re: I am not particularly ecstatic about how this whole QB situation has played out

quote:

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magine it is a random Fall weekend in 2019. Saints are playing the Bucs. You are excited that we are playing Jameis Winston because he is guaranteed to throw at least 2 picks against us. Even more so, you look forward to making fun of his unserious antics and pregame routines.

Fast forward two years later. Jameis Winston finally secured his spot as a starter at the end of pre-season. He barely made it past our Gadget player Taysom Hill for the starting job and you are absolutely ecstatic.

Someone please explain what happened in between these two moments that would require to change your mind so much. I find this absolutely baffling.

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Easy- Sean Payton.

Some QBs taken high have been legitimate busts; Jameis Winston was not one of those. He's got the physical tools, he's got the arm and the release. He was just placed in an impossible situation- tossed in as starter and presumed leader as a rookie, in a division dominated by the Saints with Brees, and also with both Atlanta and Carolina fielding impressive teams at times. The only thing guaranteed about the NFC South was that Tampa would be last.
He was still able to have a 5000 yd season, with a coach not known as being an elite offensive guy. You don't see that a lot. Take Brees out of the mix, and that's only been done a couple times.

Winston needed a reset, and it happened early enough in his career to salvage it. If he succeeds here, nobody will remember he started in Tampa, any more than they remember Brees started in San Diego.