Former Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston looks to continue the stardom he had in the collegiate ranks to the NFL and is the strongest candidate to be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter when they open the season against the Tennessee Titans on September 13.
Winston is making strides during the organized team activities and as reported by ESPN was already with the starters Thursday after being with the second team during a workout open to the media last week.
"Football is football, but it is different (from college). The coverages he's seeing, barking out the plays and we're asking him to do things at the line of scrimmage. Just the overall play of the quarterback. You have to go through that process. He's handling it well," Bucs head coach Lovie Smith said about Winston's performance during OTAs.
Despite his splendid performance, Winston along with backup quarterbacks Mike Glennon and Seth Lobato still needs to work on their game after throwing interceptions Thursday.
"That's a good thing if you're talking defense. Offensively, of course, it's about ball protection and securing the football and we didn't do a great job of that today," Smith said according to ESPN.
After finishing the OTAs as a starter, all signs point to the 21-year-old being the starter for the Buccaneers in their minicamp next week, training camp this July and season opener.
Winston may be a rookie and his game is still not flawless but the Buccaneers hope that they will be able to turn him in to the face of the franchise.
Tampa Bay finished last season tied with the Titans with the worst record in the league at 2-14.
By selecting Winston in the draft, the Buccaneers are looking for a turnaround and they are heavily banking on him.
Tampa Bay wants Winston to develop fast and putting him with the starters will make the process quicker and will benefit them sooner.
