Winston’s stats line up favorably with ‘Super’ winners

By Ed Daniels, Sports

You may be looking forward to the summer, but my guess is no more than Saints quarterback Jameis Winston.

The Saints’ dogged pursuit of Deshaun Watson was unsuccessful.

The Saints drafted a speedy wide receiver and an offensive tackle in the first round.

New Orleans did not draft a quarterback.

And, head coach Dennis Allen announced that Taysom Hill’s primary position will be tight end.

So, the keys to the store have been handed to Winston, who gets an improved offense to go along with an already stout defense.

Is Winston good enough to win, big? The answer might be yes.

Of the last 10 quarterbacks to win Super Bowls, one had a lower career completion percentage than Winston – Eli Manning, who won two Super Bowls with the Giants. 

Manning’s career completion percentage was 60.3. Winston’s is 61.2. That’s only .5 percentage points less than Joe Flacco, who quarterbacked the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl title here against the 49ers in February 2013.

While researching the last 10 quarterbacks to win the big game, the completion percentages were not that much better than Winston’s.

Nick Foles was at 62.4%; Matt Stafford was at 63%. Even Tom Brady, possessor of seven championship rings, was at 64.2%.

Winston’s numbers this season figure to improve. Along with investing two first-round picks, Michael Thomas returns after missing all of 2021. In the last season he was healthy, Thomas set an NFL record for receptions in a season with 149.

2022 is a fish-or-cut-bait year for Jameis and the Saints. If he performs at an extraordinarily high level, the Saints may want to lock him up with a contract extension. Winston doesn’t turn 29 until January.

If you are sold on him, and he on the Saints, the team and the quarterback could be together for years. 

If Winston performs poorly, the Saints have to move on, and it would likely be with another veteran quarterback, unless the Saints can somehow acquire a first-round pick in the 2023 draft. The Saints traded their own to Philadelphia.

There is a way the Saints can pick a first-round pick or perhaps two. That’s if Sean Payton, who is under contract to the Saints, decides to return to coaching in the 2023 season.

A Super Bowl winning coach has been traded before. The Bucs traded Jon Gruden to the Raiders for two first-round picks, two second-round picks and $8 million in cash.

If Payton returned, he would be doing the Saints a huge favor. The Saints could package the bounty in that trade to move up and take a quarterback.

A 2023 mock draft from USA Today had three quarterbacks, Bryce Young of Alabama, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State and Will Levis of Kentucky, all picked in the top 10.

But, in the meantime, in the land of black and gold, it is all about Jameis Winston. He’s surrounded by a quality roster, filled with young talent, and he’s been handed the job.

Now, let’s see if he can run with it.

Ed Daniels is sports director at ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].