Schefter: Feeling is Bucs eyeing Mariota

[Bronx]

[QUOTE
ESPN's Adam Schefter says there's a "real sense" Tampa Bay has its sights set on Oregon QB Marcus Mariota at No. 1 overall.

Schefter concedes that "many NFL executives and scouts believe Florida State's Jameis Winston is the best pro quarterback prospect in this draft." But perhaps the Bucs and new OC Dirk Koetter see things differently, placing more stock in Mariota's mobility and clean off-field resume. More likely, there's just a lot of speculation out there right now with the draft still three months away. We're skeptical the Bucs have come close to making up their mind yet][/QUOTE].

 

[flgreen]

I hope this report is accurate. IMO they will take Winston, but if they go with Mariota instead, I would have Tenn. on the phone real quick

 

[jets82]

Tenn is in a excellent position, especially if Tampa takes Mariota. They then can play the highest bidder game with up to 5-7 teams for Winston. If Tampa takes Winston, maybe 1-2 teams will call Tenn about Mariota, with no real interest in trading up for him unless it's Phila. Icing on the cake is Tenn drafted a QB last year that didn't play half bad for them the 3-4 games prior to his injury. So they can stick with Mecklengburg and trade down for a highway robbery of picks, or pick whomever they want at #2 . Damn, the Jets messed up by winning 4 games. You can disagree all you want and thats fine but with only one win against the Raiders, the Jets could be in the #1 spot period or #2 at worst.

No need in crying over spilt milk, IMO the Jets shouldn't trade up for Winston or Mariota with Tenn. If either one falls to them then great but if not, don't trade up. They have to many other spots of need to fill as well and can't afford to give away 4-5 draft picks this and next year combined. If all else fails, fill up the other spots of need by draft and FAs, pick up a quality veteran QB and draft a QB in the 4th-5th round and let Geno fight it out with the other two QB's for starter. Long shot but with a new coaching staff and system, Geno just might be OK. He is only 23 or 24 yrs old and has shown flashes of at least being a decent QB.

 

[Bronx]

I also think, because of the off field issues, GMs won't risk trading up for Winston .


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[Green Jets & Ham]

I could be wrong and much is subject to change between now and draft day, but if the draft were held tomorrow I believe its about a 95% certainty that one of the two QB's (Mariota & Winston) would slide to the Jets at #6 , and I personally wouldn't take either guy in that spot, though for very different reasons.

First I believe one will slide to the Jets because I'm not convinced Tennessee will take a QB at #2 . I think they will address a bigger need at WR, OLB or on the D-line and give Mettenberger a chance to develop. I think they are still intrigued by his physical attributes and the success he had in the SEC, so I don't see them drafting another QB just yet, and after Tennessee there are no teams between 3-5 who need or will take a QB in my view.

That said, I'm not sure if Mariota has the physical wherewithal to excel at the next level, not sure if he has enough arm, particularly outdoors in the northeast. I'd feel a lot better about drafting him if we played in a dome and in a warm weather division. He also has a pretty big transition to make as a drop back passer, though I'm less concerned about that because Russell Wilson is on the verge of perhaps his second ring in his first three years, and Mariota is a similar player, so you can tailor your offense around more of a read-option QB in the NFL. I didn't always believe that, but I'm not close-minded and I will not dismiss the evidence to the contrary. But again, I don't view Mariota as a sure thing and I believe we would be leaving some potential impact players on the board at #6 if we take one of the QB's.

As for Winston, big kid with a good (not great) arm, so he has all of the physical attributes who look for in an NFL QB, also comes from more of a pro offense, more of a drop back pocket passer, but his mechanics are pretty awful in my view and IMO he regressed as a player from last year to this year, particularly in the area of INT to TD ratio. He made a lot more disastrous plays, the kind we've grown accustomed to from Sanchez & Geno, in his second year, and the defenses he will see at the next level is advanced calculus compared to 2+2=4 in college. Mariota is much better than Winston at avoiding the big mistake. Also, and this has to be said because we're talking about the #6 pick here, we have to get this right, so nothing can be left unsaid, and I have to say that Winston sounds like a functional illiterate when he speaks, its scary, the kid is almost incoherent, and I don't know very many dumb QB's who excel in the NFL. Anyone who has ever seen an NFL playbook realizes how much there is to digest. Its ridiculous. Lets put it this way, I don't think I could do it, but at the same time the QB has to know not only his own responsibilities, but also the assignments of every offensive player on the field, and then he has to master the pre snap reads of the defense, the disguises, and make quick decisions on the fly when the defense throws you a curveball. This is heady stuff and it is not conducive to the unintelligible. To be clear, I don't want to be accused of judging a book by its cover, just because he is inarticulate that doesn't mean he is dumb, but with the #6 pick its something that scares me. Then you throw in the off the field and character issues and all combined its a pick I wouldn't make, again, especially when I believe we would be leaving some real impact players on the board to gamble on Winston or Mariota.

All of this can change and either guy can win me over as the process unfolds, but thats how I feel at this moment.

 

[Christa]

Tenn is in a excellent position, especially if Tampa takes Mariota. They then can play the highest bidder game with up to 5-7 teams for Winston. If Tampa takes Winston, maybe 1-2 teams will call Tenn about Mariota, with no real interest in trading up for him unless it's Phila. Icing on the cake is Tenn drafted a QB last year that didn't play half bad for them the 3-4 games prior to his injury. So they can stick with Mecklengburg and trade down for a highway robbery of picks, or pick whomever they want at #2 . Damn, the Jets messed up by winning 4 games. You can disagree all you want and thats fine but with only one win against the Raiders, the Jets could be in the #1 spot period or #2 at worst.

No need in crying over spilt milk, IMO the Jets shouldn't trade up for Winston or Mariota with Tenn. If either one falls to them then great but if not, don't trade up. They have to many other spots of need to fill as well and can't afford to give away 4-5 draft picks this and next year combined. If all else fails, fill up the other spots of need by draft and FAs, pick up a quality veteran QB and draft a QB in the 4th-5th round and let Geno fight it out with the other two QB's for starter. Long shot but with a new coaching staff and system, Geno just might be OK. He is only 23 or 24 yrs old and has shown flashes of at least being a decent QB.

I agree with you 100%!

 

[Green Jets & Ham]

I agree with you 100%!

I agree with a lot of 82's post as well, but I don't see Tennessee finding a trade partner for Winston or Mariota. I just don't think they are valued high enough for any teams to trade away valuable draft picks to move up for either QB. If someone trades up to #2 it will be because they fell in love with one of the non QB's, maybe Cooper or one of the edge rushers, but I don't think you will see anyone trade all the way up to #2 for one of these QB's. If you use the draft trade value chart as your guide, and NFL people do use it, the cost of trading up to #2 is incredibly high, so it better be for an Andrew Luck or something close, and I don't see these QB's being in that company.

 

[Christa]

I agree with a lot of his 82's post as well, but I don't see Tennessee finding a trade partner for Winston or Mariota. I just don't think they are valued high enough for any teams to trade away valuable draft picks to move up for either QB. If someone trades up to #2 it will be because they fell in love with one of the non QB's, maybe Cooper or one of the edge rushers, but I don't think you will see anyone trade all the way up to #2 for one of these QB's. If you use the draft trade value chart as your guide, and NFL people do use it, the cost of trading up to #2 is incredibly high, so it better be for an Andrew Luck or something close, and I don't see these QB's being in that company.

Good point! Thought about teams trading up for Randy Gregory Ex: Pass Rusher or Cooper as well. What's interesting is that some scouts say that Kevin White may better than Amari Cooper.

 

[Green Jets & Ham]

Good point! Thought about teams trading up for Randy Gregory Ex: Pass Rusher or Cooper as well. What's interesting is that some scouts say that Kevin White may better than Amari Cooper.

Indeed Christa, and former NFL Scout Daniel Jeremiah is one of them as I posted in the draft forum.

For those of you who didn't see it, he has White at #3 and Cooper at #4 on his big board:

http://www.nfl.com/top50

This is good news for the Jets because it gives us more than one option at WR if we choose to go in that direction at #6

 

[Savage69]

I could be wrong and much is subject to change between now and draft day, but if the draft were held tomorrow I believe its a about a 95% certainty that one of the two QB's (Mariota & Winston) would slide to the Jets at

All of this can change and either guy can win me over as the process unfolds, but thats how I feel at this moment.

Not only you but look how many were drooling over Johnny Football last year.. And the Jets could have had him at 18..Thank God at least Idzik didn't take him..

 

[Bronx]

I guess we might go WR if we let Harvin walk. I'd rather go OL, but I admit I know very little about this years prospects

 

[Savage69]

I guess we might go WR if we let Harvin walk. I'd rather go OL, but I admit I know very little about this years prospects

Watch the Jets go OLB'er and the people will still blame Rex..LOL

 

[Green Jets & Ham]

Not only you but look how many were drooling over Johnny Football last year.. And the Jets could have had him at 18..Thank God at least Idzik didn't take him..

Its true, thats why I always say I could be wrong, I've been at this draftnik thing long enough to know its not an exact science and nobody bats a thousand. I have strong opinions and there's nothing wrong with that, you gotta take a position one way or the other and I can only go with my gut, but we all have hits and misses ... heck even Idzik got that one right, and I have more faith in my cat making the picks.

 

[Elias]

Watch the Jets go OLB'er and the people will still blame Rex..LOL

Funny thing is that I am okay with going OLB. Like [MENTION=42]Bronx[/MENTION] mentioned, I want OL but I don't think there is anyone rated as high to be selected with the sixth pick. If we can finally get our Terrell Suggs, I'll be happy.

I am not concerned about this defense. I think we'll be playing at a high level next year bc we will not make the same mistakes as in 2014. We'll invest in the secondary and I do not think Bowles will leave any of the poor defenders on an island.

The offense is scary. Looks like we are going to battle with Geno, therefore we need to strengthen the rest of the unit.

 

[Bronx]

I would be thrilled with Winston. I think his basement is being an average NFL QB. The big question with him is, can he keep his head on straight. Some guys can't, see Josh Gordon

 

[flgreen]

Got to disagree Ham. I think it is possible, but very unlikely that Mariota or Winston make it to #6 . They are the only decent looking QB's in this draft. Think they will get a lot of interest early in the draft. Winston or Mariota will probably go #1 . IMO if Tenn puts Winston up for sale, there will be a few teams looking to come down and get him. Possibility even the Jets.

Elias posted an article in another thread with Ron Wolf talking about how close the Jets came to drafting Favre.

I don't want to be reading an article in 15 years about how close the Jets came to drafting Mariota/Winston, but passed. Of course either of these guys could go bust, and either of them could become stars, IMO particularly Winston.

Your correct, Winston's TD-interception ratio was way off this year. There were good reasons for it. He had a high ankle sprain in week two, that got worst week by week. By mid season he was walking with a very pronounced limp. His mobility was down to nothing. If you watched him play, as compared to last year, it was clear it was dramatically affecting his follow thru, and delivery. It was particularly pronounced in the first half of games when his ankle was stiff. In most games it seems to loosen up as the game wore on, and week after week he made big throws to win games in the second half.

He was also under more media scrutiny then I can recall any college player being under. He just kept on performing at a very high level.

I've read several times now, by posters, not people in the know, that he is stupid. This just isn't true, far from it. His stats again the blitz are excellent, and he was on the ACC academic all star team. He was heavily recruited by Stanford. Has a GPA of 3.35. Not to shabby for a dope. He's also very well liked in the locker room, and a team leader.



Jameis Winston makes All-ACC Academic team



By Garry Smits (Spear Points) | February 17, 2014 - 11:33am













Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston added another post-season honor when he was named to the ACC's All-Academic team, along with safety Nate Andrews.

To make the team, athletes must have a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and have maintained that on a cumulative basis. Winston, who was offered a scholarship at Stanford when he was being recruited, won the Heisman Trophy and led the Seminoles to the BCS national championship.

Winston threw for 4,507 yards and 40 touchdown passes to set NCAA, ACC and school records for freshmen. He also led the ACC in passer rating with a 184.8 index. Andrews led FSU with four interceptions.

Here's an interesting point: Making the ACC's All-Academic team were Winston, the leader passer in the league; Andre Williams of Boston College, the leading rusher (an ACC-record 2,177 yards); Jamison Crowder of Duke, the leading receiver (with 108 receptions); and David Helton of Duke, the leading tackler (9.5 per game).

Also making the team is Bolles graduate Jordan Garside, a senior fullback at Wake Forest.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blo...17/jameis-winston-makes-all-acc-academic-team

Putting it mildly the Jets' QB situation is awful. Smith is as bad as they come. Perhaps Gailey can develop him to a point where he isn't the worst QB in the NFL, but he'll never make a good QB out of him.

The Jets with the cap room they have available, can fix a lot of the holes. They sign Cromartie, and Kareem Jackson, IMO the defense becomes a top D again. If they sign Lupati, Spiller, and find a WR, either in the 2nd round, or FA, the offense will be pretty solid. The major flaw will be at the most important position. QB. The FA's are pretty bad, next year's draft doesn't seem like it is going to be much better then this year's. Hopefully the Jets won't be picking early enough to get one of the few decent ones.

If by chance either Winston/Mariota are there at 6, the Jets should roll the dice, run up the aisle and take him. It might be another 20 years before they are in a position to select another potential franchise QB. The opportunity doesn't present itself very often.

The other holes can be easily fixed with money, and a good draft. This is the only hope for a top QB for the foreseeable future.

 

[jetfrantik]

i could be wrong and much is subject to change between now and draft day, but if the draft were held tomorrow i believe its a about a 95% certainty that one of the two qb's (mariota & winston) would slide to the jets at #6 , and i personally wouldn't take either guy in that spot, though for very different reasons.

First i believe one will slide to the jets because i'm not convinced tennessee will take a qb at #2 . I think they will address a bigger need at wr, olb or on the d-line and give mettenberger a chance to develop. I think they are still intrigued by his physical attributes and the success he had in the sec, so i don't see them drafting another qb just yet, and after tennessee there are no teams between 3-5 who need or will take a qb in my view.

That said, i'm not sure if mariota has the physical wherewithal to excel at the next level, not sure if he has enough arm, particularly outdoors in the northeast. I'd feel a lot better about drafting him if we played in a dome and in a warm weather division. He also has a pretty big transition to make as a drop back passer, though i'm less concerned about that because russell wilson is on the verge of perhaps his second ring in his first three years, and mariota is a similar player, so you can tailor your offense around more of a read-option qb in the nfl. I didn't always believe that, but i'm not close-minded and i will not dismiss the evidence to the contrary. But again, i don't view mariota as a sure thing and i believe we would be leaving some potential impact players on the board at #6 if we take one of the qb's.

As for winston, big kid with a good (not great) arm, so he has all of the physical attributes who look for in an nfl qb, also comes from more of a pro offense, more of a drop back pocket passer, but his mechanics are pretty awful in my view and imo he regressed as a player from last year to this year, particularly in the area of int to td ratio. He made a lot more disastrous plays, the kind we've grown accustomed to from sanchez & geno, in his second year, and the defenses he will see at the next level is advanced calculus compared to 2+2=4 in college. Mariota is much better than winston at avoiding the big mistake. Also, and this has to be said because we're talking about the #6 pick here, we have to get this right, so nothing can be left unsaid, and i have to say that winston sounds like a functional illiterate when he speaks, its scary, the kid is almost incoherent, and i don't know very many dumb qb's who excel in the nfl. Anyone who has ever seen an nfl playbook realizes how much there is to digest. Its ridiculous. Lets put it this way, i don't think i could do it, but at the same time the qb has to know not only his own responsibilities, but also the assignments of every offensive player on the field, and then he has to master the pre snap reads of the defense, the disguises, and make quick decisions on the fly when the defense throws you a curveball. This is heady stuff and it is not conducive to the unintelligible. To be clear, i don't want to be accused of judging a book by its cover, just because he is inarticulate that doesn't mean he is dumb, but with the #6 pick its something that scares me. Then you throw in the off the field and character issues and all combined its a pick i wouldn't make, again, especially when i believe we would be leaving some real impact players on the board to gamble on winston or mariota.

All of this can change and either guy can win me over as the process unfolds, but thats how i feel at this moment.

this is plain silliness.

 

[Green Jets & Ham]

Thats a good post, flgreen, very convincing argument. I'm still not on board with either QB at 6, would rather take a flyer on someone like Garrett Grayson in the 2nd or 3rd RD, but you made about as good an argument as one can make and it did make me less sure about my position.

 

[flgreen]

Unlike Winston, I really haven't seen Grayson play a whole lot, but he is an intriguing prospect who has improved every year.

IMO his play in the Senior Bowl was OK but nothing to write home about. He sailed a few balls and his timing seemed to be off. Guess that's to be expected in an All Star game when he's not familiar with his WR's.

Couple of things I'm not crazy about. Not sure exactly how tall he is, but he seems short. I'd guess 6'1". He also has a very unconventional wind up.

As an early 2nd round pick I'd be very hesitant to pull the trigger on him. In the 3rd, and 4th maybe I'd take a flyer on him.

 

[Green Jets & Ham]

Unlike Winston, I really haven't seen Grayson play a whole lot, but he is an intriguing prospect who has improved every year.

IMO his play in the Senior Bowl was OK but nothing to write home about. He sailed a few balls and his timing seemed to be off. Guess that's to be expected in an All Star game when he's not familiar with his WR's.

Couple of things I'm not crazy about. Not sure exactly how tall he is, but he seems short. I'd guess 6'1". He also has a very unconventional wind up.

As an early 2nd round pick I'd be very hesitant to pull the trigger on him. In the 3rd, and 4th maybe I'd take a flyer on him.

I read somewhere that the Jets have been showing a lot of interest in Bryce Petty. I don't know how true it is and I can't recall the source, but I remember the source was reputable or I wouldn't have paid attention. Petty has his detractors, but he's put up gaudy numbers and he's won a lot of games, so that could be someone the Jets might take in the 3rd RD.