Iowa's Great Offensive Line and Senior QB

[1977Hawkeye]

Boyle was extremely mobile as well as Mansell, but Ferentz rejected or is rejecting both of those QBs.

He just can't make himself play a mobile QB. He was very hesitant on Beathard as well, if you remember.

KF must have really hated 2002. Brad Banks was maybe not the most skilled QB we have had, but man, what a weapon he was due to his feet. That really added another dimension to our offense that year. That's just too darned SEXY. Haven't had anything resembling that since - except for maybe the CJB situation, as you pointed out.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why Iowa doesn't recruit QB's that can run. I'm not just talking mobile where a QB can tuck it and run for 7 yards once or twice a game. I'm talking about someone that has the ability to rip off a 20-30+ yard run. Someone you can actually design running plays around.

 

[skinnykilmer17]

In this day and age, it behooves teams to have a mobile quarterback. It's such an advantage to buy time in the pocket or outside it with quick enough feet. Stanley busts his tail out there, has a strong arm, and is a good leader, but he just is too statuesque and immobile to be a top qb. Only with a rock solid offensive line can QBs like him succeed, which we evidently don't have.

The 6' 4" 225 lb. statuesque QB is so 1970's and 80's with few examples of success these days. Peyton Manning was but he had an unbelievable brain that could quickly go through his reads. Look at who the great QBs are now in the NFL-Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Mahomes, Deshaun Watson. Those guys are mobile. Even Brady is mobile enough to escape pressure.

Oh how I wish Kirk would consider this aspect more. The best 2 QBs he's had in the Kirk era were Brad Banks and Drew Tate, who were mobile guys. And on deck is another immobile statue of a QB, Petras. Sigh.

Hell the kid from Penn St beat us with his feet.

 

[revkev73]

Boyle was extremely mobile as well as Mansell, but Ferentz rejected or is rejecting both of those QBs.

He just can't make himself play a mobile QB. He was very hesitant on Beathard as well, if you remember.

An immobile and predictable QB option, with Iowa's 3-4 tough games and 5-6 fairly easy ones, pretty much guarantees a 7-5 year at Iowa and another bowl, and bonus, but a mobile QB offers a much higher ceiling, but risks upsetting daddy and getting to 6-6 or 5-7. There is always a trade off. The fan base seems to like what Iowa has been and is under KF, so, it isn't that complicated.

Hunter Dekkers, at West Sioux, is in his third year of starting HS, already has two state titles, holds the state passing records and is a left handed and mobile QB, 6-3, 220...life-long Iowa fan, signed with ISU a couple of weeks ago...The Kirk/Brian sign said...athletic, strong armed, multi-sport, mobile, creative, QBs, need not apply, I guess especially if they were born and raised in Iowa.

Iowa under KF is often quite puzzling and even moreso when it seems so predictable.

 

[Fryowa]

Iowa coaches do a good job of getting many of their O-linemen in the NFL,

That's an old narrative and it hasn't been true in a long time.

Since the class of 2012, take a wild guess how many offensive lineman actually play snaps in the NFL.

3.

Scherff, Daniels, and Blythe. The only other guys from that entire time period who are even on NFL rosters are Boettger, Render, and Donnal, and they don't play. So we have 3 guys out of 7 draft classes who see the field.

Since BF took that unit over and now Kirk's little elf Polasek, Iowa's OL production is a shell of what it used to be. We are not in any way, shape, or form OL U anymore.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

KF must have really hated 2002. Brad Banks was maybe not the most skilled QB we have had, but man, what a weapon he was due to his feet. That really added another dimension to our offense that year. That's just too darned SEXY. Haven't had anything resembling that since - except for maybe the CJB situation, as you pointed out.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why Iowa doesn't recruit QB's that can run. I'm not just talking mobile where a QB can tuck it and run for 7 yards once or twice a game. I'm talking about someone that has the ability to rip off a 20-30+ yard run. Someone you can actually design running plays around.

Simply put, KF has never and does not believe in putting the team's QB at risk. He feels eventually they will get an injury playing that style.

 

[westender]

In this day and age, it behooves teams to have a mobile quarterback. It's such an advantage to buy time in the pocket or outside it with quick enough feet. Stanley busts his tail out there, has a strong arm, and is a good leader, but he just is too statuesque and immobile to be a top qb. Only with a rock solid offensive line can QBs like him succeed, which we evidently don't have.

The 6' 4" 225 lb. statuesque QB is so 1970's and 80's with few examples of success these days. Peyton Manning was but he had an unbelievable brain that could quickly go through his reads. Look at who the great QBs are now in the NFL-Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Mahomes, Deshaun Watson. Those guys are mobile. Even Brady is mobile enough to escape pressure.

Oh how I wish Kirk would consider this aspect more. The best 2 QBs he's had in the Kirk era were Brad Banks and Drew Tate, who were mobile guys. And on deck is another immobile statue of a QB, Petras. Sigh.

That Stanzi kid and that Beathard kid were turrrible weren't they?????????????

 

[westender]

I was at the PSU game, it seemed like every time Stanley dropped back to pass, he had Lion defenders on him in just a matter of seconds.

That and when you cannot run the ball effectively it just gums up all else. Makes playing D a lot easier.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

Iowa coaches do a good job of getting many of their O-linemen in the NFL, but as a unit they seemed to be over-hyped year after year. I'm not going to name individual players in college but their are a couple on that line that maybe shouldn't be starting. Does KF have an allegiance for certain upperclassman players that he likes?

Stanley is having no time back there and is pretty much a statue. I don't want to harp on Stanley but the fact is if I talk about the QB position, everybody will know who I'm speaking of anyway. Why doesn't Iowa get more out of their senior QB's? I get that Stanley puts up great numbers an knocking on the top 2-3 in a few categories at Iowa, but let's face it, he hasn't done the greatest against tough competition or in the BIG conference in general. I think he hovers around .500 in conference play.

Does anybody remember this play in the 3rd Q? Stanley saw the LB to the L of him looking like he was going to blitz from just outside the DE on that side. Stanley audibles the play to a slant run to the side of the blitzing player that he saw. Now if you have a great O-line (see Wisconsin) you may be able to block that for a gain, but Iowa's line hasn't been producing in the run game or protecting well. Why the hell are you running into that blitz? It's those kinds of decisions that I have to wonder. A senior QB!!

Offense scheming and play calling. Why hasn't Stanley had a couple designed runs to help loosen these defenses up a bit. What do they have to lose. The just keep having him go back to a collapsing pocket. The coaches have GOT TO come up with some quick hit short passes to offeset some of these blitzes. Make it one damn read for a guy in space.

Stanzi had a very good senior year, but the team didn't. But Stanzi's late-season 2010 season suffered from exactly the same fate as Beathard (2016) and Stanley (2019): poor line play brought about by injuries and/or OL guys playing out of position. It's simple as that.

As for "designed" runs, let's just say that "Stanley" and "designed runs" is very much of a "need-to-pick-the-right-time-and-place". Stanley on a QB sneak? All day long. Designed run? Let's not push it.

And before everyone gets on Stanley's case for "mobility", he had a great play where he got away from blitzing PSU players, moved to his left and threw a great pass on the run for a first down.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

You run into the blitz because that player is vacating space in the defense opening up a lane. What you hope happens is protection picks up the blitz or the RB makes someone miss. The Iowa line and RBs aren’t doing either

A RB can make someone miss if he has some space. Our OL isn't creating it.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

I freaking agree. This is my point about a senior QB and what is supposed to be an O-line with 1-2 possible 1st and/or 2nd round NFL draft players. People need to realize when a blitz happens, they are pretty much giving the offensive team a "fast-break" opportunity to bring in a basketball analogy. You are offering a fast-break chance to the offense to exploit.

This is why Iowa in the past was always so reluctant to blitz players. They didn't want to give the opposing offense a fast break chance.

As you point out, if you have a team and QB that can exploit it, it can be profitable. This right here is the entire point of my thread title. It's all about being able to handle the blitz with this supposedly great O-line and senior QB. You sir, got the whole point of it! Good job.

Except, you also need to be able to run, AND have adequate enough blocking to delay the effect of the blitz. See anything missing, here?

 

[hawkeyebob62]

Boyle was extremely mobile as well as Mansell, but Ferentz rejected or is rejecting both of those QBs.

He just can't make himself play a mobile QB. He was very hesitant on Beathard as well, if you remember.

Not that hesitant on Beathard. The reservation on Beathard was that he tended to throw--ALWAYS--to his first option, and when flushed, locked on one receiver downfield. That improved markedly, hence, CJB being elevated. If you remember his pick-6 against Purdue, he never even went to his second read. But he also took that as an opportunity to improve and, much like Stanzi, shrugged off the play as if it didn't happen.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Not that hesitant on Beathard. The reservation on Beathard was that he tended to throw--ALWAYS--to his first option, and when flushed, locked on one receiver downfield. That improved markedly, hence, CJB being elevated. If you remember his pick-6 against Purdue, he never even went to his second read. But he also took that as an opportunity to improve and, much like Stanzi, shrugged off the play as if it didn't happen.

Stanzi was terrific at flushing the bad plays. Not all QB's are good at that.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

Stanzi was terrific at flushing the bad plays. Not all QB's are good at that.

Actually too many are NOT good at it. The "great" ones are, though. Probably the ballsiest in that regard is Roethlisberger. I have never seen anyone shrug off crappy plays the way he has. He's almost TOO much that way, he's the type that would throw a pick-6, then next series audible himself to run a bootleg just to show how much brass he has. It may not always work, but the guy has it.

 

[HuckFinn]

Stanzi and CJ both got injured.

 

[Iowa Tex]

Haha! This one made me laugh because there's a lot of posters who are in for a very rude awakening next year at the QB position.

If Mansell leaves good luck. Nate 2.0 isn’t as mobile and the line won’t be as good. That’s not a great recipe for success.

 

[okeefe4prez]

Stanzi and CJ both got injured.

And Drew Tate. Tate's shoulder was hamburger his senior season.

 

[N8theGr8]

That's an old narrative and it hasn't been true in a long time.

Since the class of 2012, take a wild guess how many offensive lineman actually play snaps in the NFL.

3.

Scherff, Daniels, and Blythe. The only other guys from that entire time period who are even on NFL rosters are Boettger, Render, and Donnal, and they don't play. So we have 3 guys out of 7 draft classes who see the field.

Since BF took that unit over and now Kirk's little elf Polasek, Iowa's OL production is a shell of what it used to be. We are not in any way, shape, or form OL U anymore.

I somewhat agree in that we are no longer OLine U, but we have 3 future NFL starters on the line this year in Wirfs, Jackson, and Linderbaum. Wirfs and Jackson may even be starting in the NFL next season. Polasek is just awful at preparing them for what they'll see on a weekly basis from the defenses.

And it appears we're likely to trend down too, because just imagine what next year will look like without Wirfs and Jackson.

 

[westender]

The Hawks offense, The Slowest Show on Earth. Just the opposite of the Rams offense with Warner.

 

[Fryowa]

I somewhat agree in that we are no longer OLine U, but we have 3 future NFL starters on the line this year in Wirfs, Jackson, and Linderbaum. Wirfs and Jackson may even be starting in the NFL next season. Polasek is just awful at preparing them for what they'll see on a weekly basis from the defenses.

And it appears we're likely to trend down too, because just imagine what next year will look like without Wirfs and Jackson.

Wirfs I agree on (which I've mentioned); Jackson is definitely regressing and Linderbaum has a lot of ball to play against Big Ten DLs before you can make that assumption.

 

[SCHawkeye2]

That's an old narrative and it hasn't been true in a long time.

Since the class of 2012, take a wild guess how many offensive lineman actually play snaps in the NFL.

3.

Scherff, Daniels, and Blythe. The only other guys from that entire time period who are even on NFL rosters are Boettger, Render, and Donnal, and they don't play. So we have 3 guys out of 7 draft classes who see the field.

Since BF took that unit over and now Kirk's little elf Polasek, Iowa's OL production is a shell of what it used to be. We are not in any way, shape, or form OL U anymore.

Completely agree.