I was surprised, but not upset. To me, there was no wrong choice. They both have their pros and cons and while I thought Barrett had more stuff in the "pros" column, I didn't think he was overwhelmingly better. And then the offense struggled, and through the first 3 weeks they looked worse and worse each game. People started to question the decision, myself included. Sure, Barrett didn't look much better, but he was never really given a fair shot to get in a rhythm in any game. After the Northern Illinois scare, when Meyer said he was going to reevaluate the QB position, I was again sure it would be Barrett taking the reins. And I was again surprised when Meyer named Jones the starter.
At that point I at least accepted that Jones would be the starter. And I was hopeful that we would just stick with him, as I thought the switching was not helping either one's confidence. I also knew that the offensive issues went way beyond the quarterback position, and I was optimistic that those would get fixed regardless of who was playing quarterback. And on Saturday, against Western Michigan, the offense did look better. Still not great, but better. Jones looked better too, though he still made some mistakes and under-threw countless open receivers (my biggest complaint about him as a passer). But throughout the game, and shortly after, it started to dawn on me: why Meyer is going with Jones over Barrett. He's playing the long game.
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| Urban Meyer wants YOU... to trust him. |
J.T. Barrett might be the better overall quarterback. Right now. But Jones has a higher ceiling in terms of his raw ability. The areas where Barrett has an advantage are things that Jones can get better at with experience. He can improve his accuracy. He can learn to be a leader. He can fix the under-thrown deep balls. Barrett can't grow 4 inches and transform his arm into a rocket-launcher.
Meyer wasn't and isn't building this team for a September/October run through mid-majors and subpar Big Ten teams. He's planning for November, December, and January. He's thinking about Michigan State and Michigan and the postseason. He won't admit it, but he knows that no one else on the schedule will threaten us. Northern Illinois was a scare, and I think he panicked a bit during that game. But think about what we can take away from that experience: NIU is no pushover and could probably beat at least half the teams in the Big Ten. We turned the ball over 5 times, only scored one offensive touchdown, and still won. Our defense is good enough now to let our offense grow and mature with Jones at QB.
A lot of people talked about Ohio State needing to find an identity on offense. I think Meyer knows what he wants to do and it was evident against Western Michigan. With the speed we have at receiver, we will be able to torch defenses play after play. If Jones connected on just half of the under-thrown passes on Saturday, the Buckeyes score closer to 60 than 40. Think about what happens when he starts hitting those deep targets consistently. Think about what Zeke will be able to do once defenses really see Jones stretch the field and the offensive line and receivers start blocking better. We don't need all that to happen right now. But when it all comes together, it will be scary to watch.
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| Once the OSU offense gets going, it will be like unleashing the Doomsday Machine |
People want the Buckeyes to be perfect now. They forget that Ohio State was hardly perfect last year, even at the end of the season. They criticize the play-calling because they only remember what we did and how we looked in the last three games of last year (which still wasn't perfect). Elliot will get his inside runs, when we need him to. Braxton Miller will start giving defenses nightmares running and throwing out of the wildcat, when we need him to. Jones will make the big plays, when we need him to. We will start scoring 60 points, when we need to (although, hopefully we'll never actually need to).
Of course, this is just my opinion. Maybe I'm wrong about Urban Meyer's long-term vision for this team. But either way, Meyer picked his quarterback, and it's Jones. If you disagree with the three-time national championship coach, who boasts a 42 - 3 record at Ohio State, that's you're right. But on behalf of Buckeye Nation, whose mantra (since before last year's playoff run) has been "In Urban We Trust", and for the sake of your own sanity, I suggest you make a choice. Either you can be a fan of The Ohio State University Buckeyes and back your team, your coach, and your quarterback, or you can go root for someone else. It's that simple.
There is no longer a "Team J.T." and a "Team Cardale". There's only "Team OSU" and you're either on it or you're not.
I was at the Western Michigan game, and there was a guy behind me who epitomized what I hate about some "fans" during quarterback controversies. He was bashing Jones relentlessly after every incompletion and every scramble that didn't pick up a first down. Now, to be fair, I was expressing my fair share of frustration at some of the particularly bad passes. But for this guy, every single missed pass was proof that J.T. should have been playing, and he didn't hesitate to vocalize that each and every time. He wondered out loud "how much they're paying Urban to start Jones" (I don't know who "they" are and what their incentive is, but I'm sure this made sense in his simple little mind). He even went as far as wishing that Jones break his leg (and I secretly hoped for the same fate for this "fan" as he begrudgingly left the stands, moments after Barrett threw an interception on his first drive of the game).
There is no longer a "Team J.T." and a "Team Cardale". There's only "Team OSU" and you're either on it or you're not.
Now, I realize that the knucklehead behind me is an extreme case. Most fans, even the ones griping about Jones being the starter, are better than that. But it shows the absurdity of this pessimistic and ultra -critical viewpoint that so many people seem to have regarding this team. We are 4 - 0. Our team isn't perfect, quarterback included, but they're getting better. The people who are slamming Jones are the same people who were screaming "Fire Fickell" at the top of their lungs a short time ago. Now we boast one of the best defenses in the country, headlined by quite possibly the best group of linebackers in the nation. Those same people are now all aboard the Silver Bullet Express. Did they forget that Luke Fickell is the engineer of this QB-devouring pain-train?
There will always be fans who find something to complain about. We're 4 - 0. If you want to question every coaching decision and whine and moan and generally feel bad about your team, go root for the Cleveland Browns. And don't come crawling back when we are sucker-punching Michigan State and roundhouse kicking that team up north and bludgeoning anyone else on our path to playoff trophy number two.
As for me? I'll be enjoying the ride, waving my cowboy hat in the air, yelling "Waaaahoooo!" as Jones drops another bomb at the doorstep of our enemies. Well... except for the cowboy hat part. This isn't the damn Big 12.
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