For eight months the dilemma over which quarterback Ohio State should start was seen almost unanimously as a good problem to have. JT Barrett had put together one of the most prolific seasons a B1G quarterback has ever had. After Barrett's injury Cardale Jones was unflappable in leading one of the most spectacular and surprising postseason runs ever seen in college football. Everybody seemed to think that no matter who got the nod, the Buckeyes would be in fantastic shape.
Now, only three games into the season, what was once an enviable situation is a old-fashioned full-blown quarterback controversy with no good answers. Neither quarterback has been effective so far, and things went from bad to uncertain when Cardale Jones was pulled in favor of JT Barrett against Northern Illinois. Urban Meyer had rotated his quarterbacks throughout the first two games of the season, but this wasn't a rotation - it was a benching.
For his part, Barrett came in and soon led the Buckeyes to their only offensive touchdown of the game, but on the whole he was not much better. He made mistakes in his own right, and perhaps the only reason he was permitted to finish the game was because nobody ever really puts a guy back in who has been benched the way Jones was.
There's a weird dynamic at play here. Ever since he burst on the scene, we have known Jones to be a supremely confident player who plays loose. At the moment he doesn't look that way at all. He seems to completely lack confidence - he's indecisive throwing the ball, running it, and handing off. The guy who's shown on camera yelling at teammates for not being on the same page doesn't look like the guy who once cracked jokes to break the tension. JT Barrett on the other hand has come to be known as the consistent choice - the heady, accurate facilitator who could make the offense run more smoothly than anybody else. He too looks like the opposite of his reputation - rusty with both his throws and reads. Even when the play he runs works, it looks disjointed.
The adage goes, "When you have two quarterbacks, you have none." The coaches, analysts, and most fans didn't seem to think that would hold true in this case, but so far it has. Reps have been split in games and in practices, seemingly allowing neither player to be sharp. They are still ostensibly competing for the job, and both players seem to go through moments of pressing for a big play or playing indecisively to avoid a crippling mistake. The entire offense has ground to a screeching halt in the midst of this.
While it's up to the players to execute, much of the blame can be placed on the way this situation has been handled up to this point. Waiting until breaking the huddle for the first possession in Blacksburg may have seemed like the ultimate in gamesmanship at the time, but now it just looks like a case of Urban Meyer being too clever for his own good. The handling of the quarterback position seemingly has both players looking over their shoulders, neither feeling free to play his best.
The starting quarterback should have been decided on by the end of fall camp. Whichever player was chosen seems to matter less than the fact that he would have gotten the majority of first team reps and the opportunity to assume true leadership of the offense. This is especially important given the changes that took place around the team in the offseason. A team that seemingly returned a lot of firepower actually went through a lot more upheaval than people acknowledged. There's a new offensive coordinator, who is now splitting his time with offensive line coaching. There is a new quarterbacks coach as well. Two starting receivers and a starting tight end graduated. Another receiver that was assumed to be one of the new starters was lost for the season to an injury. Three more receivers were suspended to start the season. While there is still plenty of talent surrounding the quarterbacks, the starter needed as many chances as possible to develop a rapport with these new pieces, and those chances were cut in half and split among two players. It's not a good way to hit the ground running at the start of the season.
I don't know who should start from here on out. Neither player has distinguished himself yet. I'm not sure performance matters anymore. A decision of some sort needs to be made. I do still believe that either player can flourish as the starter, but before that can happen the team needs to commit to somebody and put the time, reps, and resources behind that decision to get the most out of that player. Failing to do so has been a mistake by Meyer. He won't admit it during the season, but I think that once it's over he'll look back, assess the decision, and realize that he could have handled it much better.
Now, only three games into the season, what was once an enviable situation is a old-fashioned full-blown quarterback controversy with no good answers. Neither quarterback has been effective so far, and things went from bad to uncertain when Cardale Jones was pulled in favor of JT Barrett against Northern Illinois. Urban Meyer had rotated his quarterbacks throughout the first two games of the season, but this wasn't a rotation - it was a benching.
For his part, Barrett came in and soon led the Buckeyes to their only offensive touchdown of the game, but on the whole he was not much better. He made mistakes in his own right, and perhaps the only reason he was permitted to finish the game was because nobody ever really puts a guy back in who has been benched the way Jones was.
There's a weird dynamic at play here. Ever since he burst on the scene, we have known Jones to be a supremely confident player who plays loose. At the moment he doesn't look that way at all. He seems to completely lack confidence - he's indecisive throwing the ball, running it, and handing off. The guy who's shown on camera yelling at teammates for not being on the same page doesn't look like the guy who once cracked jokes to break the tension. JT Barrett on the other hand has come to be known as the consistent choice - the heady, accurate facilitator who could make the offense run more smoothly than anybody else. He too looks like the opposite of his reputation - rusty with both his throws and reads. Even when the play he runs works, it looks disjointed.
The adage goes, "When you have two quarterbacks, you have none." The coaches, analysts, and most fans didn't seem to think that would hold true in this case, but so far it has. Reps have been split in games and in practices, seemingly allowing neither player to be sharp. They are still ostensibly competing for the job, and both players seem to go through moments of pressing for a big play or playing indecisively to avoid a crippling mistake. The entire offense has ground to a screeching halt in the midst of this.
While it's up to the players to execute, much of the blame can be placed on the way this situation has been handled up to this point. Waiting until breaking the huddle for the first possession in Blacksburg may have seemed like the ultimate in gamesmanship at the time, but now it just looks like a case of Urban Meyer being too clever for his own good. The handling of the quarterback position seemingly has both players looking over their shoulders, neither feeling free to play his best.
The starting quarterback should have been decided on by the end of fall camp. Whichever player was chosen seems to matter less than the fact that he would have gotten the majority of first team reps and the opportunity to assume true leadership of the offense. This is especially important given the changes that took place around the team in the offseason. A team that seemingly returned a lot of firepower actually went through a lot more upheaval than people acknowledged. There's a new offensive coordinator, who is now splitting his time with offensive line coaching. There is a new quarterbacks coach as well. Two starting receivers and a starting tight end graduated. Another receiver that was assumed to be one of the new starters was lost for the season to an injury. Three more receivers were suspended to start the season. While there is still plenty of talent surrounding the quarterbacks, the starter needed as many chances as possible to develop a rapport with these new pieces, and those chances were cut in half and split among two players. It's not a good way to hit the ground running at the start of the season.
I don't know who should start from here on out. Neither player has distinguished himself yet. I'm not sure performance matters anymore. A decision of some sort needs to be made. I do still believe that either player can flourish as the starter, but before that can happen the team needs to commit to somebody and put the time, reps, and resources behind that decision to get the most out of that player. Failing to do so has been a mistake by Meyer. He won't admit it during the season, but I think that once it's over he'll look back, assess the decision, and realize that he could have handled it much better.
