Jameis Winston badly wants that Top Shotta torch from Tom Brady. There are many rising quarterbacks sitting in the cut and waiting for Bradys last snap so that they can ascend to the position of No. 1 in the game. Its a coveted title that every young QB dreams about.
Wearing that crown requires years of clutch performances, solid teammates, discipline, an obsession with winning championships and improving your mental capacity and technical comprehension even as the body slows down.
The Tampa Bay Bucs third-year, all-world quarterback lost a close 19-14 game on Thursday night to his idol Brady and the New England Patriots, a squad that the cocky kid from Bessemer, Alabama grew up watching rewrite the NFL record books.
Brady is the bar for any young signal caller such as Winston who was born in 1994 and was only seven when Brady won his first championship along with the Super Bowl MVP in 2001. So when Winston had the opportunity to meet Brady off the field and express his adulation for the legendary QB, he took every opportunity to do so, telling reporters, I dream to be able to be the type of QB he (Brady) is for his team to our team.
PatriotsLife on Twitter
Jameis Winston meets Tom Brady after the game, says “it was an honor” https://t.co/Fzi6f9ST72 (https://t.co/a4idFVDseT)
Winston was also intent on putting on a show for Brady and outplaying him, which he nearly did, throwing for 334 yards to Bradys 303. Winston had a TD pass dropped late in the fourth quarter that could have given Tampa Bay the victory, and then Jonathan Jones broke up Winstons final pass to the end zone from 19 yards away as time expired in the fourth quarter.
The similarities between the two QBs are definitely there. The spunk. The leadership. The refusal to give up, get down or fall back in a game. The million dollar smile and magnetic charisma. Possessing that third eye on the field.
After the game Winston went all out with his Brady man crush for reporters. One reporter described Winstons affection for Brady as next level.
Said Jeff Darlington of ESPN: Its very pure…I think you can say he straight up idolizes (Brady). After the game Jameis was actually spinning on the field looking for Brady, but Brady had actually left the field. So Jameis afterwards mentioned to a few people that he would love to get a chance to just say hello to Tom Brady. Meet him for the first time other than the pregame handshake.
Brady obliged and the two quarterbacks sat in a very quiet hallway and spoke for probably 10 minutes or so.
Afterwards Winston said it was a blessing and a great conversation to be able to talk with Brady. Of course, some fans were mad at Jameis for wanting to sweat the enemy after such a disheartening loss, but it was cool of Tom to agree to meet with the young prodigy.
Mike & Mike on Twitter
There was mixed fan reaction to @TBBuccaneers Jameis Winston and @Patriots Tom Brady catching up after the game https://t.co/uBIbw1nePf
Brady, who was born in 1977, was asked about the guys like Winston who now look up to him in the league, and according to Darlington Brady said that he used to look up to older players and try to find ways to craft his game after those older players, but now Brady looks at the new jacks like Jameis and tries to copy what they do spectacularly.
Brady is always learning, thats what makes him so great. And if Winston is dedicated to reaching Brady levels, then Tamp Bay is in great shape for the future.
