After four straight losses, the Buccaneers' season is already on life support and on Sunday, they're facing a must-win situation against the 5-2, first-place Saints. So, just before the biggest game of their season, the Buccaneers turned to their quarterback and leader Jameis Winston to get them pumped up. What followed was one of the weirdest pregame speeches you'll ever hear.
Instead of going with a traditional pep talk, Winston went the unconventional route. It began OK, with Winston telling everyone to look at him. But it ended strangely when Winston began licking his fingers as he pretended to eat a "W."
Jameis Winston with an ... interesting pump up speech. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/z0tESHAA6k
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 5, 2017
In the middle, the Buccaneers looked at Winston like he was crazy.
Call it a head scratcher, because Chris Godwin literally scratched his head as he looked on:
If the Buccaneers' lose, their playoff hopes will be KO'd, but the good news for Winston is that he's still only 23, so he should get plenty of more chances to hone his pre-game material in the wars to come. In the meantime, until his next opportunity, I'd suggest he watch a few of the truly great pump-up speeches -- from the "Miracle" speech to coach Eric Taylor's halftime talk to Tyrion's (NSFW) rallying cry at the Battle of the Blackwater.
More importantly, Winston should probably work on improving his quality of play during the games themselves. So far this season, Winston's failed to turn the corner and has stagnated across the board. The Buccaneers desperately need more from their young quarterback and they need more now.