TAMPA — Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Bucs are now entangled in an official co-dependent relationship.
Jameis needs the Bucs. The Bucs need Jameis. The love affair must flourish, without any regrets, squabbles or restraining orders.
“Somebody asked me if it was like Christmas and I said, ‘no it’s more like your wedding day without the cold feet,'” said Bucs general manager Jason Licht. “That’s what it’s like. The buildup. You know it’s coming. It’s finally here. I’m trying to avoid having a Dick Vermeil moment right now.”
Sniff, sniff. Let the Crying Game begin in Tampa Bay.
Happy tears. Not ones of regret.
The Bucs made the prudent decision taking Winston with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft Thursday night, although he won’t officially arrive in the 813 area code until Friday. Winston skipped the marquee of NFL Draft Central in Chicago to mix and mingle with family and friends in Alabama.
He did roll out the red carpet, and invite about 200 people to a friend’s house to celebrate since, like Ron Burgundy, he is kinda a big deal.
For the Bucs, the deal comes with “buyer beware” stickers.
We all know the narrative of the pre-draft echo chamber: Winston is a high-risk, high-reward guy, based on character issues. He is either just a misunderstood soul prone to a few college hijinks, or harbors a dark side relevant to rape allegations that remain a moral deal-breaker for a lot of people.
Winston was never charged in connection with alleged sexual assault, but dealing with the character question remains his most challenging task as a young professional.
But the Bucs are making a prudent business decision. He is the potential franchise quarterback for a franchise stuck in the muck for so many years.
He is a better prospect than Marcus Mariota of Oregon, who would have come to Tampa without personal carry-on baggage. The evolving NFL, rightfully so, has developed a stronger moral compass in the wake of the transgressions of Michael Vick, Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy.
But it is still a sport where elite athletes are coveted, as long as they are not cancerous.
The Bucs’ malaise is obvious: They’ve stunk for a lot of years. They’ve finished last in the NFC South four consecutive seasons. They haven’t made the playoffs since after the 2007 season. They’ve had young QB busts like Josh Freeman and old QB busts like Josh McCown.
Winston immediately puts them on another level in terms of expectations. Bring out the party favors. Bring out the fans, like the 20,000 who showed up for a Draft Night party at Raymond James Stadium.
The character issue remains the Scarlett Letter, something that Winston can’t shake. All that Bucs coach Lovie Smith asks is to give him a shot.
“I would just ask our fans to give him a chance,” Smith said. “Don’t have any preconceived opinions about him.”
“I’m going to work my tail off,” Winston said in a conference call in which All The Right Things were said.
People will still judge. People will still cringe at the mention of his name.
The Bucs get all of that, and they did their due diligence to make sure Winston isn’t playing a con game. The vetting process included interviewing 75 people.
Winston will have some growing up to do, and there is enough veteran leadership in place with guys like linebacker Lavonte David. He won’t be afraid to slap some sense into Winston if his head gets too big.
Everything about this pick is big.
“A lot of work,” Licht said. “It could be the biggest draft in the history of this franchise. And Jameis has a lot to do with that.”
The Bucs can’t afford to whiff here. There is too much at stake. Victories. Fans. Relevance.
Winston can’t afford to whiff here. There is too much at stake. Reputation. Career. Relevance.
Group picture. Smile everybody.
Happy tears.
gdiaz@tribune.com Read George Diaz’s blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/enfuego
