Re: "The Case Against Jameis Winston."
Straight from the aforementioned article:
There is no denying
Jameis Winston's[/I] ability. His football acumen is unquestioned. Between the hash marks, "Famous Jameis" is Picasso. The pigskin is his brush. His downfield vision and ability to read coverages is like modernist, or post-modernist art. . . or something.
Okay, I've got to drop the, "I might know something about art gimmick." In truth, I don't even know Picasso's first name.
But I do know something about football. And I don't think Jameis Winston is going to make a great NFL quarterback.
Here's why: Jameis Winston is too good[/I] and too famous[/I]. He was a star in college. He peaked too soon. Recent history shows that too much talent and too much fame is a bad combination for elite college quarterbacks transitioning to the NFL.
Here's the list: Matt Leinart[/I]. Vince Young[/I]. Brady Quinn[/I]. Mark Sanchez[/I]. Tim Tebow[/I]. Johnny Manziel[/I].
What do those guys have in common, other than being NFL busts? Well, they are all physically gifted and were great college quarterbacks. Their greatness and skill created a media frenzy while they were still in school. That early success made each player larger than life. Invincible. Even the mild-mannered, Tim Tebow had a media caravan following him before he was drafted. They were nationally recognized stars[/I]. They were public figures. Celebrities. They were on TV, in magazines, doing commercials, signing endorsement deals-before they were ready.
They achieved that status on talent alone. They didn't have to earn it through film study, practice, and attention to detail. They just laced up the cleats and set the competition on fire. And they all found out that just showing up on Sunday doesn't work in the NFL. You've got to put in the unappreciated, unheralded hours of preparation to be great in the NFL.
Even in 2014 I was concerned that
Johnny Manziel's partying and lack of NFL preparation could hurt Jameis Winston's draft stock. Almost every mock draft has Jameis Winston being drafted first by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but can he live up to expectations?
Here's another list, opposite of the high-profile college quarterbacks: Andrew Luck[/I], Aaron Rodgers[/I], Russell Wilson[/I], and perhaps,
Marcus Mariota[/I]. These guys kept their heads down in college. Their faces weren't all over the Internet and Twitter. They worked hard, they practiced hard, they studied the game instead of basking in the spotlight. Everyone knew Andrew Luck was a transcendent talent when he began playing at Stanford, but you never saw him other than in a humble post-game interview. Andrew Luck could only be found for a few hours on Saturday, and then he disappeared again. The great quarterbacks who weren't nationally recognized stars in college worked harder to achieve their dreams. They studied harder. They practiced harder. They couldn't skate by on natural ability alone, but because they worked toward greatness in college their work ethic helped them become elite NFL quarterbacks.
If Jameis Winston doesn't think he becomes a NFL quarterback until he's drafted, he's sorely mistaken. He's been a "pro" quarterback for quite sometime. Everything he's done over the last several years has been a resume-building process to officially begin his NFL career. Showing up to the combine in anything less than perfect physical shape is unacceptable, and a sign of things to come in the NFL.
Does Famous Jameis have the pedigree and work ethic to lock himself in a dark room like Peyton Manning[/I] and study film in the offseason? Will be lifting by himself and running sprints on Friday nights? Once he's drafted will he be the first to arrive at the team facility and the last to leave? Will he sleep with a playbook under his pillow?
If the answer to any of those questions is "No," then Famous Jameis[/I]-the most recognizable of all the star college quarterbacks before him-won't excel at the NFL level.
