They both had really good days. Jameis has ALWAYS had more plug-and-play potential than Mariota (non-Eagles). He showcased premiere accuracy and insane football IQ at the combine. He's got unteachable self-confidence. He's got pro-style offense experience and great ability to thread the ball into tight windows. None of this is anything we didn't already know before the combine. The main on-the-field concern with Winston was his higher INT number this year - and with no DBs covering those receivers, there was no chance of that coming out here. The primary questions with Winston have always been about his maturity. How will he handle LOSING in the NFL. Because he -will- lose games. How will he handle a losing season - because he'll probably have one early on in his career; no team picking high in the draft is a rookie-QB away. We know he can shrug off his mistakes - we've seen that within games. But can he learn from them? Can he be humble? The real questions with Winston are more about his mental makeup long-term than anything else. With Mariota, you know he faces a steep learning curve transitioning to the NFL. You know he has the raw attributes - the physical tools and a high football IQ. It's about how quickly he can adapt to a new environment, and how successful he can be in a totally different system. What made Mariota so great at Oregon was his complete mastery of the offense - can he replicate that in a new scheme. If so, he's going to have a bright career as well. I think both these guys can have bright NFL careers. I think the Bucs SHOULD take Winston because he -is- more pro-ready, and it could be an environment where they manage his potential off-the-field stuff well. Louvie is a vet head coach, which helps too. They also have a pair of great contested-catch receivers that will mesh very well with Winston's ability to thread balls into tight spaces. If you're the Jets, they should be 1/2 on your board. I'd personally go Mariota over Winston for us just because I'm not sure the big media market circus is going to be conducive to his particular mental makeup early in his pro development. Over pyschoanalyzed, sure. But as I said, they're 1/2 anyway - and only one of them at most is going to be there for us.
The thing I love about this draft is that even if we don't draft Mariota or Winston we can get a blue chip prospect at positions of need. I happen to like Mariota, however his football IQ and no experience being under center and commanding a huddle worries me. Geno had a really hard time his first year and is finally getting the hang of things after being in a similar "air raid" offense. Is it wise to dump a similar prospect so quickly who already has two years experience in the NFL for someone who was also an "air raid" QB. I don't know the answer but given our QB woes as of late, you have to pick the guy.... Just my 2 cents.
IQ (football or otherwise) is not an issue with Mariota. You don't have to worry about Geno getting dumped, either. Unless Mac is as phony as Idzik about competition, Geno will be competing for the starting position. Hopefully, if Mac is smart enough to take Mariota, then he should be smart enough to know that he needs to sit Mariota for a year, and he needs to bring in a vet QB to compete with Geno.
It was about putting the ball where they instructed. Additionally, Kurt Warner pointed out that on each repetition of a particular route, the ball should be in the same place on each throw. If you watch carefully, Winston's were for the most part, i.e. he had a tighter "shot group" and more consistent placement than Mariota did. Not saying that Mariota's throws were bad or anything like that, just not quite as consistent. This is where tight NFL windows would come into play, as well as throwing with anticipation.
And that "grouping" of throws Warner alluded had to do with lack of consistent footwork on the part of some of the others (I believe it was Blake Simms who was throwing at the time) and he was not singling out Mariota. In short, throws should look the same because of a consistent set up and throwing platform. Mariota's "drop back" showed good footwork; a lot better than some of the QBs who had worked from under center during the year.
With exception to maybe 2-3 throws, Jameis threw perfect balls but they were NOT "where they instructed". Note those drills were mostly to evaluate the WRs NOT the QBs. For example, on the outs the instructions were to place the ball to the sidelines so the WRs can display their ability to extend for the ball while still being able to keep both feet in bounds. On the 9 routes the instructions was to lead the WRs and place the ball to the outside shoulder, so the WRs can display their ability to track the ball and catch over their shoulder. So the truth of the matter it was Mariota NOT Jameis that was putting the ball where they instructed.
