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Jameis Winston's weight loss this season has been well-chronicled: he saw how ripped every quarterback at the Pro Bowl was, and got inspired to fix his own relatively un-fit body. Now ESPN's Britt McHenry talked to Winston about his offseason training regimen, and the work he did with Tim Grover to fix his diet, his body and even his play.
Winston set out to increase his flexibility, and the Bucs' coaching staff wanted him to quicken his drop backs. Grover spent a lot time on Winston's footwork to eliminate any negative steps. He also focused on how Winston stops and lands rather than how he runs and jumps, to develop the right kind of pivot points for Winston to change direction. And Grover focused on increasing the velocity of Winston's throws.
This was one of the biggest on-field criticisms Winston faced prior to the draft last year, and it surfaced during the season as well: he's a little sluggish in his dropbacks. That causes some issues for his offensive line, which has to hold on just a little longer, and can cause timing issues with his receivers' routes. It did at times, last year.
The fact that he's actively working on improving those issues bodes well for the future, and it's not just hot air: his work with Grover and the fact that he's lost a significant amount of weight show that he's putting in the necessary effort.
Other key points from the article:
- Winston changed his diet by focusing on eating at specific times and reducing certain foods, though he wasn't told never to eat certain things. He lost 18 pounds since February, and Grover wants him to lose about five more to get to "between 225 to 229 pounds."
- Winston surprised Grover by actually making it through the entire workout the first time they trained together.
- Russell Wilson was a big inspiration for Winston at the Pro Bowl, Mike Bajakian said. Especially his play-to-play intensity.