Winston's chances of busting on the football field are very little. His work habits, preparation, and football IQ are too superb. Therefore there is no comparison to Jamarcus Russell. Christian Ponder and E.J. Manuel were reaches and I said that from the beginning. I didn't like either one of 'em. You can't compare guys that have played under Jimbo that don't have a fraction of his talent to Jameis Winston. Jeff Tedford had a lineage of QB busts a lot longer than Jimbo's before Aaron Rodgers.
Furthermore, you don't overhaul any quarterback's delivery. If it needs overhauled then he's not a quarterback. All you do is shorten it up and make it quicker, which is the case with a lot of quarterbacks.
In terms of NFL readiness, Winston is considerably ahead of Mariota. Florida St. ran more of Jimbo's playbook with a RS Freshman Winston than Ponder or E.J. Manuel ever did at any point in their careers.
Bottom line is this kid has yet to lose a football game. He's shown the poise and playmaking ability to lead them back from deficits time and time again. Including being down 21-3 against Auburn in the national championship game. He did it again this past Saturday on the road against N.C. State and an opposing quarterback that was playing out of his mind.
There's a lot more projection involved with a kid like Mariota at the next level than there is with Jameis Winston. There's aspects of the pro game that Mariota will never be exposed to until he gets there. Conversely, you can clearly see situations regarding how Winston will function as a professional quarterback. He knows where to go with the football in do-or-die 3rd and long situations, and he converts them at a higher rate than any other QB in football.
In my estimation, the most overrated aspect of Jameis Winston is the off field propaganda by the media everytime he acts like a college kid. The rape allegations are completely unfounded and false. By the way, Peyton Manning was also sued for sexual assault his Junior year at Tennessee. Mark Sanchez, Zach Mettenberger, etc., etc.... have all been faced with sexual misconduct allegations in college. I'm just telling you...
I understand anyone being concerned with his behavior, but you have to keep it in it's proper context. Winston is fabulously talented, intelligent, and possesses leadership skills beyond what most can ever acheive. He just has to learn how to win off the field, and someone needs to mentor him on how to act socially on the sense that he does have. He has an impulsive personality that benefits him on the field, but hurts him off of it. He's barely out of his teenage years. He'll get it straightened out
