<grammarly-btn>The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are faced with a dilemma this week. Their franchise starting quarterback is coming back off suspension and is by all accounts ready to take the reins and get back to playing some football. Jameis Winston has been the starter for the Bucs for the past three years, ever since being selected 1st overall in the draft in 2015. He has had his growing pains as a starting QB in the NFL but at times has flashed signs of brilliance. He has been the unquestioned leader of the Tampa Bay offense and there has never been a moment when this was in doubt until this season.
<grammarly-btn>Winston started the season with a three-game suspension due to conduct off the field. A suspension that may have cost him his role as the leader of this team and potentially his starting quarterback job. In Winston’s absence, Ryan Fitzpatrick has been performing miracles on the field and putting up astronomical numbers through the first few weeks of the season. When the season started it was widely assumed and believed that Fitzpatrick was nothing more than a filler and that things would go back to normal the moment Winston was available to come back. Nobody could foresee what was going to happen with this offense through the course of the first three games. Fitzpatrick has thrown for over 400 yards in three straight games and been scoring touchdowns at a rapid pace. Numbers that have him being dubbed Fitzmagic.
<grammarly-btn>Tampa Bay won their first two games with a high scoring and heavy attacking offense. They stretched the field with long passes and had opposing defenses on their heels. The entire team has rallied behind Fitzpatrick in a way that could not have been imagined. The players even seem to be playing harder for him and everyone is having lots of fun. The fans have jumped completely on the bandwagon and have bought in all the way to the magic Fitzpatrick is selling. Monday night saw a stadium full of fans wearing the trademark Fitzpatrick beard and enjoying the winning ways that the Bucs have started the season with. It seems as though, going into Monday nights game, Fitzmagic could do no wrong.
<grammarly-btn>The Bucs lost their third game of the season to the Steelers on Monday Night Football and Fitzpatrick made a few crucial errors including a pick-six interception late in the 1st half. It was seeming like the magic had run out and Winston’s return was going to be perfect timing. You could see the look on fans faces as the air appeared to be coming out of the balloon. The wily old veteran wasn’t phased by the 3 first-half interceptions though. He recovered from these mistakes and kept fighting for his team and almost brought his team all the way back for the win. The Bucs ended up losing the game but only by 3 points and Fitzpatrick ended up with yet another 400 plus yards passing and 3 more touchdowns. His play has created quite the conundrum for the Bucs coaching. With Winston being available to start again next Sunday, the Tampa coaching staff have some big decisions to make.
<grammarly-btn>There is going to be lots of debate about the decision that Dirk Koetter has to make this week. Hand the QB position back to your 3-year starter or continue on the magic carpet ride? Can they really pull Fitzpatrick when he has been playing at such a high level? What might be the effects on the team as a whole if they make a change? The players have clearly rallied around the well-travelled vet. Pulling him right away to give the job back to Winston could have a negative impact on the team at this point. I personally think that they have to keep trotting Fitzpatrick out there and see where this takes them. What a great situation, having a star quarterback as the backup. The results of this Sunday's game against Khalil Mack and the Bears. It will be interesting to watch how this all plays out and to see just how much Magic there really is left in the lamp for Fitzpatrick.
Comments