Teh facts are that Ferentz has kept a less experienced, more talented player on the bench in favor of a less talented player with more experience. He's in practice and I am not, so I guess he knows what he is doing.
That said, young guys do get their shot in this program... I see a lot of Freshmen out there..especially over the last 5 years or so.
I have found life much less stressful by not fixating on who plays. Or at least getting upset about it. The coaches literally see these guys perform 1,000 times more than we do. If you can't trust the coaches to play the best players, then there is no point in even following the team. Play-calling, overall offensive/defensive philosophy, clock management, etc. All of those seem much more open to fair criticism (and are).
But I don't get where people seem convinced that KF and the staff intentionally decide to play an inferior player over another. Like it or not, they make their decisions based on what they see in practices, meetings and the games. The overall angst of the Iowa fan base about the performance of the offense is being manifested in the QB comparison, but it really goes much deeper than that. The blending of the power running game and spread/horizontal passing game just has not worked in 2 1/2 years, and that issue will likely persist no matter who the QB is. If Rudock had been at the helm Saturday for no first downs into the second quarter, 8 3 and outs, a pick-six, etc., there would have been a meltdown of epic proportions among Iowa fans.
My guess (and this is only a guess) is that the coaches see the same things we fans do in games. Beathard has obvious advantages in arm strength, velocity and running ability. Rudock has a past history of some success (note, not overwhelming success, but some success). He did lead Iowa to comeback win over Michigan, made a money OT throw against Northwestern and was the starter for road wins against ISU, Minnesota and Nebraska. The comparisons between Rudock and Jake Christensen are silly and not correct. It appears that the current situation is at the place where the players are going to determine it with their play on the field.
When you say things like "the fact is that Ferentz has kept more talented players on the bench," how is that proved or disproved? When I see the amount of young players who receive early playing time opportunities, the only conclusion I can draw is that the staff plays the best guy (in their opinion). Just this year, Mabin is starting as a redshirt freshman, ahead of Fleming (sophomore) and Draper (junior). Bo Bower is starting at LB (older guy Travis Perry is not). Josey Jewell is playing a lot (and when he does play, guys like Alston go out, who is a senior). Nate Meier, a junior, unseated Hardy, a senior returning starter, at defensive end. On offense, a redshirt freshman (Welsh) is starting at LG ahead of lot of other older options. Parker, the redshirt RB, is making contributions. If he's in the game, it means other older guys are not. And the staff has stuck through him even with a bad, two-fumble game against Ball State. Why? Because he has shown ability and done well in practice. And their patience was rewarded with what he did against Purdue.
Is it possible that the coaches have a blind spot with Rudock/Beathard. The QB position is obviously more important than others.
