QB Jameis Winston (11.3.24)
We talked to Myles (Garrett) and he was saying that the defense had so many issues in the first half that it’s not fair to ask the offense to try to dig out of that kind of hole that they put you in, so just wondering what your thoughts are on that.
“Complimentary football wins day in and day out. And as a quarterback, my job is to lead our team to get in the end zone, and we didn’t do that enough.”
Jameis, in the second half, when those interceptions started coming, what did you see on each of those plays?
“The first one, just got to get the ball two feet higher. That’s a good play. The other two, just unfortunate events, man. My two on the same exact route just had some unfortunate things happen.”
And after the nice game that you guys all had last week and you were hoping to build on it this week, going into the bye, just how hard is this one to take for you?
“Yeah, we’re going to assess the tape. I know me personally, man, like I said, my faith is not wavering. I still believe. I still know what this team and this offense and this defense are capable of doing. The biggest thing is we have to eliminate plays that beat us. And I had three of them. And we all know the plays that we can help this team out with. So that’s just accountability and I think we’re going to embrace that. And having a week to really digest how we can get better is required.”
How big is this bye week for you guys? As much mentally as anything?
“Anytime you head into a bye week, it’s about studying yourself, self-scouting, looking in the mirror and saying, like, ‘Hey, what can I do to help this team?’ — personally, together. And that’s my main focus, like, ‘Hey, what can I do to get better, to help this team?’ And I challenge the other guys to do that as well.”
What were the Chargers doing defensively that made it so tough for you guys? Especially in that first half where I think you had 57 yards?
“They were playing sound football. And when they’re playing sound football, we have to get completions and we have to be able to matriculate the ball down the field little by little, and that’s it.”
How deflating was that first drive in the third quarter, you guys take eight minutes off the clock and obviously end with the interception?
“Yeah, I have played this game for a long time and that play is still living in my head. I have to make a better ball right there. If we finish, if we score right there, the momentum changes and this game probably has a different outcome. But that’s what my focus is, it’s one play at a time. And that’s what it’s like. That one play because we have to make the most of the one play. The Browns have to win that one play, and I didn’t do that on that play.
So just before that play was the slant to (Cedric) Tillman. What happened then?
“I mean it’s one play at a time. We just got to continue to get better. We have to continue to look internally as a whole and individually and find a way to overcome this. We can do this. We can, we can endure, we can persevere. I’ve been here before, it’s not my first rodeo, so I know it’s required.”
What did you see on that touchdown pass to Tillman?
“He was one on one, and he made an amazing, amazing grab. That’s what he’s capable of doing. So I’m happy that we were able as an offense to finish with a touchdown.”
You just said that you’ve been here before. So how do you bounce back from a three-interception game?
“You bounce back one play at a time because that’s really all that matters.”
What keeps players persevering through the second half when you are down 2 scores?
“Persevering through the second half, it’s one play at a time. You never know which play is going to be the play to spring you forward and that faith of ‘this is the play’ and that laser focus on executing this play right here is required.”
Have you been on a team that’s sort of in this situation, maybe not 2-7, but close to the situation and has been able to turn it around?
“You know, I believe I have in my first year in Tampa. We drew together some wins at the end of the year and it’s really just about staying together. And I believe we got good leaders in this locker room. I know, me personally, I’m going to continue to challenge the guys and lift the guys up. I know how this game is. This is a game that goes week by week. This is a tale of two weeks. So, I will continue to endure. If you remember, my faith is still unwavering and we’re going to find a way to get better and improve from this.”
You guys made such a jump offensively last week and were so high emotionally. Why do you think you weren’t able to sustain that momentum this season?
“Yeah, I think just collectively complementary football. Last week we were ahead of the sticks. We did a good job of being efficient on first and second down and that leads to productive plays and productive drives and we’re going to continue to pursue that and look how we can become more and more efficient on first and second down.”
The next 47 hours, the uncertainty that comes with the trade deadline, maybe some teammates won’t be back. As players, how do you handle that uncertainty those times?
“I think the way you handle uncertainty at any time is one day at a time. I think as a human, fear of the unknown is something that really keeps us up at night. We just don’t know. But I just lean on trust in the Lord with your whole heart and lean out into your own understanding. And that’s definitely what I’m going to do. I don’t understand why today happened, but I’m a trust in the Lord regardless.”
What will you do over the bye to even improve as a player or work on your game?
“Well, I’m going to work. I’m having my quarterback coach come in and we’re going to work. I’m going to study some film, look at myself, address myself how I can help his team get better.”
What do you think when you see Myles (Garrett) go three sacks in four plays?
“Man, I’m not amazed. It’s really amazing the type of player that he is and I’m grateful to play among like him, the Nick Chubbs, the Denzel Wards, those are Hall of Fame caliber guys, and you see those guys just shine and I just want to do better for him. When you’re playing with guys like that, I want to be able to — I want him to be able to lean on me and trust that I can put some points up for him so he can keep sacking the quarterback.”