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Winston, Mariotta compete for top spot in draft
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_5513334e-7330-5202-92bd-985b1eb40c86.html
INDIANAPOLIS • Jameis Winston wants no part of any competition with Marcus Mariota at the NFL Scouting Combine. But only because he has much bigger goals in mind.
“I’m out here to win games and be the face of someone’s franchise,” Winston told reporters. “This is no competition just between me and Mariota.
“I plan on winning the Super Bowl the next year, so it’s gonna be Jameis vs Peyton Manning and Jameis vs. Tom Brady. I want to be viewed like that.
“After all this Combine stuff, you’re not going to hear no more about Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. But I want my name to stay relevant for the next 15 or 20 years of my career.”
It was as if Winston was channeling his inner-Allen Iverson: ”Combine? We’re talking about the Combine.”
Sorry Jameis, you will be compared to Mariota for years — maybe forever — whenever the quarterback Class of 2015 is brought up. On Saturday, Mariota got the best of it in some of the drillwork.
Mariota ran a 4.52 and 4.56 in the 40-yard dash at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Colts. He also had a 36-inch vertical leap.
Those numbers were well ahead of Winston, who was clocked in 4.97 and 4.99 in the 40, and had a 28.5-inch vertical leap.
When he met with reporters Friday, Winston was asked about his level of conditioning. No doubt, the question resulted from an unflattering Internet photo of a bare-chested Winston working out prior to the Combine. It showed a little bit of, uh, let’s call it belly.
“A lot of people thought I was fat, but I’m here, I’m proving everybody wrong,” Winston said. “I look good. And I know it.”
No one expected Winston to be a stopwatch sensation at the Combine, that’s not his game. But put it this way: an offensive lineman from Hobart — Ali Marpet—_ ran a 4.98. So perhaps Winston had a few cookies too many this offseason.
Nonetheless, Winston will make his fortune throwing the football. And by most accounts he threw the ball better than Mariota during Saturday’s throwing session.
Winston also won the press conference battle Friday before a crowd of reporters similar in size to what Michael Sam and Johnny Manziel drew here last year.
Sam, of course, was the first openly-gay player in NFL draft history, and went to the Rams in Round 7. Manziel, of course, was Johnny Football.
Winston’s confidence, energy, and charisma all came through in his media session. It’s easy to see how the Heisman Trophy winner from Florida State can lead a team.
Mariota came across as serious and sincere — at times a little standoffish. The Heisman Trophy winner from Oregon doesn’t seem totally comfortable around reporters. But that, obviously, doesn’t mean he can’t be a leader or the face of a franchise.
The quarterback-needy Rams undoubtedly would like one or the other to fall to No. 10 overall. But don’t hold your breath, Rams Nation. One of the two should go No. 1 overall, and they could go 1-2. Indications are that Tampa Bay — which holds the top pick this year — is leaning Winston’s way. But there’s a long way till April 30, the first day of the draft.
Mariota may be less outgoing in terms of his media dealings, but it’s clear he doesn’t lack for confidence either.
“As a competitor, any person would tell you that they’re the best,” he said. “I truly believe that in myself. We’ll see whatever decision is made. But I’ve got to go in with that mentality.”
Mariota and Winston both have questions to answer as the pre-draft process hits high gear — to coaches, scouts, and general managers. For Mariota, it’s making the adjustment from the no-huddle, hurry-up spread offense he ran for the Ducks to pro-style systems in the NFL.
Unless he somehow gets drafted by Philadelphia and his former college coach, Chip Kelly, he needs to get comfortable under center and calling plays in a huddle. (The Eagles don’t pick until No. 20.)
“I haven’t huddled in a while,” Mariota said. “It seems like a little detail, but that is kind of a big thing. There’s other things as well: Three-, five-, and seven-step drops under center. That’s all I’ve been able to work on the last month.”
Leading up to the Combine, Mariota has been working on all this with private QB tutor Kevin O’Connell in San Diego. But that association is over because O’Connell was recently hired by Cleveland as Browns quarterbacks coach.
That has fueled some speculation that the Browns, with the No. 12 and No. 19 overall picks in the draft, might try to move up for Mariota.
In any event while he was working with O’Connell, Mariota would get a play sheet every night and read the play calls out loud.
Meanwhile, Winston must answer questions about his off-field issues in college, not the least of which were allegations of sexual assault. He was never charged, and was cleared in a code of conduct hearing by the school.
Before he even fielded a question during his media session, Winston addressed the off-field stuff.
“First off, before we start anything, I want to let you all know, I know I made mistakes,” Winston said. “I know I have a past, but right now it’s about me moving forward and earning the trust of all these 32 teams out there.”
When asked how he’d earn that trust, Winston replied: “My actions. I’ve gotta do everything by my actions. It’s not time to explain about what I’m gonna do. But when I do get to a city and to a team I plan on getting involved in the community and create an image — a positive image, and put everything else behind me.”
Those words were met with some skepticism by the media, which has heard similar sentiments before in Indy. Just last year, Manziel was serious and all about his business at the podium.
Manziel said his Johnny Football days were over. That was college. The NFL was a job. He sounded convincing.
Several months later, he was pictured in a pool cradling an inflatable swan and a bottle of champagne. He’s now in rehab.
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_5513334e-7330-5202-92bd-985b1eb40c86.html
INDIANAPOLIS • Jameis Winston wants no part of any competition with Marcus Mariota at the NFL Scouting Combine. But only because he has much bigger goals in mind.
“I’m out here to win games and be the face of someone’s franchise,” Winston told reporters. “This is no competition just between me and Mariota.
“I plan on winning the Super Bowl the next year, so it’s gonna be Jameis vs Peyton Manning and Jameis vs. Tom Brady. I want to be viewed like that.
“After all this Combine stuff, you’re not going to hear no more about Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. But I want my name to stay relevant for the next 15 or 20 years of my career.”
It was as if Winston was channeling his inner-Allen Iverson: ”Combine? We’re talking about the Combine.”
Sorry Jameis, you will be compared to Mariota for years — maybe forever — whenever the quarterback Class of 2015 is brought up. On Saturday, Mariota got the best of it in some of the drillwork.
Mariota ran a 4.52 and 4.56 in the 40-yard dash at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Colts. He also had a 36-inch vertical leap.
Those numbers were well ahead of Winston, who was clocked in 4.97 and 4.99 in the 40, and had a 28.5-inch vertical leap.
When he met with reporters Friday, Winston was asked about his level of conditioning. No doubt, the question resulted from an unflattering Internet photo of a bare-chested Winston working out prior to the Combine. It showed a little bit of, uh, let’s call it belly.
“A lot of people thought I was fat, but I’m here, I’m proving everybody wrong,” Winston said. “I look good. And I know it.”
No one expected Winston to be a stopwatch sensation at the Combine, that’s not his game. But put it this way: an offensive lineman from Hobart — Ali Marpet—_ ran a 4.98. So perhaps Winston had a few cookies too many this offseason.
Nonetheless, Winston will make his fortune throwing the football. And by most accounts he threw the ball better than Mariota during Saturday’s throwing session.
Winston also won the press conference battle Friday before a crowd of reporters similar in size to what Michael Sam and Johnny Manziel drew here last year.
Sam, of course, was the first openly-gay player in NFL draft history, and went to the Rams in Round 7. Manziel, of course, was Johnny Football.
Winston’s confidence, energy, and charisma all came through in his media session. It’s easy to see how the Heisman Trophy winner from Florida State can lead a team.
Mariota came across as serious and sincere — at times a little standoffish. The Heisman Trophy winner from Oregon doesn’t seem totally comfortable around reporters. But that, obviously, doesn’t mean he can’t be a leader or the face of a franchise.
The quarterback-needy Rams undoubtedly would like one or the other to fall to No. 10 overall. But don’t hold your breath, Rams Nation. One of the two should go No. 1 overall, and they could go 1-2. Indications are that Tampa Bay — which holds the top pick this year — is leaning Winston’s way. But there’s a long way till April 30, the first day of the draft.
Mariota may be less outgoing in terms of his media dealings, but it’s clear he doesn’t lack for confidence either.
“As a competitor, any person would tell you that they’re the best,” he said. “I truly believe that in myself. We’ll see whatever decision is made. But I’ve got to go in with that mentality.”
Mariota and Winston both have questions to answer as the pre-draft process hits high gear — to coaches, scouts, and general managers. For Mariota, it’s making the adjustment from the no-huddle, hurry-up spread offense he ran for the Ducks to pro-style systems in the NFL.
Unless he somehow gets drafted by Philadelphia and his former college coach, Chip Kelly, he needs to get comfortable under center and calling plays in a huddle. (The Eagles don’t pick until No. 20.)
“I haven’t huddled in a while,” Mariota said. “It seems like a little detail, but that is kind of a big thing. There’s other things as well: Three-, five-, and seven-step drops under center. That’s all I’ve been able to work on the last month.”
Leading up to the Combine, Mariota has been working on all this with private QB tutor Kevin O’Connell in San Diego. But that association is over because O’Connell was recently hired by Cleveland as Browns quarterbacks coach.
That has fueled some speculation that the Browns, with the No. 12 and No. 19 overall picks in the draft, might try to move up for Mariota.
In any event while he was working with O’Connell, Mariota would get a play sheet every night and read the play calls out loud.
Meanwhile, Winston must answer questions about his off-field issues in college, not the least of which were allegations of sexual assault. He was never charged, and was cleared in a code of conduct hearing by the school.
Before he even fielded a question during his media session, Winston addressed the off-field stuff.
“First off, before we start anything, I want to let you all know, I know I made mistakes,” Winston said. “I know I have a past, but right now it’s about me moving forward and earning the trust of all these 32 teams out there.”
When asked how he’d earn that trust, Winston replied: “My actions. I’ve gotta do everything by my actions. It’s not time to explain about what I’m gonna do. But when I do get to a city and to a team I plan on getting involved in the community and create an image — a positive image, and put everything else behind me.”
Those words were met with some skepticism by the media, which has heard similar sentiments before in Indy. Just last year, Manziel was serious and all about his business at the podium.
Manziel said his Johnny Football days were over. That was college. The NFL was a job. He sounded convincing.
Several months later, he was pictured in a pool cradling an inflatable swan and a bottle of champagne. He’s now in rehab.