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And yet, Winston’s arrogant response to getting benched for his more measured backup Andy Dalton reflects a character flaw. When asked about his demotion by a media gaggle, Winston was so despondent he muttered something about imaginary universal football laws about losing your job to injury. Tom Brady and Drew Bledsoe don’t ring a bell?

The charismatic, upbeat team-first Winston we’ve seen during his New Orleans stint is gone. We saw a glimpse into the entitled Winston who believes starting jobs are given to him, not earned. Dennis Allen’s obligation is to win games, not to satiate Winston. New Orleans’ 4-7 record looks bleak. But they’re only 2.5 games behind the NFC South leaders. Dalton isn’t a franchise quarterback anymore, but has seen a plethora of career highs and fewer lows.

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The only commonality that explains Wilson and Winston’s allergy to accountability is how they entered the league. Wilson and Winston have been the best passers on their teams since they were playing pee-wee football. Winston can’t seem to believe that he’s been outplayed by a former second-rounder and he’s probably coming to terms with the end of his time as a full-time starter in this league. Wilson is in an earlier stage of that realization.

Quarterbacks are the most influential figures within any organization. However, in Winston and Wilson, we’ve seen what happens when that power gets taken for granted.