Jameis Winston Interception Concerns Must Stop
By Erik Lambert
Nov 8, 2014; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston (5) calls an audible during the second half against the Virginia Cavaliers at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Listen. The worries over the immaturity and the off-the-field problems including assault allegations, theft and lewd behavior are certainly worth discussion as to why teams should be wary of making Jameis Winston their franchise quarterback for the future in the 2015 NFL draft. No arguments there.
However this ongoing panic crisis about the fact that Winston threw 18 interceptions in 2014, eight more than his previous season needs to settle down. First of all, Winston still managed to throw more touchdowns than interceptions on the season, which is a good thing. Second, there is no way his team is playing for a national title shot without his frequent comebacks during the year. Third and most important, he is not the first quarterback to enter a draft coming off a down season.
In fact the list of quarterbacks that have done that is quite prolific
Dan Marino (Pitt)
1982 Stat line: 2432 yards, 17 touchdowns, 23 interceptions
Brett Favre (Southern Miss.)
1990 Stat line: 1,572 yards, 7 touchdowns, 6 interceptions
Dan Fouts (Oregon)
1972 Stat line: 2,041 yards, 12 touchdowns, 19 interceptions
Bart Starr (Alabama)
1955 Stat line: 587 yards, 1 touchdown, 9 interceptions
Fran Tarkenton (Georgia)
1960 Stat line: 1,189 yards, 7 touchdowns, 12 interceptions
Roger Staubach (Navy)
1964 Stat line: 1,131 yards, 4 touchdowns, 10 interceptions
Five of those guys are Pro Football Hall of Famers and Brett Favre is a first ballot shoe-in when he becomes eligible. The point of this all being that becoming overly obsessed with the stat line of a quarterback during his final season in college is a fools’ errand. So many factors out of their control go into that from less able receivers, poor protection, playing from behind a lot, or a coaching change.
What NFL teams must focus on with Jameis Winston is not his stats but the intangibles first. Can he lead men? Is he cool under pressure? How is his work ethic? Then it’s about the talent from throwing the ball, running, taking a hit and getting up again.
Those are what make the best quarterbacks.