As noted this week by PFT (which you should read if you currently don’t), Jameis Winston is closing in on the all-time Buccaneers record for career touchdowns. All-time. Career.
Winston has been in the league two years.
He’s thrown 50 touchdowns.
Ever.
The all time record?
Josh Freeman with 80 touchdowns. Freeman played four seasons with the team.
The Buccaneers franchise has been around since 1976. They even won a Super Bowl (unlike some of their former NFC Central foes), yet they haven’t had a QB throw for more than 80 touchdowns.
In a career.
Winston’s 50 touchdowns amounts to Aaron Rodgers’s best season (in 2011, he threw for 45 TDs, then sat out the final game as Matt Flynn tossed 6 scores against the Lions – but maybe you think Rodgers wouldn’t have been as good).
The Packers have had other guys throw for a lot of touchdowns, too, like that Brett Favre guy. Heck, Don Majkowski threw over 60 scores with the Packers.
To really put in perspective how great it is to be a Packer fan (and not a Buc fan), you have to go back to see when the Packers first eclipsed that mark.
Arnie Herber threw his 80th touchdown in 1945.
Yeah, in the 40’s the Packers had a guy toss more career touchdowns than anyone in Bucs history. He came out of a 3 year retirement to fill in for the Giants because they had so many players away in World War 2.
The Bucs still haven’t had anyone eclipse that. In an age where playing pass defense is basically illegal.
Let that sink in.