Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston wasn’t there for the first three games of the season.
When he returned, the C on his jersey was missing, the first time in three seasons he wasn’t voted a team captain.
But Winston said he still hoped to lead the team in his own way, even without the traditional symbol of leadership.
Bucs players chose five season-long captains, including wide receiver Mike Evans and tackle Ali Marpet on offense, linebackers Lavonte David and Kwon Alexander from the defense and linebacker Adarius Taylor representing special teams. Winston had been voted a captain each of the last two seasons, but his suspension obviously had a bearing on this year’s selection.
“Ain’t no weight being taken off my shoulders at all,” Winston said, via Eduardo Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. “Just because you don’t have a C on your chest, it doesn’t mean you can’t lead. I’m happy that those two guys have a C on their chest, but I’m going to continue to do my best to lead this team. . . .
“I think especially offensively, you have Mike Evans who is one of the best players in the league. He’s a great leader in his room, and you have Ali Marpet, who is our NFLPA rep, and he’s a great leader in his room. So when you’ve got two great leaders like that on your side of the ball, they can easily, they can both go either way. I think that again, that’s a good situation that we’re in.”
They add a sixth weekly captain each week, and Winston accompanied the aforementioned five for the coin toss last week against the Browns.
