Bucs' Godwin: Winston got more blame than he deserved last season

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers missed the playoffs for the 12th consecutive season in 2019, and a major storyline was quarterback Jameis Winston, whose impressive offensive production was often overshadowed by his turnovers.

But in eyes of star receiver Chris Godwin, the signal-caller was unfairly singled out as the scapegoat for Tampa Bay's struggles.

"I definitely think he got more of the blame than he deserved," Godwin said in an interview on "The Boardroom" last week. "I think he's a really, really talented quarterback. Obviously there are things that he does that you can't teach, and there are plays that he made that just weren't smart plays.

"But a lot of the mistakes and interceptions that he made, I would say half of them were because of a bad read on someone else's part."

During 2019, Winston became the first quarterback in NFL history to post at least 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a single campaign. The 26-year-old also led the league in passing yards (5,109), but his 31 picks paced all QBs.

"There have been times where receivers either ran the wrong route - I've been guilty of running a wrong route or not being in a spot where he thought I was going to be, and you get intercepted and you get a turnover," said Godwin, who established career highs in catches (86), receiving yards (1,333), and touchdowns (nine) in 2019.

He added: "It's not just (Winston). I think people who are really entrenched in football understand that - that the quarterback gets a lot more of the blame than he deserves. Sometimes he gets a lot more credit than he deserves, too. But that's just the nature for the position."

The Buccaneers are now moving on from Winston - at least as their starting quarterback - after signing Tom Brady to a deal this offseason.

Winston, meanwhile, remains on the open market after two weeks of free agency.

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