Winston returns to team spotlight
TAMPA – Jameis Winston was noticeably absent from the Bucs’ marketing efforts before the start of the season, most visibly missing from the banners that adorn the four corners outside Raymond James Stadium.
But any concerns the organization might have had about their quarterback and former No. 1 overall pick seem to have been alleviated by his return last week from a three-game suspension.
Winston, suspended by the NFL for groping a female Uber driver in Arizona in March 2016, is the centerpiece of a promotional video tweeted out by the Bucs Wednesday morning.
In the video, Winston arrives at the Bucs’ indoor practice facility as the lights are being turned on. He laces up his cleats, does an agility drill and fires passes at downfield targets.
“Here’s what I know,” Winston says in the video. “I know about the grind, about laying out the groundwork. I know about one more rep, one more rep, one MORE rep. And one more after that.”
Then, after a brief cutaway to a video of him pumping his fist in celebration during a 2017 win over the Bears, Winston delivers the money line.
“I know where this team is going,” he says, taking a ball from a bag and dropping back to pass. “So, you raise the flags, and we’ll fire the cannons.”
Heading into Sunday afternoon’s game at Atlanta (1-4), the Buccaneers (2-2) are on a two-game losing streak.
In his one half of action in a wipeout loss at Chicago, Winston completed 16 of 20 passes for 145 yards with one TD and two INTs.
Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Mike Smith heard the calls for his job after his lowest-ranked scoring defense was blasted 48-10 on Sept. 30 by the Bears, allowing six touchdown passes to quarterback Mitch Trubisky. But on Wednesday, he delivered a message of perspective and promise.
“The sky is not falling,” Smith said. “I can assure you, it felt like it was frickin’ crumpling on top of us when we walked off that field in Chicago. But that’s an anomaly that’s one of one. And as a defense, we are committed together to right that ship and not play defensive football like we played there.”
As the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, Smith said he is accustomed to the criticism.
“I’ve got tracks on my back through the years,” Smith said. “That’s part of it. You’re in this business, hey, it’s a week-to-week business. And the great thing about it is you get to go out and do it again. It doesn’t hurt my feelings that anybody has their own opinion. That’s just the way this world is. That’s what makes it go around.
“You just go out and do your job. You try to be focused on the task at hand. And the task at hand is real simple in the NFL. It’s to have one more point than the other team. And we’ve been able to do that 50 percent of the time in the first quarter of the season, and I just want to say there’s a lot of football to be played.”