Tich’s Take

There is not a set-in-stone formula to building a successful NFL team, but one position is universally regarded as the most important — quarterback.

The quarterback is a coach on the field, the face of the team. Everybody follows his direction. The head coach and quarterback need to become one mind, engineering the team to victory.

And with every spectacular misstep Jameis Winston continues to take, it becomes more and more evident that he may not be that franchise quarterback an NFL team can count on to build a winner.

In the span of a year, Florida State’s (FSU) Heisman Trophy winner has been the subject of a sexual assault accusation, theft and standing up on a table and yelling obscenities in a crowded part of FSU’s campus. Somehow, he was suspended for the first time after his yelling ordeal this past week, but only for a half. Yet, Winston managed to put himself in an even deeper hole by lying about specifics of the situation, earning himself a complete one-game suspension on the eve of FSU’s matchup with No. 22 Clemson.

Still, Maybe-Not-Famous-For-Much-Longer Jameis managed to make his coach Jimbo Fisher even more upset at him when he emerged from the tunnel pre-game in full pads, apparently ready to play. Fisher’s eyes almost rolled out of his head when he saw Winston on the field before telling him to go back in the locker room and take his pads off.

Talent is not the question with Winston. Heisman Trophy voters do not just give away Heismans. Winston dominated college football as a redshirt freshman, throwing for more than 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns while leading FSU to a national title. And he is not just a quarterback, he is an athlete. Winston has excelled for the Seminoles on the baseball diamond the past two springs, both as an outfielder and a pitcher. The dude can play.

But the dude cannot think — common sense-wise, at least.

Not to say Winston does not perform in the classroom. According to Sports Illustrated, Winston is a social sciences major with a minor in business and was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s academic honor roll for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 seasons. In the classroom and on the field, Winston can perform. But outside of those two arenas, Winston needs to get his head on straight.

The quarterback position in college is much different than the NFL. Players can get along by talent alone in college, but much more is needed to lead a professional team. Take a look at the quarterbacks who have won a Super Bowl since the turn of the millennium: Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Brad Johnson, Trent Dilfer and Kurt Warner. Big Ben is the only one of the 11 to have faced significant off-the-field trouble, although I hear Brees sneezed during a prayer at church once. NFL quarterbacks not only need to be smart and poised while leading the two-minute drill, but in everything they do.

After beginning the season at the No. 1 spot on ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper’s Big Board, Winston has fallen to No. 25 in response to his most recent actions. Kiper’s list is not simply a list of who he thinks is the best prospect, but a gauge of what NFL front offices are thinking. With so many stars making off-the-field mistakes lately, plaguing the image of their teams and the league, even teams with a hole at quarterback will overlook Winston’s talent because of his irresponsibility when his helmet is off.

If I were an NFL general manager, I would not go near Winston with a 10-foot pole, or even a 100-foot pole. The warning signs are posted everywhere. He is not a guy I would want to represent my franchise.

I would not even be afraid to stand up on a table and say it.