The team knew Weinke was for real. Turning down the chance to play in the pros also showed a commitment to his teammates. When he said he was coming back to Florida State to play for the best football team in the country last season, he meant it. At Florida State he knew he would have another chance to contend for the national championship. The thought of that had to be better than toiling in the NFL as a backup, or worse, starting for a bad team that has no chance of making the playoffs or even thinking about the Super Bowl.
Good players learn that lesson fast.
And that doesn't guarantee a shot at a championship. Weinke became the fourth player from Florida State to win the award since the Seminoles joined the ACC in 1992. Charlie Ward won in 1992 and '93, while Danny Kanell won in '95 and Andre Wadsworth in '97. Weinke's record as a starter is a remarkable 32-2. The only blemishes were the six-interception game against N.C. State in 1998 and this year's narrow defeat at Miami.