Jameis Winston spoke to the media on Tuesday following the team’s OTA practice. Winston spoke on a number of subjects including the play of the rookie class, his coaches and running back Ronald Jones who is hoping to have a bounce back year.
Below is a full transcription of his press conference.
On how OTA’s are going
“The more reps the better. Getting everybody together, executing at a high level can only make us better.”
Bucs O.C. Byron Leftwich – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
On how his relationship with Byron Leftwich is progressing
“Things are going excellent. It’s great to have him in the quarterback room, to have a guy that’s been there and done that and was very successful at doing it. It’s good.”
On the importance of honesty when communicating with his OC
‘You’ve got to be honest with everybody, I think that’s just an important value to have, but in terms of just being able to fix things that need to be fixed, being candid and very honest will always help with the growth process, learning the offense and performing at the highest level.”
On working with Clyde Christensen
“It’s been great, he’s a very detail-oriented coach. He stays on us day in and day out and in a sense all the coaches are coaching together, coach B.A., coach Clyde and coach Byron, they’re all in it together so it’s good to get different perspectives but all in all the same coaching method when it comes to going out and executing when I’m on the field.”
On being efficient with his time at the facility
It’s just a part of learning your schedule and it’s a newer schedule with learning a relatively new offense. So just trying to put the right amount of work into this offense and definitely get out of here in time to go spend some time with my son and my girl, [Breion.]
On Ndamukong Suh
“He’s a beast and I’m happy to have a guy like that on our side.”
Bucs consultant Tom Moore – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
On Tom Moore
“Coach Moore has a lot of wisdom to share with us, mostly because he’s been with the greats and he’s seen the greatest. I get tidbits from him every now and then but I’ll keep that between me and coach Moore but it’s good to have everybody that coach B.A. allows to come and pour into this team. Again, just to get an outside looking perspective with these guys who really love football, I mean, I see coach Moore up here at 5:30 in the morning getting on the bicycle upstairs. These guys just love this game and any time you can have someone who loves this game you want to get in and just feed from them.”
On the rookie defensive backs
“The rookie defensive backs are doing well. I think coach Bowles does a great job of getting those guys to attack the football. They have one of the greatest cornerbacks, probably of all time, with coach Ross on their side. He was a dog back there in the secondary with the Kansas City Chiefs. I’m excited to see them, I’m happy to see Vernon back out there on the field, bringing energy and back to his full self. We’ve just got to keep getting better and keep growing.”
On Ronald Jones
“I would say RoJo has been showing out. I think it’s just his confidence and his comfort. RoJo is a smart guy and he’s getting comfortable in this offense. No one is breathing down his neck, he’s more relaxed and he’s out there executing at a high level and you can really see what he can add to this team.”
Bucs RB Ronald Jones II – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
On Ronald Jones, continued
“I know how talented he is, that’s why he was a second-round pick. Some times guys… You know my first year, my first game, wasn’t how I would have wanted it but you’ve always got to continue to move forward and continue to grow and get better and I’ve seen drastic improvements coming in this season. He’s just a young kid who’s looking to get better, it means a lot to him. That probably why he can overthink sometimes, but the great thing is, he’s happy, he’s executing at a high level and he’s playing well. He’s playing really well.”
On Devin White and the rest of this year’s draft picks
“He’s been outstanding. Every new addition that we had in that draft, with Anthony [Nelson], like those guys, have been game changers on that defensive side of the ball so I just hope they continue to get better and we make those strides as we move toward the season.”
On if Devin White reminds him of himself
“No, he’s himself. I’m not going to be around any horses. He’s himself but he’s a great young man, he’s a great leader and I can’t wait until he gets comfortable being in this building and developing his routine because he’s going to be an amazing player for us.”
On his upcoming youth football camp
“Hopefully everyone signs up and comes out, you all come out and see what we do out there. Hopefully we’ll have our athletes with the Special Olympics come through and ball out. So we’re going to learn basic fundamentals and it’s all for a great cause.”
