Buccaneers' Jameis Winston: Won't be stifled despite early struggles

Winston will not see any restraints placed on him by the Bucs' coaching staff, despite some early turnover troubles this season, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports. "We put a lot on a young player - as coaches, as fans, the organization - because we need him to be great now," said offensive coordinator Todd Monken. "We certainly do. And he is capable of that. We've seen that. Him playing at his best, he is a tremendous football player, as in Week 1 and at times last year."

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The second-year signal-caller followed up a stellar 281-yard, four-touchdown showing in the season opener with a 4:7 TD:INT over the subsequent three games, with the interceptions of particular concern. However, the Bucs' coaches do not see the rise in turnovers as cause for reeling in Winston's improvisational and occasional risk-taking style of play, as they feel that the key to getting him (and by extension, their offense) back on the right track is for everyone around him to up the quality of their individual performances. As an example, three of Winston's eight total interceptions have come as a result of a bad route, an on-target throw that bounced off the intended target's hands, and an end-of-game Hail Mary, respectively. Although Winston has clearly made his share of mistakes, the team knows that many of his best moments in the past have come off broken plays, so they certainly want to keep his competitive dimension a vital part of their offensive attack. "What do we need to do? We need to play better around him," said Monken. "We need to be able to run the ball better. We need to be able to run routes with better precision. We need to protect him better. We need to be up in the game. He's a very competitive young man. He's going to always try to make plays that help you win. With that being said, I think that's a great trait."