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Bucs OC: 'I was dead wrong' about Jameis Winston

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston won over a lot of critics during an impressive rookie campaign, and apparently among them is the man who'll be tasked with helping to carry over Winston's success into his second season.

New offensive coordinator Todd Monken, the former Southern Miss head coach, was initially unconvinced by Winston, with his doubts stemming from some off-field issues he had at Florida State.

"It's who he is, how he's wired,'' Monken said, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. "I think that's one thing that's a misnomer. I think from the outside you would've looked at it with all the things that were publicized in the past about him and who he is. I was dead wrong. He wants to win as much as we do. He's a competitive joker, man, he's smart, he's intelligent ... you can win a lot of games with guys like that.''

Monken pointed to the age of social media as the reason why preconceptions are formed, but after spending time with Winston, he realized how wrong those views of him were.

"I think that's just general in life, especially with social media today, but even before then,'' Monken said. "Without knowing a person, we make judgments without ever being around them. I think that's just common, that's not just Jameis, that's people. You make thoughts, impressions when you meet someone on Facebook or Twitter or (Snapchat), you think you know them. You think you're a part of their life, you have no idea what they're like until you get around them and you're around them day to day and see what they're about. That's in terms of life, not just him.''

Winston threw for 4,042 yards and 22 touchdowns last season. With he and Monken on the same page and the Bucs loaded on offense, the 22-year-old is expected to make a leap in development and significantly improve on those numbers.

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