Jameis Winston makes Buccaneers relevant once again

PHILADELPHIA – So what exactly is different about Jameis Winston?

The Buccaneers rookie quarterback is quickly developing into an effective and productive player at the NFL’s most important position, and his rapidly-improving play has his team in the hunt for a playoff berth.

It’s a drastic improvement from his early-season struggles, which were rife with turnovers.

Those who see him every day say the answer is simple.

Nothing.

“It’s not like he’s surprising us much,” Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith said. “Every step along the way, we have liked what we have seen from him, through adversity, handling success, being a leader, being a great teammate, a vocal leader. He’s growing. But after this many games, the rookie part has kind of vanished a little bit.”

Added receiver Mike Evans: “Surprising? Nothing surprises me. We knew what we were getting when we drafted him with the first-overall pick.”

Winston had his best day as a pro in Tampa Bay’s 45-17 pounding of the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. He became the third rookie in league history to throw five touchdowns in one game, matching Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions, 2009) and Ray Buivid (Chicago Bears, 1937).

Winston was surgical, completing 19 of 29 passes for 246 yards to go with his five scores. He masterfully dropped passes into voids that Philadelphia’s defense left open. He didn’t force throws. He was precise, scanned through his reads and found open targets.

It’s that quick progression that has suddenly made the Buccaneers (5-5) a dark-horse contender in the NFC.

Tampa Bay currently holds the seventh seed, as division-rival Falcons (6-4) are the one team standing in the way.

There’s still a lot of football left, but that means that Week 13’s game at home against Atlanta will mean something.

It prompted Smith, normally not known to reveal too much, to boost his team up with some praise after their second-consecutive victory.

“We’re relevant again,” he said.

That’s, mostly, thanks to Winston. He’s the rare rookie with a vet’s savvy.

Consider this: Winston was a childhood fan of the Eagles. Randall Cunningham, one of Philadelphia’s all-time greats, was his favorite player. To this day, Winston carries that past with him.

During pre-game, when loudspeakers in the stadium boomed Philadelphia’s fight song, Fly Eagles Fly, Winston said he sang along.

For some young players, it might be easy to get wrapped up in that stage, but Winston relished it. He used it to his advantage.

“Man, let me tell you something,” Winston said during his press conference. “I’m not going to cry, but this is definitely a dream come true for me to play here. I’ve always wanted to play here my whole life since I was a little boy. I always wanted to be an Eagle. I was even singing the fight song out there on the field. I was singing, you better believe I was.

“It’s a special day, but it’s just one day. You have to get better every single day, so I have to get back to the drawing board and get back at it.”

Perhaps the most promising sign for the Buccaneers is how Winston has avoided turnovers, the most glaring weakness he faced coming into the league. In his past six games, Winston has thrown only two interceptions, both of which came in last week’s victory against the Cowboys, and has fumbled the ball just once.

“From Week 1 to where we are now, it’s night and day to where he makes decisions to take care of the ball, receiver Vincent Jackson said. “It’s kind of awesome.”

In that span, he has completed 60.8% of his passes for 1,440 yards and 12 total touchdowns. Most importantly, the Buccaneers have won four of those six games, including their last two.

Considering that Winston, 21, is playing this well and just completed his 10th NFL start, it’s kind of scary.

“Scary good,” Evans said. “We are watching a young quarterback grow before our eyes. He didn’t turn the ball over, had five touchdowns. It’s great. If we have that type of consistency pm offense, we will be a really dangerous team.”

Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.

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