Who benefits more from time off: Kirby Smart or Cardale Jones?
By Ethan Levine
Published:
When Alabama and Ohio State meet in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day with a national title game berth on the line, they’ll have had 26 days to prepare since their regular season finales.
Both teams won their conference title games in convincing fashion, beating a pair of ranked opponents by a combined score of 101-13. That was on Dec. 6.
But sometimes an extended break from the field can do a team some good. Wounded players can heal for the postseason; teams can focus on certain details that could make all the difference in a bowl game; coaches can get creative with their game plans and teams can use the time to grow closer as a unit before putting their season on the line.
Both Alabama and Ohio State have players and coaches who will benefit tremendously from the nearly four weeks away from the field.
For Ohio State, the man who benefits the most is former third-string quarterback turned starter Cardale Jones.
Jones made his first career start in the Big Ten championship game, leading the Buckeyes to a resounding 59-0 rout of Wisconsin. He gained some vital live-game experience and learned to appreciate the speed of the game at the Division I level.
Now he has four weeks to grow as a quarterback and apply what he learned against Wisconsin before leading OSU through its playoff run.
Jones can develop timing with his wideouts and can establish his command of the offense. He can gain a better understanding of Urban Meyer’s system, meaning Meyer will be able to open up the playbook when the Buckeyes take the field in New Orleans.
The break between the regular season and the Sugar Bowl was the perfect remedy for OSU’s highly talented but inexperienced quarterback.
But it would be naïve to think the time off wasn’t benefitting Alabama as well, especially defensive coordinator Kirby Smart.
Smart has one of the most brilliant defensive minds in the game today, and has turned down numerous head coaching offers while leading what is consistently one of the top defenses in America. Give him four weeks to prepare, and he’ll come up with more than a few clever tricks or unorthodox looks.
The seventh-year coordinator knows Jones’ biggest weakness is not his ability as a quarterback, but rather his lack of experience playing in OSU’s offense. Smart will likely take advantage of that weakness by giving Jones a number of looks he’s never seen before.
Jones has a month to study every snap the Alabama defense has played, not just this season but in the last handful of seasons. The quarterback who “doesn’t play school” will go to school on Alabama’s defense in an effort to counter Smart and his unit of talented stars with NFL futures.
So how will Smart respond? He’ll use the time off to draw up brand new coverages and blitz packages that he’s never used in a game before. He may not overhaul his entire scheme, but in critical situations he may give Jones a few looks he’s unfamiliar with, which could mean trouble for the Buckeyes offense.
Ultimately, both Jones and Smart stand to benefit from the time away from the field. But when push comes to shove, the more intelligent party will always get more out of the extended hiatus.
This is not meant to disrespect Jones, but Smart is the more intelligent party in their upcoming showdown. Jones’ comments about his approach to school showed what many consider a lack of maturity, while Smart is as smart as any coach in the land (pun intended).
He’ll make the adjustments necessary to overwhelm Jones on a big stage, and Alabama will have a great chance to advance through the semifinals as a result.
When Alabama and Ohio State close the book on their own winter break, look for Jones to be the man flexing his mental muscles in New Orleans.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
