George Whitfield, revealed at the Florida State pro day this week that his top pupil was shadowed on his flight to the NFL Scouting Combine by one or more clubs who wanted to observe him without alerting him to their attention

Team scouts have made it public knowledge that they will interview childhood friends, classmates, school teachers, professors, former employers, trainers, etc. Pretty much anyone that has ever come into contact with a top NFL Draft prospect is fair game in the process.

Do you think hiring a private eye is a bit too far? Or is all fair in love and the NFL? I mean, there technically isn’t any expectation of privacy when you are in public but what information can teams really gather? These kids are smart enough to know that they are interviewing for million dollar jobs and that anything they do negatively will affect those millions.

All in all, hiring a private eye to trail Jameis Winston is likely a waste of time. The Bucs likely learned useless information such as what Jameis likes on his Chipotle bowl and what mixtapes he has in heavy rotation right now.

The guy is a winner. Even yours truly went cold on Winston for a while but game after game Winston (and Dalvin Cook) found a way to lead Florida State to yet another improbable win. Jameis showed a great deal of sportsmanship and leadership in how he handled the playoff loss at the hands of the Oregon Ducks as much of his Nole teammates hightailed it for the locker rooms. Just that image alone of Jameis respectfully congratulating Marcus Mariota and Oregon went a long way in repairing his image.

Jameis leaves FSU with a 66% completion rate, 65 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions. With no major passing issues other than addressing his tendency to throw picks in the middle of the field (something Cam Newton has never fixed) Jameis stands to be a top 3 pick in the upcoming 2015 Draft. It just remains to be seen if the Tennessee Titans will find Jameis worthy of the selection given his extra baggage.

We will find out in approximately 10 days if Winston will continue to be enrolled as a student at Florida State. Conveniently this makes him continue to be eligible for Saturday’s ACC Championship.

(CNN) — Just days before the Florida State Seminoles play for the ACC football championship, star quarterback Jameis Winston is appearing before a panel that can decide whether he will continue as a student at the university.

It’s been almost two years since the Heisman Trophy winner was accused of sexually assaulting a then-FSU student. Winston was not arrested in connection with the alleged December 2012 incident, but he still could be charged by his university with a code-of-conduct violation for sexual misconduct, depending on the results of the school’s investigation.

He could face a wide range of sanctions if he is found to have violated the student conduct code: from a reprimand or counseling to probation, suspension or expulsion.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/02/us/jameis-winston-fsu-hearing/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Will Jameis get kicked out of school or will the Teflon Don continue to make us scratch our heads as he slides by another controversy? Find out all those answers and more on the next episode…

Video of Jameis Winston Pushing a Referee Below:

Last Thursday night his team fell behind at Louisville by 20 points and the young quarterback did nothing short of exceed all expectations. Even after throwing two interceptions, suffering a nasty ankle sprain, and getting hit by blitzers all night, Jameis stood tall with poise and marched his team back for the improbable win.

Yes, freshman running back Dalvin Cook was also a huge part of why Florida State won (he was practically untouched on 109 yards and two scores) but it started with Winston. Winston calmly executed a quick passing offense to neutralize the blitz once he was injured. That combined with Cook’s electric scampers sealed the deal.

In my mind such a performance could have only come from a player who has “it.” And Jameis has it. Where most quarterbacks would sulk or panic after throwing two picks and getting injured Jameis simply executed the offense with no signs of peril. Say what you want about the guy but he’s simply the kid of stone cold competitor any team wants.

There are still pauses for concern over his immature outbursts (FHRITP!), shoplifting, and interactions with a female student but I think a NFL team will sell themselves on him. I had the same concerns about Cameron Newton coming into the pros and everything worked out for him just fine. As long as Jameis goes to a team with veteran leadership in place to teach him how to be a professional he should be fine.

You’ll see Jameis back in my new mock draft, likely ahead of the Conner Cook and Brett Hundley’s of this draft. There are great prospects in this draft, and then there is the undefeated Heisman trophy winning, crab leg grabbing, post game speech giving Jameis Winston.

Just in case you haven’t seen it yet:

Jameis Winston just yelled “Fuck her right in the pussy” on campus I shit you not.

— Kief Osceola (@KiefOsceola) September 16, 2014

For a guy who has a NFL career if he wants one you have to ask why is he doing these things?

Here is the timeline of Jameis Winston events for those concerned:

Nov. 25, 2012: Jameis and teammate PJ Williams (and others) are complained on by neighbors for shooting BB guns and damaging property. No charges filed.

Dec. 7, 2012: Jameis is accused of some sort of sexual assault, but ultimately no charges are filed. Jameis does not act like an innocent man at all. He takes a vow of silence as the case ultimately falls apart.

July 21, 2013: Jameis steals a couple cups of soda from Burger King. Allegedly.

April 29, 2014: He steals $30 worth of crab legs.

May 20, 2014: Winston no shows a code of conduct hearing regarding the alleged sexual assault. He isn’t legally obligated to attend but again, not the actions of an innocent man.

Sept. 16, 2014: Student Union outburst above.

The questions beg to be asked: Why are you allegedly putting yourself in compromising situations with women when you’re the starting quarterback? Why are you stealing $2 worth of soda? Why are you stealing crab legs? Why are you yelling vulgarities at the student union?

Why are you doing all these things– when you’re the starting quarterback and the most recognizable face on the entire team?

Some in the media are already trying to write an apology for the kid. I get it. He’s a young guy. He’s supposed to grow up. He made a mistake, but how many mistakes are we going to grant him.

When is Jameis finally going to realize once and for all that his behaviors are bigger than himself? He’s held to a higher standard due to the game whether he likes it or not.

I’m not saying he should live a monk’s life and never have fun, I’m not saying that at all, but where is the awareness of who he has become? Where is the thought, “If I get caught stealing these crab legs I might lose my Heisman?”

Jameis Winston is a talented football player. He has a good arm. He’s tough. He can make plays with his legs or with his body over smaller players. There is a lot of Steve McNair in him. However all that talent is not worth waiting to see if he ever “gets it.” The guy has a pattern of constantly getting himself in these types of incidents.

For now I’d take him immediately out the first round of my draft board if I were an NFL team. Hopefully one day he grows up and realizes its time to make better decisions and take ownership of his new found responsibility.

There is no reason why Jameis Winston can’t be the next Steve McNair one the field; I just would hate it if Jameis Winston also became the next Steve McNair off the field as well.

CBS is reporting all sorts of bad news. Jenkins even needs screws inserted in his leg to heal from the injury:

Florida State defensive end Brandon Jenkins, a two-time All-ACC selection, will miss the rest of the 2012 season due to a left foot injury, a source told CBS Monday night.

Jenkins is believed to have suffered a Lisfranc injury between the second and third metatarsal bones of his foot, a second source told CBSSports.com senior writer Dennis Dodd. Two or three screws will be inserted to the foot to promote healing.

As far as the draft goes this is very early. If Jenkins decides to go through the combine process then we’ll get a good look at his numbers and see how well he heals up.

Florida State may become the 14th school in the SEC once Texas A&M joins the conference.  The super conferences are becoming real folks…. Here are the details

Andy Haggard, chairman of FSU’s board of trustees, told the Palm Beach Post Tuesday that the school is in the process of forming a committee (not pictured) that will explore FSU’s options as it pertains to future conference affiliation.  Those options would apparently include remaining in the ACC or moving to the SEC if enough conference dominoes tumble.

Source: PFT

 

I am not a big fan of super conferences.  The way the NCAA is already setup only 6 conferences get a legit shot to be the “national” champion in this BCS.  I’ve posted far too many rants on the BCS and how they and these schools are taking advantage of free labor and kid’s dreams.  Now they are pushing more of the smaller conferences and schools out of the “circle” which is going to have a trickle down effect on recruiting, revenues, and the so called National Title.

The BCS schools can do whatever they like.  Until we get a playoff system the National Title really doesn’t mean jack if everyone can’t win it.