Jameis Winston says it’s time for him to get his body in shape
Jameis Winston went to the Pro Bowl as a rookie, which was a good thing. But what he saw there was eye-opening.
One year ago, on the eve of the NFL scouting combine, the eventual No. 1 pick took a beating. Not only for the character questions that plagued Winston coming out of Florida State, namely a high-profile rape case. But also for what appeared to be a sizeable gut.
It turned out to be an unflattering angle of Winston’s stomach as he stood shirtless before some campers. But that doesn’t mean, following a solid first season in the NFL, he can avoid some toning routines.
Winston told The MMQB that he went to the Pro Bowl following the season and saw firsthand how other NFL athletes looked.
“The most important thing I learned is I have to get my body in shape, because those men look good. Not just the other quarterbacks — everyone,” Winston said. “Their bodies look good. But also, Russell Wilson’s preparation at the Pro Bowl. You know, it’s a relaxing event, and he is still doing everything the right way. He is the first one to the huddle, leading guys in stretches, running everywhere you go.”
This has to be great for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to hear. As it saves them this kind of conversation (especially around the 53-second mark):
And, of course, it shows that Winston is learning what it takes to be great in this league. There were flashes of it in Year 1, and he now gets to work with the man who helped prepare him on an even more important level. Dirk Koetter, the Bucs’ offensive coordinator last season, was promoted to head coach after Lovie Smith was let go. They often say that the QB-head coach relationship is one of the most important in sports, which certainly led to the Bucs making this move.
On Smith’s firing, Winston said:
“I’ve learned that you can never take stuff for granted. I thought that me and coach Lovie were going to be together for my whole career. You only can dream of that. But it didn’t happen. I have to support Coach Koetter, and I’m happy that he is the coach instead of anybody else. But I am always going to keep in touch with coach Lovie because he is such a great man, and he gave me the opportunity to play. I don’t know anything about the business part of the game. I just go out there and I play.”
Winston also lamented turning the ball over 17 times as a rookie and how losing 10 games affected his spirits. But he also believes that the physical conditioning is a big part of making Winston a better quarterback.
“I want to work on my foot quickness,” he said. “I believe I have good pocket presence, but you never can be too good with your feet, so I have to make sure my feet are quicker. Sometimes I get too wide in the pocket, and I need to keep my feet up under me and be a little smoother in the pocket. I need to improve everything, really, but I just have to get quicker.”
Quicker and … tighter, you could say. Both good news for Bucs fans.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
