Bruce Arians seeing light go on for Jameis Winston

[Captain Fear]

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Getting quarterback Jameis Winston to play at a higher level is a top priority for Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich in their first season in Tampa, which made it an obvious topic for conversation during Peter King’s training camp visit for Football Morning in America.

Arians has stressed the need for Winston not to “try to be Superman on every play because you were the number one pick in the draft.” He told King that he’s started to “see the light go on” for the quarterback and Winston explained what he’s been focused on during practices this summer.

“Doing my job,” Winston said. “Be a quarterback. Be a game manager when I need to. Be a playmaker when I need to. Check it down when I need to. Cut my losses and throw the ball away when I need to. It’s a part of learning the game — understanding a throwaway is okay. If a defense gets you on a play, it’s okay.”

Leftwich said that it has been fun working with Winston while noting the coaching staff is “not f—–g around” when it comes to making sure Winston doesn’t slide back into old habits. They won’t know if they’re successful on that front for a while, but the outlook for both team and quarterback will be a lot brighter if Winston’s actions back up his words.