Jaws Jabbed For Backpedaling
April 14th, 2015
Ron “Jaws” Jaworski, the former NFL quarterback and current ESPN QBs guru, is not standing strong behind his claim that “wired in” sources have told him Marcus Mariota will be the Buccaneers draft pick at No. 1 overall.
Mike Florio, of ProFootballTalk.com, fired away on Jaws today, highlighting a SportsCenter exchange that had Jaworkski wilting.
“All along we’ve been hearing Jameis Winston to the Bucs at No. 1 overall,” anchor Stan Verrett said to Jaworski. “Now you’re hearing Marcus Mariota, what’s going on?”
This is the point where Jaworski would have added to his prior statement, saying that the Buccaneers are privately telling people that they are taking Mariota, or that the Bucs have launched contract talks with Mariota’s agent. It was Jaworski’s chance to offer something tangible that would dovetail with his proclamation that Mariota will be the pick. But that’s not what Jaworski said.
“I am right now of the belief that Marcus Mariota is the best QB in this draft,” Jaworski explained. “I’m beginning to see a more clear vision of Marcus Mariota as the No. 1 pick in this draft. Right now, this is a process. It takes time. And it’s going to go right up to the last second I believe for the Buccaneers to decide who’s going to be their quarterback of the future, and who they take at No. 1.”
That doesn’t dovetail with Jaworski’s prior comments, which clearly came off as a report that they will take Mariota. Which clearly implies that the decision has been made. And now Jaworski clearly says a decision hasn’t been made.
It smells like either Jaworski fabricated his initial claim for entertainment value, or his “wired in” sources let him know they were wrong or things have changed.
April 14th, 2015 at 11:10 am
He deserves an upper cut as well!!! Next he will say the 1st pick will be Jameis Mariota. LOL
April 14th, 2015 at 11:14 am
None of these guys know what the hell is going to happen. Just like the rest of us. Popular opinion seems to be with Winston but until one of these guys is signed/drafted all this stuff is just guess work.
It is a little curious that the Bucs are letting Winston visit other teams if he is the sure fire pick though, I really don’t think they have their minds made up at this point.
April 14th, 2015 at 11:16 am
@JFat why would you not let him visit other guys. Let other teams get excited about him and maybe someone will trade the house to move up and draft him. We lose nothing by letting him visit other teams.
April 14th, 2015 at 11:16 am
Of course he was making that story up. The Bucs are not telling anyone who they are taking including the prospects themselves. I knew it when he initially reported it. With the statement above he clearly lied. I know it’s just entertainment but too bad these guys can’t be held accountable for this kind of BS. He no longer has credibility and should be terminated IMO.
April 14th, 2015 at 11:17 am
This angers me, he obviously said that to generate a lot of media attention.
In the end he really knows nothing.
April 14th, 2015 at 11:22 am
ron jaworski needs to just retire he has lost alot of credibility lately since he got kicked out of monday night football
April 14th, 2015 at 11:22 am
Let’s be honest!! JAWS knows nothing.
April 14th, 2015 at 11:27 am
The best thing Jaws ever said on air: “Sh!t, you gotta throw that ball!”
That was his last season ruining Monday Night Football.
April 14th, 2015 at 11:32 am
It’s dementia Joe I’m telling you…dementia.
April 14th, 2015 at 11:32 am
I would be fine dismissing him entirely if incompetent Lovie Smith was not the man making this decision. There is a very good chance Winston will not be a Buccaneer on April 30 because of who is running this team.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
April 14th, 2015 at 11:37 am
DallasBuc…there’s also a very good chance that so many analysts and insiders are saying it’s Winston because of who’s running our team. Meaning perhaps he doesn’t have as good of a poker face as some people think.
April 14th, 2015 at 11:41 am
Schefter is ESPN’s god of predictions pretty much and he stated emphatically that the Bucs are taking Winston barring an unforseen event.
Herm Edwards is going to even do some coaching with the Bucs and is close with Lovie and is 100% confident we are taking Winston.
Thank god man.
April 14th, 2015 at 11:44 am
There could be any number of reasons why he has backtracked a bit from the earlier statement….his “sources” might have asked him to, or maybe the Eagles and Chip Kelly (who might still be working on a way to go up and get Mariota at the top of the Draft) asked him to back off a bit while they try to work a trade. The fact is there could be numerous reasons why Jaworski said what he did….including that he is just trying to stir up some controversy or drama before the Draft!
Let’s face it, until next Friday night, The Bucs are the NFL’s version of Schrodinger’s Cat! We won’t really know what we have until April 30th at 8pm when we lift the box and find out what kind of cat is in it!
April 14th, 2015 at 11:46 am
When will people realize that journalism is mostly dead, and hacks like this need to be known as unreliable and disingenuous do-anything-for-click monkeys?
He’s the same guy that crapped down his leg and threw 3 int’s in losing the Super Bowl.
April 14th, 2015 at 11:48 am
Mariota could be the #1 pick to another team and it’s pretty obvious that the Bucs are open to moving down for a fair price that doesn’t have to be as idiotic as what Washington gave up.
April 14th, 2015 at 11:48 am
Btw, Jaws only helped the Bucs by driving up trade leverage, and made Mariota potentially harder to get for his stupid iggles.
April 14th, 2015 at 11:50 am
Lord Cornelius Says:
April 14th, 2015 at 11:41 am
“Schefter is ESPN’s god of predictions pretty much and he stated emphatically that the Bucs are taking Winston barring an unforseen event.”
Yeppers… Schefter is pretty much the only one I actually believe most of the time.
April 14th, 2015 at 11:54 am
The Bucs could have paid him to spread lies, or lied to him to create controversy, or he made it up on a slow news day…it’s the season and to be expected. Personally I think the Bucs would love for someone to give them the farm to trade down, so they don’t have to make the choice. JW could be fairly good as a starter right away and yet could blow up at any time, Mariota won’t be good right away, so doesn’t help the present regime. I could see why they would not truly want to choose either of them, but would be forced to without a trade partner.
April 14th, 2015 at 11:57 am
I have a bet for you 87 I never said the Bucs would draft Marcus Mariota I just want them to but if you’re so confident they’ll draft Winston,You got Winston I’ll take the field and the loser has to start every post with I’m a dumb@$$ . Also change our name to saints lover.how bout it
April 14th, 2015 at 12:07 pm
Anybody else notice That Jameis wearing a Mike Alstott Tampa Bay Buccaneers shirt to the meeting with the Titans??
April 14th, 2015 at 12:07 pm
the real Bucobruce …no dice man. I want physical goods….parking passes or a case of beer delivered to my tailgate spot on game day.
Something meaningful.
April 14th, 2015 at 12:17 pm
Like I said before jameis winstons best chance for success in the league is in tampa. With the physicality of our wrs he will need guys to bully the dbs. I’ve also said mike evans could be the next calvin johnson after last season cuz he made some great catches n i dont think we’ve seen his full potential. Cj has a gunslinger in stafford it could be winston n evans. Those guys are icons but they are no superbowl champs even with suh n levy holding down the defense. The turnovers freak me out about winston. It could be his baseball mechanics but idk his play to me seems sloppy. Russell wilson played baseball but nobody really worried about his techniques. Luck n wilson are solid with their footwork n their throwing technique. Winston reminds me of the fat kid in gym class who ran awkwardly when comparing him to them. To me that really isn’t an issue unless ur throwing a lot of picks which he did last year. His past is his past but u can only apologize for so long before ur behavior defines who u are. That’s a minor issue not the main issue but something worth thinkin twice about. His knowledge of the game is cool but it doesn’t matter how much u know if u can’t perform. Take josh mccown for an example.
April 14th, 2015 at 12:28 pm
Schefter is a second tier guy. Jay Glazer owns tier 1 all by himself, he’s the only one of those types that’s actually worth listening to. You’ll notice he’s said virtually nothing about this or what the Bucs are going to do. Because he doesn’t make too many baseless speculations.
April 14th, 2015 at 12:30 pm
So Jaworski never had sources. Just another crappy bspn narrative. I hope Jaws likes his boss/his company brcause now he looks like an idiot.
NBCSN is SOOO much better than bspn and not as biased.
April 14th, 2015 at 12:43 pm
Mariota could be the #1 pick to another team and it’s pretty obvious that the Bucs are open to moving down for a fair price…”
BINGO! That’s what I believe the Bucs would prefer to do. It makes sense to keep teams guessing which QB they intend to select to potentially net more offers. I really don’t understand how so many posters think Winston will single handedly change the franchise’s fortunes when he would most likely be getting piled on by opposing defenses within less than two seconds after the center snapping the ball.
April 14th, 2015 at 12:47 pm
ToesOnTheLine! Says:
“I really don’t understand how so many posters think Winston will single handedly change the franchise’s fortunes”
Who are these “so many posters” that you speak about?
I rarely see anyone saying that on JBF…
April 14th, 2015 at 12:58 pm
Only 16 days til the haters show their true colors. Get on board now before its to late!
Welcome TO Tampa, Jameis!!
April 14th, 2015 at 1:08 pm
@Buc1987
Seriously? Go back through all the Jameis Watch threads, and you can pick out posts about Jameis leading us to the promised land and such nonsense. Maybe he is selected by the Bucs and maybe he will be as good as guys like you and Pickgrin assure us all, but it should be pretty obvious if the Bucs get similar or worse protection from this year’s OL the only thing Winston will probably be doing is picking grass out of his face mask, throwing back foot INT’s and/or getting the ball stripped. That’s not hate but rather realistic expectations.
April 14th, 2015 at 1:13 pm
ESPN click bait garbage. I hate this time of year.
April 14th, 2015 at 1:15 pm
No sensible persons thinks Winston will turn the team around all by himself. Personally, I think he represents the biggest step forward any one player can offer us. Not an immediate contender, or a savior, or anything like that… Just the best investment we can make at this point in time.
April 14th, 2015 at 1:17 pm
ToesOnTheLine! …but there’s no one saying he’s going to instantly take us to the promised land next season…or even the playoffs for that matter.
Perhaps 2-3 years down line in my book. Fans that are “Winstonites” are just excited that he’s coming, but I hardly ever read anyone that actually seriously thinks that the team will instantly be better. Maybe 1-2 silly knuckle heads, but definitely “many”.
April 14th, 2015 at 1:18 pm
I expect Winston to get pummeled this season if the o-line’s not fixed. Even if it does get fixed I expect him to throw well over 20 picks next season.
April 14th, 2015 at 1:19 pm
Anyone that believes one spoken word about the draft this time of yr is foolish.
Tis the season of disinformation
April 14th, 2015 at 1:19 pm
not “many”*
Damn I type too fast.
April 14th, 2015 at 1:27 pm
Winston is not a savior, But he is the biggest step in getting this thing turned around. I rarely see people mention this, but I think most of our problems on offense was due to that fact that teams did not fear or respect our QB(s). It allowed them to play overly aggressive against us knowing that we couldn’t do anything about it, because we didnt have a QB who could make them pay for it. Getting a competent QB will force them to back off which should open things up across the board.
April 14th, 2015 at 1:32 pm
2 weeks 2 days I can’t wait.regardless of who we pick this draft is going to be almost as good as watching a bucs win.people at work think I’m nuts for taking the night off.tampaaaaaaaaa Super Mario
April 14th, 2015 at 1:42 pm
What I’m saying is either qb is an upgrade but I believe mariota has a bigger upside. They are both playmakers in their respective ways but the guy who takes care of the football best would be my choice.
April 14th, 2015 at 2:07 pm
I tell ya what, this Winston guy throws a lot of interceptions. He makes me more nervous than josh freeman!
April 14th, 2015 at 2:10 pm
Joe Gruden…then you better take some stress tabs, because he’s going to be our QB.
April 14th, 2015 at 2:30 pm
Jumping Jiminy Christmas
Heck, I love this guy. But I’m not exactly a one qb kinda guy. Ask Jeff Garcia. I was thinking… How does one qb throw so many interceptions?
April 14th, 2015 at 2:31 pm
Joe Gruden…I don’t know why don’t you ask Peyton Manning he threw 28 in his rookie season?
April 14th, 2015 at 2:42 pm
I ask a good friend WTF was going on with this stuff on ESPN and he is in a position to know. He got back to me late last night with two words “Pressure-Ratings” I think that says it all.
April 14th, 2015 at 3:07 pm
I rather draft the guy who takes a shot down field on 3 and long. Or is selfless enough to takes a shot at a TD and throws it deep at the end of the half and take an interception. Yes I would pick him before I risk a 1st overall on a guy who might learn the things it takes to play QB in the NFL and fumbled 28 times. Those fumbles aren’t calculated like the interceptions often are.
April 14th, 2015 at 3:22 pm
Buccs for life, Jaws is obviously A mouth piece for someone’s personal agenda!
April 14th, 2015 at 3:34 pm
Winston WILL make this team instantly better. QB is the most important position on any team.
Though undeveloped and obviously an ongoing work in progress – Winston’s skills and abilities represent a MAJOR upgrade over McCown and Glennon.
Of course “instantly better” when you are coming off a 2-14 season might only mean 6 or 7 wins until more talent gets acquired and developed.
If the D plays reasonably solid and the OLine gets gets fixed even close to the point of average – Its not a stretch to think that Winston could lead this team to a .500 record next year.
6,7 or 8 wins in 2015 would easily qualify as instantly better. Hell 8 wins might even win our division.
Time will tell. I think after the last 6 years of mostly suck play – many of us who are realistic would be happy to see a team that can be competitive and that shows continuing improvement over the course of the 2015 season.
Jameis will not be and cannot be a savior. There are 21 other starters who have to do their jobs on both sides of the ball as well. But if surrounded by at least average or better talent – Winston has enough ability and natural leadership to be a huge difference maker for this team.
April 14th, 2015 at 3:50 pm
Brian Williams lied about being shot at in a helicopter over in Iraq and lost his job. The sports media reporters need to be held to the same standards and be held accountable. It is really getting out of control and as a fan I take all sports reports with a grain of salt. It has turned in the National Enquirer.
April 14th, 2015 at 3:51 pm
Anyone wanna have a bet with me ….if the Bucs take Marcus I’ll buy you a jersey but if they take Jameis you buy me his jersey ……seems fair right ?
April 14th, 2015 at 5:05 pm
That’s my whole point you shouldn’t be allowed as a media analyst to make statements just to generate stories or a buzz.
It’s misrepresenting the NFL and the Bucs organization. If you have a source put a name to it or own it, don’t back pedal.
He does this too much to not be held accountable.
April 14th, 2015 at 5:09 pm
The promise of Winston is that he brings a winning mindset. You’ve all seen his swagger, he doesnt believe he is going to loose, so he fights for 4 quarters. We havent had that here on the offensive side of the ball ever. Does that make him an instant savior? No one knows. He could loose his swager after multiple losses and fall apart. It could happen. My money is going the other way. I think he makes the rest of the offense stand up an play better. Enthusiasim is contageous.
April 14th, 2015 at 5:10 pm
Pickgrin Says:
April 14th, 2015 at 3:34 pm
“Winston WILL make this team instantly better. QB is the most important position on any team.”
Pickgrin…I won’t deny that Winston might prove me wrong. I’m just being realistic. The O-line HAS to be fixed or he’s a dead man.
April 14th, 2015 at 5:13 pm
Cue up Lies Lies, I can’t believe a word you say… by the Knickerbockers.
April 14th, 2015 at 5:49 pm
The thing I like about Winston is he not only has swagger but he has intelligence.
When you have a QB who understands the defense as well as the offense, he can audible into a favorable call when he sees the defense lined up in a position we can take advantage of. Winston will be way ahead of the rookie curve most QB’s go through because of his keen understanding of the game.
I want a kid who has swagger. I don’t care if he throws some picks, he’ll throw plenty of TD’s in the process. You have to believe you can fit the ball into a tight window or you won’t ever make contested throws. I don’t want a game manager. With V-Jax and Evans I want a gunslinger who will let them go up and make plays and believe that he can make the throws. Will he miss at times? Of course but he’ll make some great plays in the process and he’ll be a lot of fun to watch. I think he’s going to bring an energy to this offense and this team that we haven’t seen since the Super Bowl years.
April 14th, 2015 at 8:12 pm
To preface have been a fan since 76.Think about for a moment if the Bucs select Winston instant buzz in the area. Do you realize how many FSU fans instantly become Bucs fans. I would venture to bet that RJ is sold out opening day. JW is the logical choice for so many reasons; he’s big, strong, can take hits, and has the ability to get he ball to tall receivers. I for one am excited at the prospect of having him as QB.