Bucs say Winston's talent is worth any baggage-related risk

Jameis Winston took his first (un)official snaps as a professional quarterback Saturday. The best thing about his performance in the 26-16 Vikings victory is that he didn't get sucker-punched in the jaw by a teammate.

The No. 1 overall draft pick looked as nervous as a slacker taking a final exam in directing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting offense against the Vikings in a preseason game.

Winston overthrew receivers. He threw behind them. He was sacked twice. He threw an interception. He bobbled a snap.

Welcome to the league, Famous Jameis.

Winston finished on a high note by scrambling for a touchdown before halftime, salvaging something positive for himself and his team.

Nobody will remember his uneven debut in the grand scheme, of course. Or that steady Teddy Bridgewater looked precise in finding open receivers in limited action guiding the Vikings' first-team offense.

Both quarterbacks will be judged not on meaningless preseason games but by whether they transform their organizations — or cause them to hit the reset button again.

Starting over at quarterback is a fascinating and sometimes painful predicament for an NFL team, something the Vikings know all too well.

For talent evaluators who stake their reputations on first-round quarterbacks, especially ones with red flags, that experience must feel like standing on the ledge of an airplane door at 12,000 feet ready to plunge on a sky dive.

Half-exhilarating, half-terrifying, and they are just praying the parachute deploys.

It's a leap of faith.

No position in professional sports is more challenging to get right because so many factors conspire to make quarterback the most difficult position in professional sports to play.

Ultimately, quarterbacks succeed, or fail, for a variety of reasons.

Except in rare cases, quarterbacks enter the league with perceived knocks or causes for concern. Some are more legitimate than others.

Bridgewater dropped in the first round because apparently one bad pro day made scouts nervous, a premise that looks even sillier now than at the time.

Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner made an interesting comment recently when talking about the lukewarm national perception of his quarterback. Turner said he trusts only a handful of people when it comes to evaluating quarterbacks.

"Because I don't think there are many guys that understand what you're trying to do at the position and understand the evaluation process," he said.

Both feel like the right decisions.

Bridgewater's ceiling as a quarterback is yet to be determined, but the promise he showed under adverse circumstances as a rookie lends credence to the belief that he can become the organization's long-awaited answer. He seems to be on a solid trajectory.

The Bucs really had no choice but to take Winston with the first pick, character concerns and all. Talent trumps trepidation in most cases.

Winston is big and strong-armed and a proven winner. In football skill alone, he was easily the best quarterback in the draft.

Bucs officials rave about his work ethic, his demeanor, his willingness to take chances on the field. He's already earned respect of veterans in the locker room. He's done everything right so far.

He comes with risk. The Bucs might be crossing their fingers but the potential payoff is worth that risk.

If Winston behaves himself and matures, he could alter his organization in a seismic way, assuming his talent blossoms the same way it did in college.

We'll give him a mulligan for his shaky first step.

Chip Scoggins chip.scoggins@startribune.com