The analysts warned us through the draft process. Jameis Winston is turnover-prone. His decision-making isn’t as great as what we were made to believe. Hopefully, this isn’t your mindset after seeing Winston in training camp over the past few days. Because, spoiler alert, rookies struggle.
Before Peyton Manning became the quarterback we know and love today, he was a rookie in 1998 who threw 26 touchdowns and 28 interceptions! Andrew Luck is arguably the next great quarterback to play in the NFL, but even he had 18 picks in his first year. Winston is going to force the ball at times. He’s going to try and fit the ball through impossible windows. He’s going to occasionally frustrate us. Oh, sorry, sorry. Spoiler alert: Jameis is going to frustrate us every now and then. And that’s okay.
Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has a good philosophy on how you should view these training camp picks.
Per USA TODAY:
"“A gunslinger mentality is good,” Koetter said. “What we have to also have though is great judgment, because turnovers get you beat. So that’s the fine line. We all have seen those quarterbacks that are going to check it down every time no matter what. We don’t want that either, because turnovers get you beat the fastest but explosive plays help you win the fastest.“It’s a fine line right there; we’re working on it.”"
Turnovers are death to a team, but you also don’t want a quarterback who is so afraid to take a chance on third and ten that he’ll just check it down and settle for a punt. As Koetter touches on, there’s a fine line between a calculated risk and a reckless decision, but nothing can strike fear into a QB’s heart quite like getting picked off.
However, being that guy under center means you need to have confidence in your ability to make the toughest of throws, even when previous instances have resulted in picks. As a rookie, Winston has the right mindset. “Coming out here, excited, you’re going to make some mistakes,” he said. “The thing is to bounce back and to keep moving forward. You don’t think (about) the negatives.”
Don’t worry what you are seeing right now, Winston is going to be alright.
Next: Jameis Winston is the savior but he's also human
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Next: Jameis Winston is just what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed