On the very day that Jimbo Fisher was bounced from his perch at Texas A&M, Jameis Winston ended his afternoon scrambling and slinging in desperation. There’s a circularity there, given that 10 years ago Fisher and Winston were the centerpiece of a relentless national championship-winning Florida State team, a head coach and a quarterback who didn’t know in that moment that their professional lives would never be that good again.
Winston remains one of the most fascinating talents in the NFL, with an arm capable of throwing a ball through the roof of the Superdome and an aim which makes that a very real possibility. Whether with Florida State, Tampa Bay or New Orleans — the man apparently needs to stay close to the Gulf to maintain his powers — he’s both maddening and inspiring.
The years, and waves of successive college and Heisman-winning quarterbacks, have pushed Winston to the fringes of the NFL — well, that and his propensity for throwing game-shattering interceptions. He’s still the only quarterback to throw 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in a season, a record he might hold for quite awhile.
Now a backup to Derek Carr, he came on when Carr left Sunday’s game with a concussion, and immediately delivered a jolt to a Saints team that’s rarely been above, or below, lukewarm all year. Winston came on halfway through the third quarter, and with his third pass, delivered this touchdown to Chris Olave:
“Chris is just an unbelievable receiver,” Winston said after the game. “When you give him opportunities, he does great things.”
How remarkable was that catch? According to NFL Next Gen Stats, with a 10.5 percent chance of completion, it ranked as the most improbable catch of the entire season across the whole league. (Cleveland’s P.J. Walker completed an even more improbable pass to Amari Cooper later in the day, but the point still stands.)
Winston found a connection with Olave, whom he targeted eight times, including that touchdown. Olave…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/the-good-and-the-bad-of-jameis-winston-were-on-display-is-another-starting-job-in-his-future-012019638.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2023-11-14 01:20:19
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