Jameis Winston was quick to credit "God's plan" for the success on a desperation heave to Marquez Callaway for a touchdown late in the first half of a win over the Patriots.
But after a few days to watch tape and reflect on the decision, the Saints quarterback made it clear what he'd do if he was presented with the same situation again.
"Absolutely. Yea, I'm throwing it," Winston said Wednesday, the first time he sat for an interview since the team returned to New Orleans this week. "I'm throwing it again. I’d probably try to throw it a little higher. It’s third down. We’ve got a field goal in the bag. As long as I don’t give their defense an opportunity to catch the ball, it’s a good decision. … But we’re not going to make a living trying to throw the ball up."
He likened it to a high ball thrown for a touchdown to tight end Juwan Johnson in the opener.
“You watch the film and say, ‘hey was our guy the only person that had a chance at the ball?’ And that was the case in both scenarios," Winston said. "Sometimes those plays are going to happen. … Obviously when those plays happen everyone holds their breath. When they go good, they go great. But we want to try to eliminate them going bad.”
Winston called back to similar decisions made by his predecessor, Drew Brees. It wasn't exactly a change in tone from Winston's words post-game, despite his coach referring to the throw as a "hold-your-breath" moment, but it did seem to contradict his statement that he was attempting to throw the ball away. Winston clarified that while he was trying to get rid of the ball safely to ensure his team could kick a field goal regardless of what happened, he was still intending to give his receiver a chance to bring it down.
“It was in a safe spot," Winston said. "When you’re throwing it away, you’re giving your guy an opportunity to catch the ball, or [nothing]."
And that's what happened, with the second-year UDFA going up through contact to snare the ball for a pivotal score just before halftime that extended the Saints' lead to 14-0.
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