COLUMBUS, Ohio — On the first day of August, on one of his final days of freedom before the rigors of fall camp began two hours down Interstate 71 South, Cardale Jones spent an afternoon in Berea, Ohio, watching the Cleveland Browns take part in their training camp.
At the time, Jones’ visit to the Browns facility seemed innocuous.
After all, Berea is just down the road from Jones’ hometown of Cleveland. More importantly, one of his top targets from his playing days at Glenville High School, Shane Wynn, was in the process of trying to make the Browns as an undrafted free agent.
But following Ohio State’s season-opening win over Virginia Tech on Monday, Jones’ late-summer visit to Berea could prove to be more prophetic than it was anything else. Because in his re-debut as the Buckeyes starting quarterback, Jones’ play elicited audible gasps from more than just the NFL scouts who were in attendance at Lane Stadium.
By the time Ohio State had wrapped up its 42-24 victory over the Hokies, #FailForCardale was not only trending on Twitter but had been specifically linked to Browns fans. The message from the Cleveland fanbase was clear: Lose as many games in the upcoming season as it takes to wind up with a draft pick high enough to select Jones in 2016, where he is already viewed as one of the top quarterback prospects.
Sometimes, the tweets were done in jest, and sometimes, they were serious. But it’s already apparent it will be more than just the…
Continue Reading: #FailForCardale: Is Cardale Jones Destined to Be a Cleveland Brown?
