Florida State Shouldn't Panic About the Loss of Jameis Winston for 2015

Jameis Winston has played his final game in a Florida State uniform, leaving the program without an immediate answer at quarterback. But the Seminoles will be just fine without him.

Winston announced the news Wednesday in a statement through his agency, The Legacy Agency (via ESPN.com):

"

After weighing this decision with my family and friends, I have decided to declare for the 2015 NFL draft and forgo my remaining eligibility at Florida State. I reached this very difficult decision after careful consideration and long thought, realizing how difficult it would be to say goodbye to my family at Florida State. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to wear the garnet and gold and have greatly enjoyed my time as a Seminole, both as an athlete and a student in the classroom. ...

... As I embark in the next challenge of playing in the NFL, I look forward to contributing to a long line of successful alumni at the next level. I want you all to know that I will make Seminole Nation proud and continue to bring the passion and love for the game you all have seen in Doak Campbell since my first day as a 'Nole. Thank you for making my time in Tallahassee some of the best years of my life.

"

Winston won the Heisman Trophy and the national title in 2013 and hadn't lost a game until his 27th career start against Oregon in the College Football Playoff. The way Florida State lost the Rose Bowl, 59-20, left an indelible mark on Winston's legacy but will not destroy the memories of the magical run he had the past two seasons.

Still, the way Winston's departure fits the "Ewing Theory"—Bill Simmons' long-running belief that certain teams improve after losing certain star players—is almost too perfect to ignore. The off-field headache Winston created was only worth it because the 'Noles kept winning; otherwise, the media attention was unbearable.

In many respects, this team will be better off without it.

To clarify: This team will be better off without the headache of Jameis Winston, not without the performance of Jameis Winston.

Even though his decision-making regressed in 2014, manifesting itself with 18 interceptions, Winston still made NFL throws in big moments, won 12 of his 13 starts and led FSU to an ACC championship. He played well in the Rose Bowl, too—or at least he did until that Yakety Sax fumble and the meltdown that followed thereafter.

Sean Maguire started but failed to impress against Clemson, when Winston was suspended for yelling obscenities on campus. He is a rising junior and the tentative favorite to start next season—a safe albeit underwhelming option.

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Behind him, J.J. Cosentino took a redshirt in 2014, and freshmen Deondre Francois (the No. 101 overall player in the 247Sports composite rankings), Kai Locksley and De'Andre Johnson will join the fray this fall.

But the real wild card is the so-called quarterback "free agents," a group Barrett Sallee of Bleacher Report called "one of the best crops of graduate transfers we've ever seen in college football." Braxton Miller might be on the market. Everett Golson might be on the market. Combined, those two went 23-0 as starters in the 2012 regular season.

If Florida State could land either, it would be golden.

Even if it can't, however, the presence of Jimbo Fisher provides comfort. Is there any head coach in the country—sans, maybe, Duke's David Cutcliffe—one would rather have developing quarterbacks?

Assuming Winston doesn't take a free fall, the last three passers Fisher has developed will all have been first-round draft picks:

	Years	Career QB Rating	NFL Draft Selection
Jameis Winston	2013-14	163.3	TBD*
EJ Manuel	2011-12	150.4	Round 1, Pick 16
Christian Ponder	2008-10	132.1	Round 1, Pick 12

*Note: Bleacher Report's Matt Miller has Winston going No. 6 overall to the New York Jets in his first official postseason mock draft.

But this article has less to do with how the 'Noles will replace Winston under center than it does with the rest of the offense. The point being that, regardless of who plays quarterback, there is enough talent on this roster for FSU to score points with efficiency.

Running back Dalvin Cook and receivers Travis Rudolph and Ermon Lane were all blue-chip recruits in 2014 and played meaningful snaps as true freshmen. You think that experience might help them? With 5-star receiver George Campbell enrolled for spring practice, this young group of skill players can rival that of any team in the country.

FSU's next quarterback doesn't need to be another Winston. He doesn't need to win a Heisman Trophy. He can get away with being a game-manager—the type of QB Fisher coached under Nick Saban at LSU. Take care of the football, deliver your throws on time, don't try to make too much happen, let your teammates go win the game.

If Matt Mauck could do it, Maguire can too.

"These freshmen, they're going to be the old guys," FSU receivers coach Lawrence Dawsey said of next year's team, per Tim Linafelt of Seminoles.com. "As [last] season went on and [Travis Rudolph] started making plays and then [Ermon] Lane started making plays like that, they both just got more confident."

"With all the talent we've got on this team, all the heart we've got on this team—we're definitely going to make another push for it," added star defensive back Jalen Ramsey. "You can believe that."

The urgency in Ramsey's comment speaks to a key tenet of the "Ewing Theory." The Seminoles seemed a tad overconfident in 2014, and they had every right to be after a 14-0 national championship season in which they flattened pretty much every team they played. What they needed, more than anything, was a moment of humility.

Suffice it to say they got one.

The loss of Winston hurts for obvious reasons—quarterback is the most important position on the field, and anyone who takes over for Winston will almost certainly be a downgrade—but it helps because it puts the impetus back on this team to play like…well, a team.

Clemson and Georgia Tech both finished the season strong, and both return a ton of offensive pieces, so there's a chance some experts even peg the 'Noles, sans Winston, as underdogs to win the ACC.

Weird as it sounds, that might be what this program needs.

Follow Brian Leigh on Twitter: @BLeigh35