So I'm doing my "once through the sports sites read" this morning and I come across this story.
It's tough to imagine Cardale being on "the outs" so soon after being drafted in the fourth round last year but we all know that the NFL can be a funny thing, to say the least.(Looking at you Devin Smith)
So here's how the article breaks down. It starts out talking about open competitions at Bills camp this off season but the real focus of the piece is how Cardale fits into the "open competition" picture:
Shortly after he became the new General Manager of the Bills, Brandon Beane said that the team will have “open competition everywhere” on the roster and included quarterback in that promise.
As I read the article through my scarlet colored glasses, I'm thinking this sounds like a good thing for 12 Gauge, right? Not so fast though, here's the next couple of paragraphs:
At the moment, however, the only real competition at the position appears to be in the backup ranks and it doesn’t seem to be going well for Cardale Jones. T.J. Yates has been running the second team this offseason with Jones getting less time than rookie Nathan Peterman in a typical practice. In a two-minute drill Wednesday, that meant Jones threw got one rep because he was intercepted to end the session.
“You kind of sit around all day, try to go in there. You wait on your opportunity all day,” Jones said, via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. “Your number is called, and you kind of didn’t take advantage of it. I just checked it down to the running back a little too high. Just basically trying to get [the pass] over the D-line. I didn’t follow through on the throw all the way and it sailed over his head and right into the linebacker’s hands.”
It's not too much of a stretch for us fans of tOSU to believe that all Cardale needs is a shot. Just an opening that would allow him to showcase his talents and show the Bills (and the rest of the NFL) exactly what he brings to the table.
Shoot, you guys remember how he went from the "I didn't come here to play school" guy to the third string savior of the 2014/15 Undisputed National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes, right?! All he needed was the opportunity and once he got it... well, we all know how that ended!!
The article wraps up with how this may affect Cardale in Buffalo and how it may simply mean his opportunity may not come in Buffalo but perhaps in another NFL city.
Rodak reports that it is “difficult to envision” Jones moving ahead of Yates and Peterman was drafted with the current coaching staff in place, which may leave the 2016 fourth-rounder to move on in search of an NFL future.
Just my two cents but perhaps Cardale doesn't get "his shot" in Buffalo but I'd say this story is far from over and maybe even hasn't gotten started yet.
In either case, here's a link for the short read.
We'll have to wait and see how it all plays out but let's not forget that once upon a time, Cardale was third on the depth chart in Columbus and like we've experienced first hand, things on the gridiron can change... and in a hurry!
Until then, he'll always be Cardale Jones, First of His Name, Poacher of Badgers, Controller of Tides,Slayer of Ducks, Troll Sultan, and 12th Son of Ohio and how can that be wrong?!
