This season was never anything more than a referendum on Winston's future, and him being in there is part of that.įourth, Winston could have been injured in any of the games since he returned. Third, as much as these games are meaningless, they were always meaningless, even before the Bucs were eliminated. Bucs coach Dirk Koetter knows it, too, whether that saves his job or not. Second, the very idea that the Bucs need to sit Winston underscores a central point: The Bucs think Winston gives them the best chance to win. They'll pick the wrong guy, anyway, not matter where they pick. I have complete confidence that this team can lose its last two games without trying to lose its last two games. Me? I'd play them, starting with Winston.įirst, the Bucs don't need to try to tank. Yes, there a lot of reasons to sit Winston Sunday in Dallas. The Lions, picking third, took a running back: Barry Sanders. The Bucs used the sixth pick to choose linebacker Broderick "Sandman" Thomas, who spent five nondescript years in Tampa Bay. The Bucs defeated the Lions, 21-17, thereby giving them the sixth pick of the draft and Detroit the third pick. On the other hand, in 1988, with everything to gain by losing, Ray Perkins' Bucs were 4-11 heading into the final game of the season against the equally 4-11 Detroit Lions. That brought them Winston, the franchise quarterback, so called. In 2014, they pulled some key starters and all but laid over and died in the season finale against Atlanta, losing easily and securing the top pick in the 2015 draft. The Bucs have a hit-miss record with tanking. If the Bucs roll over and finish 5-11, they might be able to move up a few spots in the draft. I mean, if the organization has made up its mind, what more does it need to see?Īnd then there is the tanking aspect to all this. If you're the Bucs, there's a real risk in running Winston out there. He has no one to blame but himself.īut he is the quarterback, and the Bucs don't have any real options on the horizon, and that includes the two Ryans, Fitzpatrick and Griffin.
Let's be clear, again: Winston brought this all on himself through his actions. If Winston doesn't play the rest of the way this season, the Bucs might be in a better position to cut a deal with him, contract wise. It reminds us that Bucs should have either dumped Winston or restructured him into a new, more team-friendly deal as soon as they decided to keep him despite his off-field troubles, which resulted in being suspended for three games to start the season. If Winston plays, and gets injured, it's trouble, The Bucs picked up Winston's option last April, and if he's hurt, he is still guaranteed $20.9 million in 2019.
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