Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston had quite the NFL season, throwing for 5,109 yards, 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. In a contract year, you couldn’t put up more mind-boggling numbers.
The Bucs are now deciding whether Winston’s performance in 2019 warrants another year playing in Bruce Arians’ system. Several former players think Winston is poised for a big Year 2, noting how it takes time to learn Arians’ offense.
Winston seems to be doing all he can to stay in the Bucs’ good graces, even undergoing LASIK surgery recently to correct his nearsightedness. Many people have already made the joke that Winston has 30/30 vision, and some media pundits like Tony Kornheiser of ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” have wondered why it’s taken Winston so long to get the surgery, since he’s had a vision issue since at least his Florida State days.
Kornheiser’s co-host, Michael Wilbon, who has had LASIK surgery himself, defended Winston and the timing of the procedure on Thursday’s show. Here’s what Wilbon had to say when Kornheiser asked why it took Winston so long to correct his vision.
Per Wilbon:
“[He] might have had to wait. I had the problem since seventh grade. I got LASIK in 2003 or 2004… So seventh grade to 2003 or 2004 is a long time. You wait because it’s not available to people with certain ailments like an astigmatism, that LASIK could not address 15 years ago, but it can be addressed now.”
When Kornheiser asked Wilbon if the surgery changed everything for him, Wilbon replied, “Everything in your life.”
It’s definitely worth listening to the segment, which can be found around the 10:30 mark of the podcast.
There’s no telling for sure just how much this will improve Winston’s game, but I feel like him getting the surgery is a sign of his impending return to the Bucs.
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