Another Buckeye was selected by the Bills, so for our Q&A I was more than pleased to chat again with our own Brett, also of Land Grant Holy Grail. He was great as always so check out the interview and give the fine folks at Land Grant some love if you’re visiting the SB Nation family of sites!
How would you describe Cardale’s time at school?
– Early on Cardale became known for something off the field. In 2012 he tweeted “we ain’t come to play school” which obviously created some waves. Before the 2014 season Cardale sat third on the depth chart. Then came news Braxton Miller would be out for the year due to shoulder surgery, which left Jones as the backup behind J.T. Barrett. In the regular season finale against Michigan, Barrett was injured which thrust Jones into the starter role for the rest of the year. A 59-0 drubbing of Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game was enough to get Ohio State into the College Football Playoff, where they toppled Alabama and Oregon to win the national title.
Heading into the 2015 season, Braxton Miller moved to wide receiver which left Jones and Barrett to battle to be the starting quarterback for the Buckeyes. Jones got the nod but didn’t really impress, being replaced by Barrett later in the season. Some of Jones’ struggles could be because offensive coordinator Tom Herman moved on to take the head coaching job at Houston following the 2014 season.
What are his strengths/weaknesses?
– Cardale’s biggest strength is the rocket launcher he has for an arm. Jones throws a beautiful deep ball but also has the size and agility to be able to run a bit and can take a hit.
– You would think with how well Jones can throw the deep ball that he’d have no problem with short passes, but that’s not the case. Sometimes Jones can be inconsistent on the easiest of throws. Compared to all the other quarterbacks taken in the draft, Jones has been on the field the least. He only started 11 games so he is still pretty raw. Some of the inexperience has shown, as he doesn’t have the greatest blitz awareness in the pocket.
Is there anything fans outside of your team wouldn’t know about him?
– Even though he gained notoriety for then “we ain’t come to play school” comment, he really grew as a person since then. Jones says he has grown up a lot since then, which was also echoed by head coach Urban Meyer.
Cardale is also a pretty fun Twitter follow (@CJ12_). Last year was especially fun at times to follow him on Twitter when proclaimed he had a crush on Ronda Rousey.
How do you think he’ll fit with the Bills?
– If brought along right, he could be the quarterback of the future. He’s in a spot where he doesn’t have to step in and play right away, so he can spend that time learning and refining his skills. Cardale has everything an NFL team would want physically from a player, now he can focus on putting the rest of his game together.
Any game(s) we should point fans to as “the game” that he stood out?
– Really any of the 3 games from the end of the 2014 when Cardale was called into action. It helped Ezekiel Elliott ran for 200+ in each of those games, but Cardale made the plays necessary when called upon. In the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin, Jones threw 3 touchdowns to Devin Smith for 30+ yards. Cardale’s truly best game probably came against Alabama just because it was a semifinal in the College Football Playoff, and he was able to help lead the Buckeyes to a comeback win against the mighty Crimson Tide.
Any stats jump out during his time at your school?
– Cardale was 11-0 in games he started at Ohio State.
In terms of his benching, do you think that it will affect him in the NFL?
-In terms of Cardale being benched I don’t think it’ll be anything that’ll hurt him too much. He knows he’s going to be on the bench when he heads up to Buffalo, so that’ll give him some time to get comfortable. If the Bills expected him start right away maybe it would be something to look at a little more, but it won’t be the case here.
Any other thoughts on him?
– Coming into the draft he was the quarterback I wanted the Bills to draft the most. Sure I might be a little biased being an Ohio State fan, but with the right coaching I think he can be a quality starter in the NFL. Success isn’t going to come right away for Jones but his size, strength, and arm are undeniable. If brought along right, Buffalo taking Jones at the end of the 4th round could end up being a steal.
Bills Draft Q&A Archive:
Round 1 – Shaq Lawson
Round 2 – Reggie Ragland
Round 3 – Adolphus Washington
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