Jameis Winston came off another win as the New York Giants’ starting quarterback, and he declined to make the noise surrounding his job the story.
The Giants are 3-1 and in first place of the NFC East, with a third straight home victory and their first 3-0 start at home in 18 years. A week earlier, Winston said he was wondering whether he could throw at all. By Sunday, the outside talk had swung back to the Jameis Winston experience. He let both versions pass.
“I’m just grateful for the opportunity I have now,” he told reporters. “And right now, I get to smile and say I’m the starting quarterback for the New York Football Giants.”
Winston feels he is heating up, getting better by the week. The urge to do it, he added, does not come from the quarterback
the Giants brought in, or from any teammate.
"Last week, I was questioning if I could even throw. This week, I’ve got people talking about the Jamis Winston experience again," he said. "So, I'm just still so curious and I'm so inspired to be the best me every single day. And that alone pushes me. Not another man, not another teammate, just my desire to be what I would love."
Winston set that beside a larger change in the result. This, he said, is a game the Giants lose a year ago. What is different is faith. Coaches, players, and the organization, in his account, carry “zero doubt” that they can finish it. He kept returning to complementary football.
The defense has held late two weeks running. The crowd was loud enough that he could hear it from the sideline, where he had gone to pray. The order in the locker room was to celebrate the day, then stack wins, cut what is going wrong, and build toward a complete team.
"I think the feeling around the team is celebrate today, but we want to continue to stack wins. We want to continue to get better. We would love to continue to eliminate the negatives and build on the positives so we can make ourselves a complete football team," he said.
Winston did not pretend the offense is there yet. Execution still has to be tightened, beginning with his feet, his eyes, and the way he moves in the pocket. Accuracy, he said, starts there. He wants a cleaner fit with Malik Nabers, Isaiah Likely, Cam Skattebo, and Tyrone Tracy Jr., and he wants the coaches to take the film and find what suits him. Mastery, he said, does not stop.
The touchdowns felt good, particularly after last week. Winston measured Sunday's win by a plainer standard.
"We all know that getting the ball in the end zone is the key. You know, touchdown is one of the most proudest moments for any team, offense, defense, special teams, whatever. So, that does feel good. But at the end of the day, all that matters is you're 1-0, right? But you always want six points," he said.
It's now Monday morning, and the clock has reset. The Giants went 1-0 last week and the focus shifts to going 1-0 this week.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: A smiling Jameis Winston 'grateful' to be New York Giants' starting QB
