Rob Ninkovich believes Jameis Winston is capable of leading the Saints to a successful year if he reduces the turnovers. (1:11).
Jameis Winston stated that he is "blessed" and grateful to make his first appearance in two years for New Orleans Saints. He said that he and his teammates will be supporting the New Orleans Saints and the Gulf South in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
Winston stated that he had "first of all, something in my heart" when he opened the first news conference after being selected as New Orleans' starter. "I would like to thank all those who responded to the emergency in New Orleans, as well as all those on the ground and the grassroots organizations that are working to make our city resilient. We are with you. We're gonna represent you."
Winston then asked anyone in the Gulf South or Florida to attempt to get to Sunday's game against Green Bay Packers. The Green Bay Packers have been moved to Jacksonville, while New Orleans is still recovering after Hurricane Katrina.
Winston stated, "We need all of our Saints fans out here,"
Winston, 27 years old, will make his Saints debut after joining the team to support Drew Brees. Former Heisman Trophy winner, No. The former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 draft pick was 28-42 as a starting quarterback during his five seasons with Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After his rookie contract expired, they replaced him with Tom Brady.
After Brees' retirement, Winston defeated Taysom Hill to be New Orleans' summer starting job. Winston sealed the deal by a brilliant performance in Saints' second preseason match. He completed 9 of 10 passes for at least 123 yards and scored two touchdowns to Marquez Callaway.
Winston stated, "It was great to be named the starter." It's fun and a blessing to be able to lead the pack. It's a blessing and I am grateful. It has been over a year since I had the opportunity. And I don't take anything for granted. And I am just grateful and blessed.
"And I'm thankful to my teammates for pushing, and I'm thankful to Taysom's for pushing me."
Winston's focus has been on improving his decision making, especially after he became the first NFL player to throw at least 30 touchdown passes, and 30 interceptions, in the same season. He also led the NFL with 5,109 yards passing.
When asked what the next step was for him, he replied, "Just consistency preparation, that's it. That's the most important thing."
Winston stated, "We're preparing to play for the Green Bay Packers." We have a lot going on but we need to stay consistent in our daily preparation. We can't lose sight of the goal and not be ready to play and try our best.
Since New Orleans' evacuation on Aug. 28, the Saints have been training in Dallas since then. They first used Cowboys facilities and then TCU facilities for the remainder of the week.
"It's harder for people who are actually going through a lot right at the moment. Winston said that Dream Forever Foundation provided supplies to first responders this week, including water, gas, and roofing materials. We have to represent them. They are our source of food. They are persevering, they're resilient right now, so we must do the same. There are many people in much more difficult situations that we are.
"We are blessed to be able to go out and enjoy a game we love. We have our families with most of us. We just pray that all families in New Orleans are safe and secure. The goal is to create excitement in New Orleans by getting out there and winning football games. That will be a great thing.
