After witnessing a very two-faced performance by his bearded quarterback in Monday night's 30-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter wasn't ready to tell the world who his Week 4 starter will be with Jameis Winston returning from suspension.
"Let's see what the injury report [says when it] comes back," Koetter said. "Any time 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. Let's see what happens. I'd love to get a chance to talk to Jameis face-to-face before I tell the rest of the world."
Fitzpatrick's stellar play in the second half might have saved his bid to keep the starting job despite a dismal first-half performance that included three interceptions on consecutive drives to bury the Bucs in a 30-10 halftime deficit. The 35-year-old signal-caller completed 30 of 50 passes for 411 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.
While the NFL world saw plenty of Fitz-erratic passes on Monday, the performance might be enough for Fitzpatrick to keep his job -- when's the last time a QB lost his job after passing for 400 yards in three straight games?
Whatever happens, Koetter is confident Winston, who returns from suspension Tuesday, will embrace the decision.
"We love Jameis," Koetter said. "He's a member of our team and anxious to get back. He'll be great in our locker room. And I know Jameis -- in whatever role he ends up in -- I know Jameis will embrace that role and give it everything he's got."
Stay tuned for a decision to be made in the days leading up to Sunday's contest against the Chicago Bears.
