Over the last year, how many images of crab legs have been Photoshopped with images of Jameis Winston to create hilarious pictures?
You get so used to seeing these doctored images that when you see the above image from last night, your initial reflex is to assume that it was also Photoshopped.
Because SURELY the kid can't be that defiantly space-cadet stupid.
Well, yes he can. This one was created and disseminated by ... Winston himself.
We've previously talked about the benefit of the doubt in the case of Winston and how he was coddled, er, handled by his coach and plenty of other people in Tallahassee. The more the questionable episodes add up, the more the benefit of the doubt is wiped away.
At this point, you'd need a microscope to find the benefit of the doubt that this guy deserves.
But what a fitting end to his college career. Good luck with that, Tampa Bay.
Here's a column by ESPN's Ian O'Connor that explains why Jameis is a monumental risk for the Bucs.
Talent can make you believe things you otherwise would never believe, and nobody knows that like Bobby Beathard, a great executive who once allowed a quarterback's physical skill to sucker him into making a staggering mistake at the NFL draft.
Beathard was general manager of the San Diego Chargers in 1998 when, after failing to persuade Indianapolis Colts GM Bill Polian to deal him the first overall pick and the right to land Peyton Manning, he gave Arizona a truckload of assets to trade up to take Ryan Leaf with the second pick. Plenty of football men thought Leaf would be a better pro than Manning. All these years later, you could define the then 21-year-old Leaf as a taller, more athletic prospect than the 21-year-old quarterback the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected No. 1 Thursday night,Jameis Winston.
Despite assurances from Leaf's coach at Washington State, Mike Price, that his guy's personal character was the equal of Manning's, Beathard had intel from a staff member at the school suggesting that Leaf was arrogant and too fond of having a good time.
"We had concerns about Ryan and we thought we could work through it, and it backfired," the retired 78-year-old executive said from his Tennessee home. "We just made a big mistake. ... Sometimes you see a guy with so much ability that you think, 'We can't pass this guy up. We can change his character.' But boy, changing someone's character is a really hard thing to do."
That's why Winston represents the biggest gamble in modern draft history. If Leaf stands among the draft's most conspicuous busts (he threw 14 touchdown passes and 36 interceptions in a 25-game career and later did prison time on burglary and drug charges), the pre-draft character concerns about him wouldn't fill up a page in a Winston personnel file as thick as the Tampa phone book.
And this:
By all accounts, Mariota was the Eagle Scout of his class, and perhaps some saw his kindness as a weakness. Tampa Bay could've gone with the safe call here, and did not. The Bucs decided Winston was the better quarterback and a kid more likely than not to mature, and neither judgment is a slam-dunk proposition.
Beathard had a hand in shaping seven Super Bowl teams in his front-office career -- without the Leaf pick, he might already be in the Hall of Fame -- and Winston's turbulent off-the-field history scares him.
"As an outsider, I'd be very concerned about his past," he said. "Those are bright red flags. ... But I do think he's a heck of a talent who's going to make things tough on NFL defenses."
-- This guy says Marcus Mariota will be better than Winston, but neither will be an NFL standout.
Perhaps Mariota bucks the trend, but his ability to adapt to an NFL-style offense from Oregon’s no-huddle, spread syrstem remains to be seen. And the track record of those who came before him is not one of optimism.
Expect Winston and Mariota to both be NFL busts.
-- The shame of yet more Winston shenanigans is they detracted from two Clemson players going in the first round.
Here's a take on the Falcons' selection of Vic Beasley.
My take: The Falcons sorely needed a defensive presence to help bolster the pass rush, particularly after averaging 27 sacks per season the past two seasons and ranking dead last in third-down defense a year ago. Beasley, a Georgia native who grew up rooting for the Falcons, was extremely productive in college with 101 tackles, 52.5 tackles for loss, 33 sacks, 29 quarterback pressures and 11 pass breakups. Beasley should fit right into coach Dan Quinn's "Leo" role as a stand-up pass-rusher. He might need to bulk up a little, as he weighs only 235 pounds. His speed off the edge will be something the Falcons haven't had in years.
Falcons filter: Something tells me the Falcons might have seriously considered pass-rushers Randy Gregory and Shane Ray if not for off-the-field issues related to marijuana. Gregory admitted to testing positive at the NFL combine, while Ray was caught with possession of marijuana shortly before the draft, a foolish decision on his part. Team owner Arthur Blank won't tolerate being embarrassed again, particularly after the fallout after the Falcons illegally piped in crowd noise to the Georgia Dome. Regardless, Beasley is a quality kid who should be well liked in the locker room. General manager Thomas Dimitroff said the team was focused on Beasley from the outset.
The Beasley pick was favored by this poll in the AJC leading to the draft.
Stephone Anthony says his pick by the Saints is "a dream come true."
Inside linebacker Stephone Anthony had an invitation to the NFL Draft, but opted to stay in his own town rather than traveling to "Draft Town."
The New Orleans Saints selected him with the 31st overall pick on Thursday, offering a happy interruption to Anthony's quiet night at home with his daughter.
"I was in daddy mode," he said.
The Saints met with Anthony at the NFL Combine and again at Clemson's pro day.
"We had an excellent meeting," Anthony said. "I met with coach Payton, coach Rob Ryan and coach (Joe) Vitt, the linebackers coach. He's going to be an exciting guy to play for. There was just something about those guys. We clicked."
And this:
Anthony said it was tough to keep his composure when the Saints called.
"Oh man, I barely could get any words out," he said. "I immediately got emotional. It's a dream come true for me, something I always dreamed of as a kid, to get that phone call and see my name come across the screen. It was surreal."
Anthony said he's never been to New Orleans -- or West Virginia, where the Saints conduct training camp.
"It's going to be a great experience, something new for me. I'm just ready to get to work," he said.
ESPN's total breakdown of the Anthony pick.
My take: This time, the Saints addressed one of their biggest needs. In fact, I had inside linebacker ranked as their No. 1 need because they have to get both younger and more dynamic throughout the entire linebacking corps. I wouldn't call Anthony a "steal" (ESPN analysts Todd McShay and Mel Kiper had him rated 50th and 57th overall, respectively), but I have no problem with the pick since I thought the Saints had to come away with one of six top-rated inside linebackers with either pick No. 31 or 44.
A little of everything: Saints coach Sean Payton said the Saints had a handful of inside linebackers with similar grades, but he said Anthony separated himself in a number of ways. He began his breakdown of Anthony by talking up his intelligence and leadership (he played four years at Clemson with 35 career starts) and said his name came up right away with interviews from everyone on campus. Then Payton said Anthony's production on film (221 tackles, 6.5 sacks and two interceptions over the past two years), his size (6-foot-3, 243 pounds) and his combine workout were just as impressive. Anthony's 40-yard dash time of 4.56 seconds tied for third among all linebackers and defensive linemen at the combine.
-- And in recognition of this weekend's Jazz Fest, here's some classic New Orleans funk from The Meters:
LW
