Fans of Jameis Winston are mostly fans of Florida State or just fans of a guy they feel has been treated so wrong. A lot of the fans that root for Marcus Mariota against Winston do so because they can feel good about Mariota and not about Winston. Not all fans of Mariota, but a lot. The perception from the outside would then be...Winston fans dislike Mariota and Mariota fans dislike Winston, but that is not the case.
Well at least from one camp. Those that prefer Mariota greatly typically despise Winston. They see Winston as a bit of a black sheep, as some sort of evil. These people don't just want Winston to fail, they want him to fail miserably and they want Mariota to be the GOAT. They want this draft pick that Tampa made to go down so poorly that it will be the new Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan pick. It isn't just people that loved Mariota all along, there is a portion of former Bucs fans (that are also Gator fans) openly saying repeatedly how right they are about Winston being filth and Mariota being the GOAT. That white knight to take on the darkness.....
Most Winston supporters, at least the ones I know personally look at it from a different angle. They just want Winston to succeed. They want him to be the best. His supporters do not have any ill will towards Mariota. Most actually want Mariota to succeed as well. We just want Winston to play better because of the constant comparisons and because Winston is our guy.
Look, I understand the two are linked. I understand the comparisons. I understand that everyone often jumps to conclusions way too fast. I get all of this. Everyone else should get that you are allowed to be happy for Mariota while still preferring Winston. You are allowed to be cautiously optimistic for Mariota (as I am) without trashing Winston. You are allowed to like them both as people. This is a position that I have long held. I do not know what to think of Mariota still....I do know though that I am rooting for him. I was excited for his absolutely brilliant play in the opener. I was excited that he played well, but I also watched the game. Most of his yards were after the catch. Mariota didn't complete a pass of more than 20 yards. The Titans used him in a way that allows him to grow into the position. It was brilliant coaching by Ken Wisenhunt, but the question remains whether he can sustain that or whether teams will adjust. The question also remains whether he can develop into that deep passing threat with time.
For Winston, he made some mistakes, but they were common rookie mistakes and he didn't have his top WR. Let's not minimize the truth though in that Mariota outplayed Winston though. No excuses just the truth. Winston didn't play as well. That doesn't mean his fans have to jump ship, it doesn't mean he is a bust, and it doesn't mean his fans have to root against Mariota. Winston will be fine. It is one game. For Mariota also it was one game. I am quite happy for MM for this one game. I am excited to see what the future holds for both of these QBs. It is my preference that they both succeed and I will be personally rooting for that. You are allowed to like both and believe it or not, some people do choose to do just that. I'll be honest and say that I will be rooting for Winston to be more successful, but that is true for him over any QB in the NFL. Being a Winston fan doesn't mean I have to hate other players. The opposite is actually true, rooting for Winston through everything he has been through encourages me to root for others with an undeniable competitive spirit. Here is to your future successes Jameis and also Marcus Mariota.
-Noland
Look, I understand the two are linked. I understand the comparisons. I understand that everyone often jumps to conclusions way too fast. I get all of this. Everyone else should get that you are allowed to be happy for Mariota while still preferring Winston. You are allowed to be cautiously optimistic for Mariota (as I am) without trashing Winston. You are allowed to like them both as people. This is a position that I have long held. I do not know what to think of Mariota still....I do know though that I am rooting for him. I was excited for his absolutely brilliant play in the opener. I was excited that he played well, but I also watched the game. Most of his yards were after the catch. Mariota didn't complete a pass of more than 20 yards. The Titans used him in a way that allows him to grow into the position. It was brilliant coaching by Ken Wisenhunt, but the question remains whether he can sustain that or whether teams will adjust. The question also remains whether he can develop into that deep passing threat with time.
For Winston, he made some mistakes, but they were common rookie mistakes and he didn't have his top WR. Let's not minimize the truth though in that Mariota outplayed Winston though. No excuses just the truth. Winston didn't play as well. That doesn't mean his fans have to jump ship, it doesn't mean he is a bust, and it doesn't mean his fans have to root against Mariota. Winston will be fine. It is one game. For Mariota also it was one game. I am quite happy for MM for this one game. I am excited to see what the future holds for both of these QBs. It is my preference that they both succeed and I will be personally rooting for that. You are allowed to like both and believe it or not, some people do choose to do just that. I'll be honest and say that I will be rooting for Winston to be more successful, but that is true for him over any QB in the NFL. Being a Winston fan doesn't mean I have to hate other players. The opposite is actually true, rooting for Winston through everything he has been through encourages me to root for others with an undeniable competitive spirit. Here is to your future successes Jameis and also Marcus Mariota.
-Noland
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