Jameis Watch: Too Easy
February 24th, 2015
Crab-legs-stealing, BB-gun-shooting, obscenity-hollering, Heisman-Trophy-winning, former national champion Jameis Winston, the pride of Florida State University, continues to look like a much better quarterback prospect than Mike Glennon and Josh McCown.
It’s Joe’s daily nugget on the Jameis Watch, celebrating the best quarterback ever to wear No. 5 in the state of Florida.
For any position, owners, general managers, coaches, scouts — hell, fans — want a player to look as smooth and as comfortable as possible performing his craft.
It often signals a lot of things, few if any are negative. So after watching Bucs Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston go through his throwing workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine last week, former NFLer and current Bleacher Report columnist Matt Bowen typed he knows who the best quarterback in the draft is.
Winston passed the test, in my opinion, as the top player at the position during the throwing drills. He’s a classic, pro-style guy who can sling the ball and put the proper touch on his passes. His footwork was excellent, and the drills looked almost too easy. It was effortless at times for Winston to take his drop, set his feet and deliver the ball (with placement) inside Lucas Oil Stadium. …
With the draft still nine weeks away, there is a lot of work to be done on both Winston and Mariota. But after the combine, it’s clear that Winston’s skill set should easily transition to the pro game. He’s the No. 1 quarterback.
Does this mean that Marcus Mariota cannot convert into an NFL quarterback? No. It just means Winston is further along, in some cases, much further than any other quarterback in the draft.
It sure smells like, with the Bucs at No. 1, it is Winston’s pick to lose.
February 24th, 2015 at 1:09 pm
The Bucs MUST look long term. Which QB are they most comfortable for the next 10 to 12 years?
February 24th, 2015 at 1:09 pm
Mayock on Florida State’s Jameis Winston: ‘He scares me’
February 24th, 2015 at 1:10 pm
The more that I open your website to get insight into all things Bucs, I feel like I am on the Winston fan club page. I don’t think that we can go wrong with either Mariota or Winston, but good golly molly…all this Winston one sided love is a bit much Joe. BTW, thanks for the combine reports!
February 24th, 2015 at 1:13 pm
“Winston is further along, in some cases, much further than any other quarterback in the draft.”
Winston is “further along” than most 2nd and 3rd year NFL QBs as well when it comes to many of the qualities that constitute a good NFL Quarterback.
February 24th, 2015 at 1:13 pm
@Jim
To answer your question: The Bucs would feel most comfortable with the quarterback that actually transitions to the NFL successfully.
February 24th, 2015 at 1:21 pm
Only 2 more months of listening to people try to talk themselves out of Winston. Can’t wait!
February 24th, 2015 at 1:25 pm
@mark
Now you are sincerely bringing out the big guns-Mayock-one of the most revered nfl analysts of all time. It is true what he says usually carries much weight. You mentioned that he stated that drafting Winston would scare him. However did you also completely note that he STILL ranks Winston #1 QB in this drafts and feel he’ll go first?
February 24th, 2015 at 1:40 pm
I’ve read reports stating that Mariota is a smart person. I have yet to read an article that says Mariota is smart at reading defenses and the X’s and O’s. I have read many articles stating that Winston is extremely intelligent at both.
So, by NFL “expert” analysis – Winston is very intelligent at reading defenses and going through his progressions, is a “pro-ready” pocket passer with a strong arm and great touch – then where is all the love for Mariota coming from?
Mariota over Winston because of off the field issues and/or character? If yes – then stop saying Mariota is a better quarterback. If he is – show me a reference to it.
February 24th, 2015 at 1:42 pm
Winston can be the best QB that the Bucs have ever had. I like Mariota also. I am very happy we should get one of them. I think if Winston forgets Baseball and puts all of his time into being an NFL QB, that he can be really good. I am far from a Winston homer but some people say his interceptions vs the weak ACC is troublesome. I am more of an SEC fan myself but it seemed like the ACC was pretty strong during the bowls.
February 24th, 2015 at 1:49 pm
Buc since ’74:
It’s really interesting that Mariota didn’t sit down with Mariuci like Winston did.
Can you imagine the screams from the HATERS if Mariota had done a whiteboard session on national TV, killed it, and Winston didn’t do one?!?!
The screams of “what is he hiding?!?!?!?!” Would be non stop. So I guess that’s a question that needs to be answered. What is Mariota hiding?
February 24th, 2015 at 1:55 pm
CreamsicleBananaHammock – classic name!
Agreed. I understand the talk of character concerns – although character doesn’t seem to be a concern for anyone that actually knows Winston – it’s only a concern for those who don’t.
As for Mariota – the guy is a run fist, one option, QB – who will get killed running in the NFL (ask RGIII). What film is there ever of Mariota reading defenses, calling audibles, going through progressions, and hitting his targets through tight windows?
If there isn’t video of it – why in the hell would I choose him over Winston? Because we THINK he can? Help me people…
February 24th, 2015 at 1:57 pm
One last thing – for those who want Mariota – would you want RGIII right now? He can run fast but guess what? He can’t read a defense for sh.t. Remember the Bucs defense confusing him and beating him up? What is different about Mariota? Show me film or send me a link to an article that says he CAN do it?
February 24th, 2015 at 2:03 pm
Smartest QB since Manning.
And effortless throwing motion with placement.
February 24th, 2015 at 2:04 pm
Someone posted an article the other day that listed Winston’s/Mariota’s scheduled visits so far. Winston has way more. I know TBBF doesn’t think its likely that teams just arent interested in Mariota as the fans are. At first I agreed but now I’m starting to think maybe there is some truth to it. Mariota just isn’t as popular amongst the pros as us fans might of thought.
February 24th, 2015 at 2:11 pm
Buc since ’74 Says:
February 24th, 2015 at 1:57 pm
“One last thing – for those who want Mariota – would you want RGIII right now? He can run fast but guess what? He can’t read a defense for sh.t. Remember the Bucs defense confusing him and beating him up? What is different about Mariota? Show me film or send me a link to an article that says he CAN do it?”
Buc since ’74….Skyline Crew might be able to help you with that.
February 24th, 2015 at 2:13 pm
74,
“Mariota over Winston because of off the field issues and/or character? If yes – then stop saying Mariota is a better quarterback. If he is – show me a reference to it.”
EXACTLY!!!
It seems Matiota’s only quality is he is not Jameis. Sounds like a can’t miss to me.
February 24th, 2015 at 2:13 pm
winston looked good, I’ll give him that, but this whole smartest since manning thing is laughable.
personal life effects your job, thats just life. and he has shown zero common sense off the field, in his interviews, his cockiness etc.
in that respect he has the intelligence of a dung beetle.
so many smart people in the world, and the majority of them lack the common sense to use the intelligence to succeed in life. thats where winston falls IMO. he’ll be a bust, but I fully expect, based on L&L’s horrible decisions to date, that they will draft him.
February 24th, 2015 at 2:15 pm
@Pillage – last year it was the “Johnny Football Fan page”. See how credible the opinion is?
February 24th, 2015 at 2:17 pm
Jameis Winston, as a 20 year old man who knew he was going to eventually play for an NFL or MLB team, was doing the kind of immature crap that we all did when we were 14.
In the words of Mike Mayock:
“I think the bigger concern is whether this guy can be the face of your franchise. He was the face of the Florida State franchise, and that didn’t stop him from making bad decisions.”
Jameis is an elite college QB, and potentially an elite NFL QB. He’s smart, and has a very high football IQ.
But he’s emotionally stunted, and is a straight-up con artist.
If the Glazers pick Winston, they will immediately alienate a huge chunk of whatever fan base they have left, and he will eventually bite this franchise in the nuts.
February 24th, 2015 at 2:17 pm
@P Cola Bucs
I also feel he might be the best QB in the draft. However there are some concerns in my opinion. Just because he might be the 1st QB off the board, doesn’t mean he will turn out as the best QB of this draft class.
I’m aware of the need for a QB in Tampa bay…..but I’m still not sold, but he might be the best chance. But I’m leaning that way.
February 24th, 2015 at 2:29 pm
@ Couch
If it is a slam dunk that Winston will be drafted…..and it is doumented that many, many teams need QBs…..even some who perhaps need QB to develop for the future, it would make absolutely no sense that they wouldn’t interview Mariota.
There are very few Mocks that don’t have him going in the first round.
You figure that out. My only guess is that teams want to interview Winston because they think he has a chance to fall to him. Also, Winston needs to be interviewed….maybe Mariota doesn’t.
As far as fans go….Mariota has an overwhelming lead with fans in general….this is a product of the media images of the two QBs….it has not much to do with the realative skills of the two.
I have never posted any concerns about Winston’s readiness, skills….interceptions, throwing mechanics, footbal acumen…..not once, because I am quite convinced he is francise material. I give and still give the edge to Mariota because of my comfort level with him off the field and long range ceiling.
As a Buc fan from the get-go, I have developed much patience….an absolute necessity…..I have the patience to develop Mariota if necessary.
If Winston is the pick….I’ll be a supporter.
February 24th, 2015 at 2:32 pm
ESPN
Winston all but booked his ticket to Tampa at the combine.
The smartest QB since Manning comes directly from the mouths of NFL Scouts.
Laugh at them if you want.
And, L&L made an outstanding pick last year in Mike Evans.
Go Bucs.
February 24th, 2015 at 2:41 pm
“The smartest QB since Manning comes directly from the mouths of NFL Scouts.”
Eric just read that a few minutes ago somewhere else.
I have been trying to tell these fans that resistance to Winston futile!
February 24th, 2015 at 2:44 pm
one pick out of 7….yeah, thats a great track record!
February 24th, 2015 at 2:45 pm
“I have been trying to tell these fans that resistance to Winston futile!”
EK tells us the same thing!
February 24th, 2015 at 2:54 pm
This team has positioned itself to draft Mariota. We have no established offensive scheme. We bring in Koetter, who heavily favors an up-tempo, no-huddle attack with lots of spread formations. We bring in Bajakian, who always ran modified spread offenses.
We are in a position to craft our offense around Mariota. Other than Philadelphia, we are the best possible landing spot for Mariota.
That doesn’t mean we won’t draft Winston, though. I believe we hired Dirk Koetter because of his flexibility.
But this isn’t a “win-now” proposition where we have to draft the most “pro-ready” QB. This will be an organizational decision, and if the Glazers believe that Mariota is the best long-term prospect, Lovie’s job will be safe for a couple of seasons, as long as we play well in other phases of the game.
We can win right out of the gate with either Mariota or Winston. But both will have an adjustment period, and both will make a lot of rookie mistakes.
The pick comes down to what we are trying to accomplish long-term, offensively, and who we trust the most. To me, that indicates that Marcus Mariota will be the pick.
February 24th, 2015 at 3:03 pm
@TBBF
Maybe it’s just me but your post sounded a little defensive. I didnt mean to call you out or anything like that. Was just trying to say maybe Mariota isn’t all that popular. Your opinions are very sensible but there are could be many reasons for why they havent scheduled interviews with him. For example it could be very possible that most NFL types are starting to frown upon spread QBs since most of them dont seem to pan out. I’m not pretending to know anything. But there could very well be some truth to my opinion to. We will see April 30th.
February 24th, 2015 at 3:04 pm
You can’t judge a draft after one year. But when you pick a rookie of the year finalist it sure looks good.
February 24th, 2015 at 3:21 pm
Okay so we all agree Mariota is the pick? Let’s start discussing the 2nd round pick now…
February 24th, 2015 at 3:36 pm
Senor Mofo –
Let’s say the Bucs draft Mariota with the understanding that it’s going to take a few years to see his full potential and that we’re going to have to go with Glennon at least in the early part of next year.
That decision does not happen in a bubble. Let’s say Jameis slips to the Jets and lights it up. Lovie and Licht are gone.
Let’s say Jameis falls to the Rams at 10 and takes them to the playoffs. Lovie and Licht are gone.
If Lovie and Licht take the less pro ready QB, and we have Glennon on the field while Jameis is lighting it up and putting butts in the seats elsewhere….Lovie and Licht are gone
February 24th, 2015 at 3:40 pm
Robert 9 says:
and he has shown zero common sense off the field, in his interviews, his cockiness etc.
——————————
Now when does a person just stop typing things that continuously shows they are clueless or too lazy to research the truth. Whats wrong with winston’s interviews? Everywhere I read it says he was great in them and very charismatic. We won’t even get into cockiness. We learned yesterday that Robert wouldn’t want Brady on his team because of swagger. You are too funny
February 24th, 2015 at 3:50 pm
@ Couch
Not defensive….just trying to come up with answers to a question I didn’t know.
As for NFL not being interested in spread QBs…..wow….that would eliminate quite a few….now and probably in the future.
I did find it interstiing that Lovie said he liked SF & Seattle’s offense….he could have picked many other teams…but didn’t.
Teams not interviewing Mariota reasons:
They think he’ll be gone.
They don’t want him.
They don’t need a QB
They don’t think he needs to be interviewed (at this point)
If there are any other reasons…I’m at a loss.
Or….it may not have to do with Mariota at all….It may just means Winston has more interviews because:
Teams think he may drop to them
Teams want him
Teams think he needs interviewing now.
February 24th, 2015 at 4:07 pm
Teams tend to interview anyone they are interested in regardless of draft position. Maybe they simply have not scheduled yet, nonissue on either side.
February 24th, 2015 at 4:15 pm
No one can predict the future, so we don’t know if both or either or neither will pan out. The only thing we know is that the Bucs need a franchise QB and we have the first pick, so we better take one of them for better or worse. This is our best chance to finally get a franchise QB in 40 yers and we won’t get another chance for perhaps years.
February 24th, 2015 at 4:41 pm
@CreamsicleBananaHammock
You’re throwing a whole lot of “what ifs” in there.
And really, this debate shouldn’t come down to the Mariotans versus the Winstonistas. They both have elite skills. They are both highly intelligent. They both have high football IQs. And while they have different leadership styles, they are both strong leaders on the field who motivate teammates with the intensity of their play.
I’ve always been a Winston fan, because I’m an FSU homer. The first time I say him play, I thought “Geez, this kid just gets it. Wouldn’t it be awesome if he was a Buccaneer someday.”
But that was before I knew anything else about him. Also, I knew he would be a high draft pick. And being an overly optimistic Bucs fan, I didn’t realistically believe that we would be in a position to draft him. And I certainly didn’t consider the possibility that we would be in a position to choose between him and Mariota.
You’re right about the fact that this decision doesn’t happen in a bubble. It doesn’t happen in some vacuum of football space where we just try to decide who’s better.
The decision happens within the context of what we want to do on offense moving forward, and who we think best fits that scheme, and who we trust to be the guy that runs that scheme for the next decade or more.
That’s why the debate isn’t really about who’s better. It’s about what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will do with the first overall selection in the 2015 NFL draft.
I’m on board with either guy, because either one will be have the best overall skill set of any QB we’ve had in the last 39 years (other than Steve Young). I just happen to think that the Buccaneers have strategically positioned themselves to pick Mariota, and will.
It won’t take Mariota “a few years” to develop. He might not realize his full potential until his third or fourth season, but that can be said of any QB, regardless of the college system that produced them. He will master any scheme you put in front of him, just like he mastered Oregon’s scheme. He will absolutely be ready to be a starting NFL quarterback by September.
And he will just get better and better. And no owner, coach, or general manager will be losing sleep over what he might do away from the field.
February 24th, 2015 at 4:49 pm
@Senor Mofo
“And he will just get better and better. And no owner, coach, or general manager will be losing sleep over what he might do away from the field.”
You took the word right out of my mouth!!!
February 24th, 2015 at 5:44 pm
MG8’s wonderlic 26, aaron rodgers 35.
February 24th, 2015 at 5:48 pm
Peyton Manning ….28
February 24th, 2015 at 6:28 pm
Just not impressed with mariotas passing game. Barely ever threw it further than 5 yards. Most were screens. His mobility is impressive though. Hes to quite also. Cant think of any qb as dull.as him.
If we pass on Wiston id still be somewhat happy with mariota. If we dont take one of them im gonna flip the blank out!!!!!!
February 24th, 2015 at 6:38 pm
Johnny Manziel…32
February 24th, 2015 at 6:49 pm
And finally Josh McCown……30
February 24th, 2015 at 9:55 pm
Buc since ’74 Says:
I’ve read reports stating that Mariota is a smart person. I have yet to read an article that says Mariota is smart at reading defenses and the X’s and O’s. I have read many articles stating that Winston is extremely intelligent at both.
Chris Landry (per Tiki Barber/Brandon Tierney on CBS Sports):
Landry was present for two of Mariota’s interviews. Mariota walked into the room both times and knew the names of every coach and executive in attendance.
“You could tell he had done his homework,” Landry said. “He had questions for them, and he did a good job. One team drew up a play – one of their plays, not an Oregon play – and then proceeded with the interview. Towards the end of it, they asked him to draw up the play that was explained about eight minutes ago, and he was flawless with it. He’s very, very good. He’s going to do a great job with that.
“So listen, if you’re looking for someone that is clean, that’s got transferrable skills, that has the ability to be able to learn, he’s going to measure with high marks there.”
The quotes are out there, the issue seems to be that nobody in the press wants to promulgate it.
I’m sure Joe doesn’t want you to know as it would not fit his agenda…
February 24th, 2015 at 10:29 pm
Wish:
…Mariuchi asked Winston the reason(s) for all the picks last year, AFTER, he actually allowed JW to answer, emphatically, that he was or was not committed to football only.
…We had quite a bit of input from some west coast fans who are as familiar with the performances and know as many intimacies about Mariota as all of these FSU honks claim to know about Jameis.
…The Joes were a bit more objective, when it comes to these QB’s.
A sure thing has to be present!
February 24th, 2015 at 10:44 pm
mark Says:
February 24th, 2015 at 1:09 pm
Mayock on Florida State’s Jameis Winston: ‘He scares me’
—–
He scares him so much that he mocks him first overall to the Bucs… why? Because Winston’s character is far less scary than a spread option QB transitioning to the NFL.