Jameis Winston

by Joe Capo

**I started this entry on April 23rd, but never finished it. April 28th, Jameis Winston signed with the New Orleans Saints. Today is May 6th and I will now finish the write-up, but I will leave what I previously had written**

April 23, 2020

Let me start this off by saying that I’m not a Jameis Winston guy. Never have been and probably never will be. First off, as a Miami Hurricanes fan, I can count on one hand how many Seminoles I’ve actually rooted for, throughout my life. Deion Sanders, Derrick Brooks, and Anquan Boldin is the extent of that list. Second, there isn’t much to like about Jameis with all of his off-the-field issues…including allegations of sexual assault, shoplifting, and stupid/vulgar comments made in public. However, to be fair, he’s also known to be very generous off the field. He did his own charitable work, as well as with the Bucs foundation, he rarely turns down a request, from attending special events, to sending videos to sick children, to donating resources. With all that said, my question is, why has no one picked up this guy?!? I don’t want to push sexual assault allegations to the side, like the issue is miniscule, but nothing was proven. He’s been punished for it and has moved on. He plays in a league that is known for giving players 2nd, 3rd and even 4th attempts at getting their sh*t together. As for what he can do on the field, this former #1 overall pick is pretty talented. He’s coming off a season in where he was 1 of only 8 players in the history of the NFL to throw for over 5,000 yards, joining guys like Marino, Brees, Brady and Manning. That’s pretty nice company! I mean, when was the last time a guy led the league in passing yards and couldn’t find a job the following year? Really?!? Nobody wants him?!? “Bueller?? Bueller?? Bueller??” I just don’t get it. You’re not gonna tell me 32 quarterbacks are better than him, let alone 64!!! No chance!!! Now let’s address the elephant in the room regarding his play last year. Yes, 30 interceptions!! I know, that’s a big number, BUT let’s try and defend it…a little bit at least.

1. The Coach – It is no secret that Bruce Arians, the Bucs coach last year, is the aerial king of the NFL. He encourages his quarterbacks to throw the ball downfield early and often, which will lead to turnovers.

2. The Attempts – Jameis Winston tied for the league lead in passing attempts last year with 626. You throw the ball that often, turnovers are going to happen. His team often trailed in games, which would also force the ball into the air.

3. The Lack of a Run Game – Running backs Ronald Jones and Peyton Barber are not exactly instilling fear in any NFL defense across the league. Opposing defenses were playing against the pass all year long.

Jameis simply needs a coach and/or a coordinator to teach him how to protect the ball and limit his mistakes. He has the physical tools, it’s the mental game that is lacking. This can be easily fixed.

**Continued on May 6, 2020**

Jameis Winston signed with the New Orleans Saints last week on April 28th. It’s about time, after a month of availability, that someone took a chance on this kid. Now when I started this entry on April 23rd, I never got to mention what team I thought Winston would land on. With the Bengals, Dolphins, and Chargers all expected to take a quarterback in the draft that night (which they did) we’ll leave them out. The Patriots would seem like the logical choice being that, with Tom Brady’s departure, they’re looking at starting Jarrett Stidham or Brian Hoyer. However, Jameis doesn’t seem like a Bill Belichick-type quarterback. I can see both Cam Newton or Andy Dalton (*Dalton was available at the time of initial writing, but has since signed with the Dallas Cowboys) quarterbacking the Pats before Winston. The Pittsburgh Steelers would have been my choice for Jameis Winston. Yes, they have Ben Roethlisberger, but he seems to find his way to the injured list, every year, at this point in his career. Winston would’ve made a solid backup to Big Ben, on a legit, playoff-caliber team. And in case you’re wondering, yes, I think Jameis Winston is a better quarterback than current Steelers backup Mason Rudolph. However, we now know that Jameis Winston signed a 1-year deal with the Saints, so let’s discuss how he fits in that organization.

I LOVE this move for so many reasons! This is a win-win for both the Saints and Winston. For Jameis, he gets to pick the brain, and play behind, one of the greatest quarterbacks ever in Drew Brees. Not only that, but Drew can teach Winston how to be a professional both on and off the field, as Brees is such a high-character guy, and the epitome of a class act. Jameis can use some of those qualities in his life. Brees has been a durable player throughout most of his career, although he did get hurt last year and missed 5 games. Teddy Bridgewater, who was in a similar situation that Jameis Winston is in now, took advantage of the opportunity, went 5-0 in those games, and landed himself a long-term deal with the Carolina Panthers this offseason. Winston also has the pleasure of being coached by Sean Payton, who many consider to be an offensive genius. The only thing that lies in Jameis’ way on the path to success is Taysom Hill, who the Saints just extended to a 2-year, 21 million dollar deal. He will compete with Jameis for the backup spot, but that kind of money suggests he will win the job. I don’t agree with this move by the Saints. Taysom Hill is not your conventional, pocket passer. He’s the equivalent of a utility player in baseball. A swiss army knife, if you will. He can pass, run, catch, and block. I haven’t seen a player as multi-talented as him since Hines Ward, formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I just can’t see this guy running the offense for an entire game/season. He’s more of a gimmick player. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how this plays out. The good news is Jameis is only on a 1-year deal, Brees (who’s on a 2-year deal) will probably only play 1 more year and Taysom is on a 2-year deal. So one of these 2 backups will most likely be the starter going into the 2021 season. If it’s Taysom, then perhaps Jameis will sign on with another team as a free agent. You know a few teams will be looking for a starting quarterback next year. Jameis should just soak up as much knowledge, from Brees and Payton, as he can this year and take it from there. Whether it’s with the Saints or another NFL team, I do believe Jameis Winston will find himself a starting job, somewhere down the road, once again. He’s only 26 years old, and in this writer’s eyes, the future still looks bright. Good luck to the young man.