Saints: Jameis Winston praises everyone but himself after Week 5 win

The New Orleans Saints won on Sunday against the Washington Football Team, but if you watched Jameis Winston’s post-game press conference without the audio, you might’ve thought someone’s cat had died.

Sharply dressed in suit and tie, Winston responded to reporters with tight-lipped expressions for most of the press conference.

After the Saints’ Week 5 win (and the Carolina Panthers’ loss to the Eagles), there was plenty cause for celebration, laughter, and merriment all around. But Winston remained the picture of someone who knew the team still had a lot work to do.

He did, however, shower many of his teammates with praise:

"Shoutout to Blake Gillikin, what a performance he put on today. He really helped us win the field position battle with his greatness in the kicking game…Defense held up great. And we finished, and it felt great."

Winston went on to credit Adam Trautman, Marquez Callaway, and even head coach Sean Payton for each of their game performances. The only player he didn’t talk about was himself.

He went 15-of-30 for 279 passing yards, four touchdowns, and one interception, earning a quarterback rating of 108.2 that game. Winston had not just one, but two incredible passes for a 49-yard and a 72-yard TD in the first half.

Winston doesn’t seem like the type to re-watch his own highlight reels though.

New Orleans Saints QB Jameis Winston is the picture of humility and poise in post-game conference

"Next play. That’s what’s going through my head…I’m not living on results. I’m focused on decisions….We played efficient football, we made plays when we needed it."

In a robotic tone, he also tells reporters his job “is to protect the football,” and we can’t help but wonder if Payton is using some voodoo mind control on Winston.

Yet in the Saints’ post-Brees reconstruction era, Winston has the right mentality when he says he’s more focused on “decisions.” We all know how his “decisions” last year led to 30 interceptions, and those high-risk passes just won’t fly in Payton’s offensive scheme.

As much flack as Payton has gotten for keeping Winston on a short leash early in the season, he has reason to be extra cautious. This is the quarterback who is supposed to help New Orleans win their eight NFC South division title and compete for the Super Bowl. Payton has high expectations for Winston, but maybe not higher than the ones Winston has for himself.

In Sunday’s game against Washington, Winston did more things right than wrong, but he’s still in “development” mode and knows he’s not quite where Payton needs him to be yet.

Forget about living up to Brees. Winston just has to be a solid, consistent QB this season. He spoke like a true captain and team player today, so he’s got the mental side of his game locked down.

And he played well, too, but he’s not going to focus on that.