Post#7 » by MagicFan101 » Sun Aug 23, 2015 5:40 pm
None of the Florida NFL teams ever grew on me as they were usually pretty bad while I was growing up in Orlando. College football was always far more exciting in the Sunshine state.
As a Florida State fan and alumni, I am very interested in the Bucs this year.
Winston's first preseason game contained everything you expect and hope for in such an event. He had the rookie mistakes that a coach almost enjoys seeing as it gives the coach things to point to in the review sessions. Those mistakes have to be expected. Still, there was hope. After a few rough possessions he really clicked and you saw the difference between a true QB prospect like Winston and a guy with a big arm like Glennon. Rather than airing it out and hoping for his guy to be fast enough, Winston has fantastic accuracy. He doesn't just throw to the receiver, he places the ball on the expected spot.
Many of his interceptions last season truly were a result of him being too accurate and knowing it. I'm sure that sounds crazy but watch the tape. He lost keep receivers KB and Shaw. This left him with only one great route runner (Greene). Winston would throw great passes to freshman receicers who missed their route. It's hard to argue with a plan that resulted in a playoff birth, but the coaches probably should have lightened the playbook a bit with so many inexperienced position players playing key roles.
Anyways, the point to that rant was that he now has fantastic talent at key spots in the NFL. If the O-line plays better he has the WR talent to have a great rookie year. Winston and Evans are going to be tough to handle.
Meanwhile, it was basically the same story for Mariota. He had his rookie mistakes and then put it together for an impressive drive or two. The big difference to me was in the fine details of the box score. Mariota was asked to attempt 1 deep ball while Winston was tasked with 8 attempts. For better or for worse, the Bucs seem to be throwing Winston into the fire a bit quicker.