Thoughts on Fields from OSU insider

This post was not VIP and I am not a member of 247. Since anyone can view it on the Bucknuts 247 site, I thought it would be ok to post here.

BuckeyeBacker99 1225 posts

Aug 19, 1:03 PM

I have had a long history in the past of providing inside info to the board, some bits were popular, some were not, but I’ve always delivered the goods. My initial takes on Justin Fields were not received particularly well by the board and some mods, nonetheless it has recently finally been echoed by Ryan in his last two pressers. 

I’ll paraphrase my spring thoughts on Fields and then go into my post-fall camp thoughts.

-In the spring when he transferred here I (and many people close to, on the team and coaching with the team) were very concerned at the unrealistic and insane hype surrounding Fields. Yes, he is a top ten all time QB coming out of HS. But he is also VERY raw and inexperienced with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He came into the spring not knowing the offense. He was slightly outplayed by Baldwin, it was not that he was terrible, Baldwin was just way better than anyone realized, still the staff thought Fields would pull ahead at the end of fall camp due to his upside and getting comfortable with the offense. But during the spring, if we had to win now in the big house, Baldwin would have gotten the nod. I think Baldwin transferred because he was frustrated, he felt like he was outplaying Fields and still wasn’t getting enough 1st team reps. He felt like the writing was on the wall and that he (no matter how well he played) would not start because of how ridiculous Fields upside is, even if his production wasn’t matching Baldwin’s yet. 

Baldwin’s decision: Both QB’s were told at the end of the spring that a decision had not been made and that they would both battle for the starting spot during fall camp. Baldwin at this point felt disrespected and undervalued by the media and fans as he was outplaying Fields and receiving little to no respect. He also felt like the coaches wanted Fields to take the reigns and be the guy MORE than they wanted the best man to win. He felt like even if he was named the starter he’d never be secure here. When he told the staff he was going to compliance to put his name in the portal it shocked the hell out of everyone and the staff was mortified. At this point Fields didn’t know the offense (don’t give a damn what was said or reported, he was a chicken running around with his head cut off) and Chug loved the frat parties more than football. The most game ready QB was off of the roster and everyone and I mean EVERYONE was freaked out. Then we got Hoak and that added security but a backup at Kentucky who didn’t have a single rep here heading into fall camp was never going to start here. 

Fall camp: Fields was terrible in his first week. Awful. Lots of turnovers, not setting the proper protections and checking into the wrong plays based on the looks. There was a silent panick and it was very real. Going into week 2 Mike, Day and Dennis calmed him down, told him not every play has to be a touchdown, told him to forget about hype, accolades or media expectations and to JUST THINK ABOUT THE NEXT PLAY. He really became a student of the game and made mistakes but much less than week one. By week three he was a different player. He was calm, setting the right protections, making some more of the right reads and making plays. By the very end of camp he started to look like the starter we need. 

Expectations: Guys, calm down. Remember that this kid has never taken a meaningful snap. Remember that he’s a wide eyed (basically) freshmen that has immeasurable pressure on him. He is not Dwayne yet. He is going to turn the ball over, make the wrong reads at times and have his head-scratching moments. He is also going to make someone miss and go 70 yards to the house at some point. He could very well throw a pick six on the next play. Bottom line, he will be what buckeye nation wants him to be someday, but right now he’s a work in progress. 

Projected stats through 12 game reg season: 24 passing touchdowns, 2650 passing yards, 11 interceptions. Completing 61 percent of his passes. 9 rushing touchdowns, 780 rushing yards 6 fumbles, 4 fumbles lost.