Week 4; What We Learned.

Week 4 Recap; What We Learned.

 

   This is the part of the season that starts to make things interesting. Weeks 4 through 6 can be the most telling of a team's character. It happens to be when conference play starts, and when teams are figuring out their identities on both the offense and defense. We can take away a lot from this past week and the next couple weeks..... So drink it in, all of it. Don't leave out a single detail. 

    Alabama vs Florida 

  

What do we know about Florida? Have they improved? Well, I think the jury is still out on that one. The Gators played tough with Alabama early on, but I am not sure that was because Florida was playing that well. Alabama's careless turnovers helped the Gators keep things close. And when the Tide got rolling, it was game over for the Gators. On the other side of this battle, I think we got what we expected from Alabama. Their defense played solid, maybe because of the Gators' offensive struggles..... The offense is coming together, and I would say that Lane Kiffin and Nick Saban are getting along.... for now. As for BOTH teams, we still just aren't sure what they have, but Alabama is coming together.

    LSU Falls to Mississippi State

Really? I knew LSU wasn't a Top Ten team in pre-season. Mississippi State, are they a Top Ten team? No, but they played well, and they belong in the Top Twenty-Five at this point of the season. LSU just isn't ready for a run this season. As I pointed out earlier, weeks four through six will tell us a lot about a team. The season isn't over for LSU. They can still get some key wins down the road to get back in the SEC West hunt. At this point, however, it seems highly unlikely. And for Mississippi State, they will get their chance to further prove themselves in the SEC West.

   Auburn survives Kansas State

This should've been a tune-up game for Auburn. It didn't turn out that way. Were the Tigers overlooking Kansas State? That may be what some Auburn fans think, but I hope fans and media take notice to this game. Auburn made the plays when they had to make them, but Kansas State is left kicking themselves. There were more than enough chances for Kansas State to put away the Auburn Tigers. Was Auburn exposed? Or was it the road game atmosphere mixed with the mistake of not taking Kansas State seriously?...... Or could it actually be that Auburn or Kansas State aren't who we thought they were to start the season? Again, time will tell.

     Florida State beats Clemson (Without Winston)

This may be the biggest headline of the weekend. Florida State was without Jameis Winston due to suspension for an incident from early last week. What do I keep saying in this week's recap? We learn more about a team in weeks four through six than we do most of the season. This game is a testament to that. Clemson played a very solid game, and had their chances...... But Florida State's defense came up big in big time situations. The Noles' defense is starting to take shape. Let me address some of the critics out there.... Remember when Georgia beat a VERY GOOD Clemson team just a few weeks earlier? Georgia gave up 21 points to the Tigers. Florida State? Only 17. Florida State's defense took a huge step forward. Their defense is starting to look like that defense we saw a year ago. The offense will take shape over the next few weeks. In fact, we saw an offense that was battered most of the game keep fighting, even without Jameis Winston. "Florida State got lucky!" Well, it's like every coach who has ever won or played for a National Championship, "sometimes even the great teams need a little luck." And what do great teams do when their backs are against the walls? They find a way to win. Florida State did that against Clemson. They did it without their best player on offense, and they did it without their best defensive lineman for most of the game. We learned a lot about FSU. They aren't done yet.

   Later this week, CollegeFootball2Day will tackle your Fan Questions/Comments/Predictions. Be sure to visit www.collegefootball2day.com  Submit any thing College Football there and have it featured in one of CF2D's video segments.   

Jameis Winston Does it Again

Jameis Winston Suspended First Half 

 

    Jameis Winston is in the negative spotlight yet again. This time for using some obscene language in a public place. The school announced his suspension for the first half against Clemson earlier today. Winston has since apologized in a press conference held at FSU. "I'm not a me person, but my actions were selfish......"

   Jimbo Fisher decided to suspend him for the first half against Clemson..... And Fisher's message should be something that is becoming clearer to Winston. Fisher isn't going to let Winston become bigger than the team. Although, critics argue that Winston has already been extended special treatment. From "Crab Gate" to his incident with a female student at FSU involving sexual assault allegations, Winston has not faced many penalties from the FSU football coach..... Or at least that have been made public anyway.

   The real hope here is that Winston will finally start to understand that he is not bigger than the program. But if he hasn't learned that already from his previous incidents, then it's fair to ask how this situation will end any differently. Winston may not have done something to get him in trouble with the police, this time, but he needs to understand that everything he does will be picked apart by social media and big four letter networks. He needs to understand that leadership doesn't stop when he walks off the football field. 

   Will Winston learn from his mistakes? The jury is still out on that one, but it's safe to say, at this point, that he hasn't yet. Jimbo Fisher has a track record with dealing with big time players. Many fans may remember Greg Reid and all the issues that came along with him. It is important for fans to remember how Reid left FSU. Reid was a very exciting player on the field, but off the field it was another story. Eventually Fisher had no choice but to kick him off the team. Fisher isn't afraid to dish out penalties to his players. He also isn't afraid to give players another chance.... But eventually those chances run out. Reid is a prime example of that. If issues continue to pile up, Winston will be faced with the same ending that Reid had with Florida State. 

   With all the of the issues in the sports world, many fans are still asking "What were you thinking Jameis?!?!". From the issues with Ray Rice and the NFL, to the probing of a person's character off the field. This is a very serious wake up call for college athletes. What these student-athletes do off the field will be held under a microscope by NFL scouts and coaches. Celebrities are held to a different standard than the rest of the population. Everything they do is pumped full of hot air just to sell a news story. There is no defending Winston here. Winston needs to realize that he is being watched 24/7. His decision making may be pretty solid on the field, but off the field? Yep, that's another story. 

   At the end of the day, FSU coach Jimbo Fisher should be praised for trying to put Winston in his place. Coaches and mentors can only do so much.... Eventually, the individual has to take responsibility for their actions. And for Winston, time is running out for him to get it right. 

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Jameis Winston Case at Florida State 

   You have to love college football..... and of course, the drama that comes along with each season. Think back over the last decade and it's very hard to think of a season that didn't have some sort of scandal during the off season that didn't affect the actual season itself. Florida State now finds itself in the headlines again for a incident that happened in December of 2012. 

   We all know about Jameis Winston and his bad decisions he has made the last couple of years. The biggest incident being rape allegations, and the smallest being questioning after an alleged pellet gun fight between multiple students. And who could forget about those crab legs? Theme here is simple. He is immature, and has clearly made some bad choices off the field. On the field? Yeah, he is brilliant. And maybe that's why some of his issues off the field will always haunt him, even after they have been "paid" for by Winston. (Sorry, I couldn't resist). 

    Now we are at the beginning of the 2014 football season, and some of Winston's past has come back to haunt him yet again. This time in the form of a school investigation into possible Title IX Violations. However, unlike when this incident first reared its head into the media back in November 2013, this time Winston isn't concerned with being charged by the state. This investigation is very different from the last. Usually I try to stay away from old topics, and give even less attention to those that their main purpose is to run a name through the mud.... But after reading and hearing what the average fan is saying about this "new" investigation, I knew some light needed to be put on this to help educate some of the fans out there.

    First off, I am not by any means, a lawyer. Nor do I claim to have any more incite than what most fans have access to already. I take a situation or incident, and I research it as best as I can with what is available to me. I gather some opinions from different sources, and then I try to look at the incident objectively. To me, that should be the job of EVERY SPORTS MEDIA OUT THERE. I am not here to defend Jameis Winston or the decisions he has made. Those are his and his alone. We don't know this kid. Lots of us like to think we do because we have seen a few interviews on TV and we have watched him play football. What do we know? Well, he is a great football player. He says all the right things to the media. He has some off the field issues that need to be cleaned up. My question is this, Who doesn't have issues? Obviously everyone's issues are different.... but everyone has baggage. 

    This case at FSU is tough for some to understand. And mainly because the way it was handled the first go around...... But let me throw a "curve ball" at you. Be objective for just as long as it takes you to read this article. What if this whole case was handled poorly because of the alleged victim not cooperating? Think about that for just a minute. This case may have been a clean sweep had she just cooperated from day one. And if I have lost some of you out there, I apologize, but go back and look at how the case was handled/reported ten months ago. This former FSU student that made these allegations never cooperated with anybody that was investigating the case UNTIL the case was made public. Now, I realize what some of you are already saying, and you have tuned me out..... "The police covered it up!!! The school covered it up!!" Hey, maybe you are right. However, the laws of the land I live in are simple. Innocent until proven Guilty. Until the investigation is complete, I reserve judgement on the school, and I reserve judgement on the alleged victim. If the school did anything wrong, it will come out, that much you can count on. "No it won't, they will get away with it because it's FSU".... Right... try telling that to Penn State.

    Let the investigation run its course. Listen and read the details. When you mouth off about it, and you don't know what you are talking about.... Yep, you look pretty bad. The truth will come out, and some of it already has, which was indicated in a very recent statement by one of the lawyers involved. 

 

   

    Take it for what it is at this point. It's an investigation to find the truth of whether or not FSU violated Title IX obligations. It's not an investigation with new evidence against Winston (Yep, some out there actually believe this will lead to charges against Winston). Some fans out there will want to trash talk Winston and FSU fans about this, but to that I say this: Rape is a very serious crime, and should not be taken lightly. At the same time, however, making allegations that may not be true are just as serious. And until we know the facts, I reserve judgement for all parties involved. As a fan of college football, I think we would find the season more enjoyable if we all could put our team aside every once and awhile, and treat every incident the same. Innocent until proven guilty. 

    If by some chance FSU is found to have violated Title IX obligations, then yes, hand out the penalties and pass judgement. If new evidence ever surfaces and the state decides to pursue charges against Winston, and they find him guilty.... Then yes, throw him behind bars, and strip him of every award he has ever won. Most fans who read this article won't buy into being objective about this situation. My goal here, was to help those who want to try to understand the situation at FSU. My goal was to bring this situation to the fans in an unbiased way, and be objective. This is a very terrible situation for both Winston and the alleged victim. At the very least, we should act like grown adults and wait patiently for the investigation to be completed. This incident will haunt both of them, but one more than the other. And it might be the one who is innocent in all of this. It's just a matter of 'who is innocent'. 

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