Peers Prefer Marcus Mariota
June 1st, 2017
Trailing
It makes Joe a little sick to type up this post.
But Joe has to share. It’s too interesting — and stunning.
America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, took a kick to the gut this week when Titans quarterback and Jameis rival Marcus Mariota was voted as the 50th-best player in the NFL. The votes came from fellow players, the hundreds participating in the annual Top 100 Players feature on NFL Network.
Jameis was ranked No. 57 when his honor was unveiled last week.
How could this be?
Do NFL players really see a quarterback better than Jameis when they watch Mariota? (That’s when they can find him, because Mariota has missed five games and parts of others over two years.) Maybe.
Joe suspects Mariota garnering more votes is about turnovers. Bad plays really stick in players’ heads and Jameis has too many. Mariota has tossed 19 picks in his career. Jameis has 33 since both were drafted No. 1 (Jameis) and No. 2 (Mariota) back in 2015.
Joe would take Jameis over Mariota any day but, apparently, that’s not the consensus across the NFL.
June 1st, 2017 at 9:05 am
I say, let ’em be fools. They won’t be saying the same next year after Jameis rains offensive hell down on their heads week after week in 2017.
June 1st, 2017 at 9:08 am
Both are on a path to be an elite QB. No problem.
June 1st, 2017 at 9:10 am
more passes= more picks
still see a probable mid to upper digit int numbers
June 1st, 2017 at 9:10 am
Right on. If that’s what they believe, then so be it. I’m not going to trash a good young man like Marcus, but I’d choose Jameis every time. He is our QB, and that’s how I like it. That being said, I’m sure this doesn’t matter to either of these two young men, and to say Marcus is better than Gerald ought to tell you the level of seriousness involved. Go Bucs!
June 1st, 2017 at 9:11 am
A lot of us talked about the comparison of Winston to Favre/Manning when we drafted him and for me I would rather have a Favre/Manning than a Pennington which is the closest comparison I can find for Mariota’s stats.
June 1st, 2017 at 9:14 am
I really don’t care tbh but what I do care about is as soon as Jameis on the top 100 commenters on Twitter & YouTube says “he’s too high” or ” overrated” or the legendary “how I see crab legs Winston on the list” no as I said I don’t care but when u got idiots that wanna judge a man by looks instead of play come on that’s pissed me off
June 1st, 2017 at 9:14 am
Player rankings?
That’s fantasy football crap.
Let the gamblers and the fools guess on who’s worth more in their fantasy drafts.
I just want our guy to win and win and win, to hell with the fantasy football stats.
June 1st, 2017 at 9:17 am
My prediction for Winston this next year is 4500 yards, 35 TDs, 15 INTs.
June 1st, 2017 at 9:22 am
USFBUC if Winston throws that many TD’s he will be the franchise’s all time td passer in only 3 seasons. 85 to Fro’s 80
June 1st, 2017 at 9:24 am
Mariota had overall better weapons to work with the last two years. It will be interesting to see how perceptions change now that Jamies has better weapons to work with.
June 1st, 2017 at 9:25 am
told you.
June 1st, 2017 at 9:28 am
I’ve been saying all offseason, if Winston struggles with turnovers and his deep ball issuses continue, on top of taking unnecessary sacks. It may be time to start planning on a new qb. Boy how dangerous would this team be with Mariota. One can only dream now.
June 1st, 2017 at 9:30 am
M.M. is a better athlete,much faster and way more accurate the Winston has been . The Bucs head coach wanted M.M. over Winston but Lovie was in charge. i believe Glazers wanted to help attendance with a Florida school guy helped with great pr. Most of the nfl including Gruden thought Mariota was a better choice..I am a bucs fan and will pull for Winston so we can watch how their carriers play out
June 1st, 2017 at 9:35 am
I’d take Jameis too, but Mariota has the nod stats wise when it comes to INT. I would like to see the stats if you only count INT that are the QB’s fault only.
Mariota 821/19 = 43 passes per INT
Jameis 1102/33 = 33 passes per INT
June 1st, 2017 at 9:46 am
Mariota also winning in jersey sales. Americas quarterback?= Marcus Mariota. https://www.nflpa.com/players/news/dez-bryant-becomes-first-wide-receiver-to-reach-no-1-on-nflpa-top-50-player-sales-list-2
June 1st, 2017 at 9:47 am
Joe.. Make sure you keep this comment string handy for the end of the year. Everyone loves to play I told you so, I want to see this entire string at the end.
All of you guys who prefer Mariota don’t tell me it’s all about wins. MM led his team to the worst record in the NFL as a rookie. Last year with the best Offensive Line in Football according to Pro Football Focus, Demarco Murray and Henry in the backfield in the AFC South, all he could manage was 9-7.
He’s been asked to do so little versus JW,
Mariota is a good QB, no doubt about that but he is a scheme driven guy that isn’t asked to win games. Last year, Jameis had to produce or the Bucs lost. MM will have a nice enough career but JW’s path is better right now regardless of this vote.
June 1st, 2017 at 9:47 am
I was on the fence before the draft about the two QBs. I believed MM to be the more accurate and a better athlete. After witnessing Jameis’ passion for the game I am glad we picked him.
June 1st, 2017 at 9:51 am
So if we look at stats, Winston has set records but turned the ball over more. I always hear that QBs are judged by wins, and JW has 15to Mm 12
June 1st, 2017 at 9:53 am
Assclown…supersam go be a Titans
June 1st, 2017 at 9:54 am
Go back to the old jerseys and they will sell. Nobody wants our UGLY crap. No matter what name is on it!
June 1st, 2017 at 9:57 am
USF, I’m on board with you.
June 1st, 2017 at 9:57 am
The funny thing is that some of the sheep think that the Bucs being on hard knocks will change this perspective!!!!! This is why none of us should care about these pre-season ranking lists!!!!! We don’t care about these individual awards!!!!! All we care about is how the other team will not want to line up against the Bucs on Sundays!!!!!! How the Bucs always seem to come out on top!!! That is what is important!!!!!! I would rather be underestimated and kicking azz on the field!!!!!!
What till next year when all we will hear about is 1 Focus!!! From ownership down to practice squad players!!!!!!!!
Go BUCS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 1st, 2017 at 9:58 am
When he completes a full season then maybe I’ll compare the two until then.. Oh and not be given the leagues easiest schedule in one the league softest divisions. Ya see while the league is babying one so is not to wreck his confidence, they are sending the other thru the gauntlet. While Fameis is beginning to get wins against playoff teams the other is still trying to learn to read defenses. Everytime they ask him to make more than one read he gets injured. Hence both season ending injuries have occurred in the pocket.
June 1st, 2017 at 9:59 am
4,000 yards in both first and second years. Need I say more.
June 1st, 2017 at 10:02 am
And for the record I love the fact he was voted 7 slots higher than Fameis, you know the guy that mixes in 4000+ passing yard every year with all those turnovers. Ya see motivation is a powerful resource. They F’d up when they allowed Fameis to have a full arsenal of weapons. Lets revisit this convo after next season.
June 1st, 2017 at 10:07 am
The Titan’s would of had the same record with anyone under center, whereas the Bucs would have continued to be basement dwellers if they didn’t have Jameis.
June 1st, 2017 at 10:07 am
I’ll take a gunslinger QB (Winston) over a play it safe QB (Mariotta) all day every day. Nothing more boring than watching a QB that doesn’t take risks, i.e. Glennon.
June 1st, 2017 at 10:11 am
Mom always said if you don’t have anything nice to say, say nothing at all. I leave it at that.
June 1st, 2017 at 10:15 am
DBS.. Amen on the jersey. I really, really don’t like it. Go back to either variation and our jersey sales increase.
Cannon… Yep.
For those that are still butt hurt that the Bucs didn’t draft MM. He’s gonna be a Titan for a long time. Jameis is gonna be a Buc for a long time. Unless you want to complain for the next 12 seasons, either embrace our franchise QB, who has done nothing but make our community proud since he’s been here or you might want to really think about changing teams.
June 1st, 2017 at 10:22 am
tnew I’m not so sure he is going to have a lengthy career. He’s already enduring lower body injuries. If that trend continues which it very well could his game will become quite limited being reduced to being merely a pocket passer.
June 1st, 2017 at 10:28 am
They gave him Demarco and Henry in an attempt to protect him and he still suffered a season ender.. IN THE POCKET. This comparison is a joke☺man. Fameis stares down blitzers just under 88% completion percentage under pressure. Comparison??? Really..
June 1st, 2017 at 10:36 am
@USFBUC … “My prediction for Winston this next year is 4500 yards, 35 TDs, 15 INTs.” Definitely like those projections USF. Yardage looks about right, given our new weapons. Passing TDs is a big ??? to me right now depending upon how well our running game performs (Jameis threw 28 TDs last year will little run game), but 35 is very attainable. The INTs is the bigger ??? to me. Jameis threw 18 last year, but several of those shouldn’t have happened (bouncing off receivers hands, and yes, Jameis trying to fit the ball into too tight of a window). Personally think we’re going to see a different Jameis this year (more ‘polished’) with all these new weapons around him … how Coach Koetter designs & executes the gameplans will be critical to Jameis’ end-of-year stats.
June 1st, 2017 at 10:44 am
I’ll take wins and durability. Mariota has already missed 16% of his starts. Players get less durable, not more durable over time.
June 1st, 2017 at 10:49 am
Voted by his peers guys…….
You know, the phrase guys like Hawaiian and the rest of the GMC nut hugger gang like to spew out every year……
I’m glad we have JW, but MM seems just a bit more polished in terms of accuracy.
If JW can fix his issues, I’m sure he’ll be much higher on the list next year.
June 1st, 2017 at 10:54 am
I have said this a thousand times, and I’m going to say it once again. Marcus Mariota is in good hands with ” Football People”. Mike Mularkey has one of the best offensive minds in the NFL. He will put his QB in the best position to grow and succeed in the NFL. Plus he’s one of the best playcallers in the NFL. And let’s face it, Jon Robinson is going a great job as GM of the Titans. I believe that Jon Robinson had the best off-season of any GM in the NFL. Free Agents signings: CB Logan Ryans, SS Johnathan Cyprien, NT Sylvester Williams, CB Demontre Hurst, OC Tim Lelito. 2017 Draft: WR Corey Davis, CB Adoree Jackson, WR Taywan Taylor, TE Jonnu Smith, LB Jaylon Brown. It’s not that Marcus Mariota is a better football player than Jameis Winston. He’s surrounded by a better coaching staff and better players. Why should Mike Mularkley have Mariota throwing the ball 40 times a game, when he have Demarco Murray and Derrick Henry in the backfield? And Tennessee has one of the most experienced coaching staff in the NFL. DC Dick LeBeau, OC Terry Robiskie, RB Sylvester Croom, OL Russ Grimm, DL Nick Eason.
June 1st, 2017 at 10:55 am
**doing a great job**
June 1st, 2017 at 11:02 am
So lakeland you don’t think the FACT that they play in the weakest division in football has anything to do with their success? I mean they get Jax Houston and Indy for 6 games a year.
June 1st, 2017 at 11:02 am
Great news! Lets see how big we can can the chip on Winston’s shoulder before the season starts. I like a motivated Winston to do well this year.
June 1st, 2017 at 11:04 am
Ok in a couple of years we can look back and see which QB has more rings on their fingers and make a determination off of that
June 1st, 2017 at 11:06 am
Hey, both are good QBs. Don’t have to knock down one to believe in another. Mariota reminds me of an athletic and better Brad Johnson. We won a superbowl with that man. Winston reminds me of a less mobile Brett Farve. Greenbay did alright with him 😉 .
What’s the problem Tampa Bay? How fun would it be to meet the Titans in the Superbowl and beat them year after year!
June 1st, 2017 at 11:07 am
I love this debate.
I wrote an article comparing the two earlier this year vs common opponents (Chargers Bears Raiders Chiefs Broncos). These were there stats:
Jameis Winston: 1282 Yards 6 Touchdowns 4 Interceptions 3 Fumbles
Marcus Mariota: 1082 Yards 5 Touchdowns 5 Interceptions 5 Fumbles
Okay now consider this, jameis had the second least yards after catch from his receivers. Marcus was top 5. Jameis has 1102 passing attempts. MM has 821. That’s nearly 300 more attempts!! hmmmm
How about mariota matched up with hoyer, osweiler, bortles, and yes luck 6x in his career. jameis has matched up against brees, ryan, and cam. let’s not even get started with the difficulty of the division.
sprinkle in mariota’s ol and rb’s and he has a fall back. They seem to argue evans is a monster weapon over theirs, well Delaney is a top 5 te as well soooo…. His ol is 1000x better than ours so far.
This goes to show players only look at certain things. In depth, it looks like jameis blows him out.
Also include roty, pro bowl, and the abundance of records already set by jameis and ill let the players get their last opinion of MM being better than JW in before he completely proves them wrong for the rest of his career.
OH ya and I wanted MM in the draft at first, completely made a 180 after what I’ve seen. Leadership skills are unparalleled.
June 1st, 2017 at 11:22 am
Casual Observer FTW!!!
Both are on a path to be an elite QB. No problem.
Exactly! They are both packed right in the middle of the pack this year…seven whopping spots apart….BFD!!!
Next year I expect BOTH of them to reach the top 25% of the league. Both of their teams will have good seasons….maybe great.
I’ve always been of the mind that trying to tear either one of these QB’s down does not really make the other look better. They both have talent…the one place I give #3 a clear edge is leadership…but then I’m not in Tennessee maybe the Titans like Mariota’s quieter style.
Here’s is what I’m waiting to see and it could happen this year. #3 versus Mariota in the Super Bowl…two great young QB’s facing off in the biggest game of the year with two great teams. The Titans are like us…a young up and coming rapidly improving team with a franchise QB…stranger things have happened than these two making the SB.
June 1st, 2017 at 11:28 am
Jameis has no excuse next year.
June 1st, 2017 at 11:38 am
@ Defense – the INTs will be the big question as you said. Somebody pointed out that several of his INTs last year were from tipped passes and Hail Mary passes. INTs like those are just bad luck so I expect those to be reduced this year plus an improvement in accuracy to get him a lower INT total
June 1st, 2017 at 11:41 am
Ndog…Tennessee beat Green bay by 22 points, they beat Denver, they beat Miami, they beat Kansas City, they beat Detriot, they beat Houston. What kept them out of the playoffs was the losses to the “weak” teams. They lost to the Colts twice, they lost to the Jags, they lost to the Chargers, they lost to Minnesota. That’s a sign of a “up and coming” team.
June 1st, 2017 at 11:46 am
Wake me up when Mariota finishes a season. Part of being a great QB is being on the field. Titans don’t want Mariota running, his most significant advantage over Jameis, because the guy is made of glass. The Titans run a gimmick offense, like the one he ran in Oregon, that is run first because Mariota doesn’t have the reps playing in a pro-style offense like Jameis does. If you were to drop either QB into another system in the NFL Jameis would thrive while Mariota would need to have the offense tailored around him. Jameis has a number of flaws, long ball accuracy, slow starter, prior off-field issues but I think he will make a significant improvement due to the influx of offensive talent. (Humphries was the #5 option at Clemson he was our #2 or #3 option) Mariota may end up being a good QB, unlike every other spread QB before him, but Jameis has the chance to be a great QB.
June 1st, 2017 at 11:47 am
I’ll double-down on both being good QBs. Lets be frank though, Jameis has to cut back on the turnovers. That is not up for debate, he said it himself. If he can scale back and put up numbers as suggested above, he’ll remain one of the better QBs in the league.
June 1st, 2017 at 11:49 am
The night that Jameis was picked 57th overall by his peers. I said that, he maybe the lowest ranked QB in the NFC South. Cam Newton was ranked 44th by his peers. I know that Matt Ryan and Drew Brees will be ranked somewhere in the Top-20.
June 1st, 2017 at 11:53 am
@LakeLand- It’s OK because, if healthy, this offense has the potential to dominate. Let them keep thinking he’s 4th best in the division. Cam’s in a league of his own, Matt’s a great QB, and Brees has been doing it for a decade now. Jameis will rise, as will the Bucs.
June 1st, 2017 at 11:56 am
USFBUC I think Jameis’ INTs will come down also IF our OLine holds up. Given the speed & talent that we’ve added in DJax, OJ & Godwin plus Jameis now being in his 3rd year (and with the same coach calling plays) I can see him lighting up the league. But only IF the OLine holds up & provides at least average protection. If we’ve got to keep a TE and RB in to help with the pass protection on most plays then I think we’d see results comparable to last year.
And StPete, I agree with you about the Winston-Mariota comparisons. They BOTH have talent & are outstanding young men. They’ll both do well in the long run.
June 1st, 2017 at 12:02 pm
On the jersey talk – I like our jerseys except for the numbers. Other than the numbers, the look is modern with homage to the Creamsicle. The helmet with the large flag and chrome face mask looks good when you compare it to the smaller flag helmet.
But WTF on the numbers. They are reflective – why? Do the Bucs ever play on the streets at night with cars passing by? The digits were a total brain fart. Someone woke up late for the design brainstorming session cuz their alarm clock didn’t go off.
June 1st, 2017 at 12:12 pm
Somebody posted that Jameis has 15 career wins and Mariota has 12. That’s a pretty fair argument… especially when you factor in the fact that the Bucs play six games a year against Newton, Brees, and Ryan… and Mariota plays Luck twice… and Bortles… and… and…whomever the Texans roll out there. The NFC South has the last two NFC representatives in the Super Bowl.. and the AFC South hasn’t seen the Super Bowl since Manning was sealing the deal against the Saints after the 2009 season. The competition is way tougher in the NFC South… Jameis has more wins… Mariota has been hurt too much… and sometimes/oftentimes a player’s greatest ability is availability.
June 1st, 2017 at 12:21 pm
I could care less about comparing Winston and Marioya.. I could care less about the Titans or anything going on in Tennessee. All I care about is that our QB is expected to get into the playoffs this year and I like his chances if we get there.
The only time I cared about Mariota is when we were on the clock Draft day 2015. I remember have a pit in the bottom of my stomachs that we would screw up(bucs ball) and select Mariota. I thought he would bust, he is proving me wrong. But I really wanted Winston and his skill set and I think it will last longer then Mariotas skill set.
Mariota can do whatever he want in the AFC south, I don’t care. We have our own goals here in Tampa.
June 1st, 2017 at 12:21 pm
Still think our OL needs improvement. Pressure leads to turnovers and no one took more hits last yr than Winston.
June 1st, 2017 at 12:29 pm
Jameis needs to sharpen his accuracy, cut down on interceptions especially stupid hail marys when the game is already lost, he must stop the boneheaded penalties for hitting helmets during the cowboys–(kind of embarrassed for him) and other unsportsman penalties he has gotten.
With all weopons it will be in his words “amazing”
good for him to realize that someone who is not better than him is voted higher, he will notice and he will change.
anyway–so glad to have him as our QB–he is exciting to watch. Thanks to him I got into nfl–used to watch only Seminoles.
June 1st, 2017 at 12:35 pm
Titans OL/TE/RB/WR were all miles above the bucs, WR as a group, but both Titan RBs are legit NFL starters, the OL is one of the top 5 in the NFL, mariotta has 2 legit OTs protecting him, winston has ZERO….this year should be different but the bucs OL is in the bottom 3rd of the NFL and is not getting better this year
June 1st, 2017 at 12:37 pm
Mariota spending more time riding the pine with his legs in braces and cast both years–wtf good is that? he fumbles bad too. man I get a real kick out of seeing him getting sacked, ball of course comes loose–just a frickin mess in the backfield–fun fun fun!
June 1st, 2017 at 12:48 pm
Dusthy Rhotdes
man you’re on tmax’s level lol
our ol IS getting better. You think moving marpet to center and Sweezy at LG won’t immediately improve that unit? SMH
LOL COME ON MAN.
June 1st, 2017 at 12:49 pm
Sweezy at RG**
June 1st, 2017 at 12:50 pm
Dusthty Rhothdes, and you add the fact that the Titans has the BEST O-Line coach in the NFL. Hall of Fame inductee, Russ Grimm. Mike Mularkey hired him in 2016, and he had an immediate impact. Rookie RT Jack Conklin was 1st team All-Pro and LT Taylor Lewan made the Pro-Bowl. And the Titans O-Line was ranked in the Top-5 in both, pass blocking and pass protection.
June 1st, 2017 at 1:09 pm
SB Says:
June 1st, 2017 at 9:47 am
I was on the fence before the draft about the two QBs. I believed MM to be the more accurate and a better athlete. After witnessing Jameis’ passion for the game I am glad we picked him.
_______________________
My thoughts exactly SB! I think both will be great, but I’d take Jameis all day over MM.
June 1st, 2017 at 1:34 pm
Eric, you do realize how big of a WHAT IF, those 2 moves are: Sweezy is coming back from back surgery and I hope its successful and Marpet is moving to Center and plays the most dominant interior DT game 1….so there will be a huge learning curve…so yes the bucs OL is in the bottom third of the NFL as opposed to the Titans having one of the top OLs…and as Lakeland stated…the coaching staff working with that OL….I’m sorry the bucs OLon paper is garbage and aside from edge rusher and safety is the weakest unit on this team, hopefully OJ and Djax will add to the strength of the OL and running game but again on paper it looks good but winston needs to stand up…. i got pumped for the “dunkaneers” and that led to 2 wins
June 1st, 2017 at 1:46 pm
Supersam is an idiot. Playing i told you so off the top 100 when the players are only 7 spots apart. How stupid can you be? I told you guys last week do not be suprised if mariotta is ranked higher than jameis. Its ok. It does not mean the players are idiots. Both players are good and the bucs picked the best player for this team. That is so evident and the mariotta nut huggers on this thread are idiots period.
June 1st, 2017 at 2:24 pm
Jameis Winston problem isn’t being compared to Marcus Mariota. His biggest problem is, Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, Cam Newton. The 3 Super Bowl QBs, who he has to face 6 times a year. That’s a huge hump to get over, especially for a 23 year old QB. So the issue here is not that Mariota was rated 7 spots ahead of him. The real issue is that Cam was rated 13 spots ahead of him. And last season, Cam was injured for most of the season. We should expect for Brees and Ryan to be rated at least 30-40 spots ahead of him. Marcus Mariota is the QB for one of the youngest and most talented teams in the NFL ( They had 6 Pro Bowl players last season). Jameis Winston wasn’t as fortunate to be surrounded by talented players.
June 1st, 2017 at 2:26 pm
Guaranteed Winston wins a superbowl before mariota. That’s all I care about.
June 1st, 2017 at 2:34 pm
Funny thing is if newton didn’t have a baller season in 2016, he wouldn’t have been ranked nearly as high as he was.
He may not have even made the list.
June 1st, 2017 at 2:35 pm
Mariota Schmariota – we got the best young QB in the league.
June 1st, 2017 at 3:29 pm
Marcus is good man
His line is better.
3 will in u cork this year
June 1st, 2017 at 3:49 pm
When Mariota has been healthy (wich hasn’t been often) he has been better than Winston. I love Winston and have been on his side since before the draft but some of his games are legitimately concerning
June 1st, 2017 at 4:01 pm
Once his legs finally go he’s finished. The “read option” won’t be an option. He’ll have to play the game solely from the pocket which is weakness.
June 1st, 2017 at 5:13 pm
Lets remember we completely tanked to get Jameis….Had that not worked out, we would have Mariota and this site along with all the fans would be highlighting Mariotas ranking, less turnovers, better accuracy, and more mobility.
June 1st, 2017 at 7:02 pm
*********************
Jameis and Mariota played 5 “common opponents” last year: Bears, Broncos, Chargers, Raiders and Chiefs.
Jameis had more yards, more TD’s, a higher completion percentage and less picks than Mariota in those 5 games .. he bested him in EVERYTHING!
Player voting has nothing to do with reality … it’s why they aren’t allowed to vote o the MVP and important awards.
MM had two games where he completed 8 passes or less and has failed to account for a single TD in 7 of his 27 games … he’s an efficient gimmick QB ala Alex Smith
*********************
June 1st, 2017 at 7:45 pm
Speaking of Nashville and the Titans, MM is a decent QB for sure. Reading the comments I can see that team is another up and coming contender for that division and beyond. Nashville cats, I hope the Pens sweep the Predators, but hardly likely since these games going more than four is the prime objective imo.
June 1st, 2017 at 8:47 pm
What NFL said man..
June 1st, 2017 at 11:10 pm
I prefer Jameis. Love the Gunslinger attitude.
Mariota is still limited by playing in a spred offense in college.
Plus he is proving to be a bit fragile.
Jameis all day
June 2nd, 2017 at 9:40 am
Of course he’s (JW) going to have a lot more picks throwing for more yards and playing in more games than Mariotta. MM played 3 less games last year than the year before and still threw more picks last year than his first. When healthy MM looks good but just looking at the numbers he’s on a downward spiral playing fewer games and still throwing more int per game.