Following the Buccaneers' Week 17 loss to the Panthers, Jameis Winston took the podium, as he always does, to meet with members of the media. The first words out of his mouth – "I'm just ready for next year."
Winston and the Buccaneers fell, 38-10, in Charlotte to finish the season 6-10. In the process, Winston surpassed 4,000 passing yards, something that only two other rookie quarterbacks have done. He also rushed for his sixth touchdown, which broke a franchise record.
Photos of the opponents on the Bucs 2016 schedule.
None of that was very important to Winston, though.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "It doesn't matter at all. It matters to the team. That's a good accomplishment for the city of Tampa, for the team. We haven't had that done here in a long time, so that's good."
Winston's focus, less than an hour after the game, had completely shifted toward the 2016 offseason and preparing for his second season in the NFL. He, passionately, promised that the Buccaneers would have a winning mindset next season.
"We are going to create a mindset this offseason, I guarantee it," Winston said. "We are going to create a winning mindset, a mindset that you would never give up... a relentless mindset of being able to persevere over adversity. We are going to have that next year."
Winston won't be alone in his efforts. The Buccaneers have a plethora of young, talented players surrounding him on the offensive side of the ball. Mike Evans and Austin Seferian-Jenkins are both in their second year while rookies Donovan Smith, Ali Marpet, Donteea Dye and Adam Humphries all played significant roles with the Bucs' offense in 2015.
"It's just the beginning," Winston said. "It's a long process but like I said, the offseason, we are going to come back strong. Got to. Getting better. Two games won last year, six this year. We have to get better. I have to get better, and I know this team is going to get better as long as I get better, and I promise you I'm going to get better."
