Jameis Winston Draft Profile

For weeks leading up to the draft there has been countless articles and pieces written about former FSU QB Jameis Winston. Most of these articles go something like this...Winston is clearly the best prospect, but he has off the field concerns. Many of those making negative comments have no knowledge of the stories involving Winston and have watched very little of his tape or game footage. The doubters and haters focus on Winston's high amount of interceptions or the fact that he was so "controversial" during his time at Florida State. Most of you reading this will know that I am bullish on Winston and thrilled that he will likely join the Buccaneers soon, but not all of you will know that I was not always so high on Jameis Winston.

In the interest of full disclosure I will fully admit that I am a Florida State alumnus and that I got two degrees from the university. Most of you already know that and the fact that I have liked this team since I was 2, but I wanted this out in the open before going on.

Here is my timeline of my reactions to Jameis Winston....
When Winston was recruited to play football and baseball at Florida State University I was beyond excited that we were getting such a rare talent.
During his true freshman season when he was being redshirted I was excited by what might be in football, but understanding (unlike some FSU fans) that it was still EJ's time and EJ should not be replaced by a Freshman. I think a lot of Winston's success came from learning at the hands of EJ during that season in which Winston was redshirted. It is also true that Winston learned a great deal from watching EJ play.
Later in the spring when he played baseball, I marveled at the talent that Winston had and was more excited after seeing what Jameis was able to do in the spring game.
Those first few games that HEISMAN AND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WINNING football season I was amazed at the way this guy played. He came and announced himself and how good he was from day 1. I was amazed especially at how he got so much out of Kelvin Benjamin who did very little the year before, but always had fantastic talent. However, as excited as I was, I was cautious about my optimism because I realized how good these weapons were. I realized that every member of that offense would be in the NFL and most in a year or two. I wondered if the production would be quite the same without those same weapons. I knew the guy was fantastic though and deserved to be the #1 pick when it was time.
Then the rape allegation came. Not a charge, but a allegation. I have to be honest and admit that I didn't even think Jameis slept with the girl at first. The description in the police report was so far off the actual description of Jameis and to me it made the whole thing smell funny. Then as I learned more about the accuser I heard about the cleat chasing goals of the accuser and that she knew Jameis quite well. That made me convinced that he slept with her, but that it was 100% consensual.
Allegations would continue to come and Jameis would continue to move past it and perform. He was unflappable. Mudslinging from all corners and Winston would just win everything. This guy seemed like he could do anything on the field and was more and more impressive as time went on. The new allegations always seemed to come at the most inopportune time for Winston and the most opportune time from someone trying to make a buck and ruin a young man's life.
Winston of course was NEVER CHARGED and NEVER ARRESTED for the sexual assault accusation and was cleared time after time. After the case being dropped by Tallahassee PD, and later picked back up due to media pressure, (despite there being no good reason to pursue a bogus case) Winston was then not charged again by the Tallahassee DA. Now this is where the crazy conspiracy theories started about how the FSU Athletic Department, FSU PD, Tallahassee PD, and the Tallahassee DA all being in cohoots to protect Winston. This despite there being no evidence of this happening and the fact that it has been the exact opposite for years in Tallahassee. In fact, the District Attorney, William Meggs actually charged former Nole Travis Johnson of sexual assault with no evidence at an earlier date. Meggs would obviously lose that case as Johnson was an innocent man just like Jameis.
After Winston was cleared, he would go on to win the ACC Championship, win the Heisman, and win the National Title.
At that point I acknowledged Winston was the best QB and clearly the #1 pick, but I thought Hundley was pretty close. The amount of talent around Winston made me devalue him as a prospect. Hundley had less weapns and I wanted to see another season because of this. Winston was still the pick, but I thought Hundley was also Top 10 and had a shot to replace Winston. Marriota was not on my radar then as he isn't now because of his offense and the fact that he is not NFL ready. Unlike Winston haters though, I want all 3 to be successful. For that upcoming season though, I wanted to see what Winston did without studs like Kelvin Benjamin, Kenny Shaw, and Devonta Freeman.
During the offseason, Winston shoplifted crab legs from Publix (which appeared at the time to be a hookup gone wrong and today seemed to be confirmed). For this infraction, he had to do community service and was suspended from the baseball season. He was suspended from the sport he was in at the time and it was documented. He was not arrested because of a FL program to attempt not arrest or cite individuals with no criminal records for minor infractions. At this point and actually still to this day, Winston has no criminal record. However, myself and several other alums were disappointed in this instance. This was the first time I was truly disappointed in Winston's behavior. I do place a premium on athletes being great people after all.
Also throughout the offseason and into the season FSU conducted a Title IX investigation into its handling of the Jameis Winston case. This case would be decided by 1 of 3 former Supreme Court Justices in FL. Winston and the accuser each had the opportunity to select a judge and strike down a judge. After this process, both parties selected Chief Justice Harding. After hearing the case he did not find that Florida State or Jameis Winston had done anything to even violate the code of conduct of the school. He didn't even violate the code of conduct let alone do anything close to sexual assault or a crazy cover up. This justice, who happens to be one of the most respected lawyers and judges in Florida, that was selected by the accuser found no evidence that Winston did anything wrong.
During the season, Winston was even more impressive than the year before in my opinion honestly. He did not have the dominating team of the previous year, but on several occasions he willed his team to victory. Winston had a flair for the dramatic and won several games late. This guy was the king of the 4th quarter comeback.
As great as it was on the field for Winston, it got ugly off of it. Winston was accused week after week of doing all kinds of things wrong, but only one of the accusations proved true. That was a very inappropriate phrase yelled out near FSU's student union prior to the Clemson game. It involved some profanity and was not something that I would want anyone associated with my university saying. He would end up suspended from the Clemson game and would come out dressed for the game. Him dressing out just struck a cord with me because I was tired of my university being badmouthed everywhere because of one guy. A guy that didn't seem to be able to accept the consequences for his behavior.....I was just about done until I realized how misdirected my frustration was.....
It was not his fault that his uniform was placed in his locker and it was not his fault that he was the most scrutinized guy in the history of sports. He did not ask for this, he had just performed for my university. He has been falsely accused of more things than anybody since Jesus Christ. I firmly believe that. The stuff they say about this guy is unfathomable. And you know what...He just smiles carries on and carries himself with class. Most people want this guy dead or to fail miserably and he just goes about business. I have seen the most vulgar, hateful, insensitive things said about Jameis Winston and he just shakes it off. When I truly realized this, my opinion started to change.
As the season continued the mudslinging did too until fans finally got what they wanted...A Jameis Winston loss and his record to fall to 26-1 because that somehow makes everything okay.....

This last season and seeing everything Winston does had me convinced even more than year 1. This guy is the best quarterback prospect I have rated since at least Andrew Luck. I personally think he is better at this point than any quarterback since Sam Bradford to take it back further. Winston is so NFL ready and you already know he can handle the pressure. Jameis runs a pro style offense, he throws receivers open, he can handle intense situations, and he can put a team on his back and deliver them to victory. Shouldn't these qualities be celebrated? No not for Winston because of the hate, and some people have questions about interceptions because they don't look at the big picture.

Did you see the picks he threw? Some of them were just bad, but you realize most are the receiver running the wrong route, or a deflected ball, correct? You realize he runs that pro style offense and he has to throw those young receivers open, right? You realize that he always made it work for his Noles still and lost only 1 game in college right?

This is supposed to be some sort of insult? The guy losses one game in 2 years and it wasn't even his fault and you think this insults us?

HAHAHAHA

Every other team in America and every quarterback in every draft would kill for that record. You Gator fans went 4-8 during his title season. You Hurricane fans are rooting for a completely irrelevant team. And on and on...He was 26-1 by the way. Three of the wins during that winning streak were by quarterbacks other than Jameis. You saying he was 29-1 just shows that you think he is that good. Even the haters give him extra wins because you can't even imagine how this guy can ever possibly lose.

But, but, off the field concerns.....blah, blah, blah.

Do you realize how many horrible things Jameis Winston has been accused of and investigated for in great detail?

I can think of at least 15 accusations and the overwhelming majority have been proven to be complete nonsense and piling on. You know what people are so upset about Jameis Winston for.

Shoplifting crab legs

Cursing in public

Putting soda in a water cup

Shooting BB guns

Only those four instances are true and I can live with all of those. Given, I don't want them to happen and I was upset with Jameis when he did each, but these are things I see everyday (other than the crab legs incident). Is that really worth all the vitriol? Is that worth all the hate?

Truly think about it. All the money to be made on Winston failing, all the people trying to come up with things he did, all the people wanting him to fail, and we have four instances of him doing remotely anything wrong. That's it. Four minor infractions. Compare those infractions with what has happened this spring from Alabama football.......Let's just #BlameJameis for everything in the world though. If you can #BlameJameis than responsibility does not matter, right?

You know after everything last season and the crazy hate directed towards our university because of their hate for Jameis, FSU fans started to use the slogan embrace the hate. Well America, I think it is about the time you EMBRACE JAMEIS. Look at the facts and see why this guy is one of the most likable athletes in the country when it comes down to it. Talent and personality don't come around like this often and he's really a great guy, so just enjoy him while he's here. Hate really isn't a good look on you anyway.

Good luck Jameis on what is sure to be a fantastic NFL career.

-Noland

2014 A Great Year In Sports

There is one thing that is for sure, 2015 has not started off like 2014...
Looking back at 2014 the year in sports will always be special for me. Just about everything in that year went right. It started in early January with my favorite team of all, Florida State football took care of business and secured the National Title.
The whole season was epic, but securing that title really put the bow on it. That would have made 2014 an awesome sports year, but then Florida State Football went on to win all of their games in the calendar year during the fall. An amazing streak that would stretch all the way to 29 wins. Jameis Winston, who has taken so much nonsense for very little reason, led the Noles through perfection. Although I would have obviously liked them to close out this season with another title, I am thrilled with the performance of the Noles and excited for what Jameis and Jimbo have prepared for our future. It really does not get any better than this past year especially with all the hate our program has received. The hate makes it that much better and as Seminoles we have learned to embrace that hate. We have embraced the most hated team in recent memory and wear that as a badge of pride. Everyone hates us, but we love our team and are proud of our team that deserves 0 hate and 0 backlash.

Let's stick with FSU for a second. As an FSU fan for me it is football, track, baseball, basketball, and then the other sports. However, I love absolutely every sport at FSU and I have been to every sport as a student. It really was a great year for all of Seminole athletics. This fall in particular was spectacular. FSU Volleyball advanced to the Sweet 16 and FSU Soccer won a National Championship. Our fall sports were simply dominant. Men's Golf is actually a spring sport, but they had some Fall action and the Noles are #1 in Men's Golf. FSU happened to secure the FGCU Classic in late October to stay #1 and look quite strong for this season. Track is looking strong heading into 2015 and had a fantastic season in 2014. FSU Softball advanced to the College World Series in 2014 and baseball once again was a National Seed. All FSU programs represented the school brilliantly in 2014, and while it is over 2015 looks strong as well. That should not stop us from remembering what I believe is our best year to date though. Two national championship wins in a calendar year is impressive for any school. Great job Noles.

After the Seminoles, my favorite team is the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles were actually the first team I loved and the 1st sport I loved was baseball. This is a team I grew up watching and my entire immediate family loved. They were our local team growing up and when the Nationals came to town, I kept my allegiance to the Baltimore Orioles. During those years as an Oriole fan since my birth in '87 they have been awful the overwhelming majority of the time. However, this year they won the AL East (which I have seen twice) and they advanced to the ALCS (which I have also only seen twice). I have never seen them advance past where they did this year. This is also only the 4th postseason appearance period of my lifetime for this team. When you consider all of these factors and the fact that this team overcame so much, I am so proud of their 2014. AL East Champs and advancing to the American League finale is something I will gladly take from my Baltimore Orioles!

The Orioles didn't win it all, but I was happy with the result. On Halloween, I wrote a piece about the greatness of two of the players that did win the World Series. While neither of those players are on the Orioles, I would take each one in a heartbeat and I am not upset that they won. The fact that one of them is a former 'Nole and my favorite current athlete helps. Add in that the Giants are managed by Bruce Bochy and you have another successful element of 2014. So another element of the best sports year being 2014, has to be two former Noles winning the World Series for the Giants.

My other hometown team I loved from VA was the Washington Wizards. I have not seen many great years with the Wizards, but that was different in 2014.The Wizards made it to the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2014 and have started the 2014-2015 season very strong. Much like the Orioles, the Wizards have been traditionally terrible in my lifetime, and this is the furthest I have seen Washington advance. The Wizards looked good doing it too as this team looked quite capable of knocking off the Pacers in Round 2. Washington looked so good to close out last season that I picked them to win the Eastern Conference this year. No doubt this has been the best time in my lifetime to be a Washington Wizards fan.

My next favorite team is actually another NBA team in the San Antonio Spurs. I followed David Robinson when I was young because he shared most of my name and because he went to the Naval Academy which I thought was awesome. In college I really enjoyed the fundamental play of Tim Duncan who naturally became my favorite basketball player when the Admiral retired. I stuck with liking Duncan and the Spurs post Robinson due to my admiration and respect of Duncan and Popovich. San Antonio is the best example of team sports play and they are an absolute thrill to watch. They put on a clinic this past season and you cannot complain about any of it if you like the Spurs. Tim Duncan is also finally getting some of the much deserved respect for his fantastic career. In 2014, Duncan added a 5th championship ring to his resume. He could well be starting the run to his 6th ring this season.

Finally, we get to the NFL. I used to be a Redskins fan, but dumped them like a bad habit when they got rid of a family friend and Snyder took over. I refused to even consider going back when they brought in Steve Spurrier and loaded up on Gators. That was the last straw for me. I went to the Bucs at that point because they had my two favorite Noles (Warrick Dunn and Derrick Brooks). They also had a strong Christian Head Coach in Tony Dungy and an exciting defense. I was a good Bucs fan until they handled Dungy inappropriately and then I went back and forth between the Texans, Ravens, and Bucs. I am not even going to lie about my NFL allegiance. These past few seasons it has been root for the team with more Noles and against the team with players I do not like. It has worked out pretty well. Now, what does this have to do with 2014? The Buccaneers, the team I want to root for, has a golden opportunity for 2015 based on their play in 2014. They can secure the best player in the 2015 NFL Draft because they tanked in 2014. Tampa Bay can draft Jameis Winston (assuming he goes pro) and I can be a Bucs fan forever. Of course, they could screw it up take Marriota and go with the status quo, but I prefer to think positively. I like Lovie and will love the Bucs if they get Jameis. There will be some meaning of this year in the NFL so that this truly can be my best sports year ever,

Regardless of that though, it still was the best year. 2014 was a banner year in sports. Here is to more of this stuff happening in 2015. Go Noles! Go Orioles! Go Wizards! Go Spurs! and Go Bucs?

-Noland

The Return Of Buc Ball

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were one of the NFL's best franchises for a decent period of time from 1997-2002. Those teams were defined by a terrific defense that was put into place and led by Tony Dungy. Well, the 2002 team was lead by Jon Gruden, but it featured Dungy's defense. These teams had stars at every level of defense and its feature player was #55 Derrick Brooks. Now, Brooks is one of the greatest linebackers of all-time and my personal favorite football player so I obviously loved those teams. I was intrigued by the Buccaneers attempt to get back to Buc ball and it seems I am not the only one.

The ownership obviously wants to get back to those roots as well. They have dipped back into their coaching past to bring respectability back to the franchise. Tampa has hired their former linebacker coach from 1996-2000, Lovie Smith. Derrick Brooks' former position coach takes over a team and defense loaded with talent. The team just needs a coach that will help them reach their potential. However, don't take my word for it. Take the word of two of the biggest legends in Bucs history.

"Congratulations to the Bucs. I think they made a very good choice in hiring Lovie Smith. Now I'm excited about watching the Bucs next year!" @TonyDungy Twitter

"So excited tonight.@TBBuccaneers,Bucs got better tonight with Lovie Smith coming back as the new H/C. Words can't describe my excitement" @DBrooks55 (Derrick Brooks Twitter)

These legends are excited and the fanbase that loves them so much is excited as well. These fans cannot wait to see Lovie patrolling the sidelines.

Now, I understand that Coach Dungy and Derrick Brooks might be biased towards someone who helped them reach such a high level of success, but let's really look at this hire.  Lovie Smith is a fantastic coach. He formed the Buccaneers into the best linebacking group in the league from 1996-2000. He then took over as Rams Defensive Coordinator and helped that team win the Super Bowl. Sure he had a ton of talent on those defenses. The Bucs had Brooks and the Rams had London Fletcher who are arguably the two best linebackers of this generation. Let's not underestimate though Lovie's coaching abilities because of two superstar linebackers. The guy can flat out coach.

Lovie's head coaching record is quite impressive. He went 81-63 overall as head coach of the Chicago Bears. Smith had great success as the Bears coach and helped lead them to the Super Bowl. He did all this despite having REX GROSSMAN as his starting QB. Let me repeat. He took a team with REX GROSSMAN as its QB to the SUPER BOWL. He has never had a legit QB and we know his teams have not been marked with the best offense, but man what a defense. Smith's defenses always marked near the top. Can you imagine if he ever gets a QB? It was quite curious that Chicago fired a guy with this kind of coaching pedigree. He can just coach.

Not only that, but he hired a terrific coordinator. I am not a big Leslie Frazier fan as a head coach, but as a DC the man is fantastic. There is a reason he was the hot name on every coaching list a few years back. The guy knows defense and he knows how to call a defense. Great hire, Lovie. Looking like Tampa will be a Top 5 defense again soon.

Lovie brings credibility back to the Bucs. He brings a winning culture. He brings the return of Buc ball. He brings a respect and soon it will translate into wins. Most importantly the Tampa Bay area can once again be proud of their team on and off the field. Congrats on a great hire Tampa. The Buccaneers are going places in 2014!

-Noland