Justin Fields Isn’t Dwayne Haskins, Which Is Okay
Justin Fields is an interesting case study in envy.
He is the starting quarterback at Ohio State, which any number of people have wanted to be over the decades.
However, he is also the guy replacing the greatest passing quarterback in school history, which means his every throw will be judged, and most of them will be found short of Haskins’ standard.
Those same people who envy Fields for being Ohio State’s starter likely aren’t envious of his position as a glowing beacon for criticism this season.
That’s life as a Buckeye, however, and that is especially life as an Ohio State quarterback.
Haskins was criticized for his inability — or lack of desire — to run the ball. He eventually quieted those critics by throwing the ball incredibly well.
Fields will have to deal with his critics early on, but he is also capable of quieting them with his overall play, which has been on display to his teammates this entire month.
“There is a lot of strength to his game throwing the ball,” sophomore receiver Chris Olave said. “What stands out the most is he has that running ability, but he wants to stay in a pocket the most. So he has that blazing speed, but he doesn’t really want to use his legs. He wants to use the passing game.”
Yes, there will be criticism, but there will also be excitement and some big plays this season.
“Justin is great. He’s not really a downgrade,” Olave said. “He has a passing ability to his game and I can’t wait to play with him.”
Taking Account Of What Matters
Ohio State’s running game struggled last year. You may have read about it.
JK Dobbins wasn’t doing this, and the offensive line wasn’t doing that.
Combining the above with a quarterback who wasn’t a threat to run didn’t help matters either.
Any time an offense has a quarterback who can run the ball, he makes everybody on the opposing defense just a little bit nervous. Sometimes, those nerves can be the difference between a 3-yard run by a tailback and a 30-yard run.
With Justin Fields now at the helm for the Buckeyes, he provides the running ability that Ohio State was missing last year.
And defenses will have to take notice.
“It’s something you have to take account for in everything you do,” Buckeye linebacker Tuf Borland said of mobile quarterbacks.
“That’s why there’s such a big difference between the college and pro game. Guys can just pretty much line up and read your keys and play. And play really fast. It’s a little bit different in the college game. You’ve always gotta account for the quarterback.”
A Brilliant Disguise?
Ryan Day will know a lot more about his defense after Saturday than he knows now.
New coaches have implemented a new defense and the players have responded well. As it stands currently, however, Day is very optimistic with the progress the defense has made since January.
“I think they do a nice job with disguising things and giving you a picture and doing something else,” he said. “But more importantly, I think they’re taking a lot of pride in being able to play fast and getting their cleats in the ground and playing tough and playing the run and making sure they’re clean on their assignments and then playing with great passion.”
Day knows there will be a lot of eyes on his defense this weekend. Last year was unacceptable and he has gone to great lengths to avoid a repeat.
He expects a much more consistent effort on Saturday.
“We’ve got to see really good tackling on Saturday,” he said. “We’ve got to see guys run to the ball with great pursuit. But I think, yeah, you’ll see some disguises, but I also think you’ll see a lot of sound football.”