The Facts: Winston was not a favorite a year ago of Bucs' HC Dirk Koetter, who admits he preferred Marcus Mariota. And apparently, new OC Todd Monken also wasn't a big Winston fan. "It's who he is, how he's wired,' Monken said. "I think that's one thing that's a misnomer. I think from the outside you would've looked at it with all the things that were publicized in the past about him and who he is. I was dead wrong. He wants to win as much as we do. He's a competitive joker, man, he's smart, he's intelligent...you can win a lot of games with guys like that.'

Diehards Line: Monken, who also coaches Bucs receivers, said working with Winston every day has made him a believer in the Pro Bowl player. "I think that's just general in life, especially with social media today, but even before then,' Monken said. "Without knowing a person, we make judgements without ever being around them. ... You think you're a part of their life, you have no idea what they're like until you get around them and you're around them day to day and see what they're about. That's in terms of life, not just him." That said, it will be Monken's job to make sure Winston and the Bucs receivers are in synch and that starts with practice reps and developing consistency in young players. How much does the passing game need to improve under Winston, who threw for more than 4,000 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2015? "Dramatically,' Monken said. QBs coach Mike Bajakian said the next step is for Winston to improve his throwing technique and accuracy. He completed 58.3 percent of his passes last season.