Braxton Miller to WR is wise move by Urban Meyer, smart one for a guy who won … – PennLive.com
At the completion of last season, one of the Ohio State beat writers polled a number of Big Ten reporters and columnists about what to do with the Buckeyes’ enviable but perplexing 3-ring circus at quarterback.
You’ll remember that preseason Heisman Trophy candidate Braxton Miller was sidelined just before the 2014 season began with a torn labrum.
Then, redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett entered, took a while to get going, but eventually flourished behind an expertly coached young offensive line that began to jell.
And when Barrett went down in the fourth quarter of the season’s final regular-season game against Michigan with a fractured right ankle, in came big but untested sophomore Cardale Jones who proceeded to wow all of college football by leading the Buckeyes through Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon to the national title.
My answer to the OSU beat writer was this: Jones should be the starter in 2015 because he’s perfect for Urban Meyer’s spread-option offense, so effective in the postseason.
Jones is huge (6-5, 250) and can take the abuse the scheme dishes out to quarterbacks. He is in the mold of QBs who previously led such attacks in national-title runs (Tim Tebow for Meyer at Florida in 2008; Cam Newton at Auburn in 2010). Meyer consistently runs his QBs about 15 times a game, often directly between the tackles on option reads. Jones can not only absorb the punishment of those big defenders but dish some out as well, as he so vividly displayed in blasting over Bama’s linebackers in the second tier. With a head of steam, he is a load to bring down. And he’s the perfect guy to lead Meyer’s offense.
For Barrett I have some empathy. I thought the teenager from Texas grew and grew in both savvy and sophistication as the season progressed under the expert tutelage of then-QB coach and now-Houston head coach Tom Herman.
After a rough outing in the 35-21 home loss to Virginia Tech when his O-line was still sketchy, Barrett really had only one bad game – at Penn State. He was nicked up in that one, harassed by the Nittany Lion defense and threw two picks. But in every other of 10 games after V-Tech, he was close to masterful, throwing for 31 TDs, 4 interceptions and a .674 completion percentage.
But again, the abuse accumulated by Meyer’s offense eventually took its toll and Barrett finally broke his ankle on his 171st carry of the season.
My plan for Barrett was: Transfer. Maybe to Houston where he can study to be a pro quarterback under Herman and not be stunted in a college system under a coach who’s never developed a successful pro QB (unless you want to count Alex Smith who actually broke out at Utah under Kyle Whittingham in 2005 after Meyer left for Florida). I think Barrett has a shot to be a good NFL quarterback – but not if he stays at OSU. It’s a college offense designed to win college championships which it does very well.
So, what of Miller? My plan for him: Shift to wideout.
And that’s what Miller on Thursday told Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated he plans to do this season. To be precise, Meyer later told various outlets that the option has only been discussed. But Miller was fairly definitive that he plans to shift to the hybrid position of H-back. Even though he didn’t admit to Thamel that the switch is for good and couched it as a solution to his shoulder not being totally healthy for two more months, it makes perfect sense to me as a permanent career move.
Miller is not equipped to withstand the spread option’s abuse. He’s a mere 6-2 and 215 and a bit spindly in the legs. He’s way too quick and elusive and explosive to waste as a dual-threat quarterback and to risk getting unduly hammered by big bodies. Get him the ball in space among DBs and he’ll be a migraine for DCs to control. His hands are dexterous, his feet are amazing. Let him be what he naturally is.
I think Miller could be an accomplished pro slot guy in the mold of another converted Big Ten quarterback, Indiana’s Antwaan Randle El who assembled a very good 9-year NFL career with Washington and Pittsburgh and was an integral part of the Steelers’ 2005 Super Bowl run as both a receiver and punt returner. This is a great switch for him and a smart one by Meyer.
The best part is, a lot of great college quarterbacks find themselves in situations where their transition isn’t made until they’re already in the pros. Unlike, say, PSU’s Michael Robinson, Miller has a year to acclimate himself to his new position and adapt before he begins having to earn a paycheck. By then, this move won’t just make sense but cents.
DAVID JONES: [email protected]
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