The Buccaneers are done with on-field work until training camp, but head coach Bruce Arians hopes that quarterback Jameis Winston will be staying busy with football work off the field in the coming weeks.
Arians told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times that he likes where Winston is after their first offseason together and that he’s shown the ability to handle “really difficult situations” that the team has put in front of him. He also said that he’d like to see Winston use the digital realm in order to make even more progress heading into the season.
“I think one of the things hopefully, he’s gotten into the virtual reality,” Arians said. “Because we’ve got STRIVR now. And it’s amazing. You should probably get an example of it. But you put the goggles on and you can watch our practice. You turn around and see the coaches behind you. It’s the entire blitz drill. So you can sit in your living room and practice all day without sweating and it’s us practicing. It’s not a video game. It’s from our actual practice. Carson Palmer had it in his house and that was Thursday night for him. All the blitz pickups. You can see both wide receivers. You can see everything.”
The 2019 season is going to be a big one for Winston as he tries to earn another contract from the Buccaneers after four seasons that haven’t made his future in Tampa a sure thing. Those decisions will be made in the real world, but could be made easier if Winston improves after spending time in the virtual realm.