Is there any conceivable way that No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston will not be starting under center for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1? No, there isn't. That's why you shouldn't read too much into Winston taking snaps with the second-team offense Tuesday, the first day of Tampa Bay's minicamp.
Head coach Lovie Smith says Winston's standing is in no way reflected by the opening of minicamp. He and Mike Glennon have been shuffling between first and second team and it doesn't seem to be bothering the rookie all that much.
"I haven't earned [the starting job] until I get it," Winston said to ESPN.
Smith said that he plans to install one QB with the first team once training camp opens.
"To me, you go through the offseason and they kind of let you know the rotation that you're going to have once we get to training camp," Smith said. "That's what we're working through. Once we come back for training camp, then the depth chart will matter. That's what we're trying to get to that point."
Smith isn't worried about Winston not soaking up all the first-team reps either.
"He's gotten that," Smith said. "You guys come out here everyone once in a while and you see him. He's gotten plenty of reps. [All-Pro defensive tackle] Gerald McCoy's not getting every rep. It's a long season."
The real motivation behind Smith's shell game is to see how Winston performs with an assortment of different players.
"I have a plan, and a part of that plan is for Jameis to get a certain amount of reps with certain guys," Smith said. "He's gone with the 1s, he's gone with the 2s. At the same time, it's not just about Jameis. We need to get our backup quarterback ready too."
In this day and age, fans seem to expect rookie QBs to light it up from Day 1. Winston has Cam Newton, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson to thank for that. But people forget that it is a long process to become NFL ready. But Winston believes he is making steady progress.
"You've got to get better every single day, and I feel like I've done that," Winston said. "One thing I've gotten better at is controlling the line of scrimmage. We do a lot of no-huddle things, and the way I communicate to the offense is clutch."