Breaking Down The Florida State Quarterback Battle
By Joe Nardone
January 5, 2012; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; White team quarterback Jameis Winston (8) runs during the second half of the Under Armour All-America high school game at Tropicana Field. White team beat Black team 49-16. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Pocket Awareness
Pocket awareness is a hard thing to gauge with two guys who have such little in-game experience (as in no real in-game experience). Still, there are some things we can take away from the practices as well as the spring game.
Coker looks to have a more natural feel for the pocket. During some practices he did an admirable job stepping up in the pocket whenever he felt pressure coming from behind. This is a tremendous sign for a player with as little experience as Coker. His biggest problem — which stems from his worried accuracy on passes — is that he might hold on to the ball a little longer than you want from your quarterback. Again, that will come with time and is pretty much expected from a player this young.
Winston’s pocket awareness isn’t bad, but it isn’t other-worldly. Don’t confuse his athleticism with his ability to ‘feel’ pressure. Without the Florida State defense being allowed to hit the quarterbacks during spring games or practices, however, it’s really hard to judge how much awareness a player like Winston has in the pocket. He moves around a lot — not as much as other dual-threat QBs, though — in the pocket no matter the situation. That has less to do with an inability to feel pressure and more of Winston’s subconscious need to rely on his legs to get the job done.