Winston capitalizes on pardon in leading Bucs over Cowboys
Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston (3) heads off the field after the Bucs’ 10-6 win over the Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium. JASON BEHNKEN/STAFF MARTIN FENNELLY COLUMNSPublished: November 16, 2015 TAMPA — “What fumble?”That was Lovie Smith, not without humor.This was Jameis Winston, same deal:“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”Two amnesiacs on a Sunday afternoon — a winning one.Winston, who has been getting better every week in his rookie season, took a step back — then took several forward while scoring the winning touchdown, a naked bootleg, untouched, to help beat the reeling Cowboys 10-6 and make the Bucs 4-5.One second he’s the guy who lost this game, fumbling after blast-off while leaping toward the goal line, Giants redux. Might want to put that one away for a while, Jameis.The next second, there’s his pardon: a penalty flag, dirty Dallas laundry, defensive holding. Jameis is saved. He scores from a yard out on the next play for the first fourth-quarter comeback victory of his NFL career. What a mind-blower.He tried to lose this game twice, the first time with his second interception, late in the fourth quarter. There but for the grace of a Bucs defense that made a wall all day, and that penalty, Winston is a goat this morning.See any horns?He led his team to the win.What fumble?“The touchdown was magical, man,” Winston said. “I had a great fake, a great call, found a way to the end zone. The play before that, I have no real recollection.”Call him before Congress, under oath, and his story won’t change.“He’s a competitor,” Bucs center Joe Hawley said. “We all make some mistakes, but he kept us in it and he rallied us. He really fired us up the last drive. He told us, ‘I’m going to get this in the end zone.’ And he did. I’m very proud of the way he played at the end.”“We continue to talk about him moving into more of a leader role,” Smith said. “But to do that, you need to have a drive like that, where you’re behind, and you need to score, and you need to lead. He’s going to do that for a lot of games in our future.”It wasn’t looking like that for most of Sunday. It looked like a speed bump for young Winston. He’d been on such a tear, so calm and cool, six touchdowns against no turnovers over the previous four games, he’d lulled us into thinking he wasn’t a rookie.And then he was. He made some bad throws. In the second quarter, Winston threw his first interception in 135 pass attempts, dating to the Carolina game in early October. His throw was slightly behind tight end Brandon Myers, who couldn’t hold on.The second pick was worse, because it was late in the game, less than six minutes left, with the ball at the Dallas 23-yard line. Winston’s throw was far behind receiver Adam Humphries, off his hands as he reached back. Dallas ball.But the defense held, again, and Jameis got the ball one more time. His ability to blink away setbacks is already Bucs bedrock.No worries.“Oh, no,” Winston said. “Always confident. Never let them see you sweat. Body language is always good. Those two picks, man, just got to make throws. Not necessarily bad reads at all, just tipped balls that I’ll fix.”Now, where were we? Oh, yes, with Jameis in the huddle before that winning drive, telling his teammates they’d score.Only here’s the thing:“I’m going to tell you something, man,” Winston said. “Every drive after halftime, I step in the huddle and say, ‘We’re about to score on this drive.’ ”Down the stretch, he hit on a couple of big passes, one to Donteea Dye for 11 yards, then 17 yards to Myers. Even guys not in the huddle fed off Winston’s vibe.“If we can keep our team close, when you’ve got No. 3, you’re always in the game,” Bucs cornerback Alterraun Verner said.“I’ve been saying since camp, he’s just a winner,” Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said. “It’s in his blood. This game runs through his veins.”Humphries, unlike Winston, recalled the ball tumbling out of Winston’s hands as they neared the goal line.“I thought, ‘Oh, no,’ ” Humphries said. “But I saw the flag. I thought ‘This has to be on them, right?’ ”Right.Then Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter phoned in a keeper.“That was a good play call and Jameis just walked in,” Hawley said.A few more steps for Winston and his team.“He’s realizing we’re going to go as far as he takes us,” Hawley said. “He knows this is his team and he’s definitely becoming more of a leader, gaining that confidence. He’s speaking up more and he’s rallying us. He has so much fire that when he starts getting into it you have no choice other than to follow.”What fumble?
