If Stafford wasn't our QB...

[LPinSLC]

That blows. I wouldn't want to spend that high of a draft pick on a QB. I'm hoping for a 4th or 5th round guy with a big arm, just needs to work on fundamentals. Anybody other than Orvlosky.

I'd look at Mannion in the later rounds.

 

[TBBishop]

Selling his autograph is a bad thing?

He's not allowed to sell his own signature to make a few bucks? The NCAA is seriously crooked on that one.

The r*pe allegations are huge. If he's guilty, then obviously I wouldn't want him on my team. In the mean time nothing has been proven, and the whole cover-up/miss-handling of the ordeal by the university and/or police is just rumors and conjecture without any factual evidence thereof. People speculating online is not factual evidence.

The yelling obscenities on campus, shooting shit with a BB gun, and stealing crab legs are all pretty small-potatoes stuff as far as NFL teams are concerned. They show a pattern of stupid behavior, but it's a matter of whether he's past that stuff and ready to be a grown-up, or not.

The r*pe/sexual assault allegations is the big red flag for teams, imo. But that's what the legal system is for...

No, he's not allowed to sell his autograph for a few bucks. It really doesn't matter if the rule is fucked up, it only matters that it's a rule and he feels it's OK to break it. I don't necessarily see these things he's done as immature as much as he feels like he's untouchable, like he can get away with whatever he wants because he's gotten away with whatever he wants. It's a personality flaw that may never change and if it doesn't change whoever drafts him is in for a lot of headaches.

 

[TBBishop]

Are there any internet rumors you guys hear about a player that you ever don't believe?

You're blowing this stuff off as internet rumors? You sound like these FSU/Winston apologists around here. the only thing that wasn't proven is r*pe. The girl who accused him is still going after him. Obviously I wasn't there for any of this but it's kind of hard not to believe with the evidence. Hell, the crab leg theft was on video.

 

[TBBishop]

I will defend Winston on one thing though. He didn't "steal" crab legs. He like many other players got the hookup at that Publix. The manager or managers that let them walk out with whatever they want apparently wasn't there that day and the person there wasn't having it. I do believe that what he did was wrong and certainly against the rules but it wasn't anything that others on the team hadn't done and even more so nothing that your favorite players on your favorite team hadn't done most likely.

 

[tpaulus_2]

I'm not blowing anything off as internet rumors, but there's a lot more than the truth being thrown around on this one. It'll get sorted out whether it was a legitimate incident, or a publicity stunt. Obviously if he did it he's a piece of shit and does not belong in the NFL. But it's certainly not unheard of for college girls to regret getting shit-faced and going to far with a guy. I don't know nearly enough about the whole thing to have much of an opinion other than if he did it then he deserves to never play again. I'll let the justice system do its job and then make a judgement on the dude, that's all I'm saying.

 

[gandydancer]

I get what you mean about letting the justice system play out. I also realize many athletes and high profile people are treated different within that system. So many of us would already serving time for r*pe.

 

[TBBishop]

I'm not blowing anything off as internet rumors, but there's a lot more than the truth being thrown around on this one. It'll get sorted out whether it was a legitimate incident, or a publicity stunt. Obviously if he did it he's a piece of shit and does not belong in the NFL. But it's certainly not unheard of for college girls to regret getting shit-faced and going to far with a guy. I don't know nearly enough about the whole thing to have much of an opinion other than if he did it then he deserves to never play again. I'll let the justice system do its job and then make a judgement on the dude, that's all I'm saying.

That is such a crock of cold blooded shit, TP. Most women who get raped never report it. they don't cry in public, they cry in private. I want to say its about 85% that never get reported. They get shamed, ridiculed, made to think what happened was their fault. Told they shouldn't have been drunk or shouldn't have worn those clothes like either is an invitation. This girl accused Winston before he was bigtime, what was she trying to gain? He wasn't rich. She lost everything, her school, her life as she knew it, and probably plenty of so called friends. she was shunned by her community. Yet and still she maintains that this guy raped her. I've known a few women who admitted to me that they were raped. The only one that reported it was raped a couple of times by the same stranger who was never caught. The likelihood that any woman will go through what women have to go through in court and in public to prove r*pe, it likely isn't happening if she wasn't really raped. We need to let go of this idea that women lie about r*pe, if she says she was raped it likely happened. Now, he wasn't charged and you have to be careful about holding it against him so I agreed with that part. But at the end of the day I'm going to side with the girl almost always because I know what guys are capable of and I know that women usually won't say this happened if it didn't.

 

[tpaulus_2]

Well that's your opinion, doesn't make it set in stone. Obviously r*pe is a terrible thing, and rapists deserve severe punishment.

However, just because many r*pe cases go unreported doesn't mean that young women never lie about it, especially when a high-profile athlete is involved. If you want evidence, look at that kid that tried out for the Seahawks and Falcons a couple of years ago. He spent years (YEARS!) in prison for a crime he didn't commit simply because a girl he went to school with said he raped her. She finally came clean, but he'll never get those years of his life back, nor will he ever get that scholarship to USC back. No evidence, just her word against his put him in prison and took away his God-given freedom.

Now, obviously this isn't the normal situation, but it goes to show there's a reason that you're presumed innocent until proven guilty here in the greatest nation on Earth. The court of public opinion makes snap judgments, but the actual court system needs actual evidence.

Please don't get me wrong- I'm not defending Winston at all. I have no idea if he's guilty or not, I'm just defending his right to a fair trial since it's not even remotely unheard of for a young lady to accuse a prominent athlete of wrongdoing in an attempt to get a payoff. It's called extortion. In this case I don't know the girl involved, or what her character is. If she's telling the truth Winston deserves prison. If she's lying she deserves prison.

Either way it's not up to us to decide. We don't have the facts, at all.

I'm sorry you think my opinion is a "cold-blooded crock of shit" but, in my opinion, and unlike what you're doing, I'm being logical and looking at other possibilities besides "absolutely guilty" based on an accusation. You immediately jump to the worst possible outcome with the women being shamed/threatened/shunned/etc, and apply it to this particular case- it should be a big red flag that you immediately jump to this conclusion. A lot of the things you listed above that happened to her are just hearsay, unless you were involved in the investigation. They might all be true, but we have no way to know that. This is the stuff that I'm talking about with the internet rumors. Just because someone said something happened online does not mean it was so. For you to dismiss the possibility that she's lying based on unsubstantiated information seems naïve in my book. In a normal case? She'd have no reason to lie about it, I agree with that. But when it's a high-profile athlete who stands to lose millions of dollars? That changes things quite a lot. It's not as if it doesn't happen to athletes, and seems to be happening more and more.

Again, I'd like to be crystal-clear that I'm not defending this guy. I'm just seeing a lot of information that may or may not be true being touted as factual when evaluating the guy and his character. The media, and particularly social media, isn't always honest. They print headlines, not truths.

 

[jayfan]

Winston makes Ryan Leaf look like the captain of the chess team.

I don't know about that. No doubt he has troubling off-field issues, and I wouldn't begrudge a team for passing on him. But on the field, the guy has shown a certain poise/clutch-ness/leadership quality beyond what Ryan Leaf showed.

 

[tpaulus_2]

He's also never been to prison. Leaf has. More than once.

 

[Dr. Evil-er]

Rapist or not trouble seems to follow this asshat everywhere he goes. The lunchroom incident isn't an example of just a young kid goofing around, its the actions of an idiot. He knows he is in the public eye yet isn't smart enough to avoid that act of stupidity. How about the autograph selling? He knows that its not allowed but does it anyway? There's a real team player huh? and still not smart enough to know that would certainly get out. The food thing? Yet another fucking stupid action on his part. Loved that out of shape picture, can you say Jamarcus Russell Jr? Whatever he has been "coached" to say in the interviews doesn't suddenly make him an acceptable risk. The Bucs deserve what happens to them if they aren't smart enough to see the writing on the wall.

 

[Microwahevo]

He's also never been to prison. Leaf has. More than once.

He's still young, give him time.

 

[TBBishop]

Well that's your opinion, doesn't make it set in stone. Obviously r*pe is a terrible thing, and rapists deserve severe punishment.

However, just because many r*pe cases go unreported doesn't mean that young women never lie about it, especially when a high-profile athlete is involved. If you want evidence, look at that kid that tried out for the Seahawks and Falcons a couple of years ago. He spent years (YEARS!) in prison for a crime he didn't commit simply because a girl he went to school with said he raped her. She finally came clean, but he'll never get those years of his life back, nor will he ever get that scholarship to USC back. No evidence, just her word against his put him in prison and took away his God-given freedom.

Now, obviously this isn't the normal situation, but it goes to show there's a reason that you're presumed innocent until proven guilty here in the greatest nation on Earth. The court of public opinion makes snap judgments, but the actual court system needs actual evidence.

Please don't get me wrong- I'm not defending Winston at all. I have no idea if he's guilty or not, I'm just defending his right to a fair trial since it's not even remotely unheard of for a young lady to accuse a prominent athlete of wrongdoing in an attempt to get a payoff. It's called extortion. In this case I don't know the girl involved, or what her character is. If she's telling the truth Winston deserves prison. If she's lying she deserves prison.

Either way it's not up to us to decide. We don't have the facts, at all.

I'm sorry you think my opinion is a "cold-blooded crock of shit" but, in my opinion, and unlike what you're doing, I'm being logical and looking at other possibilities besides "absolutely guilty" based on an accusation. You immediately jump to the worst possible outcome with the women being shamed/threatened/shunned/etc, and apply it to this particular case- it should be a big red flag that you immediately jump to this conclusion. A lot of the things you listed above that happened to her are just hearsay, unless you were involved in the investigation. They might all be true, but we have no way to know that. This is the stuff that I'm talking about with the internet rumors. Just because someone said something happened online does not mean it was so. For you to dismiss the possibility that she's lying based on unsubstantiated information seems naïve in my book. In a normal case? She'd have no reason to lie about it, I agree with that. But when it's a high-profile athlete who stands to lose millions of dollars? That changes things quite a lot. It's not as if it doesn't happen to athletes, and seems to be happening more and more.

Again, I'd like to be crystal-clear that I'm not defending this guy. I'm just seeing a lot of information that may or may not be true being touted as factual when evaluating the guy and his character. The media, and particularly social media, isn't always honest. They print headlines, not truths.

When this young lady started accusing Winston of r*pe, he wasn't a high profile athlete yet. He wasn't rich yet. At the end of the day he's probably going #1 so it won't affect his draft stock and it may never affect his income. Yes, I believe that he's getting away with a crime. No, I don't think that my opinion on it is law, that I can't be wrong. Of course she could be lying, I just have yet to see the motivation. Maybe we'll know more when the documentary gets released.

 

[TBBishop]

Regardless of Winstons indescretions, I don't think the kid is sliced bread and I wouldn't touch him or Mariota int he first round. GMs/coaches over rate the QB position and it's why they tend to not keep their jobs. These boys will get some guys fired.

 

[Coach_Ed_LPW]

Winston is going to be such a heaping pile of garbage...I can't wait.

 

[Old Lion]

Tampa will take him first. He will set them back another 3 years. He is no Cam Newton and is pretty much Josh Freeman, maybe slightly better at best.

 

[tpaulus_2]

Sounds like he's far brighter from a football perspective than Newton or Freeman.

He's been drawing a lot of Peyton Manning comparisons in that regard.

 

[Gulf of Brazil]

NFL.coms Steve Mariucci might disagree with many when discussing Winston's high football IQ.

Steve Mariucci: Jameis Winston 'most astute X's and O's guy' - NFL.com
Eisen said Mariucci called Winston "the most astute X's and O's guy that he's ever put on the board" for his draft breakdowns.

"He was not only answering the questions that Steve was throwing at him but anticipating what that question might lead to next and answering that question before Steve even posed it," Eisen said.

NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock said Mariucci's comments were in line with what he had heard about Winston's football IQ and work ethic, which he has been told are "off the charts."

 

[tpaulus_2]

But he stole crab legs and sold his own signature for profit!

 

[Dr. Evil-er]

But he stole crab legs and sold his own signature for profit!

He knowingly broke the fucking rules and is accused of r*pe!!! What idiot GM other than the one named Mayhew would draft a guy #1 overall with a r*pe acquisition against him and a history of blatant disregard for the rules and just plain common sense?

I don't care what he can talk about the game standing in front of a chalkboard I'm far more interested in why he's likely to be standing in a police line up sometime soon.

Comparisons to Peyton Manning??? Dear God in heaven you have got to be kidding me!! Buyer beware on this idiot. Has there been a #1 pick ever that came with similar baggage and character questions?