No brainer: Winston was always going to start 
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Lovie Smith had no choice but to make Jameis Winston his starter, says Martin Fennelly. JAY CONNER/STAFF Martin FennellyPublished: July 31, 2015 at 05:14 PM TAMPA — The farce, and the pretense it rode in on, ended 54 seconds into Lovie Smith’s first news conference from Bucs training camp.“Jameis Winston will be our starting quarterback.”Let freedom ring.The race that never was is over. Case closed on “open competition” at Bucs quarterback. Mike Glennon campaign workers have stopped making placards. It’s done. Lovie has the depth chart to prove it.It’s the right move. The only move.No more baloney. No more silly talk about everyone having to earn their playing time.Ah, an honest training camp.What choice did Smith and the Bucs have? Lovie named Josh McCown his starter the day McCown signed with the team. What, now he was going to sit on Winston?You’re telling me the Bucs were going to have Jameis play spectator at Raymond Jameis Stadium when the Tennessee Titans roll in for the season-opener — with Marcus Mariota at starting quarterback?This is why you drafted Winston No. 1, You don’t take the guy you think is the most NFL-ready quarterback in a decade or more and then make him wait.He plays. Now.I didn’t even want the Bucs to draft Jameis — and I’d start him right away. If you’re in, you’re in. That the Bucs are, on and off the field.If anything, hopping off the fence might take pressure off Winston, let him know he doesn’t have to prove himself every day in camp.And no more speculation after he throws two picks in a scrimmage, then Glennon throws a touchdowns to the Bucs’ 12th-string wideout.Lovie just took that off the table.Understand, the Bucs wouldn’t be doing this if they didn’t think Winston was up to it, all of it, especially beyond the physical demands, like picking up the offense or using his universally praised football IQ.Rookie quarterbacks are going to goof. Even Peyton Manning had problems his rookie year in Indianapolis. Rookie John Elway accidentally lined up under guard instead of center a few times.This was a no-brainer so long as Jameis showed he got it — got it. If you’re comprehending, you’re playing as a rookie quarterback. You can’t fake it. Look at Johnny Manziel.“Jameis, you know him well enough to know he gets it,” Smith said. “He’s sharp and he’s smart. I would never put a guy in that position if he wasn’t ready for that. A lot has been said about Jameis and mentors. ...Jameis doesn’t need a mentor. Jameis is ready to take the reins and go with it.”He will make mistakes. Count on it. You can’t recreate what the NFL is like, the speed, no matter how many virtual reality games you play. Jameis is going to have to throw to what he thinks is a safe spot and discover that NFL defensive backs close slightly faster on his passes than, say, the guys at Wake Forest. Live and learn.So why waste time waiting for class to begin?There’s nothing that says the Bucs can’t sit Winston down if his eyes grow too wide or his mental lapses pile up. Here, kid, take a breather, stand next to Dirk Koetter for a game, see and hear how the offensive coordinator does things.But you can forget any Mike Glennon drumbeat. That ended Friday. Before even one training camp snap, Jameis Winston is the starter.I’ve got news for you.He always was.