Getty Buccaneers linebacker Devin White ripped Jameis Winston after his three-interception performance.
A Tampa Bay Buccaneers star doesn’t sound like he’s too big of a fan of his former teammate.
Following the Buccaneers’ 20-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints, Buccaneers linebacker Devin White managed to take a little jab at Saints quarterback Jameis Winston. Winston threw three interceptions during the fourth quarter, which eventually led the game turning into a 20-3 deficit after the fourth quarter began at a three-all tie.
“When Jameis left our team, everybody knows what he did that last year. And we felt like we had a great defense then, and he threw 30 picks,” White said following the win. “We just knew he’d give us the ball, we knew the running backs cough it up. That’s something we came in talking about. We want 30 turnovers as a ball club ourself, so this was just another game to go attack the ball.”
Devin White kept it 💯 after the Bucs beat the Saints. #GoBucs
Winston’s Turnover-Heavy Play With Buccaneers Led to Departure
The star linebacker is of course referring to Winston’s final year with Tampa Bay in which he threw 30 interceptions during the 2019 season. That performance eventually led to the Buccaneers moving on from Winston and signing Tom Brady in free agency.
Former Bucs head coach Bruce Arians didn’t hide his displeasure in Winston’s turnover-heavy play towards the conclusion of the 2019 season.
“If we can win with this [quarterback], we can definitely win with another one, too,” Arians said after Winston threw a game-ending pick-six in an overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons back in 2019.
Both White and Winston were teammates during the 2019 season, but it looks like the Pro Bowl linebacker is a little all too familiar with the latter’s level of play.
In Winston’s defense, he has evolved into a solid game manager at quarterback. During the 2021 season, Winston’s interception rate (1.9 percent) actually ranked within the top 10 of the lowest in the NFL.
Prior to the fourth quarter, Winston hadn’t turned the ball over at all. However, the Winston of old came out to play against his former team. On three consecutive drives in the fourth, Winston threw interceptions, the last one being returned for a touchdown.
Assuming Winston isn’t injured or benched moving forward, the former No. 1 overall draft pick will have his chance at revenge when the Saints visit the Buccaneers in Week 13.
Mike Evans Suspended 1 Game for Fight With Marshon Lattimore
Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans will be suspended for the team’s next game due to his altercation with Saints defensive back Marshon Lattimore.
The veteran receiver was engaged in a physical altercation with Lattimore after he violently knocked the defensive back to the ground.
NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan wrote a letter to Evans explaining why he’s being suspended.
Via Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network:
“After a play had ended, you were walking toward your sidelines. When you noticed your teammates engaged in a confrontation with Saints’ players, you ran toward that area on the field and violently threw your body into and struck an unsuspecting opponent who was part of that confrontation.”
“You knocked your opponent to the ground and a melee ensued involving players from both teams. Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury to your opponent and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional.”
Both Evans and Lattimore were ejected from the game following the play.
This isn’t the first time the two have been engaged in a fight during a game. Evans was suspended for one game after tangling with Lattimore during a 2017 game.
Evans’ absence means Tampa Bay could potentially match up with the Green Bay Packers without three of their top receivers, with both Chris Godwin and Julio Jones having missed Week 2 due to injuries.