Dennis Allen left in sticky situation after Jameis Winston went rogue for “team decision”

The New Orleans Saints and Jameis Winston have solidified their playoff aspirations after securing a phenomenal victory over the Atlanta Falcons in their Week 18 season finale match. With nine wins and eight losses, the team is now sitting in the second spot in the NFC South, while their playoff scenario is dependent on the equation of other teams.

Meanwhile, the Falcons’ playoff run has ended in smoke following the loss. The loss fell significantly heavy on their team as they even fired their head coach Arthur Smith today. The Week 18 match also hit the headlines for a controversial decision taken by Winston and Co, although the veteran said he had no regrets over the move.

Jameis Winston shows no regret over Saints players going rogue

The Saints deviated from their coach’s instructions and went for a touchdown rather than kneeling to end the game. After the resounding victory over the Falcons, signal-caller Jameis Winston faced the media and unapologetically defended the players’ choice to go rogue. He admitted that head coach Dennis Allen had called for a kneel to secure victory, but the team collectively opted to grant running back Jamaal Williams.

“Well I apologize to D.A. because the play was victory, but I also explained to D.A. that it was a team decision. I asked the guys, I said, ‘What do you want to do?’ We know how much Jamaal means to this team. And I understood from D.A.’s perspective, so I give him that, but D.A. didn’t condone that at all”, he said via

The controversial play happened after an interception placed the Saints at the Falcons’ 1-yard line. Rather than playing it safe and securing the win, the Saints initiated a play that resulted in Williams scoring his only touchdown of the season. Winston acknowledged his conversation with Allen and expressed remorse for not following the initial play call, but emphasized that it was a decision made as a team on the field. However, he felt no regret for this bold move, despite the significant lead they held.

The signal-caller maintained respect for Falcons coach Arthur Smith and clarified that the intention wasn’t to disrespect the opposing team. Instead, it was a collective effort to honor a teammate’s hard work and dedication on the field.

“The score was already 41-17, so I don’t know how much worse it can get, but I got a ton of respect for Arthur Smith and the coach that he is. I didn’t want to disrespect [Smith]. That was not my intention. My intention was to lead the team that I’ve been with the entire year and we made a collective decision that we wanted to get one of our guys that they fight with — blood, sweat and tears, every game — in the end zone. I’m going to feel good about that.”

The debating touchdown agitated Smith so much that he confronted Allen after the game while using some profane words. Even the Saints HC expressed their dissatisfaction with the players’ deviation from the planned strategy.

Winston gets into argument with discontented reporter

Jameis Winston found himself in an unexpected exchange with a dissatisfied reporter while he was enjoying a cheerful post-match interview. Stepping in for starter Derek Carr, he was initially fielding questions about the controversial touchdown. Despite his composed demeanor, the upbeat tone of the QB’s responses seemed to irk one particular reporter, leading to a tense dialogue.

The reporter, seemingly discontent with the decision to go for the touchdown, probed Winston about potential regrets. In response, the signal-caller retorted, saying the team’s impressive 41-point score and questioned whether there was room for regret in such an achievement.

However, the reporter persisted and highlighted the necessity of playing the Falcons twice a year, saying, “You do have to play these guys twice a year,” via Sporting News.

The Falcons star, keen on understanding the reporter’s viewpoint, asked further, saying, “We already played them twice. How do you feel about it? Tell me how you feel about it.”

The exchange escalated as the reporter expressed discontent with the coaching decision not to kneel it out, mentioning, “The head coach tells you to kneel it out. If you’re asking my opinion, I think you should’ve kneeled it out.”

This disagreement sparked a back-and-forth conversation where both Jameis Winston and the reporter tried to present their differing perspectives. However, as aforementioned, the signal-caller has “no regret” for the call, and the reporter can say anything more about the team’s decision as a whole.