2015-16 Ohio State Quarterback Discussion

[Hstead]

I don't think passing is going to be the only data point by any means. The QBs will get tons of reps running the option and will be graded just the same whether they have a black "don't touch me" jersey on or not. Scrambling will also be accounted for. When you sit down and watch film, the coach is going to say "nice job pulling it down there and getting what you can instead of forcing it" type of thing. Every play and drill will be graded regardless of run or pass. Many plays are called on the LOS depending on how the defense lines up, so that too will be very important, not making mistakes on your pre-snap read and getting the right play called and the guys in the right positions before the snap. Lots and lots of things to be graded on and throws is really probably not even at the top.

 

[maximumblitz]

Good points all, with excellent detail, and with strong underpinnings in reality, but it will take more to halt my (allegedly irrational) exuberance about Cardale's performance in The Game.

Although I cannot comment on how accurate the following analysis is, it talks about Cardale making the right read on the triple option

...offensive line coach Ed Warriner would call a triple-option run .... this hesitation is all Jones needs to see to complete the handoff to Elliott.

http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-...-elliotts-game-changing-44-yard-touchdown-run

JT's stats were helped by his pop passes, so I see no problem in Cardale's "stats" being padded. And if I got laid every time a tOSU QB threw incomplete on a short pass, I would have a massive child support bill.

Agreed, Cardale was not asked to do much in The Game, but he also said the same about the Bama game, in his interview afterwards.

Agreed, there were not many plays left when Cardale entered The Game, making everything "statistically insignificant", and agreed, Cardale was not asked to do much .... but neither did he fold and cry during the intense scrutiny of The Game. That may have been his greatest strength, what carried him through the final 3 games. That may be my main point. Agreed, he played with poise. I agree with your accurate analysis. And for me, poise counts for a lot.

That was a designed handoff, using Jalin as the decoy to outflank the defense. He was 2-3 for 7 yds. 1 was a pop pass to Jalin, the other was a screen pass behind the LOS.Very little asked of him.and he failed to convert on 3rd & 1.

The next drive:

Elliott rush. Another designed give
Jalin rush.
Incomplete to Thomas.
Cardale run for 18. Great playcall freezing the defense with Elliott in motion, running behind it and having the UM LB take a bad angle and get pancaked rather easily. A great downfield block made it easy sledding for Cardale, who attacked quickly and efficiently.
Elliott rush.
*Here comes Cardale's breakout passing performance*
Pop pass to Jalin for 1 yd.
Screen pass behind the LOS. Corey fought through traffic for 3 yards after contact to pick up 6, still a yard short.

Failling to convert for the first down, they went for it on 4th down and used Jalin and Cardale to leave the defense out to dry on the backside with Elliott. Designed give all the way.
Darron Lee would get it long before Cardale, if we're playing "award the victory for how you played at the end"


Now he played with poise but he was asked to do extremely little in that game, which is why it was shocking to see the flamethrowing wunderkid that showed up a week later in Indy.

 

[pnuts34]

Good points all, with excellent detail, and with strong underpinnings in reality, but it will take more to halt my (allegedly irrational) exuberance about Cardale's performance in The Game.

Although I cannot comment on how accurate the following analysis is, it talks about Cardale making the right read on the triple option
http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-...-elliotts-game-changing-44-yard-touchdown-run

JT's stats were helped by his pop passes, so I see no problem in Cardale's "stats" being padded. And if I got laid every time a tOSU QB threw incomplete on a short pass, I would have a massive child support bill.

Agreed, Cardale was not asked to do much in The Game, but he also said the same about the Bama game, in his interview afterwards.

Agreed, there were not many plays left when Cardale entered The Game, making everything "statistically insignificant", and agreed, Cardale was not asked to do much .... but neither did he fold and cry during the intense scrutiny of The Game. That may have been his greatest strength, what carried him through the final 3 games. That may be my main point. Agreed, he played with poise. I agree with your accurate analysis. And for me, poise counts for a lot.

That's fine to have some exuberance for Cardale, but using The Game as an example for him is a little crazy as he made little impact. If you're going to compare poise, than JT stepping right before the season starts and winning the starting QB position after Braxton was expected back, and after a setback in his second game to play(let alone start) he led the team undefeated the rest of the way and broke numerous QB records.
I have no problem with Cardale, but his accuracy still leaves much to be desired, as does his decision making, which has been mentioned constantly by posters. I'd much rather have accuracy over a cannon arm with less accuracy. Though their completion percentages were close, JT looked more comfortable in the offense and utilized more weapons that were open. Cardale was asked to do the most of his 3 game start in the Alabama game as he threw the ball 35 times.
It's just a matter of preference, but like JTs father said, one shouldn't win a job based on injury, Cardale is no different. I don't think Braxton comes back to QB after his injury, and it becomes a 2 QB race.

 

[maximumblitz]

That's fine to have some exuberance for Cardale, but using The Game as an example for him is a little crazy as he made little impact. If you're going to compare poise, than JT stepping right before the season starts and winning the starting QB position after Braxton was expected back, and after a setback in his second game to play(let alone start) he led the team undefeated the rest of the way and broke numerous QB records.
I have no problem with Cardale, but his accuracy still leaves much to be desired, as does his decision making, which has been mentioned constantly by posters. I'd much rather have accuracy over a cannon arm with less accuracy. Though their completion percentages were close, JT looked more comfortable in the offense and utilized more weapons that were open. Cardale was asked to do the most of his 3 game start in the Alabama game as he threw the ball 35 times.
It's just a matter of preference, but like JTs father said, one shouldn't win a job based on injury, Cardale is no different. I don't think Braxton comes back to QB after his injury, and it becomes a 2 QB race.

Agreed that JT is poised (except possibly against VT and PSU). Agreed that Cardale has some drawbacks. My intent was not to compare QBs or say which one should have started in the past or say who should start in the future. And I have no idea who looks more comfortable.

But I will be forever grateful to Cardale for not messing up The Game. I believe a lot of QBs coming off the bench would have messed it up. I still think he performed well enough to get more credit than he does.

 

[pnuts34]

Agreed that JT is poised (except possibly against VT and PSU). Agreed that Cardale has some drawbacks. My intent was not to compare QBs or say which one should have started in the past or say who should start in the future. And I have no idea who looks more comfortable.

But I will be forever grateful to Cardale for not messing up The Game. I believe a lot of QBs coming off the bench would have messed it up. I still think he performed well enough to get more credit than he does.

I personally think JT had great poise in the PSU game, it was a dog fight like everyone thought, and he made very good decisions that moved the ball and got us to victory. VT he looked as poised as he could have after only starting his second game and having a very green O line and EzE.

I think our coaches have prepared our QBs well enough to be ready to be the next man up. I think Cardale deserves minimal credit since he barely played in the Game, his credit is more than due in the following 3 games. Hell go down in Buckeye lore(if not CFB lore) as the only 3rd string QB to win an NC, and slay 2 of the best teams in the nation, and one of the best in the conference. But one of the best seasons by an OSU QB since maybe Troy Smith was accomplished by JT.

 

[Buckeyebred97]

Whoever starts at QB September 7th will need the O line to play well. With Fuller at CB they are most likely going to lock down our WR1. You can almost bet that they will rush the QB similar to last year. If we can have success passing the ball and open up the run game then this game is over. With our O line gaining confidence and experience near the end of the season they need to pick up where they left off. Any of our 3 QB's can win against VT but the WR's will really need to play well and catch the ball and not have many drops. Fuller will be difficult he is a great player but if we can have multiple receivers doing their job he can't cover 3-4 of them. Have success passing and open up the run game I think we rip through their defense.

 

[pnuts34]

Whoever starts at QB September 7th will need the O line to play well. With Fuller at CB they are most likely going to lock down our WR1. You can almost bet that they will rush the QB similar to last year. If we can have success passing the ball and open up the run game then this game is over. With our O line gaining confidence and experience near the end of the season they need to pick up where they left off. Any of our 3 QB's can win against VT but the WR's will really need to play well and catch the ball and not have many drops. Fuller will be difficult he is a great player but if we can have multiple receivers doing their job he can't cover 3-4 of them. Have success passing and open up the run game I think we rip through their defense.

IMO, this year the run will open up the pass. If our O line plays as well as the end of last year, then we will use them as bulldozers for EzE, and whoever is playing QB. The QB will need to make good decisions with reads, and I think we Fullers skills, like you mentioned, a way to limit his effectiveness is by short or intermediate routes to throw him off. Thomas and Smith run some very good routes, and utilizing Vannett will be an X factor. But it all centers around the run game, and our O line dominating.

 

[Buckeyebred97]

I don't care who is behind center I'm perfectly happy with any of our 3 guys. Fortunately if we do encounter an injury or our started not playing well we have someone behind him to come in that I fully trust to lead. Would be awesome to see Braxton play multiple spots at WR, H-B, QB. Throw in JT or CJ at Qab with Braxton in the slot or in the back field with Samuel or Wilson at H-B and Thomas and Marshall out wide that is scary! Not to mention Vannett at TE.

 

[Zurp]

I don't care who is behind center I'm perfectly happy with any of our 3 guys. Fortunately if we do encounter an injury or our started not playing well we have someone behind him to come in that I fully trust to lead. Would be awesome to see Braxton play multiple spots at WR, H-B, QB. Throw in JT or CJ at Qab with Braxton in the slot or in the back field with Samuel or Wilson at H-B and Thomas and Marshall out wide that is scary! Not to mention Vannett at TE.

I know someone has gotten a passing TD, receiving TD, and a rushing TD in the same game. Has anyone ever done it for Ohio State? Has any team ever gotten 3 players to do that in the same game?

 

[ScriptOhio]

TO STAY HEALTHY, BUCKEYE QUARTERBACKS WILL HAVE TO TAKE FEWER SACKS

Football may be a contact sport, but no offensive player likes being the recipient of a bone-crunching hit – least of all a quarterback.

When J.T. Barrett suffered a broken ankle against Michigan in November, he had to commit to a rigorous rehab program to be back to 95 percent health in July. Braxton Miller has endured several foot and labrum injuries since the 2014 Orange Bowl. Cardale Jones, while healthy, is a big target to defensive linemen who'd like nothing more than to turn him into a smear on the turf.

No matter who wins the quarterback derby, the Buckeyes need the starter to take fewer hits than Barrett and Jones did in 2014. There are a few ways they could do this.
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continued

Entire article: http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-...arterbacks-look-to-handle-pressure-with-grace

 

[ScriptOhio]

KEEP IT DARK: OHIO STATE SHOULD WAIT TO REVEAL STARTING QUARTERBACK

A lot of people don’t envy Urban Meyer for having the “good problem” of selecting a starting quarterback this fall between three dynamic players who have all proven themselves. Every team wants a stud quarterback, and it’s always nice to have a capable backup, but Ohio State, coming off a national championship, has an unprecedented issue when it comes to the QB battle.
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continued

Entire article: http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-...te-should-wait-to-reveal-starting-quarterback

 

[OSUK]

Really, the answer (who the QB will be) has to depend on the question (what are you trying to do on offense). If you want a QB who can improvise - and therefore is pretty much impossible to game plan for - Braxton is the guy you want to have the ball in his hands every play. The downside is he doesn't read defenses well on option or pass plays, and he's not as efficient at getting first downs as other options, but he is definitely the most explosive player, especially running the ball. If you want a guy who can throw a bullet 40 yards downfield into a 12" window, and do power running for you, Cardale is the obvious choice. The downside is that you can't run anything laterally with the option game that involves him running with the back, but he can quick pitch or stretch handoff to stress the edges of the defense. If you want efficiency - where the entire playbook is available, and every weapon is accessed, JT is the choice. The downside to that is that you don't have a high degree of improvisation or as much potential for explosive running plays/scrambles, and he isn't going to zing the ball as far downfield into tight windows, but he does move the chains by getting first downs because his decision-making skills are so high.

I love the efficiency that JT brings. I do not believe Urban Meyer's complete offense has ever been run better than JT ran it last year. After all, he broke the season TD record of one Drew Freakin Brees! But if people want the unpredictability factor or they like the big arm/power running combo, that will lead to a different answer.

I will say it again: let JT get the ball to Braxton (and Jalin, Curtis, Zeke, Mike, Nick, Noah, Dontre, etc, etc.), and let's have Cardale come in and do his thing intermittently - and I think we have this mystery solved. :)

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Never again will a team have its first-, second-, and third-string QBs named to the Maxwell Award Watch List.

 

[maximumblitz]

I think the best case for Ohio State is to have outstanding QB play for three years:
year1 Braxton
year2 Cardale (even better after one more year)
year3 JT (even better after two more years)

The worst case if for Ohio State to have outstanding QB for only one year: JT starts during the 2015 season but turns pro after one year. Cardale decides to turn pro because he can. Miller loses eligibility. During the 2017 season, OSU QBs play like Freshman and Sophomores.

 

[pnuts34]

I think the best case for Ohio State is to have outstanding QB play for three years:
year1 Braxton
year2 Cardale (even better after one more year)
year3 JT (even better after two more years)

The worst case if for Ohio State to have outstanding QB for only one year: JT starts during the 2015 season but turns pro after one year. Cardale decides to turn pro because he can. Miller loses eligibility. During the 2017 season, OSU QBs play like Freshman and Sophomores.

As great as the top scenario sounds, idk if it's that realistic, as the best player will in the end play regardless of class or eligibility left. A coach can only look at the upcoming season and the next game, looking 3yrs down the line may cost you your job(not saying that UFM has to worry about job security) or future success.