TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t need a “rah-rah” speech from head coach Dirk Koetter on Saturday night ahead of their game against the Jets. Instead, Koetter chose two players to address the team -- something he hadn’t done before. If they were going to climb out of a five-game skid and make a move after a 2-6 first half, it was going to be because of them and not him. He wanted players to take more of a vocal role and be the ones holding each other accountable.

He didn’t select quarterback Jameis Winston to talk about “eating W's” or alphabet soup. He didn’t choose linebacker Kwon Alexander with the “hot Cheeto” hair and an abundance of energy. He didn’t seek out five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who’s always had a flair for theatrics and loves entertaining an audience.

The two players he chose -- linebacker Lavonte David and center Ali Marpet -- aren’t known for being big talkers. In fact, public speaking generally makes Marpet uncomfortable, despite the attention he captured on HBO’s "Hard Knocks" when he played the ukulele on a beach. David was barely noticed on the show, despite being a few years removed from being an All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection. He wanted to stay behind the scenes.

Koetter chose David and Marpet to motivate the team before their 15-10 victory over the Jets because they quietly go about their jobs and lead by example.

"Something Coach Koetter talks about a lot is leadership and how everyone in the locker room needs to be a leader," said Marpet, now in his third season. "We lead in different ways and we have different roles and sometimes part of being a leader is doing stuff that may be uncomfortable at times. I think that's what he was doing when he asked Lavonte and I to address everyone. Because we aren't the most vocal guys. But I think he appreciates how we go about our business and how we handle our work."

It reminded defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks in 2013 and grew up in a military family, of how an Army commander addressed his troops before battle. A former captain on defense, McDonald has always drawn inspiration from the military.

"It wasn't a rah-rah [speech] at all. It was moreso a foreshadowing of how we were going to win, what we do to win and how we regain that confidence in our team," McDonald said. "It was not what they said but how they said it, and the people who addressed the team.

“Everybody on the team felt like we had been talking enough lately but we have not been doing a bunch of action. I thought it was very good for those guys that don’t ever talk to come out and say what the principles are of what we’re gonna do to win.”

Ali Marpet's message to his Bucs teammates: Focus on controlling things that are controllable. Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire

In his speech, Marpet emphasized confidence and focusing on controlling things that are controllable. He told them that they have the talent in the room to get the job done. David encouraged them to "do it for the family" and to tune out the outside noise, that the only people who could fix their present state were the people in that room.

"I think Koetter's message that 'everyone in the locker room is a leader' is huge," Marpet said. "He actually gave us the opportunity to show our leadership."

Defensive tackle Chris Baker appreciated hearing new voices in the locker room, including when wide receiver DeSean Jackson addressed the team after the game. Baker recalled the Washington Redskins' turnaround in 2012, when they started the season 3-6 and went on to win seven straight games, finishing 10-6 and winning the NFC East.

"I remember it was like it was yesterday," said Baker, who was a rookie that season. "We had a players-only meeting and everybody just hashed it out, of what we needed to do, how we needed to be focused and how we needed to get ready to play one week at a time and were able to focus in and get it done."

Instead of coaches pointing out missed assignment in meetings, players owned up to them.

“It was more of us just taking over the meetings and just taking responsibility for where we had to be and everyone being accountable, and saying, 'Hey, this is where I'm supposed to be and I've got to make this play. I'm supposed to be here, I'm supposed to be there," Baker added. "It all clicked on Sunday.’”

Similar to what happened last year, when the Bucs went on a five-game winning streak, players said they took more of a role in leading their meetings while the coaches stepped back. It's curious why this initiative didn't continue into 2017, although new faces at key positions can change a team's dynamic.

Also, Winston has been fighting a shoulder injury and struggled. After the loss to the New Orleans Saints and just before he was shelved for a few weeks, he said he had to get himself right and play better before he felt like he could lift his team.

For those watching on TV, when Winston talked about "eating W's" during his pregame speech before the Saints game, it felt out of place and unrealistic. It wasn't tailored for a team that was on a five-game losing streak. That doesn't mean going into a game expecting to lose, but it takes a certain level of awareness to strike the right chord with teammates, understanding what their internal dialogue is and how they're feeling.

"A team needs a spark and sometimes a spark doesn't always have to be yelling or anything like that," McDonald said. "A spark can be something as simple as reminding guys what it takes to do your job."