s throws.
“I’ve studied a bunch of them,’’ Arians said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “Clyde has watched every throw he’s made since his rookie year and Byron, too. And it’s like you’re trying to look safeties off too long and your feet are crossed. So much of it is mechanical.’’
Arians said that the plan is for Christensen to work with Winston on “footwork and drills and throwing off balance and making these throws” until the mechanical issues are resolved.
“It can scare you to where you can’t recover or it can grit your teeth make you say, ‘I’ll show you,’” Arians said. “And I see the gritted teeth right now. He knows, that’s why I said it publicly right at the start, it’s his team. I believe in this guy. Byron believes in this guy. Clyde believes in this guy. The whole coaching staff believes in this team. He’s smart. He loves ball. He’s here. He’s got all the talent in the world, so why can’t he be successful?”
Winston is headed into his fifth season and he won’t get unlimited chances to show that he can turn his talent into results on the field. That makes this offseason a crucial one in Tampa.