5 players the Saints need to play well to beat Packers

Before the preseason, the most we saw of Jameis Winston as a Saints quarterback was a stunning trick-play touchdown and some unconventional workouts that went viral.

The “30-for-30 quarterback”, as he’s affectionately known for his 30-plus touchdown/30 interception 2019 season, began a new chapter when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rival signed him as a backup for Drew Brees. With Brees’ impending retirement around the corner, the Saints had time to develop the quarterback and break bad habits. Also, he finally got LASIK eye surgery.

It seems that, despite an embarrassing departure from the limelight, Winston has reemerged as a new quarterback under the tutelage of Sean Payton and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. Winston hasn’t just improved from his time in Tampa Bay: he transcended all NFC quarterbacks in the 2021 preseason, leading the conference with the highest passer rating.

As his nickname suggests, scoring was not the issue for Winston: it was helping the other team score through careless interceptions. Winston had a tendency to throw scared under pressure into the inviting arms of opposing cornerbacks — but as his 2021 passer rating suggests, it seems a year of dedicated training has effectively broken this habit.

It didn’t help that Arians forced a deep-reads-first offense that even Tom Brady struggled with and had to adjust. Their current play style reads the short field first, then downfield, which is exactly what the Saints have been doing for years.

His maturation in reading the offense as well as a more stable, complimentary offense gives Winston real tools to succeed in New Orleans. Second chances often don’t work out for busted first-round draft picks, but in Winston’s case, he really could be the key that brings the 2021 Saints another playoff berth after all.