Today’s Topic: Who Can We Compare Justin Fields To?
At 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, running a 4.5, and with an arm like an Australian punter’s leg, there aren’t many apt comparisons for new Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.
The first thought that comes to my mind is that Fields is the quarterback you created in NCAA Football and then tried to recruit. You gave him 99s in just about every category, and then you made him an in-state prospect so that you’d have a better shot of landing him.
For whatever reason, however, he opted to go out of state for college and you spent every last one of those 15 minutes for nothing.
But this is real life, even if Fields’ skill set seems make believe.
So who does he compare to?
If we’re just talking Ohio State quarterbacks, Fields is a combination of Dwayne Haskins and Braxton Miller.
Now, he’s not either of those quarterbacks, but he might be both.
Fields has Haskins’ frame and is arguably the most-talented passer the Buckeyes have had, other than Haskins. Fields was the Elite 11 MVP in 2017. After nearly a week’s worth of evaluations, it was Fields who got the nod over Trevor Lawrence, who has taken Clemson to the College Football Playoff Championship Game.
Fields displayed pinpoint passing throughout drills and 7-on-7 tournaments. No, it wasn’t 11-on-11 football, per se, but it was an arena that showcased Fields’ entire repertoire of throws.
Then there’s also his ability to pull the ball down and run.
Clocked at a 4.51 at a Nike combine, Fields isn’t quite as fast as Braxton Miller, but he also doesn’t need to be.
You know all of those open running lanes you saw in front of Haskins this season? Or the times the defense never respected the read option keeper? A 4.51 would have a field day with those kinds of looks (no punt intended)(pun intended).
Fields is a throw-first, run-second quarterback, but he does both equally well.
In terms of what kind of leader he is? Who knows? He’s only going to be a sophomore. He may not even get to play next year. His leadership will grow as he finds his place within the team. It may be as a starter, it may not be. Don’t expect JT Barrett right out of the gate, however.
Urban Meyer always wanted his quarterbacks to be fierce competitors and then they would work around their shortfalls. Ryan Day wants competitors as well, but when he evaluates quarterbacks, he looks for one extraordinary trait, and then he’ll build on the rest.
In Justin Fields, Day has a quarterback with several extraordinary traits.
The fun part for him will be picking and choosing which ones he wants to use at any given time.
The footage that I saw of him at Georgia,he seemed to pull the ball down and tuck/run quickly. Then again, it was also a highlight reel so the decision netted a productive play.
Personally, I would be okay with the kid sitting a year with transfer. Give him time to learn under Day. Martell leads us in 2019 and then Fields, if as good as advertised, overtakes him as starter in 2020. Would like to see both of them get opportunities to lead our offense.
Anyone know significance of Haskins’ t shirt? Is that a middle finger on display?
It’s a Gucci Mane T-shirt. He’s a rapper from Atlanta. It’s just a pose he does & Dwayne’s shirt is rolled a bit so you can’t see the body, you only see the hands. The only significance is that Haskins is a Gucci fan.
I just can’t wait to see the OSU O under Day/Yurcich. I’m 69 years old and never dreamed I would see a QB room like this at OSU. If Day can fix the D side of the coaching staff, we will contend for national titles on a consistent basis.
While I love Urby, he seemed to become a little like Coop in that he was only as good as his assistants. His teams have apparently underperformed with the talent they have. The telling tale for Day will be if the same thing happens to him. I’m guessing he’s been taking copious notes.
Cooper never achieved a 90% winning percentage, or even won a national championship, and did not have a winning percentage against the wolverines. Could OSU have won another title over the last 7 years with Meyer? Probably, but let’s not compare John Cooper and Urban Meyer.
I agree with Don that you’re under-selling Meyer. Also every head coach is a product of his assistants and in Saban’s case, the “look the other way” attitude of the SEC. Saban was a nobody before he went to the win-at-all-costs conference. It takes a lot of things to win it all, including a fair smattering of luck. Provided Day can make good defensive hires THIS year (get rid of Schiano and Davis at least, maybe Taver Johnson as well) the Buckeyes will be in good shape.