Mariota Says He’s Not “Playing With Himself”

March 15th, 2015

Mariota“Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota is regularly asked about how he’s going to transition from the wacky University of Oregon offense to the NFL.

Yesterday in New Orleans, he put a new spin on his answer.

Manning was in The Big Easy to receive the Sugar Bowl Manning Award.

“It will be difficult,” Mariota said of the learning curve to the NFL. “I think any rookie coming in that doesn’t really have that mindset is, you know, I don’t know, just playing with himself. Because it’s not, to be honest with you, this next step is such a huge step. That transition is gonna be huge no matter who you are.”

That “no matter who you are” is a thought in the head of many Bucs fans. How long might Jameis Winston’s transition to winning NFL QB be compared to Mariota’s?

52 Responses to “Mariota Says He’s Not “Playing With Himself””

  1. bucrightoff Says:

    Lol at the headline.

  2. Eric Says:

    Marcus is with Chucky today at Downtown Disney.

    And Jaboo was wearing a Manu jersey yesterday.

    Plot thickens.

  3. bucgator Says:

    Well if he is playing with himself then I sure don’t want to see it.

  4. jfat Says:

    Good question and it’ll be cool to see how it plays out over the next few years. Hopefully both do well and the Bucs have one at the helm.

  5. tmaxcon Says:

    I’m sold on Winston but not anti Mariota. I’m not a fan of Mariota leadership style. Winston style fits bucs needs. His energy will be infectious to a larthgeic offense. Evans has heart needs help Winston is answer. Mariota will do well in time

  6. bucit1016 Says:

    Michael Johnson to Bengals….Poor Bengals….

  7. lions Says:

    Marcus picked up another award(Maxwell), love his take. Very unrealistic for any qb to come in and say he is going to be great off the bat. Just setting unrealistic goals. Our Oline is still worse than before the drastic cuts. Smart guy. FSU had to hide Winston from the pressers because they were abominations every time he spoke.

  8. Seminole Bill Says:

    I think this shows Mariota simply being honest about the transition from college to the NFL. So why does Joe think this is controversial? Seminole Bill think Joe is being a little too too critical of Mariota. Joe – your Jameis platform is showing.

  9. StPeteBucsFan Says:

    ” Hopefully both do well and the Bucs have one at the helm.”

    Jfat FTW!

  10. StPeteBucsFan Says:

    “Michael Johnson to Bengals….Poor Bengals….”

    Bucit they don’t call them the Bungles for nothing.

  11. bucit1016 Says:

    Just hope our DE situation works out somehow

  12. BFFL Says:

    JW thinks he’s already in the Brady or Manning level. It’s one thing to be confident in your ability, but setting unrealistic shorterm goals will only set you up for failure. MM is very grounded and realistic in his approach so I would expect him to understand exactly what he needs to do to succeed at the next level. JW on the other hand seems to be distracted by is huge ego.

  13. CreamsicleBananaHammock Says:

    uh Seminole Bill, in what way was Joe critical of Mariota at all in this post? Was it the part where he directly quotes Mariota or the part where Joe wrote that Mariota was in NOLA to receive an award?

    The mariota crew sure is touchy – especially when Mariota is talking about playing with himself

  14. CreamsicleBananaHammock Says:

    BFFL, give me a freaking break

    Jameis wants to be compared to Manning & Brady. He didn’t say that he was in the same ballpark as they are. His point was pretty obvious –

    I’m an NFL QB, so compare me to NFL QB’s not Marcus Mariota

  15. OB Says:

    Joe, do you mean that Marcus was in New Orleans to receive the Manning award or was Manning their to present it?

    Love the headline, does this mean that Winston is?

  16. JFF Says:

    Mariota is actually the more “win-now” oriented QB because he’s a good decision maker on the field.

    This whole media narrative about the QBs is totally backwards. Winston is the long-term ‘upside’ guy because he has intangible gifts as a passer that are rare, but his turnover proneness will inhibit his ability to win in the short (and possibly long) term. Mariota has theoretical upside because of his athleticism but he’s a lot more NFL-ready than people think like Bridgewater last year.

    Mariota fits the Bucs better. Winston belongs on a team like the Bengals that have great RBs, great OL, good defense & big WRs that can run routes in the middle of field. Bucs obviously lack all those components except maybe the WRs and defense.

  17. Jarret Reddicliffe Says:

    Mariota will be the better QB of them both. I support MARIOTA 100%.

  18. Bucfan4life Says:

    @creamsicle: these Mariota lovers are so annoying. They take a quote where Winston says he wants to become a great QB and they try to make it a negative. That’s is exactly the mindset I want the #1 pick to have. What should he say? “Gee this is gonna be tough and I don’t know if I can handle it! Right now my goal is to be the next Trent Dilfer!” Give me a break!

  19. CreamsicleBananaHammock Says:

    Bucfan4life

    My favorite are the folks who criticize Winston for saying he wants to win the Super Bowl next year.

  20. Buccfan37 Says:

    These Mariota lovers, what, his support has dwindled to hard to find besides a few peeps whispered out.

  21. Jacko101 Says:

    They will both have some success, I just hope Mariota wants to be a buc.

  22. Jacko101 Says:

    There are so many Glennon and Ryan comparisons, I never thought about Koetter coming in to improve Glennon? Have you thought of this Joe? This scares me lol

  23. Bo Says:

    Waiting for 87 and the Winston mob to tout how much better Winston plays with himself

  24. lurker Says:

    this guy, brett kollmann, seems to think that the bucs will do well and make the playoffs with winston.

    here is his video breakdown of winston from the rosebowl game:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYa6S6UA0MU#t=30

  25. lurker Says:

    here is brett kollmann’s video breakdown of mariota from the rosebowl game:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_1614568351&feature=iv&src_vid=PYa6S6UA0MU&v=TCcm2Vl4TNs

    mariota will need more work unless you are chip kelly

  26. lurker Says:

    *work=time

  27. ForgotAbootDre Says:

    Jameis should try playing with himself instead of those sketchy college girls.

  28. DallasBuc Says:

    Mariota says he’s not “playing with himself”
    One more reason to go another direction!

  29. Nybucsfan Says:

    Well if Jameis takes as long as all the other Jimbo quarterbacks it will take him a long time

  30. Babaloo Says:

    Reading comprehension… That’s not even what he said. Go back up and read it again.

  31. Babaloo Says:

    I try to stick up for joe from time to time but that is just blatantly twisting what was said to fit the intent of the article which obviously was to make fun of marriotta. Because he misread it too

  32. Skyline Crew Says:

    Sign the kid already.

  33. Newbucsfan!!! Says:

    Winston will either have a decent year or a rough year depending on how much of a workload the OC puts on him. Mariota will have a good or great year if he goes to the Eagles but will be terrible to average if he goes to the Titans or any team in need of a QB to start this year. Mariota knows that he will not fall to the Eagles so he is basically saying that this is a big transition for him and he will need some time, but how much is the question. Just sign Winston already and give him the playbook right now!

  34. Tampabaybucfan Says:

    Speaking for Pablo

    “Pablo plays with himself. Pablo has fun playing with himself. Pablo has video games, solitaire, horse shoes, billiards and marbles….Pablo plays with himself all the time.”

  35. Buc1987 Says:

    “I’d love to play for the Jets” – Marcus Mariota

    “I think it would be a privilege to play in Tampa, period, with the Florida State fan base and everything I have been involved with in the state of Florida. Coach Smith speaking highly of me, that already lets me know I’m a part of their program,” “I already have a trust factor in with him, and now all I have to do is accept his trust and gain his trust to help him out.” – Jameis Winston

  36. J Says:

    Is it ok to like both? I think I do. Still I likedTeddy more but who knows where these 3 are. Knowing Lovie, I could see trade backs and picking up a Hundley/ Grayson. Not saying we should. It is silly season. Would love to pick up a Tyler Lockett/Kenny (catches with all hands) bell.

  37. Bill Says:

    Anybody who doesn’t understand the complaints about Oregon’s system should watch the video Lurker posted above on MM, particularly the 2nd half of it. It’s easy to understand, and explains why it doesn’t work in the NFL.

    It doesn’t mean MM won’t succeed, but you’ll have a better understanding of the challenge he faces. I’m sure some of you already understand this.

  38. MTM Says:

    Mariota was just saying real recognizes real and expects to go to the Super bowl next year.

  39. ndog Says:

    Mariota will at best be Alex Smith. And I don’t know about you guys but for me that is not good enough for the #1 overall pick. Drafting Jameis is a no brainer.

  40. Skyline Crew Says:

    Like I said, sign the kid already. Best athlete in this draft and an exceptional QB.

  41. Buc1987 Says:

    LOL you MM fans are just so cute and cuddly these days. Bless your heart!

  42. Buc1987 Says:

    I went over to PR today for the first time in months, because it’s such a slow news day and I’m basically talking to myself on JBF today.

    I’d swear nine out of ten posters over there WANT Winston. It’s not even close over there.

    All the signs are pointing in one direction….

    How long will MM mob hold out, before they concede?

  43. Skyline Crew Says:

    After the Draft or until they say they are taking Winston. Simple as that. Until then Mariota is definitely in play whether you want to admit it or not.

  44. JMan Says:

    I think both are still in play. If they needed a right now guy, I think they’d sign Winston early and get him a playbook to start learning the plays/calls.

    If

    a) They want an immediate starter QB from draft

    AND

    b) Mariota doesn’t do much for them tomorrow

    Then they’ll sign Winston if that’s who they really want.

    It’s my belief if they don’t sign Winston ahead of the draft, then theres a pretty good chance they aren’t going with him.

    I don’t know if either are they guy you’d turn down a king’s ransom of picks if its offered. If we had a great line I would have pushed for a Bradford (less hits) but he’d die here.

    Still Lovie said Glennon is the future and wouldn’t it be funny if that proved true? (Ironic funny).

  45. JMan Says:

    Also Buc1987,

    What the people are pulling for doesn’t mean its going to happen. Remember all the clamoring for Tebow? (not on he same level as either MM or JW I know). What about the J F’n Football watch (wash) from last year.

    The fact that we are so close to FSU probably has a lot to do with it. If L and L are convinced that neither is right, I’d hope they’d have the guts to disappoint both camps by passing on em (no pun intended).

  46. cmurda Says:

    Jameis never said he was on “Brady or Manning’s” level. He believes he can be which is exactly the type of confidence you want from your QB. If you are in the Mariota camp, no problem, but please refrain from inventing drama that doesn’t exist. I have no beef with what MM is saying here and I’m firmly in the Winston camp.

  47. Buc1987 Says:

    JMan Says:
    March 15th, 2015 at 6:45 pm

    “What about the J F’n Football watch (wash) from last year.”

    That to me was a joke. At the time, I’m one of the people that said someone much better is coming out in next years draft. That someone was Jameis Winston.

    Nothing’s changed my mind since 2013.

  48. Buc1987 Says:

    “Everyone in the country has Manziel disease” – Jameis Winston 2013

  49. tval Says:

    Who’s to say jameis doesnt already have a playbook? Maybe that was test #2, after the post combine interview, to see if his camp were irresponsible and would leak info. Basically seeing if jameis had an ‘entourage’ of knuckleheads with which he shares this..seems to me he doesnt or at least keeps them far enough away not to hurt him professionally..another + for jameis. Like it or not marcus’ pro day, which should only help, may drop him 10-15 slots but it can eventually be blessing in disguise for him and a team that wont need him to play for 2+ seasons..if he starts for philly this season (his best case scenario) his and chips careers are dead on arrival.

  50. tickrdr Says:

    Bo Says:
    March 15th, 2015 at 12:51 pm

    Waiting for 87 and the Winston mob to tout how much better Winston plays with himself
    ——————————————————————————-
    It’s true! They had it on video, but they deleted it.

    tickrdr

  51. White Tiger Says:

    Interesting take…might be the first peek into Mariota’s mental make-up…

    Because he is obviously aware of the learning curve HE has, it might be interesting to remember that when given a similar opportunity – Kid Fameis said he was competing against the two biggest names in the game…I say this is Mariota creating an interesting ‘juxtaposition’ (no, calm down @joe readers – that’s not a math term).

    Also find it interesting that while some of the internet gurus have Kid Fameis a “LOCK!” to go to the Buccaneers, one of the more trusted draft guides in print says there are far too many ties between Mariota and the Bucs…even though they rated Kid Fameis higher than Mariota. It appears that Kid Fameis’ “infamy” precedes him. I guess character issues do matter – especially as it has the potential to produce more risk for owners concerned with brand image.

    When I bought the magazine…the older female cashier saw Kid Fameis on the cover, and even she commented that, while she believes Kid Fameis will be Buccaneer pick, “they better make sure Derrick Brooks is programmed into his speed dial, and they better have a bodyguard with him 24-7…”

    wow.

    I questioned her a bit further and asked would she be happy with either QB? She said yes, but that she preferred Kid Fameis…

    …huh, go figure?

    If you owned a team that had a net wort approaching a BBBBBILLION $$$$ – I don’t think you ignore that kind of negative publicity…regardless of how craftily @joe lays out a hit piece on the QB he DOESN’T believe in…

  52. lurker Says:

    ahhhhh the pompous, foolish white tiger. so in the end the cashier state jameis and in that you conclude negative publicity…smh. your conclusions are usually wrong.

    so the draft guide rates winston higher but the bucs should take the bigger risk in mariota? smh

    watch the 2 video i linked above. that will give you all the information you need. he does a way better job explaining things so that even you can understand. not just the biased drivel you spurt out.