Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston completely lost his cool in the waning moments of last Sunday’s 22-19 loss to the Panthers, and he appears to be aware of the fact that it’s not something a starting signal-caller should be seen doing on the field.
Winston was upset about the officials awarding the Panthers the football after he committed a fumble, even though he emerged from the pile with it. He reacted by going nuts on the sideline, and proceeded to run onto the field. Winston had to be held back by a Bucs staffer while protesting the call — nearly trampling the poor guy in the process.
It’s not something you normally see from an NFL quarterback, which is why Winston was criticized for his actions. The Bucs signal-caller spoke to the media about it on Thursday, and seems to be aware that it’s not something he can do on the field again.
“I knew I had the ball and it didn’t go my way,” Winston said, via ESPN’s Jenna Laine. “Now, looking back, I know I can’t do that. But man, I want to win. That’s just being competitive. If you want to win and if you feel like you had something and someone tells you otherwise, ‘Man. Come on now.'”
Winston also shot down talk of the Bucs’ disappointing season playing a role in his outburst when asked about it. The former No. 1 draft pick made it clear that his reaction stemmed from what happened during the game.
“It was just that game,” he said. “I wanted to win that game. Offense did a good job. I had a couple of turnovers there that kind of hurt us. But having that turnover at the end of the game, man, that hurts. I don’t like losing.”
This incident wasn’t the first time Winston’s leadership ability has been called into question, and he’ll need to use the offseason to work on those issues heading into his fourth season in the league. The mental aspect of playing the quarterback position is almost as important as the physical assets necessary to be productive on the field.
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