Saints QB Jameis Winston on facing Buccaneers: 'Obviously I want to beat 'em'

New Orleans Saints starting quarterback Jameis Winston and company held on for a nervy 13-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks Monday night to improve to 4-2 on the season. Their reward for that performance is a showdown with the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Halloween, the franchise that drafted Winston first overall in 2015 but ultimately replaced him with Tom Brady last year. 

Winston was beneath future Hall of Famer Drew Brees on the New Orleans depth chart for much of last season, meaning this Sunday will be the first time he starts against his former employer. The 27-year-old spoke with reporters Thursday about his mental attitude heading into what some may consider the biggest game, to date, of his pro career. 

"I've always been an emotional football player," Winston explained during comments, per Mike Triplett of ESPN. "I think that's something that I'm trying to work on -- being present instead of being stuck in my feelings. As a quarterback, we have to be present all the time and aware of everything that's going on. Sometimes too much emotion can lead us places that we don't want to go.

"Obviously I want to beat 'em, I want to beat 'em bad. And in my heart, I'm ready to rock. But at the end of the day they're another opponent -- another opponent that we gotta beat that's in this division. And they've got a good team, they're coming in here hot. So we've gotta stand our ground and represent at our house." 

Winston added he still has "love" for Tampa Bay and that he felt happy for former teammates as he watched them win the Super Bowl with Brady leading the charge earlier this year. Still, one wonders if he'd celebrate a little extra if able to "eat a 'w'" against the organization that let him go for nothing after the 2019 campaign.