Winston's era begins
By: Alton Ford
The addition of red-shirt freshman quarterback Jameis
Winston in the starting lineup of the Florida State Seminoles has propelled the
team to an undefeated season. The Noles
have not went undefeated since the ’99 season when they won their last national
championship. In years past, the
Seminoles were highly anticipated for a national title appearance but ended
their season with lackluster performances.
The newly appointed head coach, Jimbo Fisher, took over Seminole great
Bobby Bowden’s position back in 2011.
Each season since proved to be better than the last while improving in
the win category. During the 2012 season
the Noles were led by, senior quarterback and current Buffalo Bills
quarterback, E.J Manuel in hopes of a winning it all. Similar to past performances, Manuel came up
short during two pivotal games that led to losses for the Seminoles. Now in 2013, majority of the Seminole roster
is the same except for those that have went on to the NFL, including
Manuel. Comparisons have been and are
continued to be made between Winston and Manuel over crediting the Noles
current success.

FSU is regarded for its players transferring over to the
professional level. Other than the
quarterback position, the Seminoles currently have stand-out players in the NFL
who are widely known around the league.
Stats would say that FSU quarterbacks do not translate well in the pros. For example, Christian Ponder who is one of
the quarterbacks on the depth chart for the Minnesota Vikings is the only
quarterback currently in the NFL from FSU other than last year’s draft E.J
Manuel. The problem with both players is
that during their college career they were prone to consistently not show up in
big games.
When interviewing current FSU veterans on the roster, they
expressed their opinions of Manuel’s leadership and his performance versus that
of Jameis Winston.
FSU starting running back and Miami native, Devonta Freeman
said, “He knows what to say and what not to say,” referring to Winston. “He always has a smile on his face. He uplifts me when I’m down.”
When speaking of Winston, FSU offensive lineman, Cameron
Erving said, “He’s a natural leader.
People gravitate to guys with positive energy and positive
leadership. They don’t like to gravitate
towards negative.”
Though Erving did not say Manuel was negative, it seems as
if he was insinuating that Manuel’s leadership could have used some
improvement.
FSU WR Kelvin Benjamin said that the team has come together
more since Winston has taken over the quarterback position, while senior WR
Kenny Shaw said that the Noles have created a brotherhood that was absent in
the past, which shows up on Saturdays.