National Football League

Gerald McCoy tells Jameis Winston to 'just be a rookie'

Published Jun. 18, 2015 2:01 p.m. ET

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Sometimes for players, it can be tough to step back and let someone else take a leadership role. I can only imagine that this is how Jameis Winston feels with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers right now. Winston has done everything and more that the Bucs have asked of him, even taking a step back and letting the vocal leaders do their job, according to The Pewter Plank.

“The thing I told him is just to be a rookie,” All-Pro defensive tackle Gerald McCoy told Pat Yasinskas of ESPN. “Don’t try to come turn the franchise around in your first year. You’re still a rookie. You’re still young.”

McCoy continued on by talking about the other vocal leaders on the Bucs, stating that Winston needs to just let them do what they do.

“Let the rah-rah guys be the rah-rah guys,” McCoy told ESPN. “That’s me and Clinton McDonald. Lavonte [David] doesn’t do much talking, but he talks with his play. And Vincent Jackson. Let those guys do that. You just play your role and he’s done that very well.”

You have to imagine that it's probably tough for Winston to take a back seat at times, but he seems more than willing to do whatever is best for the team, so I'm sure he took this advice from McCoy in stride.

(h/t The Pewter Plank and ESPN)

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee