Winston calls benching 'a minor setback for a major comeback'
Jameis Winston believes he will rise once more - and hopes it'll be with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - following his demotion to second-string quarterback.
"I know I'm going to be working my tail off to be ready when my time comes again," Winston told Eduardo Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. "Right now, that's what I'm going to do. I'm gonna make sure I'm preparing every single week, being a great teammate that I can be, being the great quarterback that I can be, and that's all."
Winston was pulled from the Bucs' Week 8 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals after throwing four interceptions. He won't get his job back in Week 9. Instead, Tampa will start Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback when it faces the Carolina Panthers.
"It's a setback," Winston said of his benching. "But it's a minor setback for a major comeback. It just tells you that you've got to continue to get better. I've never been in this situation before, so I have to learn from it and I have to grow from it. I have no choice."
Winston has flashed plenty of talent since entering the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick in 2015, but turnovers have plagued him each year. He's committed 71 turnovers in 48 career games, and has 21 multi-turnover games since 2015.
Winston, who said he wants to return to the Bucs next season, is under contract through the 2019 campaign.
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