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2015 NFL Draft: Tampa Bay Should Select Mariota Over Winston

By Xavier Raymond

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Tampa Bay should select Mariota with the first pick in the NFL Draft. Owning the number one pick in this year’s draft gives them the choice of taking Jaimis Winston or Marcus Mariota on April 30th in Chicago. Lovie Smith and Dick Koetter will tie the hopes of a franchise to one of the young QBs and all signs are pointing to Winston being the assumed choice. Winston’s overwhelming off-field issues are an obvious red flag, but I believe it’s decisions he’s made on the field that should make the Bucs far more uncomfortable.

Tampa Bay should select Mariota: Winston Off-Field Issues

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The sexual assault investigation gets the most attention for very obvious reasons. That incident has been investigated by authorities and journalists and it remains clear as mud. Setting that aside there are four troubling incidents that are undisputed and largely unmentioned going into this draft.

In 2012 Winston was held after he allegedly brought a gun on campus to shoot at squirrels. He was later released and chargers were not filed when the gun was determined to be a BB gun and Winston was not actually on campus. Two things are striking to me about this incident. Guns, BB or otherwise, don’t seem to be something you want to be fooling around on anywhere near a campus. Later it was revealed that these BB guns for “battles.” Since I was once an 18 year old man, this doesn’t bother me much though, we all do stupid things. If this was the one blip on the radar, it wouldn’t be an issue at all in my estimation.

In 2013 the police were called on Winston for stealing soda from Burger King. He allegedly asked for a water cup and then started filling it with soda. When confronted the Burger King employee says his group fought with her. The BK manager didn’t want to pursue this so it ended right there. Again an incident that really makes no difference in a vacuum, but added to the BB gun and there is at least a poor trend line.

In 2014 Winston was cited for stealing $32 of seafood from a Publix grocery store. Apparently after ordering the food he simply walked out without paying for it, when police arrived and questioned him, he admitted doing it and said he simply forgot to pay. Again as a stand alone incident this isn’t a huge deal, but coupled with the other two you’d have to say at best he’s not the most mature person.

Later in 2014 Winston jumped on a table and yelled a vulgar phrase a female student in the union at FSU. This was after the previously mentioned lapses in judgment and in the midst of the sexual assault investigation. This impacted him and his team as FSU was finally forced to punish the QB and benched him for the first half against Clemson before bending to public pressure and sitting him for the entire game.

With all of this said, while these would worry me they wouldn’t keep me from drafting Winston. These are immature actions by an immature young man. Many of us have been there in fact, doing something or several things we wish we could undo. But it’s his cavalier reaction to this that would keep me from using a number 1 pick on Winston.

Tampa Bay should select Mariota: Winston On-Field Red Flags

Mar 31, 2015; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston talks to quarterbacks coach George Whitfield Jr. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

After all of those incidents and after being benched by Jimbo Fisher, Winston showed up to the Clemson game, a game he was suspended for and dressed. By dressed I mean, helmet, cleats and full pads. In the post game interview Fisher covered for his QB by saying it was simply a “miscommunication.” Bull…I don’t buy it, watching Fisher’s reaction on the field when instructing Winston to get changed.

The next obvious red flag on the field came against Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Winston, after the wheels started to come off the FSU bus and Fisher got into a heated exchange on the sideline. It seemed Fisher threatens to bench Winston if he doesn’t relax, and I’m paraphrasing.

Florida State and Winston didn’t face a lot of adversity in-game, certainly didn’t experience much in-game failure. In the face of that against Oregon, Winston panicked and then responded by saying that Oregon didn’t stop the Seminoles and acting as if it was a 3 point loss. Oregon won the Rose Bowl 59-20.

Then there’s the interceptions. A lot of them. 18 against 25 touchdowns. Florida State’s late game magic was talked about a lot and how Winston rallied the troops to win close games by taking over a game. That’s all well and good, except would they be in that position without all the interceptions? Winston got the Seminoles out of trouble he created.

Tampa Bay Should Select Mariota: The Case Against Mariota Falls Flat

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A knock I continue to hear against Mariota is that he threw to open receiver too much. Why is that a knock? In

this

transcript of the interview between Golic, McShay and Kiper; Golic discusses this point exactly. So is the argument that if Winston had wide open receivers he wouldn’t throw it to them? Why is this an issue? He then goes on to say Mariota aims the ball too much throwing into tight windows.

Marcus Mariota had 105 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in his three years starting at Oregon. In his two years starting at Florida State Winston had 65 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. Neither of these guys were one man shows in college both had strong supporting casts, these stats seem to suggest that the system allowed for Mariota to more effectively use his talented weapons. Why did Winston struggle to have the same eye-popping success with his talent at Florida State. Why was he so frequently having to force balls into coverage?

If I were making the call for Tampa Bay I wouldn’t go near Winston with a ten foot pole. Especially given that his own attorney David Cornwell said yesterday, Winston is not ready for the NFL off the field. A lot of smoke and off-field dramatics. But how will he react to the failure he’s sure to face at the next level? Why should the Bucs trust that the off-field issues are over if his attorney doesn’t seem to believe that? Many would argue that Mariota is a safer pick, I believe he’s a smarter pick. I believe Marcus’ work ethic and intelligence will give him success wherever he lands.

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