Jameis Winston has had a pretty ten months to say the least. In April, he was selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His rookie season was incredible successful to say the least, breaking multiple records, and he even including became the youngest quarterback ever to throw for 3,000 yards in a season. The season was so good that it got him an invite to this year's Pro Bowl, and the league named him its Rookie of the Year.
Before he became a successful NFL rookie, he was at Florida State University, where his accolades included a Heisman Trophy and National Title in 2013, and back-to-back ACC Titles and a College Football Playoff berth following an undefeated 2014 season. In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated's MMQB, Winston reflected on his time in Tallahassee. Despite having an incredible tenure at FSU, Winston says sometimes it felt like people were constantly looking for something from him. Now that he's in the NFL, the pressure is still there, but it's a different, more positive type of admiration than what he felt in college.
"In college, I was up under this microscope everywhere I went. I couldn't go to class without somebody stalking me or asking me for something, an autograph or a picture. In the NFL, not only am I the face of a community, but people know my face. People are looking up to me basically as a springboard for the Tampa Bay community.
"Every time I go out and I have chance to make a difference or make someone smile, I try to do that to the best of my abilities. In college, I could try to do that, and no matter what, it would mean something, but everyone just wanted something from me. Give me that, Jameis, gimme, gimme, gimme. In the NFL, I can be myself, and everyone doesn't have their hand out. In the NFL, I wasn't the best player in the league. I just do what I do."
Winston, who touched on a variety of topics in the interview, also added that one of the biggest things he learned on the field during his rookie season was how he views turning the ball over. In college at FSU, Winston says he wasn't too worried if he turned the ball over, mainly because he knew his defense, which was one of the more formidable units in the country when Winston was a starter, would get him the ball back. He says in the NFL, it's a whole different ball game.
"When you turn the ball over in the NFL, you don't know when you are going to get that chance back. At Florida State, I knew that I was going to get that chance back, because we were one of the better teams in college football. We were going to get another chance, so that turnover wouldn't kill us. Whereas in the NFL, everyone is good, so you never know when you are going to get that chance back. In the NFL, you have to take advantage of every opportunity that you get, and if you don't, you'll usually lose."
Check out the full interview from the MMQB's Peter King here.
