Jameis Winston has served his three-game suspension for groping an Uber driver, and showed up at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ facility early Tuesday morning, ready to jump back into things. But hardly anyone was there to welcome him. The Buccaneers had played on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and players had the day off except for those needing treatment. So when Winston arrived at 5:30 a.m., it was quiet. On Wednesday, things got back to normal — including questions about his spot on the depth chart. ‘I’m here to assist’ Wearing his sherbet orange No. 3 practice jersey and a visor, Winston was asked about being Tampa Bay’s No. 2 quarterback behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, who threw for over 400 yards in each of the first three games. Jameis Winston returned to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers facility on Tuesday, after his three-game suspension for groping an Uber driver ended. (AP) “Well, you know, the most important thing is the success we’re having. I’m back,” Winston said. “I’m more excited about that right now. “I’m here to assist the best way I possibly can. You know, my passion for this team, my love for this team goes beyond whether I’m out there throwing the football or not. Like I said, it’s my first day back. Let me enjoy that before I have to start answering anymore questions about that.” Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times said Winston and Fitzpatrick met with coach Dirk Koetter on Tuesday and were told which player would start Sunday in Chicago. He also asked that the news be kept under wraps, and thus far it has been. From a competitive standpoint, the Buccaneers likely want the Bears to have to prepare for both quarterbacks. But, Stroud wrote, “all indications are” that Fitzpatrick will remain as the starter. Judging by Winston’s words, that seems to be the case. Winston not surprised by Fitzpatrick’s play The 35-year-old Fitzpatrick, who was the Buccaneers’ backup last year and started three games when Winston missed time with a shoulder injury, was the talk of the NFL in his first two weeks. In wins over the Saints and Eagles he completed 78.7 percent of his passes with eight touchdowns and one interception. Story continues On Monday night, he came back down to earth a bit with three picks against the Steelers, but nearly brought the team back from a 23-7 second-quarter deficit. Winston wasn’t surprised to see Fitzpatrick play so well. “Of course. I mean I practice with him every single day. This guy hasn’t been playing in this league for 14 years for any reason,” he said. “Plus, when you add the weapons we have outside … the hardest workers in our building is the offensive line. And when they’re protecting the way they are, you can do nothing else but go out there and light it up. So I’m excited for Fitz and I’m excited as a whole. As a team we’re playing very good and I’m happy to be back in the building and we’ve got to keep it up. “We’ve got to go continue to go out there and win football games.” Practice sessions and catered meals Winston worked with quarterback coach George Whitfield and 25 former NFL players and free agents during his suspension, holding workouts daily. He tried to simulate his days with Tampa Bay, including meetings, walkthroughs and team meals. “I did my best impersonation of what it would be like as an in season schedule being here,” Winston said. “I got the guys from the Orlando area, Fort Lauderdale, Lakeland. Louis Murphy [who played with Winston and the Buccaneers from 2014-16] even came out there and threw a couple passes. I brought him out of retirement. And we just went to work. “I didn’t want the guys in this building to be working hard and I wasn’t out there doing my thing. Other than spending a lot of quality with my family, because I didn’t have time to spend with my Buccaneer family, we did a lot of great things. After practice, I catered meals to my teammates just so I could have that team bonding that I missed here.” More from Yahoo Sports: • Ex-Raiders player with rare brain disorder hospitalized • Matt Harvey has one team he won’t sign with • Steelers legend to RB Bell: Fake injuries to stay healthy • Pete Thamel: Meet the country’s most unconventional young coach<doc-sep>Koetter and his staff have also planned beyond this week – the Buccaneers will have a bye after their trip to Chicago and then will return to play at Atlanta in Week Six – but things can shiftrapidly in the NFL so it is a plan that can't be completely set in stone. "Yeah, we have a plan for it but, again, you never really know how it's going to go from week to week," he said. "Look at Chris Conte's situation that we just talked about. That's just one example. I have an idea how it's going to go but this is an ever-changing game." Fitzpatrick also started three games for the Buccaneers last year while Winston was recovering from a shoulder injury and helped the team win two of them. Winston regained his starting spot when he was healthy and played well down the stretch. Fitzpatrick's current run is a bit different in that Tampa Bay's offense has been firing on all cylinders to start the season and Fitzpatrick himself has some gaudy numbers, including a 124.8 passer rating, good for second in the NFL. He is the first player in NFL history to throw for over 400 yards in three consecutive games, and he has already connected on 11 touchdown passes. Winston performed well in the preseason before his suspension began and Koetter has no doubt that his fourth-year quarterback worked diligently to remain in playing shape and in command of the playbook while he was out of contact with the team. The Buccaneers have confidence in both passers, as well as reserve Ryan Griffin.<doc-sep>Well, even when Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t lighting up the scoreboard on a Sunday he is still making news. According to Jay Glazer of FOX on Sunday morning’s pregame show, the Buccaneers plan to stick with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback even after the return of Jameis Winston following the quarterback’s suspension. Glazer said that Fitz will remain the starter, but will be replaced should he do something “drastically bad” on the field. Many saw this coming with the hot start that Fitzmagic is having, but that “drastcially bad” something could come as early as Monday night. If Fitz were to go out on national television and put up a stinker with multiple turnovers and the Bucs lose to Pittsburgh, we could theoretically see Winston week four in Chicago. However, if Fitz keeps clipping along at this rate, we could see him be the season long starter.<doc-sep>
TAMPA, Fla. — Jameis Winston is back on the job, though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers still aren’t saying if it’s as the team’s starting quarterback. Winston’s three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy ended Tuesday, the first day the fourth-year pro was permitted to return to the team’s training facility and have contact with coaches and teammates. It was a day off for players following Monday night’s 30-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, however coach Dirk Koetter said the first overall pick from the 2015 draft showed up bright and early, ready to begin preparation for the Chicago Bears. What Koetter declined to say was whether Winston or Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has the Bucs off to a 2-1 start while throwing for more than 400 yards in a league-record three consecutive games will start Sunday. “I know there’s a lot of interest in the quarterback thing. I did talk to both Jameis and Fitz,” Koetter began. “It’s great to see Jameis back in the building. He was here early and working hard. We welcome Jameis back, glad to have him. Short week,” the coach added. “He assured me he was ready to go, which I don’t doubt for a minute that’s he’s been working hard.” Without elaborating, Koetter said he shared the team’s plans with both quarterbacks. “We know what we’re going to do. Both guys know what we’re going to do,” the coach said, “I hope everybody can appreciate it doesn’t do us any good to tell our opponents what we’re going to do. That’ll work itself out as the week goes on.” Winston started 45 of 48 games over the past three seasons, going 18-27 while throwing for 11,636 yards, 69 touchdowns and 44 interceptions. The 2013 Heisman Trophy winner has topped 4,000 yards passing twice, but has yet to lead Tampa Bay to the playoffs. Fitzpatrick, a 35-year-old journeyman who played for seven teams in 14 seasons, has thrown for 1,230 yards and 11 touchdowns in Winston’s absence. The Bucs rallied from a 20-point halftime deficit to make Monday night’s game close. Fitzpatrick finished with 411 yards and three TDs, however he also helped dig the hole Tampa Bay couldn’t escape with interceptions on three consecutive pass attempts in the second quarter. Winston is expected to meet with the media on Wednesday, when team begins preparation for the Bears. Fitzpatrick was asked Monday night about Winston’s impending return and what it might mean for his role moving forward. “You know, I have so much fun playing this game. … I’m here just ready to do whatever it takes to help the team win, and I think that will be my mindset going forward,” Fitzpatrick said. Fitzpatrick also started three games last season, going 2-1 while Winston was sidelined with a shoulder injury. “This quarterback issue we have right now is not an adversity,” Koetter said. “We are blessed. I think we have three good quarterbacks on our roster right now. Not all teams in the league can say that.”