QB Jameis Winston (12.15.24)
Jameis, were you guys trying to force the ball too much in those picks in the end zone or what happened?
“No. They just made a play on the ball.”
I know you’ve been through a lot in your career. Another day like today with the interceptions and then not being able to finish the game, how hard is that for you?
“It’s required for the quarterback to protect the football to give your team a chance to win. And the leadership decided that my time was up.”
Do you have any indication whatsoever whether or not you will get to start next weekend in Cincinnati?
“Yeah, the most important thing is us just finding a way to win. Us finding a way to eliminate hurting ourselves, stabbing ourselves in the foot, whatever it may be. Whether it’s procedural, whether it’s turnovers, as an offense, starting with the quarterback, we all have to play better.”
You’re not usually this short with your answers, Jameis. Why is that? Why are you being that way today?
“I’m saying all that’s required to say. Earlier, your question was that — you insinuated that I forced a pass and I did not. It was a scramble drill and it was a one-on-one play in the back of the end zone and the targeted receiver that I was throwing to thought that I was throwing it to someone else. So, the way that you questioned that insinuated that I was doing something that I wasn’t. So, I answered your question as I was required to answer it.”
One of them went off of Nick’s (Chubb) hands. So, they all get credited to you but not all interceptions.
“That’s just the way it goes. Whether unfortunate or not, my job – I take all of it. To whom much is given, much is required. And I understand that piece. And I could have thrown a better ball to Nick. But for Nick, I just want Nick to feel better. I don’t know what his situation is, I just hope that he’s healing. So my job, I’ve been in this position before. What’s important is for me to do what I’m required to do and that is to protect our team’s football.”
Kevin (Stefanski) said he wasn’t ready to talk about a decision for who’s going to start moving forward. Is that something where you sit down with him and maybe state your case; that you want to keep this job and you think you should keep this job?
“Well, he’s been coaching for a long time and whatever he decides, I trust it. I know what I’m capable of doing. But throughout the course of the season, especially the last few games where we have not had a game without a turnover, I think that’s very critical and that’s going to be critical in his decision-making process. So, I’m just going to continue to get better. I’m going to continue to keep my eyes forward and onward and I got some things I got to work on. This is something that’s been a part of my career. Man, like especially in 2019, sometimes I view it as a spiritual battle. I’m going to continue to fight and continue to get better. I’m going to be the same guy every single day regardless of what questions I might answer shortly.”
Jameis, the pre-snap penalties, Kevin did mention that he took exception to a few of them, and didn’t necessarily agree with them, but that has been sort of an issue this year. From your perspective as a quarterback, what leads to those illegal formations?
“Well, typically the pre-snap penalties that we had, typically our offensive linemen are given a warning if the official believes that they are too far in the backfield or something like that. And we never received a warning in that regard and Germain (Ifedi) hasn’t had that penalty this year. So, that’s a questionable call. Obviously, the officials have to make their decision and they have to live with it. So, we’ll continue to fine tune those things.”
Coach told us that Nick did break his foot. How hard is it for you to know that and hear that with everything he did to get back?
“Well, I’m going to talk with Nick. That’s unfortunate, but I’ll speak with him and make sure we keep him lifted up.”
Why do you think this team has had the troubles with turning the football over?
“I believe, one, that has something to do with me, right? I like to toss the ball around. I have to be more precise with my passes and I have to just give us a better chance. Also, when you throw the ball a lot, that happens. Today it was different. Today, we had one tipped off a guy’s finger. We had one that was a 50-50 ball and the guy made the play. These interceptions, sometimes they can be skewed to be something that’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s his decision making’. But I just encourage people to go watch the film. Today, the first one that I threw, they got me on the disguise coverage. I didn’t see the backside safety. I thought I was throwing a touchdown to Elijah (Moore) and the guy made a great play.”
How do you kind of balance that though? Playing within yourself while also being…
“I promise you, I’m a fearless competitor and I hold myself accountable for everything that I do. But there’s something that I have to continue to work on. It’s something that I will continue to study and work on. I’ve spoken about being smart, not conservative. I have to continue to look at the decisions and not the outcome.”
A couple of other things that have gone wrong this season and why you maybe haven’t realized your goals for the year. What do you think is the biggest reason why this team is 3-11?
“That’s not my place because it’s a team game. Our men, they fight, our coaches, they coach their tails off. We don’t know why things happen. It’s our job just to continue to keep our faith, continue to press forward and not focus on the negatives, but build on the positives and see how we can come out of it. In a case like this, we need one win and you’re not going to get a win when you’re playing against an opponent that is finding a way to win like that and you are turning the ball over.”
You may have heard Myles talking about why it was so important for him to come back into the game after he suffered the eye injury and how he’s a fighter and he’s a competitor and all those kinds of things. From your standpoint, how much have you given of yourself to this football team, this season?
“Every time I step out there, I give my all to this team, to this city and I’m sure everyone in that locker room feels the same way. This is our job, like this is our livelihood. Some people are playing for their families, some people are playing for the love of the game. It’s a lot of things that go into this. Just like everyone has their own perspective in their job, why they’re doing something that they do. We fortunately get to do something that we love and we put everything we have into it, and that just shows with Myles’ (Garrett) resilience for him to continue to endure. He’s a warrior, but we got a lot of warriors. I’m talking about Joel Bitonio, who didn’t practice all week, but he was out there today, going against one of the best defensive tackles in the league. Talking about somebody that’s just resilient, you know what I’m saying? He’s going down, chasing the ball down the field after the interception and trying to make the tackle. We’re not going to give up, but we will fix the things that are limiting us from reaching what our hearts desire.”
We’ve talked a lot about Jerry (Jeudy) but he got 1,000 yards for the first time. He had another big game and he’s stringing them together. How nice is that to see?
“Throughout the game, you are always going to find something positive. Throughout the course of these games, one thing that has been positive is Myles Garrett and Jerry Jeudy, and they’re great players. Jerry is an unbelievable receiver. I know he’s going to continue to have success, especially within this offense. He’s just a great player. He finds a way to get open.”