German_Force » The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can’t avoid questions

about Jameis Winston’s return much longer.The young quarterback’s three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy ended after Monday night’s 30-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It is unclear http://www.buccaneerslockerroom.com/authentic-vernon-hargreaves-iii-jersey , however, if he’s coming back as the starter.Ryan Fitzpatrick has made the decision a lot tougher than expected by throwing for more than 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns in Winston’s absence, including going 30 of 50 for 411 yards and three TDs against the Steelers.Dirk Koetter repeatedly shrugged off questions about his plans while Winston was away. And now that his return is imminent, the coach is still not saying.More Tampa Bay Buccaneers newsJameis Winston aims to realize potential under guidance of new Buccaneers coach Bruce AriansBuccaneers sign 5th overall selection LB Devin WhiteNdamukong Suh practices with Buccaneers for first time, dons customary No. 93 jerseyNdamukong Suh agrees to terms with Bucs, replaces 6-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoyBuccaneers release 6-time Pro Bowl DT Gerald McCoy after nine seasons“Let’s see what the injury report (says),” Koetter said Monday night, sidestepping the question once again.“Anytime we have these games, it’s not always obvious how the guys are going to come in the next day and come in on Wednesday,” the coach added. “Let’s see what happens. I mean, I’d love to get a chance to talk to Jameis face to face before I tell the rest of the world.”Ben Roethlisberger threw for 353 yards and three touchdowns for the Steelers (1-1-1), who built a 20-point lead and held on for their first win despite not scoring in the second half.Pittsburgh’s defense forced four first-half turnovers, including three interceptions of Fitzpatrick, the 35-year-old journeyman quarterback who’s led the Bucs to a 2-1 start while throwing for more than 400 yards in each game.“You know, I have so much fun playing this game. I have fun playing with these guys, and I’m here just ready to do whatever it takes to help the team win,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think that will be my mindset going forward.”Winston started 45 of 48 games over the first three years of his career. He was suspended following the NFL’s investigation of an accusation that in March 2016 he groped a female Uber driver during a ride in Scottsdale, Arizona.“We love Jameis. He’s a member of our team, and we’re anxious to get him back,” Koetter said. ” He’ll be great in our locker room and . whatever role that he ends up in, I know Jameis will embrace that role and give it everything’s he got.”Some takeaways from Steelers-Buccaneers:WHAT TURMOIL?The Steelers capped a tumultuous week in which star receiver Antonio Brown made headlines by shouting at an assistant coach on the sidelines and getting into a spat on social media with a former team employee.Brown scored on a 27-yard reception, Ryan Switzer caught 1-yard TD pass from Roethlisberger, and Vance McDonald stiff-armed safety Chris Conte to break into the clear on a 75-yard pass play that got the Steelers going early.Roethlisberger’s on-field chemistry with Brown appeared fine in the first game since the receiver responded to a former team employee on social media by suggesting the club trade him if it wants to find out how productive he can be without Roethlisberger.“I still think the biggest issue was outside the locker room, people perceiving different things,” Roethlisberger said. “Not saying we don’t have issues. All teams have issues, and there’s different things going on. But I think it was made a bigger issue than it really was.”FLAGS, FLAGS, FLAGSThe teams combined for five roughing-the-passer penalties, most in an NFL game since 2001, as fans around the league continue to gripe about flags being thrown for what appear to be routine tackles. Pittsburgh was flagged three times for hits on Fitzpatrick Bryan Anger Jersey , and the Bucs were called twice for roughing Roethlisberger. In all, the Steelers were penalized 13 times for 155 yards. Tampa Bay had nine penalties for 80 yards. The Bucs also had a holding penalty that wiped out what would have been an 80-yard punt return for a TD by DeSean Jackson.“I thought the penalties kind of marred the game. There were a lot of penalties on us and on them,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “We’ll look at it and learn from it, but I thought the guys played extremely hard.”COMEBACKTampa Bay made it close by keeping Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh’s high-powered offense on the sideline for long stretches of the second half. Fitzpatrick led a long field goal drive that consumed nearly eight minutes of the third quarter. The Steelers used most of the remainder of the period to move into position for a 47-yard field goal that Chris Boswell missed.The Bucs used TD catches by Chris Godwin and Mike Evans to pull within 30-27. They got the ball back with just over three minutes left, but the Steelers defense forced a punt and Roethlisberger ran out the clock.“I thought our defense played awesome, creating turnovers, short field, making some stops,” Roethlisberger said. “I told this team afterwards that was a total team win, all the phases. That’s what Steeler football is all about.” After every game, we’ll break down the Buccaneers’ top five players of the week. Point values will be distributed to each, which will then be added up for our weekly Buccaneers of the Week Standings.Despite a nightmare of a first half on Monday night, the Buccaneers barely came up short against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 30-27 loss was Tampa Bay’s first of the season, but there was no shortage of exciting moments as the team tried to climb back from a 30-10 halftime deficit. Let’s get into our top five Bucs from week three.Honorable MentionsThis week’s honorable mentions would likely have made the top five if not for a glaring mistake or two. Chris Godwin caught five passes for 74 yards and a touchdown, but some big drops (including a couple in the end zone) and a costly fumble kept him out of this week’s top five.Gerald McCoy was pretty disruptive throughout the night, finishing with 1鈦? sack and 1 1鈦? tackles for loss. However, a (questionable) roughing the passer call tarnished his night, as did missing a sack late in the game. With the Buccaneer defense needing a stop, McCoy got into the backfield on second down, but failed to finish. As a result, Ben Roethlisberger found JuJu Smith-Schuster for a first down that iced the game.Justin Evans came up with an early interception to set up Tampa Bay’s first touchdown. Through three weeks, he has unsurprisingly been the secondary’s most consistent performer.No. 5: Kwon Alexander (One point)Kwon Alexander finds himself on this list for the second straight week after another strong performance. He totaled eight tackles (five solo) and came up with 1鈦? tackle for loss. The intensity and leadership that the fourth-year linebacker brings to the defense was on full display this week. With the bright lights of Monday Night Football on him, he appeared to be flying around to the ball even more than usual, if that’s possible.Alexander was a big part of the run-stopping effort, one that looked pretty strong until Pittsburgh’s final drive. Dealing with James Conner isn’t easy, but No. 58 played a part in holding him to 61 yards on 15 carries. The pass defense struggled throughout the night, something that has been a theme in all three games this season. With that in mind, it’s possible that we’ll see more blitzes called for Kwon in the coming weeks. Regardless, he will more than likely return to this list multiple times throughout the rest of the year. He just consistently plays at a high level.No. 4: Ryan Fitzpatrick (Two points)After his performance in the first half, it was crazy to think that Ryan Fitzpatrick would be on this week’s list. Amazingly enough, some Fitzmagic reappeared over the final 30 minutes to get him in the top five for a third consecutive week. He just couldn’t earn the top spot this week after throwing three interceptions in the game’s first two quarters. Those turnovers Gerald McCoy Jersey , one of which went for an easy pick six, put Tampa Bay in a huge hole. The veteran was almost able to get out of it, but came up just short.After the first 30 minutes of the game, it seemed like the magic was gone. It seemed obvious that the Bucs would have to start Jameis Winston on Sunday against Chicago, even on a short week. But Fitzpatrick did what he could to bring the team back. He ended the night with 411 yards and three touchdowns to three interceptions on 30-of-50 passing. He is the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 400 yards in three straight games. He might start next week against the Bears. He might not. Either way, what a ride these three weeks were for the journeyman. No. 3: Lavonte David (Three points)In case anyone forgot, Lavonte Davis is a really good player. He was all over the field on Monday, racking up nine tackles (eight solo) and THREE tackles for loss. He was a huge part of the defense’s second-half effort in which they shut out the Steelers over 30 minutes. With the emergence of Kwon Alexander over the last few years, it’s probably been pretty easy for some to forget just how good David is. He is one of the main pillars of a Tampa Bay defense that badly needs its front seven to produce.The three tackles for loss from David were all huge, obviously, but the timing of a couple of them made him an even bigger star on Monday. It felt like whenever the Bucs needed a stop, it was No. 54 that was there to deliver. He is playing at a Pro Bowl level this year. If he’s still somehow being overlooked by the rest of the league, he shouldn’t be for long. His first appearance on this list is well-deserved, that’s for sure. No. 2: Jason Pierre-Paul (Four points)When it comes to consistent production from Buccaneer defenders through the first three weeks of the season, the list starts with Jason Pierre-Paul. When the Giants traded him back in March, he surely felt some added motivation to prove that he still has a lot left in his career. In three games, it’s clear that he has more in the tank. Following his debut on Buccaneers of the Week at No. 4 after his performance against the Eagles, he’s up to No. 2 this week. JPP was electric against Pittsburgh. He picked up five tackles (all solo) with two sacks (plus another tackle for loss) and four quarterback hits. He was in Ben Roethlisberger’s face all night, which is something the Bucs needed. The secondary was overmatched against the likes of Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Vance McDonald (????). So, it was up to the front seven to apply some pressure. The group as a whole tallied three sacks, 10 tackles for loss and nine hits on the quarterback. Without Pierre-Paul, that effort is significantly weaker. He has been Tampa Bay’s best defensive lineman through the first three games. If he keeps it up, he might just be the first Buc to record double-digit sacks since Simeon Rice in 2005.No. 1: Mike Evans (Five points)The Tampa Bay offense largely went through Mike Evans on Monday night. He is the team’s No. 1 receiver, so that isn’t too big of a surprise. But to see him pick up his second 100-yard game in three weeks was a lot of fun. He caught six passes for 137 yards and what looked to be a crucial touchdown in the loss. Even with the number of talented pass-catchers all over the field for the Bucs, Evans has been a huge key in the strong play of Ryan Fitzpatrick. He has been a steady presence, coming through right when the Bucs needed him most.With Jameis Winston coming back sooner rather than later, Evans will definitely adjust. His connection with the young quarterback is one of the biggest parts of the Buccaneer offense. But as evidenced in these first three weeks (and back in 2014 when he was catching passes from Josh McCown and Mike Glennon), it doesn’t really matter who is under center for Tampa Bay. Evans will put his head down and produce either way. His consistency is something the Bucs will be relying on for the rest of this season and for years to come. This is his third week on this list and his first at the top of it.Updated Buccaneers of the Week Standings through week three:Ryan Fitzpatrick— 12 pointsMike Evans— 10 pointsDeSean Jackson— 7 pointsJason Pierre-Paul— 6 pointsKwon Alexander— 4 pointsLavonte David— 3 pointsOffensive Line— 2 pointsVernon Hargreaves— 1 point