Winston thinks ‘It’s about time’ for the Bucs

by Gary Shelton on April 17, 2018 · 2 comments

in general, NFL, Tampa Bay Bucs

Winston excited to be back at work./CARMEN MANDATO

Winston excited to be back at work./CARMEN MANDATO

Tuesday, 2 a.m.

There are different Jameis Winstons in the NFL

There is the turnover kid. There is the quarterback who chews up yardage. There is the goofy leader. There is the quarterback who has thrilled his fans with his comebacks. There is the quarterback who has not done it enough.

All versions of Winston were back at One Buc Place Monday for the start of off-season workouts, however.

And no matter what fans think of Winston, they will probably agree upon this: He's right when he says "it's about time."

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The Bucs didn't take advantage of DeSean Jackson in '17./CARMEN MANDATO

The Bucs didn't take advantage of DeSean Jackson in '17./CARMEN MANDATO

Ten seasons have passed since the Bucs reached the playoffs. Fifteen seasons have passed since the Bucs won a playoff game. There are cobwebs on the trophy case.

“It’s exciting to start the fourth year, especially with my teammates, my class coming in," Winston said Monday. ".Donovan (Smith) has a big year coming up, Ali (Marpet) has a big year coming up, and obviously, I have a huge year coming up. And seeing guys like Cam (Brate) and Mike (Evans) – they reap what they sow. I mean, they got huge contracts but it’s what you said at the end. It’s about that postseason, man. It’s about getting some wins together, it’s about bringing this community behind us, it’s about really changing this culture around here and we’re taking strides to that but now it’s time to get it done.”

The 2017 season had some frustration for Winston. He won only three of his starts. Because of a shoulder injury, his 3,504 yards was the lowest of his career. And turnovers continued to be a problem.

But Winston sounds invigorated for the season to come.

“I think it’s just a process," Winston said. "When you look at success, it’s not just a straight line, it has some bumps in the road and it’s a little curvy. So I was a little curvy last year but year after year I’m trying to find new things, I’m trying to find my diet, I’m trying to find my workout regimen and I’m growing, I’m learning and it’s becoming more consistent.”

Winston said he has researched staying healthy.

“Just typical research," Winston said. "You watch ‘Tom vs. Time’ and you see how he maintains his body. You read articles about LeBron and investing a lot of money into his body and you see how he’s been prolific throughout his career, You see Floyd Mayweather and how he continues to train and continues to keep toxins and stuff out of his body. So, you just learn from the guys that are very successful at it and the guys that are doing it and you try to apply it to your regimen every day.”

Winston recently met with receiver DeSean Jackson for a workout.

“I feel great about it," Winston said. "Obviously, we’ve got to continue to grow in our chemistry. Same thing with me and Mike [Evans] from year one to year two. I think it’s going to be an exciting year for [DeSean]. I think me and him have had a bunch of conversations – we got a chance to spend some time together this offseason – so we’re excited. He’s happy, I’m happy.”

Said Jackson: "Talking to a lot of people, they said that the first year between him and Mike [Evans]  didn’t really pan out as good as they thought and the second year, it kind of got a little better. So, if that’s something in the works that hopefully plays out with us, since last year we didn’t really do too good. This year, hopefully we’ll get a lot better. That’s what you ask for as a professional. We all have a job to do, which is to go out and be accountable and be consistent as possible. Speaking on that, I’m sure he wants to do that and I want to do it as well. There are plays that could help this team win, spark up this team and hopefully get us into the playoffs and the tournament where we all want to go.”

"That’s my only thing, just be yourself, go back to backyard football and being who got you here, which was Jameis Winston from Florida State that won a championship. He has a lot of upside and a lot of skillset to play in this league and I just feel like if he can get back to just being that, he can definitely be everything he wants to be in this league.”

 

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