Should Titans Draft Jameis Winston?

The Tennessee Titans are facing a very tough decision on whether to draft Florida State Seminole quarterback Jameis Winston, or not. This is of course assuming that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass over him with the first pick in the 2015 NFL draft.

This is a critical draft for the Titans. Since they moved to Nashville, Tennessee several years back, I can not remember a time when the Titans have had so little talent on the field, and on the sideline. This roster needs one of two things. It either needs to be overhauled, or the guy coaching these players needs to be go. They either have players that aren’t up to NFL standards, or a coach that is not up to NFL standards. It has to be one of the two.

Jameis has declared for the NFL draft after a college career that has been interesting to say the least. He has performed extremely well on the field. Winston lost just one game in two years at the helm of the Seminoles. He won this year without the surrounding talent that he had last season. This season, he made those around him better. State won games because of Winston’s desire to win. He basically carried the team.

As good as he has been on the field, he has been as bad if not worse. If there was a trophy given to the worst off the field behavior award (Let’s call it the NCAA Hardees Judas Award. They all have to have a sponsor don’t they?), Jameis would be the first two time winner in history. I am not here to implicate him on anything other than poor judgement. As a Father of a daughter I have a very hard time forgiving him for what he said in that lunch room. I can not imagine anyone saying that. I don’t care how young you are, that is as bad as bad can be. People will remember that. Fans will remember that. Opposing teams fans will remember that for sure.

But the NFL is about winning. Does he help you win if you are the Titans? I honestly don’t know. The baggage is great, but so is the upside. Remember, I am thinking of between the sidelines Jameis, not after the game Jameis. I am like all of you in that I have a hard time separating the two. Nashville does not stand for what Winston stands for. But can he win? If he can, does that change things?

Live Feed

FanSided

There is one thing I have noticed about this guy over the past two seasons. He is a leader. He is a winner. When it is time to turn it on, he turns it on. There is a sense of urgency about him, and the people around him respond. They follow him for whatever reason. You can see the leadership in his eyes. He cares.

Zach Mettenberger has the tools to become a very good NFL quarterback. He has a howitzer for an arm. He can move just enough in the pocket to buy a little time. He is smart enough, and he can read defenses well enough to pick them apart if he has time. I like Mettenberger. I like him enough to advise the Titans not to take Winston, but to go get Amari Cooper or Leonard Williams. But what I do not see in Mettenberger’s demeanor is leadership.

He looks like Shaggy on Scooby Doo walking up to the line of scrimmage. He has the look of ” I really don’t care about anything”. He is cool under pressure, and has the ability to shake it off if he throws a interception. That is an admirable trait as you do need to think about the next play and forget the past. But to what extent.  You must care. I don’t see that yet. I hope it is there, but I don’t see it yet. That is important. When you get in the huddle and look the team in the eyes they have to know you care. They sense it. They know it. They will play to that level of care in most cases.

Suffice it to say this will be a tough few months leading up to the draft for the Titans, and for Jameis Winston. The Titans will have to look at all of their weaknesses, and figure how to make them better. The Titans coaches and fans want to win. That is the ultimate goal in the NFL. Jameis will have to explain his weaknesses, and make NFL teams judge him on the field where he has excelled.

The Titans have so many needs from a personnel standpoint. Actually the quarterback position is not one of the worst positions of need. They need virtually everything else. So it comes down to who is the best player available when the Titans pick second, if you are not picking position specific. There is a real possibility that best player available may be Winston. Then what do you do?

H