INDIANAPOLIS — One year ago Jameis Winston waltzed into Lucas Oil Stadium and during a press conference declared he was coming to compete for championships with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
The No. 1 overall pick in April 2015, Winston put up big numbers with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a rookie and was named a Pro Bowl replacement for Brady in January. New head coach Dirk Koetter thinks that might be the biggest break of Winston’s career.
“Jamies did have a nice rookie season. The great thing about Jameis Winston — he always wants to get better,” Koetter said Wednesday at the NFL combine of Winston’s 4,042-yard, 22-TD debut. “He had a chance to get out to the Pro Bowl and spend some time with some great players. Experience is a great teacher. Two guys he mentioned in particular were Russell Wilson and Julio Jones.”
Winston already is implementing changes in his approach, including nutrition and cardiovascular work. He has the luxury of returning to the same offensive system with Koettter replacing Lovie Smith as head coach.
The stability might not include two of Winston’s supporting cast members. Running back Doug Martin is an unrestricted free agent and wide receiver Vincent Jackson has a weighty cap figure.
“The cap number question would be for (GM) Jason (Licht),” Koetter said. “As a football coach, I’d love to have Vincent Jackson on my team any day of the week.
Koetter said the Buccaneers seek the type of stability achieved by the Carolina Panthers, who ruled the NFC South division and represented the conference in the Super Bowl after a 15-1 season.
“The Panthers are a great team for us to model ourselves after,” Koetter said. “They’ve hit on a lot of their draft picks, they’ve been patient with their coaches.”
Koetter said his role at the 2016 combine as a head coach is different than 2015 because of the type of preparation and communication with the scouting department he’s leading.
Last season, the Bucs had the No. 1 pick and are back in the top 10 (ninth overall) this season. Koetter has watched a ton of college game tape, and he said Ohio State — which has 14 players here — Clemson and Alabama all stood out.
With their QB concern resolved, the Buccaneers are looking for standouts this week at position of glaring need, including defensive end and defensive back. The Winston experience last year, arduous in length and breadth for coaches and scouts alike, showed Koetter the importance of face time with prospects here this week.
“Maybe the most important thing coaches get out of the combine. Jameis is a great example of that,” Koetter said. “Jason Licht and his guys did a lot of work on Jameis. The combine was a big part of that.”