Buccaneers Prepared for 'Emotional' Matchup With Former QB Jameis Winston

Buccaneers coaches sound off on facing former Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston this Sunday.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints own one of the fiercest rivalries in all of football, and the rivalry is expected to yield an extra ounce of meaning and emotion this Sunday.

When the Buccaneers step into Caesars Superdome this weekend, not only will they be taking on an NFC South foe, but they'll also face their former quarterback and No. 1 overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft: Jameis Winston.

“It’s always emotional. I mean, it’s always emotional," Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich said on Thursday, asked about facing the quarterback he coached in 2019. 

Leftwich likened the situation to Winston's replacement, Tom Brady, returning to New England to square up against his former Patriots squad in Week 4 this year. He also recalled his own experience, returning to Jacksonville as a backup for Atlanta weeks after the Jaguars cut Leftwich in 2007.

"I was emotional, and I wasn’t even playing," Leftwich admitted. "So, I can imagine when you’re playing how it is and it’s really emotional because all the ties that you have to a building, to a city, regardless of how it went – good or bad – that’s always emotional. 

"He’ll be fine though. It’s football. Once you get out on the football field, once the game gets started, trust me, everybody’s mind is completely on football.”

Even though the matchup carries a little extra meaning due to these circumstances, the Buccaneers are maintaining a similar mindset: Their minds are on this game and exiting New Orleans with a win, no matter who is under center.

The Saints' offense hasn't been as efficient under Winston as it was with Drew Brees at the helm, but it is still capable of putting up points and moving the ball down the field. 

Running back Alvin Kamara is earning rushing attempts at a career-high pace while simultaneously leading the team in catches and receiving touchdowns. Although wide receiver Mike Thomas has yet to play due to an offseason surgery, Deonte Harris and Marquez Callaway have been serviceable and both mesh with Winston's play-style as deep threats.

"The biggest thing for us is we’re not just playing Jameis. He has 10 other guys that play damn good football over there that we have to prepare for," said Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. "If you just prepare for one guy, you’re going to lose right off the top."

Bowles credited Saints head coach Sean Payton and New Orleans' offensive staff for putting Winston in positions to succeed, as well the weapons and protection Winston has around him. Continuing the line of thought he expressed above, Bowles signaled that the Saints run a different offense than the Buccaneers which makes it tough to compare Winston's successes to his time in Tampa Bay. 

It also limits the benefit of familiarity that the Bucs have with the quarterback, according to Bowles, as he's being asked to do different things within Payton's scheme than Leftwich and head coach Bruce Arians' offense.

“It’s a different system," Bowles explained. “That’s the biggest thing is that it’s a different scheme so you can’t really compare him because it’s a different scheme overall. I think they’re doing a good job with him. I think he’s doing a good job of running the team.”

Is Winston doing a good enough job for the Saints (4-2) to narrow the Buccaneers' (6-1) lead in the NFC South to half a game this weekend? Time will tell, and if he can, it will certainly spark an interesting conversation about Winston's career path - even though the Buccaneers wouldn't trade replacing Winston with Brady for anything.

That doesn't concern the Buccaneers, though. All that matters is entering their bye week with a 7-1 record - to "eat a W," as Winston famously said.

"He worked his butt off and worked his tail off for me. I tried to do the same," said Leftwich. "Once the game gets started, both of us know – he knows, and I know – both of us will be trying to do what we’ve got to do to win the football game. That is really how I see that."

Stay tuned to AllBucs for further coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and other NFL news and analysis. Follow along on social media at @SIBuccaneers on Twitter and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.