Jameis Winston sounds like he’s preparing for a first date.
In many ways, he is.
Winston and the Buccaneers will host Tom Brady and the Patriots on Thursday night at Raymond James Stadium, amazingly marking Brady’s first regular-season NFL game in Tampa Bay and Winston’s first regular-season showdown against New England.
The stakes are relatively high, with the Patriots coming off a gut-wrenching Week 4 loss to the Carolina Panthers and the Bucs trying to keep pace in the competitive NFC South, and Winston can’t help but be excited to face a legendary quarterback he’s long admired.
“Really just a blessing for me personally — I don’t like talking about me — but to get a chance to witness greatness in front of us with Tom Brady coming into town, it gets you pumped up,” the 23-year-old Bucs QB told reporters Tuesday, per WEEI.com. “It definitely makes you think about how hard you worked to get to this point. I’m thinking about what I’m going to say to him when I see him and meet him.
“But yeah, you’ve got to be excited. ‘Thursday Night Football’ — you’re the only (teams) on TV and it’s in your home stadium, so we’re definitely pumped about that.”
Winston, the first overall pick in 2015, has shown flashes of being a legitimate franchise quarterback in his two-plus seasons since entering the league. He still has a ways to go before reaching an elite level, though, which is why he’s continuing to draw inspiration from Brady, a five-time Super Bowl champion who’s widely considered the greatest of all time.
“Growing up — Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, guys of that nature and more — every successful quarterback that was playing when I was coming up, I admired them,” Winston said, per WEEI.com. “Tom Brady, in particular, he is the winningest. He has won more Super Bowls than each of those guys, so to me, that is the most important part. His ability to protect the football and take advantage of those opportunities when they are given to him is impeccable.
“Just studying him, just seeing how calm he is (and) how precise he is, is very impressive. That is the reason why every offseason, every rep I get during the season that I’m trying to be better and better because I know that he’s still out there playing. He’s still getting better and better. He should be an inspiration.”
At least Winston doesn’t have to figure out what to wear.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
