Jameis Winston had one clear message he wanted to get across after his successful Saints return on Friday night at the Caesars Superdome. He's just grateful.
There will be time to diagnose the performance itself, but it wasn't lost on him how meaningful it was to have fought his way all back onto the turf that he was carried off with a devastating knee injury a year ago. He managed to say as much in 10 different ways within his roughly 4-minute post-game interview.
"My gratitude for being out there is way more important than completing passes," the quarterback said after the game.
That road began on Halloween night in 2021 when a horsecollar tackle by Bucs linebacker Devin White compressed his left leg into the Dome turf and resulted in major injuries to the 29-year-old's ACL and MCL. The surgery went well, he attacked his rehab and impressed with full participation as early as the team's voluntary OTAs.
He didn't miss a practice until a foot injury kept him on the sidelines for roughly a week. His return to practice came in Green Bay, and he made sure to showcase his comfortability throughout the week in practice. That showing allowed his head coach to feel comfortable enough to throw him on the field for what felt like an important preseason opportunity in the finale against the L.A. Chargers. Winston couldn't remember exactly when or what was said, but he knew one thing.
"He gave me the heads-up that I'm gonna go out there and ball," Winston said, "and I just said, 'thank you.' "
And whether he wanted to get into it or not in his post-game, there's no denying the performance displayed made it easier to embrace happy, grateful feelings. Winston only played one drive, but that went in the books as a 9-play, 75-yard drive capped off by the first of two Mark Ingram touchdown runs.
Winston went a perfect 4-for-4 for 59 yards, but the most impressive element was navigating a pair of penalties that extended the drive 15 yards. A Cesar Ruiz hold on the first play of the drive knocked the Saints back to 1st and 20, but Winston was never rattled. Alvin Kamara took a handoff to the right for 6 yards on first down. On 2nd and 14, Winston stepped up in the pocket and delivered a strike to Jarvis Landry for 20 yards and a first down. The two displayed the same chemistry we've seen throughout camp, and the throw was a confident one into coverage, eschewing a pair of easier throws short of the sticks available underneath.
It was a clear example of how life is a bit different when you have tried-and-true pass-catchers dotting your roster, as the team has this year.
“When you’ve got great talent around you, it’s always better, and Jarvis has been a superstar in this league for a long time," Winston said. "We didn’t even have Mike T out there, so I was happy that we were able to be very efficient and balanced between the run and the pass and have some of our superstars step up and make plays.”
Related
Later in the drive Kamara was called for an illegal shift to set up a 1st and 15. On the next snap Winston gunned a ball into Landry again for 15 yards and a new set of downs. The quarterback took one notable hit on the drive, which he shook off with no issue.
“I thought he was confident in the pocket," head coach Dennis Allen said. "I thought he was decisive with his reads. There was a couple where he really stepped up in there and rifled the ball in, so I was impressed with what he was able to do. It was good to see.”
Related
Once the drive was over, the next goal was clear: Call it a night, and thank everyone involved. That's what happened, Andy Dalton took over and led a scoring drive. Ian Book took the reins just before halftime and led the team to a 27-10 victory.
The result was a positive one for many reasons. It was Allen's first "victory" as Saints head coach in the Superdome. All three QBs led scoring drives. Things simply went well. But most importantly it allows for a full two weeks heading into the opener on Sept. 11 in Atlanta to ponder the what-ifs of just how high the 2022 version of the Saints can fly. And no one is more grateful for that than Mr. Jameis Winston.
Related
