Jameis Winston Takes Command
New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston has evolved into the team's unquestioned leader. Whether in Metairie at the team's headquarters, inside the locker room, or on NFL battlefields, the Saints are Winston's team.
A good leader must establish a rapport with fellow combatants away from home. A good leader knows he must earn the respect of his guys and vice versa. In the corporate world, it's called team building. For football players, it's called building trust.
Jameis Winston held court at Anatomy gym in Miami with most of the New Orleans Saints skill players and quarterbacks. Last week rookie wide receiver Dai'Jean Dixon shared with us that he was excited Winston included him in the invitation to workout in Miami.
The underlying storyline is how Jameis Winston is taking command of the New Orleans Saints — and it's not just the offense, the defensive guys are watching. Since signing in 2020, Jameis Winston has been a compelling figure. His journey is intriguing.
Jun 14, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) during passing drills during minicamp at the New Orleans Saints Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY SportsJun 2, 2022; Metairie, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints Jameis Winston (2) works on passing drills during organized team activities at the New Orleans Saints Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY SportsJun 2, 2022; Metairie, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints Jameis Winston (2) and Andy Dalton (5) go to the next drill during organized team activities at the New Orleans Saints Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Going into last season's training camp battle with Taysom Hill, Winston set up shop with only his wideouts and running backs. Usually, the trend for starting QBs is to connect one-on-one with offensive position players, but they rarely include their backup signal callers.
Once again, Jameis broke tradition and had Andy Dalton and Ian Book in the mix, training and bonding with the offensive players. He even had former Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater with the crew.
Humorously, Deonte Harty posted a video of the players having drinks the night before the workouts started. Harty said, "Hey, that boy is going to kill us tomorrow." Pans to Jameis shaking his head as he watches his receivers enjoying the libations.
Winston and his wife were in the next booth like Football Dad and Mom watching the kids misbehave. Without a doubt, Jameis made his guys feel every ounce pouring out of them on the practice field the next day.
We counted at least 14 participants - there could've been more, don't hold me to that number. Some offensive players spotted in drills were veteran receivers Jarvis Landry, Tre'Quan Smith, Marquez Callaway, and Deonte Harty.
Even tight ends Nick Vannett and Juwan Johnson and running back Tony Jones Jr were in South Beach. Best of all were the rookies WR Chris Olave, WR Dai'Jean Dixon, and TE Lucas Krull.
From SuperNola's video of the workouts and classroom training, Winston focused on "togetherness" and "brotherhood" with his teammates. These workouts' gravity is almost always displayed positively in training camp, practice, and games.
More importantly, the leadership as well.
It's unfair to say Jameis has never been a leader, his past and present teammates state the contrary. This season, Winston is the unquestioned leader of the New Orleans Saints.
His maturation is evident. Will it translate into another Saints postseason run under new head coach Dennis Allen?
We shall see.
