What did Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston reveal about his infamous "alphabet soup" speech on Friday?
A couple of days before the 2024 NFL regular season starts, Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston made an appearance on the ‘BIGPLAY Cleveland Show.' During his reoccurring Friday appearance, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints quarterback discussed his infamous ‘alphabet soup' speech he made while starting quarterback of the Buccaneers.
“It was an alphabet soup motivational talk,” stated Winston during his appearance on Friday's show. “When you're eating the alphabet soup, you're eating, you see a lot of letters that's in there and you're scrapping the plate, and my thing is like we're leaving all the other letters, all we are eating is Ws.”
Although his time with the Bucs ended after the 2019 season (in which he had 35 total turnovers), Winston certainly had his share of both highs and lows with the franchise. He spent the next five years with the New Orleans Saints, where he alternated as a backup and starting quarterback for the team that calls this year's Super Bowl hosting stadium home. Now with his third team in Cleveland, will Winston have a bigger impact that in his first two starts. Or will he spend the rest of his career strictly as a backup quarterback?
Can Jameis Winston make most of third chance with Browns?
Entering the third year of his fully guaranteed $230 million, five-year pact with Cleveland, starting quarterback Deshaun Watson is hoping to finally show why he's worth that large sum of money. He's been suspended and/or injured for a good chunk of his first two seasons with the Browns, so proving why he's worth all the money the GM Andrew Berry and his front office staff invested in him. Owner Jimmy Haslam is sure to be at least a little anxious about his investment in the former Houston Texans signal caller.
If Watson were to once again miss a significant amount of time (which Browns brass hopes doesn't happen), then it's a bit comforting to know that Winston and young third stringer Dorian Thompson-Robinson are behind him. Thompson-Robinson showed flashes during his rookie season in 2023, while Winston usually gives his team a solid chance to win most weeks due to his high football IQ and strong arm.
His penchant for turnovers did get better during his time with the Saints, but they are still an issue from time to time. With head coach Kevin Stefanski and new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, the ex-Buffalo Bills play caller, running the offense, Winston could conceivably improve more. He's always been a gunslinger, but there is precedence for gunslingers playing smarter football as they age. Under new tutelage in Ohio, Winston definitely has a solid chance of helping the Browns reach the playoffs should Watson falter in 2024.
