As OTAs continue, Dwayne Haskins showcases his skills

“Though he has a long windup on his throws, the ball gets out plenty fast. He also seemed quicker in the pocket than some of his NFL Scouting Combine numbers would suggest. Haskins certainly isn’t fast, but he’s not a plodder either. That said, Keenum does seem to have the advantage in squirting through the line of scrimmage and keeping plays alive”

— JP Finlay | NBC Sports Washington

With rookie minicamp done, it’s on to OTAs for the new draft class. So far, Dwayne Haskins is one of the new professionals of the NFL to garner the attention of the media. In a report from JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington, the former Buckeye “made a number of impressive throws” for the Redskins. This is good news if you’re a fan of the NFC East squad, as they could be heading into a quarterback duel this August. Last season, Washington lost Alex Smith to injury, and he’s still recovering. With Case Keenum, Colt McCoy and now Haskins on the QB depth chart, all three will be vying for the starting and backup jobs in the short term.

But for Haskins, there seems to be some things he could improve upon. In the article by Finlay, he said that coach Jay Gruden likes a QB that can maneuver through the line of scrimmage. Right now, that’s something Keenum does well—and he’s got NFL experience. Haskins is more of a pocket passer, but in last season’s game against Maryland, he proved that he can take the ball and run. If Alex Smith misses substantial time in the 2019 season, Keenum — at the moment — looks to be the guy to beat.

Preseason training camp is still a couple months away, but seeing reports that Haskins is impressing this early on is a good sign. More improvements during the OTA period could help lead to an increased role in the preseason, thus giving more quality snaps in the four preseason games.

“Searching for a home, Day stayed for a job. Looking for a life, Day stayed at a school. After 10 moves in 15 years, Day said no to the NFL, and within a year a new world opened up for a coach who had never been in charge of a program before.”

— Doug Lesmerises | Cleveland.com

Packing up and bouncing from house to house, coaching staff to coaching staff is one of the cons of being in the football business. For Ryan Day and his family, deciding on making Columbus a long-term home was part of the reason he stayed at Ohio State when the NFL came looking for an offensive guru.

In an article by Doug Lesmerises, he delves into an option Day had prior to Urban Meyer’s departure from the Buckeye program. One option would’ve been with the Tennessee Titans as a coordinator. Mike Vrabel, a former Buckeye player and coach, heads the Nashville team, and would’ve liked to bring in a fellow member of the Meyer staff to the AFC South contender. But nope, Day stayed. Who knows, maybe Day could’ve been a head coach in the NFL right now.

But, that would’ve meant changing at least one more city, adding to an already long list of stops in his career. Settling down somewhere, especially with kids, looked to be a priority for Day. Ohio State afforded him that opportunity as a QB coach and coordinator, but when he got the head coaching job, it assured him that he’d be in Columbus for the foreseeable future.

There are pros and cons in the college football coaching world; there are pros and cons in the NFL coaching world. But if you’re looking for a place that give you more time to be in one location/school/team, then college football is the way to go. And it looks like Day made the right move.

Depending on how young you are, this poll may yield different flashbacks. Tony Gerdeman put out the question early Tuesday, asking what Michigan State loss hurt the most.

The 2015 game in Columbus was basically the rain game, where J.T. Barrett kept the ball on the ground in the form of read options. The game was dull, the Buckeyes clearly had more talent, but somehow lost the game. MSU lead for exactly zero seconds, but got another remarkable victory on the season (this was the same year as the blocked punt against Michigan) en route to the Big Ten Championship. In the Meyer era, this team was probably the best to not win a title.

Just a couple years prior to that game, the 2013 Big Ten Championship was another heartbreaking loss for the Buckeyes. With Braxton Miller and a near two-year unbeaten streak, the Buckeyes had a chance to punch their ticket to the BCS Championship Game at the Rose Bowl. It appeared they had Michigan State on the ropes, but a 24-20 lead entering the fourth quarter evaporated. Faced with a fourth down around mid-field, a stretch run fell short, thus giving us the first loss of the Urban Meyer era at Ohio State.

Younger people may have selected the 2015/2013 game as the worse loss. But anybody who was around for the 1998 game knows how painful that loss was. 1998 was the year that Ohio State was destined to beat Michigan, destined to be National Champions. But Michigan State got in the way. For a more in-depth look at the blowout that never was, you can read about it here.

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