It's going to be okay, everybody. I will play running back if needed.
Song of the Day: "Ink" by Coldplay.
Word of the Day: Caitiff.
FIELDS > LAWRENCE? I've been told since what feels like his freshman season of high school that Trevor Lawrence was going to be the No. 1 overall pick as soon as he is eligible for the draft.
Well, some NFL folks seem to think Justin Fields will have something to say about that.
It’s been assumed by many ever since Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence torched Alabama in the 2019 national championship game that he’d become the first pick of the NFL draft as soon as he’s eligible, which is in 2021. But a few coaches and folks in the quarterback space say they won’t be shocked if Justin Fields ends up pushing him for that top spot.
Now, this is hardly the consensus. Several coaches and evaluators I talked to this week think Lawrence is far and away the better quarterback prospect. Everyone I spoke to still loves Lawrence, and it’s not like the NFL personnel people have been able to study either extensively at this point. But the feeling I got from some coaches is that people don’t realize just how talented the Ohio State quarterback really is in terms of his arm and athleticism.
The 6-3, 230-pound Fields had a terrific debut season at Ohio State in 2019, throwing 41 touchdowns against only three interceptions while completing more than 67 percent of his passes. He also ran for 10 touchdowns and almost 500 yards. He figures to put up high numbers again as he settles in for his second season with Ryan Day, and he also should benefit from an even more athletic Buckeye receiving corps with a ridiculous crop of freshmen.
I'm still fairly certain the Afghan Hound will end up going No. 1 overall, but that doesn't mean Fields isn't better. He's bigger, more athletic, faster and honestly looked noticeably better throwing the ball the entire season. There's a reason why he was the one that was a Heisman Finalist and is currently the Heisman frontrunner.
I remember when we published an article in August highlighting the similarities between the two and Clemson fans nearly shit themselves at someone having the audacity to compare them.
Trevor is a generational talent who just finished the greatest true FR season in CFB history. Fields is a very good athlete who has nowhere near TL's talent level; no QB in CFB does. Expecting a TL level impact is amazingly naive. But Buckeyes are gonna Buckeye. @davidreg412 pic.twitter.com/MMvSYKJqF6
— The_QCT (@The_QCT247) August 13, 2019
Fields does not have Trevor Lawrence like potential. That idea is laughable at best.
— The_QCT (@The_QCT247) August 13, 2019
Well, that #take aged like Macaulay Culkin.
I'm not trying to shit on Trevor Lawrence, because he's still a generational talent (who is probably still running past Ohio State's secondary) and one of the best quarterback prospects of all time. But the idea that Justin Fields isn't even in his galaxy is laughable at best.
I'll keep my generational quarterback, thank you. You can have yours.
EMERGENCY QB. Chase Young's got quarterback hunting coding into his DNA, but in an alternate reality where roles are reversed, it looks like he could be a monster under center as well.
Put Chase Young under center @youngchase907 @OhioStateFB
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) March 3, 2020
(via gibson_pt/IG) pic.twitter.com/p1F9Qgetsx
I cannot imagine the fear in the hearts of some poor lnebacker having to stop quarterback power with The Predator behind center. That first down would be more automatic than J.T. Barrett.
This is also the second highlight video I've seen of Chase Young balling out at a position he doesn't play after he posted a 30-second clip of him dominating some tight end drills as well. I can't wait till he proves he's better at my job, as well.
SPRING FOOTBALL COMETH? Urban Meyer long lamented that there were no spring football practices in Ohio. Ryan Day inherited that burden and shares the same complaint, but he's actively trying to do something about it.
However, there are no spring football practices. Here is the OHSAA’s explanation:
“Already the rule in Ohio, there is no contact permitted except during the season, and pads may not be worn at any time except during the season. (Many states that allow spring football practice and contact in the summer have a much higher rate of concussions.)”
The lack of spring football is somewhat unusual among the sport’s biggest states. In Texas, for example, schools are permitted 18 “spring training” practices during a 34-day calendar period.
That can leave Ohio players lagging behind their out-of-state counterparts in some ways.
Urban Meyer discussed that as an issue when he was the head coach at OSU, and now Ryan Day is aiming to do something about it.
“I think I made it public that I proposed a five-day spring practice schedule or practice for high schools. And they’re in the process of kind of voting on that,” Day said Monday.
I knew there was a difference, but I had no idea it was that drastic.
The Texans get 72 more football practices throughout high school than the kids from Ohio? Shit, no wonder Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba looked like seasoned vets their first college practices.
More than that, those are 72 more chances for a college coach to go see a potential prospect in person outside of the fall (which is extremely busy for a coach, as you might imagine). I get the safety concerns, but you have to put your kids first in other ways as well.
Five days still ain't much, but math tells me that five is bigger than zero, so I guess you have to start somewhere.
LET'S GET CREATIVE! With Master Teague III sidelined all spring and potentially longer the Buckeyes only have one healthy scholarship running back on the roster. If things get really dire, that means we might have to get a little creative!
Demario McCall, Jaelen Gill, Mookie Cooper, Cade Stover are all players who saw extensive time at RB in high school if the Buckeyes find themselves searching for potential ballcarriers.
— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) March 3, 2020
Also, Justin Fields is 6-foot-3, 228 pounds with tree trunks for legs and runs a 4.4ish-second 40-yard dash. I think the ground game is going to be alright.
ANOTHER BUCKEYE IN DC. The Buckeye takeover of Washington D.C. continues as another former Ohio State player is heading to our nation's capital to do some football.
The Washington Redskins announced that they have signed free agent TE Marcus Baugh. pic.twitter.com/q09cc97G2Z
— Washington Redskins (@Redskins) March 3, 2020
For those keeping score at home, that's now six Buckeyes between the Redskins and the Defenders. And that's before Chase Young (probably) comes to town.
NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. The one reason why it seemed Japan might win World War II... A woman is eaten by the stray dawgs she looked after... Meet the rogue plaque-maker of Central Park... Trapped in Iran... The global pursuit of a fugitive ship... Will the millennial aesthetic ever end?...
