I think most of his statements were accurate. He did need to give Oregon more credit, but it was a close game until the two fumbles. His now famous fumble was on 4th down with everything on the line, and the play was a disaster. That game was a blowout only in the last quarter and a half as things just plain imploded for FSU. I am not an FSU fan, but I’ve generally be supportive of them the past two seasons, and that was a game that probably would have been nail biting at the end if not for the FSU mistakes. I think Oregon had the edge, but FSU has won a lot of games when the opposition had the lead in that same situation in the 3rd quarter.
I think FSU as a whole handled the last quarter horribly, giving up and looking foolish once it was lost. Most of the team also showed poor sportsmanship walking to the locker room at the end. Winston was one of the few to go out and congratulate the Ducks. The guy is raw, but so are 2/3s of the players out there at age 20 or less. He has much room for improvement in temperament and maturity. His skillset is unreal, though, if the other stuff doesn’t get in the way. As I mentioned, I’d love to see him take the offseason to refocus and mature and put together one more year at FSU. I think it would do him much good in the big picture.
The NFL scouts will likely see differently, and he’ll go for the top 5 draft position. I’ll say the happiest people if he goes pro now will be the other ACC teams and other opposition for 2015. FSU will not likely be better when he’s gone.
Winston said: “This game could have went either way, if you want to be — if everybody in this room just want to be real with themselves, this game could have went either way.”
What you said:
***That game was a blowout only in the last quarter and a half...***
Great observation. You reinforced my point. A game that is a blowout, ESPECIALLY for a quarter and a half, is not one that could’ve gone either way. Disrespect to the opponent duly noted.
In your earlier post, you had asked about all the hate directed at FSU and Winston in particular. The above is one of my exhibits for that point of view. I’ll go a step further, and say that in my opinion, the arrogant attitude is systemic at FSU, and it began a long time ago. The poor sportsmanship by FSU, which you mentioned, has been par for the course for years. Year in and year out, it’s the way they behave, on the field and off of it. It’s more than pride in themselves that they have, which I don’t have a problem with. It is their condescension for others that irks me. Reminds me of Obama and his regime, with that same attitude towards many Americans. Maybe it’s something in the water in Tallahassee.
Contrast that attitude with the one displayed by Blake Sims after Alabama’s loss to Ohio State. He expressed gratitude in his statement, for God, for his university, and for his teammates. He took responsibility for the loss himself. Here’s what Sims said after the game, “It hurts. It hurts a lot. Not for myself, but for my teammates because I know how hard they work in practice, I know how hard they work in the offseason and I went out there and had a game like I did. I take full responsibility for this and maybe if I had played better, we’d have had an opportunity to win.”
Now that’s class. Nick Saban was also classy in his remarks. He spoke with humility, respect, and pride in what they had accomplished, not what they hadn’t. That’s the kind of attitude I don’t see at FSU. Sorry, but that’s just how I view it.
To your other point, I am in agreement. I always hope for these collegiate athletes to stay in school and finish their education first. I want each of them to walk away with a degree, even if they are almost meaningless these days. To me, it still shows character to finish what you started. We never really know what curves life will throw us, and getting your degree versus not is a step towards handling those curves. So, like you, I hope Winston stays another year, and earns a degree before he moves on.