Jameis Winston’s turning into a real face of the franchise

Jameis Winston is the future and face of the franchise in Tampa, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers know it. On the field, Winston has been terrific so far in Tampa — not perfect, but the Bucs don’t really have to worry about the quarterback position anymore.

Off the field, too, Winston has been outstanding since getting picked first overall in the 2015 NFL draft. He’s stayed out of trouble, has had none of the embarrassing but minor incidents that littered his college career, and while a college rape accusation lingers in the form of a civil suit, there have been no revelations on that front, either. Meanwhile, Winston’s been very active in the community. For The Undefeated, Alex Kennedy highlighted Winston’s work on and off the field.

"You control your own destiny," Winston told Kennedy. "You control the decisions you make, you control the mistakes you make and, more importantly, you control all of your successes. I’ve got a strong background of getting in trouble and doing the wrong thing, but you bounce back."

Winston has been a consistent force in the community, showing up at charity events and camps run by his teammates, including one by Louis Murphy. Kennedy talked to Murphy about Winston, and the Bucs receiver had some superlative praise for Winston.

"Words can’t really explain how impressed I am with his ability to focus on his craft," Louis Murphy said. "People don’t understand how serious he takes this. It’s incredible how well he listens; he hangs on every word. I played with [quarterbacks] Cam Newton, Eli Manning and JaMarcus Russell, who were all first-overall picks in the draft, and there’s just something different about Jameis and his approach to the game."

Make sure to read the whole piece, because it's certainly worth your time. The main takeaway, though, is that so far, Winston has been a nearly impeccable face of the franchise for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.