FYI, before mo1e lies about Grudens own words.........
The coach who won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers thinks the quarterback who has the best chance to lead Tampa Bay back to the top is
Marcus Mariota, not
Jameis Winston.
Jon Gruden says that Mariota does everything a quarterback needs to do, and should be viewed as the top player in the draft.
“I don’t understand why [Mariota] isn’t
the No. 1 playerin this draft on Mel Kiper’s Big Board,” Gruden said, via Rotoworld.
Gruden disagrees with those who think Mariota is a product of Oregon’s offense and not a fit for the NFL.
“I don’t know anybody in this draft that can do for a football team what Mariota can do,” Gruden said. “He can read the field. That whole thing about Oregon being a no-huddle, dive-option team, that is just a narrative resulting from a lack of information. The Ducks run a lot of pro-style concepts. Mariota does a lot with the protections. I’ve seen him throw the ball with touch and timing in tight windows.” The former Bucs coach points out that Mariota is the same size as Jameis Winston but runs 4.52 forty. He is incredibly elusive, and man, is he a playmaker and a great competitor. I see him functioning in the pocket, out of the pocket, and if you want to run a zone-read, he’ll rip the defense apart. He is like
Russell Wilson, only he is 6-4.”
In other words, Gruden thinks the Buccaneers are going to make a mistake tomorrow night when they pass on Mariota and pick Winston.
