Jameis Winston Is the Savior But He’s Also Human

As much as it pains me to say it, I’m going to say it anyway. Jameis Winston cannot walk on water. Nor can he part defenders with a flick of da wrist. He has and will make mistakes like the rest of us. And sometimes, these errors will cost us games. After all, he’s human.

From the moment NFL commissioner Roger Goodell uttered Winston’s name as the first overall pick in this year’s draft, Tampa Bay Buccaneers anointed him as the future of the franchise. And rightfully so. This organization has struggled to find any sort of success since reaching the mountaintop in Super Bowl XXXVII. That could be the result of poor head coaching decisions. Raheem Morris? Greg Schiano? Maybe it has something to do with a lack of talent throughout the roster. But, it’s no secret that offensive prosperity starts and ends at the quarterback position. There’s a reason why nine QBs take up the top 10 spots of the highest-paid players in the league today.

While defenses win championships, quarterbacks need to also hold their own in some capacity. Josh Freeman, Josh Johnson, Josh McCown, Jeff Garcia, Byron Leftwich, Chris Simms, Luke McCown, Brian Griese and Bruce Gradkowski all failed to meet the challenge. Now, the Bucs have someone being commonly compared to one of the better quarterbacks in the league in Ben Roethlisberger. It’s a great time to be a Buccaneers fan.

Sometimes, I need to remind myself that Jameis hasn’t taken a single NFL snap yet.

Our hopes and dreams are the highest that they have been in years. However, the expectations need to be kept in check. Winston is the savior, but he’s also a rookie.

Today, I was looking at The MMQB’s starting quarterback rankings to see where Famous Jameis ended up on the list. In my heart, he’s No. 1. In my head, he’s towards the end of the list. So, where did he end up?

WHAT?! He’s ahead of Geno Smith, Robert Griffin III and Marcus Mariota but behind Blake Bortles and Derek Carr? Are you serious?! Uh oh, my heart’s getting in the way again.

Sometimes, I need to remind myself that Jameis hasn’t taken a single NFL snap yet. Everything we know about him is based on what he did at Florida State. The NFL is an entirely different beast. I believe that in due time, the former Seminole signal caller will live up to our lofty expectations, but until then, we need to remind ourselves that he needs time to grow. Don’t be surprised to find Jameis at or near the bottom in everyone’s quarterback rankings. Just check back in a few years. All these analysts will be singing a different tune and it’s going to sound oh so sweet.

Next: Stop Comparing Jameis Winston to JaMarcus Russell

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