Falcons will face Winston in QB’s first start this year
TAMPA, Fla. — While most of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers used their bye week to get away from work and relax, quarterback Jameis Winston stayed closer to home and continued to prepare for his first start in nearly 10 months.
The No. 1 overall pick from the 2015 draft missed the first three games of the season while serving a suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Winston came off the bench for the second half of a 48-10 loss to the Chicago Bears two weeks ago. On Sunday, he resumes his role as a starting quarterback against the struggling Atlanta Falcons (1-4), their NFC South rivals.
He said he’s both grateful to be back and eager to help the Bucs improve on a 2-2 start.
“I’m thankful I had the support of my teammates and the (organization) throughout the suspension,” said Winston, who was disciplined by the league after an investigation of an accusation that he groped a female Uber driver in Arizona in 2016.
“I worked so hard for this opportunity” to have an NFL career, Winston said. “To have it taken away briefly, it can make you reflect on things. Every day is a blessing to be a Tampa Bay Buccaneer and play this great game. I’ve got to do my best to take advantage of it.”
Winston is taking the reins of the NFL’s top passing attack and No. 2-ranked offense, thanks to a record-breaking performance by veteran backup Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick, who has played for seven teams during a 14-year professional career, became the first player in league history to
top 400 passing yards in three consecutive games.
The Bucs opened with upsets of the New Orleans Saints and the Philadelphia Eagles, then were outscored 68-13 in the first half of losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Bears, who led 38-3 when Fitzpatrick was benched.
Winston was 16-of -20 for 145 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in relief. Sunday’s start will be his first since Dec. 31, when his 39-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin on Tampa Bay’s final offensive play of last season gave the Bucs a 31-24 upset of the Saints.
The Bucs were encouraged by the way Winston played after sitting out three games with a
shoulder injury last fall.
One of the knocks on the 24-year-old has been his lack of accuracy on deep throws. However, coach Dirk Koetter and offensive coordinator Todd Monken said Winston has made strides since returning from the injury that hindered him most of 2017.
“The thing on that is Jameis’ shoulder was worse than we thought it was for a longer period than we thought,” Koetter said. “Jameis is a competitor and wants to play. We finally rested his shoulder, he threw the ball better, period, after that. He definitely had to alter some things mechanically in order to play when his shoulder was hurt. He’s not the only quarterback in the league who does that.”
Now that he’s back, Winston and the Bucs don’t see any reason the team shouldn’t continue to be explosive offensively with Winston throwing to a talented group of receivers that includes Godwin, Mike Evans, Adam Humphries and DeSean Jackson, as well as tight ends Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard.
While teammates scattered for the bye week, Winston chose to spend the six-day break doing individual work and getting acclimated to his normal routine.
“I basically did similar things I did the three weeks I was away,” Winston said. “It was kind of an odd place for me to be because I hadn’t played three games. I did get the little experience against Chicago, so I had to stay on it.”