Tony Dungy preferred Marcus Mariota, but trusts Bucs research
Posted by Darin Gantt on May 7, 2015, 6:28 AM EDT
Make no mistake, Tony Dungy was lobbying for Marcus Mariota.
But he said he’s confident that the Buccaneers will be fine with Jameis Winston, because he trusts Lovie Smith and the background work they did.
Dungy told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times he “feels good” about the choice now.
He was leaning the other way, because his son Eric played at Oregon with Mariota and he knew him well, but thinks Winston’s a better fit for their offense.
Such that that was the biggest concern.
“I talked to Lovie a couple of months ago and I knew they were going to research those two guys,” Dungy said. “I told them about Marcus and the experience I had with him, and they looked at everything and were very thorough and got the guy they felt was the best for their offense and their attack.
“I feel good about it because I know how much they researched. I was selfishly hoping it would be Marcus, but I think Jameis is going to do well, and I’ve talked to Marcus. I know he’s excited about going to Tennessee.”
Like the rest of the world, Dungy has questions about how Winston has handled himself off the field.
“I’ve talked to people I know at Florida State and trust really well and they had nothing but great things to say about the young man, so I think there’s probably two sides to everything,” Dungy said. “Obviously, I would’ve been concerned and you research it just like the Bucs did and you make a decision. . . .
“The thing Jameis has to realize is he’s not coming in a neutral situation with a clean slate. He’s going to have to earn people’s trust and earn them over … but it’s going to take some time. They’re going to watch him through a magnifying glass, so he has to understand that and we’ll see.”
So while Dungy has nothing but respect for Smith, that’s an endorsement with reservations.