Film Review: Justin Fields and OSU - Strengths

Justin Fields was immediately declared fit to play for Ohio State for the 2019 season. Earlier, after spending his only year at the University of Georgia supporting talented signalman Jake Froome, he entered the Buckeyes depth chart without much competition. In his first year, he didn't make a blockbuster series, but did appear in a very special role and in a series of explosive games. At the end of the year, his stats were 42 runners for 266 yards and 4 TDs and 27/39 passes for 8.4 YPA by 4-0 TD/INT. But statistics alone often don't tell the whole story and it's important to look a little deeper. we will see.

Photo by Todd Kirkland/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Energy
The first thing that sets Fields apart is his strong and natural hand. When trying to compare Fields with previous OSU QB, any comparison fails miserably because no one has such natural hand strength as Fields. This hand strength manifests itself in different ways.

Let's first see when its natural mechanics were approved. Here he can find the bomb 50 feet underground with his legs together. And the setting is dead.

I don't know how you can start a field movie review and not start with this series. It has everything from a mechanical shifting point of view, great weight transfer, good upper body torque and a very efficient firing.

But let's focus on hand strength. Below is an example of delayed compression with an internal ED step. Although Fields was still capable of his shot, he was injured before he could finish his shot. However, he still manages to push the ball down the court, even if not behind his extended WR fingers.

But since the girls dig the ball deep into the ball, their arm strength doesn't translate into the general ability to propel the ball into the court. He is able to throw the ball into the lane when needed and really manage it. Let's look at some examples. This first example is perhaps his best break in Georgia. This is a sliding screen image that is instantly restricted and from there it only works for the entire state. When its legs are rotated for further advancement, its head is flat, but its base is slightly lighter. When you often see back players widening in these fields, the fields start to widen and this ball can handle very accurately (we'll be back to base in a second).

From the same game TD Switch here. Behind the drop, he started jumping a bit and was late on the field (we'll talk about that), but his shooting mechanics, arm strength and ability to line up the ball correctly (without going too far). ) gives an excellent pass.

However, with his throw, it's not just about hand strength. He also throws an easily accessible ball. This is a quick and predictable start with good spin and ball trajectory. It's rare for a receiver to throw a ball at him when he looks like he's fighting with his hands.

It also demonstrated the ability to alter the wing bore in higher mechanics when someone vibrated between it and the receiver.

In general, he is a very talented shooter. Demonstrate the ability to keep the ball on the line and on the field and at good speed.

Although I would not call him a great athlete, he is a good athlete and a very skilled runner. Let's start with how he manages to get it out of his pocket. Realizing that his speed in a straight line isn't his strong point at that level (although this should not be considered weakness), he typically uses wrinkles created by avoiding ED and quickly passing ED by "momentary vertical rotation". . It's always their escape plan, which often works well because it strains the defense quickly.

This vertical track with its long steps is suitable for him in various ways. Because he's not the fastest on foot, he gains yards before the defense collapses. While running, he plays with the strength of a field runner: his running ability. In both crashes and calculated runs, he consistently demonstrated one thing - his ability to dig his hind legs into the ground and his ability to flex his shoulders to initiate contact for extra metres, as well as hindering attempts at poor grip.

This creates some opportunities to force weak corner kicks from defenders who are not anticipating his long move. When defenders can chase corners, fields often don't create more than he offers in tight spaces (outside of a last leg movement), but when a touchdown is threatened, his deceptively long stride forces defenders to take corners. Then it can sometimes be overcome, at least a little. Also, while he doesn't often make extra space on his own, he's great at putting up barriers and making the most of his teammates in an ongoing game, a skill that's been underrated. He shows a good sense of patience, leaves lumps in place and then sticks his feet on the ground and waits for it.

In the area reading game, UGA wasn't as innovative as expected for the limited package. However, the fields themselves are traditionally good at dealing with traditional reading defenses. Here he sees Dee standing next to him and backing away.

You also understand some basic alignment settings and what they mean for your readers. He often took Soft Age (DE included in EMOL) and changed his reading. Nickel is effectively read here for retention and distribution.

In the same game, he saw Nickel take the water and catch it because the defense didn't have a quarterback to look at QB.

In general, Fields understand the basics of rotation and basic alignment/number preset. It still seems like he can get confused sometimes when asked to control the direction of the run or the word, but overall he's probably way ahead of the curve in terms of the emotional side of the game.

conclusion

Fields is a very natural shooting game, capable of throwing the ball across the field and into the car while throwing a flashy ball. He can threaten the defense with his feet, at least enough, even if he is not necessarily a dynamic athlete. In general, this is a great basis to work with, but it has downsides. In the next section, we will take a look at some of its weaknesses that need to be addressed.