Jameis Winston and his unique pregame speech out vs. Jets
Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers watches a replay on the screen from the sidelines after being hurt in the first half of a game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 5, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints defeated the Buccaneers 30-10. Credit: Getty Images / Wesley Hitt
Jameis Winston is out for the next two weeks with an injury to his throwing shoulder, and before that injury, the Buccaneers starting quarterback had a strange way of inspiring his team.
In a pregame speech last week before facing the Saints, Winston stood in the middle of a circle of players and started licking his fingers. Winston told his teammates they needed to get a win by eating a W and offered his fingers to his teammates to get a piece.
“Jameis is a tremendous leader and he’s got his own style,” Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said. “As a coach, you have to be careful of trying to squash a guy’s leadership style. If you’ve ever been in a leadership position you know when you’re giving speeches, all of them are not home runs. There’s some singles, some doubles and some flyouts. Some flyouts in there. I don’t grade Jameis on his speeches. I do know he’s a heck of a leader and I think every player on our team would say that.”
The Buccaneers lost to the Saints, 30-10, and Winston had to leave with an injury, later diagnosed as a sprained AC joint. Ryan Fitzpatrick will replace him and start against the Jets on Sunday.
