The hero Tampa needs and deserves is finally home! James Winston was taken first, overall, by the Buccaneers in last night’s NFL draft. Including Jameis, the Bucs have taken five QBs in the first round, two, including Winston, came with the first overall pick (The other being Vinny Testaverde). If you look at some other franchises in the NFL, COUGH COUGH Browns COUGH COUCH…..(See what I did there), that isn’t that bad. In their 40 years as a franchise they have 1 Super Bowl, 1 NFC title, and 3 Hall of Famers. All of these accolades in the VERY distant past. Since 2006 the Bucs have been perennially at the bottle of the barrel when it comes to performance. Regardless of star performers over the years they could never get it together; In steps Jameis Winston to save the day. We have the offense in place that could do damage in this heavy passing league the NFL has become, and I feel that Jameis will be right at home, literally and figuratively, in Raymond James Stadium. He has the fans behind him, which was something that couldn’t be said for other Bucs first rounders, like Josh Freeman.

Josh Freeman was a gamble in the 2009, coming in at the 3rd QB taken that year (Behind Sanchez and Stafford) the majority of Tampa Bay fans didn’t see him as the answer. It showed, as Freeman had one of the most roller coaster-like careers in Buccaneers history. Fan attendance wavered, even when the team was winning, and you could feel the disapproval in the air of our then signal caller, Freeman. A lot of people gave, and still give, Freeman shit for never fully developing into the QB he could have been. I’ll tell you what, 3 coaches, 3 offensive coordinators, a couple QB coaches, and a fan base that despised you didn’t help.

Fast foraward a few years, past the bright spots (Glennon) and the dark spots (McCown) and we have a team, a city, and a fan base that is ready for a first round quarterback. Jameis Winston will hopefully click with the youngish offense that we have in place and take this franchise to the next level. If Mike Evans can pull in 13 TDs from the likes for Glennon and McCown then there is no reason he can’t click with Jaboo.

I think the rest of the NFL draft will be crucial for the Bucs. They need to address multiple concerns on the offensive and defensive line as well as solve some depth issues at cornerback and wide receiver. I put all my faith in Lovie and Licht.

-Matt

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PS- How good does he look in Pewter and Red