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Going Long
Tue Dec. 23, 2014
There’s so much to like about Winston—his strength, playmaking and toughness—but his off-field behavior is so distressing. Should he declare for the NFL draft, the FSU quarterback will be subjected to a predraft background check that will make last year’s scrutiny of Johnny Manziel look like a casual glance
By
Greg A. Bedard
A version of this story appears in the Dec. 29 issue of Sports Illustrated.
Don Brown had just spent an hour inside the Boston College defensive film room, dissecting the performance of Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston in their Nov. 22 game in Tallahassee. Brown, 59, has been a college defensive coordinator or a head coach since 1984. He’s been in charge of defenses in the ACC and the Big East for the past six years. Basically, Brown, who coined the “Be a dude” mantra that has popularized Steve Addazio’s program on the recruiting trails, has coached and defended a bunch of dudes in his time.
Brown’s frustration was apparent as he pointed out the array of coverage and pressure packages the Eagles threw at the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner. They didn’t beat themselves that day: just one blown coverage, a few missed tackles and containment problems here and there. Jameis Winston beat them. The 20-year-old redshirt sophomore completed 22 of 32 passes for 281 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 20–17 victory. It was another close call for the Seminoles, who have won 27 straight games since Winston became the starter in 2013—the last four by five points or less.
But there’s one more play Brown wants to review on his desktop computer before he calls it a night. “Let me see if I can pull it up for you,” he says. “It’s worth seeing.” With help from a coaching intern (football coaches always need assistance with technology), he calls up a play from BC’s 2013 matchup with the ’Noles, Winston’s fourth collegiate start.
“This,” Brown says, sighing, “is the play that broke my heart, because we’re playing our asses off. It’s unbelievable. And he’s unbelievable in the play.”
The camera pans to the Alumni Stadium scoreboard: It’s 17–17 in the second quarter, FSU ball, third-and-five at its own 45-yard line, clock ticking down—:06, :05. . . . The all-22 view shows the Seminoles scrambling to get off one last play.
“On the field there’s something special there,” an AFC general manager says of Winston. “The problem is, can you ever trust him? Are you going to be able to sleep at night? That’s a rough deal with a quarterback.”
They do snap the ball, and Winston drops back to his own 35. Eagles tackle Mehdi Abdesmad, all 6-7 and 278 pounds of him, beats two blockers and screams toward the 6-4, 225-pound Winston. The quarterback shrugs off the would-be sack, moving to his left.
“There’s one,” Brown says. “Now Strizak.”
Winston is off-balance when inside linebacker Mike Strizak gets his shot and grabs the top of the quarterback’s shoulder pads—to no avail. Strizak falls, and Winston scrambles right for room to throw. Eyes downfield, he waves for receiver Kenny Shaw to keep running. As Winston prepares to heave the ball, 6-foot, 249-pound middle linebacker Steven Daniels lines him up.
“Winston’s getting harassed here and drilled,” says Brown as he rewinds each part of the play several times for effect. “Steve Daniels is a big, strong guy. Right here. Watch him. Watch now. Watch what happens to Steve after he hits Winston.”
EVERYTHING BUT THE FIRE
He scrambles like Kaepernick, sheds tacklers like Roethlisberger and throws with preternatural precision. It all points to Oregon’s Marcus Mariota as the No. 1 pick next year and sure-fire NFL franchise QB. But does he play it too cool?
FULL STORY
Having delivered the pass, Winston has his right foot off the ground when Daniels arrives, leading with his right shoulder. The result: Daniels bounces off Winston, reels two feet backward, and winds up on his rear end.
“You see what I’m getting at? That freaking guy,” says Brown. He leans back in his chair, both hands covering his face, as he recalls the 55-yard score that gave FSU a 24–17 lead in a 48–34 victory. “That’s the piece right there that separates him. That right there.”
Winston’s mix of strength, playmaking and toughness is going to present a very big problem in NFL draft rooms, should he, as expected, forgo his final two years of eligibility. There’s so much talent, so much to like—and yet Winston’s off-field behavior is so troubling. A string of incidents ranging from the sophomorically stupid (a civil violation for shoplifting crab legs; questioned by police when a group of Florida State athletes were shooting BB guns in his apartment complex, in which he denied involvement; yelling a lewd phrase from the top of a table in a dining hall) to the soberingly serious (sexual-assault allegations in which Winston was never charged, with some reports indicating that he received preferential treatment from Tallahassee and campus police) means that Winston will be subjected to a predraft background check that will make the scrutiny of Johnny Manziel last year look like a casual glance. Winston will have to persuade owners, general managers and coaches that he can be the face of an NFL franchise and the key to its long-term prosperity.
“Oh, if I needed a quarterback, you bet your ass I’d have boots on the ground in Tallahassee—a lot of them—as soon as he declared for the draft,” says one AFC general manager, who wished to remain anonymous because of the NFL’s rules prohibiting discussion of an early-entry player before he has declared. “Because on the field there’s something special there. The problem is, can you ever trust him? Are you going to be able to sleep at night? That’s a rough deal with a quarterback.
“This guy is going to be a fascinating case study.”
* * *
Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesMike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Looking through binoculars from the Doak Campbell Stadium press box for the BC game last month, next to the real-deal NFL scouts, you can appreciate Winston’s talents much more than if you’re watching him on television. And spending an afternoon with Brown a month later confirms the opinion: Winston is a highly evolved quarterback for the college level, especially one in just his second season as a starter. He sees the game with tremendous vision and deftly navigates coach Jimbo Fisher’s subtly brilliant pro-style offense. Winston often throws the ball before the receivers have made their final turn. He almost always knows where a blitz is coming from and attacks the defense there. And despite an obviously ultra-competitive streak, he rarely forces the ball; instead, he’ll take what the defense gives him and check down to the back.
The BC game is a good window into Winston’s ability. The Eagles don’t have the most talented roster, but they’re fundamentally sound and they run a fairly sophisticated combination of coverages and pressures that change with every possession. Brown wanted to stop FSU’s big-play ground attack, including Winston’s running, and they wanted to make him drive the field to get his points—no big plays. In this, BC was highly successful: It held the Seminoles to their lowest scoring total in Winston’s two seasons. So to win, Winston would have to be patient and precise. Basically, he would have to operate like an NFL quarterback.
While Mariota may be able to recognize and react to NFL coverages just as well, it’s much easier to project Winston doing that on Sunday because he’s done it every Saturday.
Brown cues up the first third down of the game, third-and-four from the Seminoles’ 31-yard line in the first quarter. Three down linemen rush, as do the two inside linebackers. To Winston’s left the secondary is playing match man, with three defenders against three receivers. To his right three defenders are playing two receivers, including standout tight end Nick O’Leary.
Tue Dec. 23, 2014
There’s so much to like about Winston—his strength, playmaking and toughness—but his off-field behavior is so distressing. Should he declare for the NFL draft, the FSU quarterback will be subjected to a predraft background check that will make last year’s scrutiny of Johnny Manziel look like a casual glance
By
Greg A. Bedard
A version of this story appears in the Dec. 29 issue of Sports Illustrated.
Don Brown had just spent an hour inside the Boston College defensive film room, dissecting the performance of Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston in their Nov. 22 game in Tallahassee. Brown, 59, has been a college defensive coordinator or a head coach since 1984. He’s been in charge of defenses in the ACC and the Big East for the past six years. Basically, Brown, who coined the “Be a dude” mantra that has popularized Steve Addazio’s program on the recruiting trails, has coached and defended a bunch of dudes in his time.
Brown’s frustration was apparent as he pointed out the array of coverage and pressure packages the Eagles threw at the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner. They didn’t beat themselves that day: just one blown coverage, a few missed tackles and containment problems here and there. Jameis Winston beat them. The 20-year-old redshirt sophomore completed 22 of 32 passes for 281 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 20–17 victory. It was another close call for the Seminoles, who have won 27 straight games since Winston became the starter in 2013—the last four by five points or less.
But there’s one more play Brown wants to review on his desktop computer before he calls it a night. “Let me see if I can pull it up for you,” he says. “It’s worth seeing.” With help from a coaching intern (football coaches always need assistance with technology), he calls up a play from BC’s 2013 matchup with the ’Noles, Winston’s fourth collegiate start.
“This,” Brown says, sighing, “is the play that broke my heart, because we’re playing our asses off. It’s unbelievable. And he’s unbelievable in the play.”
The camera pans to the Alumni Stadium scoreboard: It’s 17–17 in the second quarter, FSU ball, third-and-five at its own 45-yard line, clock ticking down—:06, :05. . . . The all-22 view shows the Seminoles scrambling to get off one last play.
“On the field there’s something special there,” an AFC general manager says of Winston. “The problem is, can you ever trust him? Are you going to be able to sleep at night? That’s a rough deal with a quarterback.”
They do snap the ball, and Winston drops back to his own 35. Eagles tackle Mehdi Abdesmad, all 6-7 and 278 pounds of him, beats two blockers and screams toward the 6-4, 225-pound Winston. The quarterback shrugs off the would-be sack, moving to his left.
“There’s one,” Brown says. “Now Strizak.”
Winston is off-balance when inside linebacker Mike Strizak gets his shot and grabs the top of the quarterback’s shoulder pads—to no avail. Strizak falls, and Winston scrambles right for room to throw. Eyes downfield, he waves for receiver Kenny Shaw to keep running. As Winston prepares to heave the ball, 6-foot, 249-pound middle linebacker Steven Daniels lines him up.
“Winston’s getting harassed here and drilled,” says Brown as he rewinds each part of the play several times for effect. “Steve Daniels is a big, strong guy. Right here. Watch him. Watch now. Watch what happens to Steve after he hits Winston.”
EVERYTHING BUT THE FIRE
He scrambles like Kaepernick, sheds tacklers like Roethlisberger and throws with preternatural precision. It all points to Oregon’s Marcus Mariota as the No. 1 pick next year and sure-fire NFL franchise QB. But does he play it too cool?
FULL STORY
Having delivered the pass, Winston has his right foot off the ground when Daniels arrives, leading with his right shoulder. The result: Daniels bounces off Winston, reels two feet backward, and winds up on his rear end.
“You see what I’m getting at? That freaking guy,” says Brown. He leans back in his chair, both hands covering his face, as he recalls the 55-yard score that gave FSU a 24–17 lead in a 48–34 victory. “That’s the piece right there that separates him. That right there.”
Winston’s mix of strength, playmaking and toughness is going to present a very big problem in NFL draft rooms, should he, as expected, forgo his final two years of eligibility. There’s so much talent, so much to like—and yet Winston’s off-field behavior is so troubling. A string of incidents ranging from the sophomorically stupid (a civil violation for shoplifting crab legs; questioned by police when a group of Florida State athletes were shooting BB guns in his apartment complex, in which he denied involvement; yelling a lewd phrase from the top of a table in a dining hall) to the soberingly serious (sexual-assault allegations in which Winston was never charged, with some reports indicating that he received preferential treatment from Tallahassee and campus police) means that Winston will be subjected to a predraft background check that will make the scrutiny of Johnny Manziel last year look like a casual glance. Winston will have to persuade owners, general managers and coaches that he can be the face of an NFL franchise and the key to its long-term prosperity.
“Oh, if I needed a quarterback, you bet your ass I’d have boots on the ground in Tallahassee—a lot of them—as soon as he declared for the draft,” says one AFC general manager, who wished to remain anonymous because of the NFL’s rules prohibiting discussion of an early-entry player before he has declared. “Because on the field there’s something special there. The problem is, can you ever trust him? Are you going to be able to sleep at night? That’s a rough deal with a quarterback.
“This guy is going to be a fascinating case study.”
* * *
Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesMike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Looking through binoculars from the Doak Campbell Stadium press box for the BC game last month, next to the real-deal NFL scouts, you can appreciate Winston’s talents much more than if you’re watching him on television. And spending an afternoon with Brown a month later confirms the opinion: Winston is a highly evolved quarterback for the college level, especially one in just his second season as a starter. He sees the game with tremendous vision and deftly navigates coach Jimbo Fisher’s subtly brilliant pro-style offense. Winston often throws the ball before the receivers have made their final turn. He almost always knows where a blitz is coming from and attacks the defense there. And despite an obviously ultra-competitive streak, he rarely forces the ball; instead, he’ll take what the defense gives him and check down to the back.
The BC game is a good window into Winston’s ability. The Eagles don’t have the most talented roster, but they’re fundamentally sound and they run a fairly sophisticated combination of coverages and pressures that change with every possession. Brown wanted to stop FSU’s big-play ground attack, including Winston’s running, and they wanted to make him drive the field to get his points—no big plays. In this, BC was highly successful: It held the Seminoles to their lowest scoring total in Winston’s two seasons. So to win, Winston would have to be patient and precise. Basically, he would have to operate like an NFL quarterback.
While Mariota may be able to recognize and react to NFL coverages just as well, it’s much easier to project Winston doing that on Sunday because he’s done it every Saturday.
Brown cues up the first third down of the game, third-and-four from the Seminoles’ 31-yard line in the first quarter. Three down linemen rush, as do the two inside linebackers. To Winston’s left the secondary is playing match man, with three defenders against three receivers. To his right three defenders are playing two receivers, including standout tight end Nick O’Leary.