SKULL SESSION: URBAN MEYER RECALLS HIS HIGHS AND LOWS, JUSTIN FIELDS WORKS ON POCKET PRESENCE, AND ZACH SMITH BOMBS ED WARINNER
POCKET PRESENCE. Justin Fields is quite a bit more mobile than Dwayne Haskins and tucked the ball fairly often his freshman season at Georgia, but that doesn't mean we should expect happy feet from the new Buckeye signal caller this season.
Fields is more than a capable runner and will do it when he needs to, but he came to Ohio State to throw the ball, and he spent a solid portion of his offseason working on his pocket presence.
From Joey Kaufman of
The Columbus Dispatch
When he visited Kennesaw, Georgia, his hometown north of Atlanta, for two weeks this month, Fields had more than a half-dozen workouts with private quarterbacks coach Ron Veal in which he focused on quickening the steps in his dropback. A dropback in which Fields quickly backpedals into the pocket is a development that allows him to go through his progressions and read defensive coverages faster.
“If your drop is slow, you only probably have got one read,” Veal said.
Making more reads means identifying more potential receiving targets.
“He wants to rely on his arm and his mind to make these reads and use his feet when necessary,” Veal said. “His feet are a weapon that I’m sure Ohio State will use periodically, but he doesn’t want to make that the main part of his game.”
...
But Fields’ growth as a passer, particularly his footwork, also holds a practical element. While Fields is behind center at Ohio State, there will be no shortage of talented skill players for him to find.
“The main thing with any offense is getting the ball out of your hands,” Veal said. “They got too many athletes not to have it. So we don’t need a quarterback sitting back and holding the ball. We need him getting the ball out of his hands and into these playmakers’ hands.”
Watching Braxton Miller ruin defenses with his legs never got old, but neither did watching Dwayne Haskins dropping 40-yard bombs into Terry McLaurin's lap. Here's hoping Fields can do a little of both.
Entire article:
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/skul...ocket-presence-zach-smith-podcast-ed-warinner