Top rook QBs struggle in pro debuts … So you wanted to be a pro quarterback. Welcome to the bigs! Both Jameis Winston of Tampa Bay and Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota, the first two players selected at the 2015 draft, had their ups and downs in their respective teams pre-season openers this weekend. Winston, whom the Buccaneers selected with the first overall pick this past spring, worked the entire first half in a 26-6 loss to Minnesota, did run for a TD, but completed nine of 19 passes for 131 yards; he also failed to throw a touchdown pass and was intercepted once while delivering several other balls that were well out of range of their intended target. Winston was also sacked a couple of times when he held onto the ball too long. Meanwhile, Mariota, whom Tennessee took with the second pick, turned the ball over on his first two possessions in the Titans’ 31-24 loss to Atlanta, but did bounce back to complete 7 of his next 8 pass attempts for 94 yards.
