RobHowe
Administrator
Transcribing Quotes from this morning's presser. Adding them here as I do. Check back for updates:
Kirk Ferentz
We'll have a starter named by Monday, at the latest. Right now I'm not sure when that decision will get made. The competition remains very close. Both guys are doing a really good job. Both guys certainly have improved since the spring and they've made progress during the 19, 20 practices we've had thus far. So, we'll make a decision somewhere here in the next couple days and make that announcement on Monday and move forward from there.
I think both guys have improved but nobody is really pulling away from each other. So, it's still neck and neck and we continue to rotate the guys with the ones and twos. At some point, we're going to have to make a decision. It will happen sometime between now and Monday for sure.
It's still neck and neck and we continue to rotate the guys with the ones and twos. At some point, we're going to have to make a decision.
If one guy had pulled away by now, we would have gone ahead and named him, but right now it's still pretty close.
I don't think the translation (to the new offense) has been all that hard for them but you'd have to ask them. I think that has been pretty smooth. The biggest thing is just getting themselves comfortable and then also getting comfortable with their teammates. We have a lot of moving parts in the passing game. It's a combination of that. It would probably be easier for both of them if we just had a lot of returners on the perimeter. We don't so that's made it a little tougher for us to evaluate. But I'm comfortable we'll be ready to play next Saturday.
If (one doesn't emerge) then we will pick one. Sometimes it's not always scientific. A lot of times it's not and that's true at all positions. You judge the body of work and then we go with it. If that is the case, it's a delicate balance. You don't want whoever it is in the playing looking over their shoulder every snap. That's not healthy. We don't want that at any position. As we move forward with the season, it's true at any position, the guys that are struggling we're going to give somebody else an opportunity. We're just looking for gradual gains. That's true at every position.
(Stanley) beat (Wiegers) out (last year) and we had to make a decision there, too. And that was a close decision. It's just the way it works. Every year you evaluate differently and let guys compete. Last year, Nate was slightly ahead of Tyler and right now it's pretty much neck and neck. We'll see where it is next weekend and then probably make a decision.
It's who plays the position the best. If it was that simple (as picking who has the strongest arm), we'd have them all stand at the 50 and see who could throw it the furthest.
I like both guys. They're both outstanding young people, first of all. They're both really good students. That's not always tied into being a good quarterback but they carry themselves like quarterbacks. So, there are no bones there. They have different personalities. Every quarterback we've had over the 18 years has had a different personality and that's not the key. The key is who can move the team the best.
BRIAN FERENTZ
Both guys have done a nice job. We're certainly getting closer to a decision. Both guys have competed and made it a difficult decision but we're coming down the homestretch and we need to do what's best for the football team and I think we're getting closer to being prepared to do that.
As far as what we're looking for to manage the offense and do the things we're going to ask them to do, both guys are extremely capable. It's just going to come down to what we feel is best for the team, what gives us the best chance to win. I said it three weeks ago and I'll say it again, we'd be silly or foolish to think we're not going to need both guys before it was all said and done.
Each quarterback has different abilities but I would tell you that overall, based on what we're doing offensively, we have to take into account so many things at other spots, too, that the plan would be very similar for either guy.
I wouldn't have been surprised if (the QB competition sorted itself out) quickly and I'm not surprised that it didn't. Both guys are competent, both guys are capable, both guys are competitors and both guys are viewed by their teammates as being leaders and quarterback type players.
At the end of the day, we (coaches) have to do what we think is best for the team.
You want to look at the numbers. You want to look at the tangible data and what that says. Then you also have to go with what you see. Then you also have to go with what you feel. That's all part of the decision. That's why it's not an easy decision. If one of those things is just so obviously different, then of course that makes it an easier decision. When we're talking last year, C.J. Beathard is clearly going to have the best numbers. He gave you the best feel and he showed up the best in competitive situations. When you're looking at two guys that haven't played a lot of (college) football, it's not unexpected that it's so close but it makes it harder because now you're looking at all three of those things and you're trying to make that decision. You want to make sure that one thing doesn't outweigh the other things and being as fair as possible. That's what we're trying to do right now.
It's a little harder (to build chemistry and continuity shuffling quarterbacks in practice). We deal with it on the offensive line. We deal with it at running back. Anytime you're in practice, you're going to deal with rotations. But we do the best we can that when we get into live situations or scrimmage type situations that we keep one guy with one group just like we keep a line intact or a backfield intact the best we can so we are recreating that seven-, eight-, nine-play series where everybody is together.
If there is any division within the coaching staff on the quarterback competition - I think that would be a great story, wouldn't it, if I just came out and told you, shoot, we go in that staff meeting every day and we're as divided as Washington D.C. Anything we do we try to make a staff decision and we try to make a consensus. Ultimately, there's a chain of command and decisions have to be made. There's no division. We're all trying to find out what's best for our football team. Obviously the quarterback thing gets the most attention and I understand that, but we have other position battles going on and there's other positions where we're trying to find who those guys are going to be. Every day we're having personnel discussions and we're trying to put our best 11 on the field.
Kirk Ferentz
We'll have a starter named by Monday, at the latest. Right now I'm not sure when that decision will get made. The competition remains very close. Both guys are doing a really good job. Both guys certainly have improved since the spring and they've made progress during the 19, 20 practices we've had thus far. So, we'll make a decision somewhere here in the next couple days and make that announcement on Monday and move forward from there.
I think both guys have improved but nobody is really pulling away from each other. So, it's still neck and neck and we continue to rotate the guys with the ones and twos. At some point, we're going to have to make a decision. It will happen sometime between now and Monday for sure.
It's still neck and neck and we continue to rotate the guys with the ones and twos. At some point, we're going to have to make a decision.
If one guy had pulled away by now, we would have gone ahead and named him, but right now it's still pretty close.
I don't think the translation (to the new offense) has been all that hard for them but you'd have to ask them. I think that has been pretty smooth. The biggest thing is just getting themselves comfortable and then also getting comfortable with their teammates. We have a lot of moving parts in the passing game. It's a combination of that. It would probably be easier for both of them if we just had a lot of returners on the perimeter. We don't so that's made it a little tougher for us to evaluate. But I'm comfortable we'll be ready to play next Saturday.
If (one doesn't emerge) then we will pick one. Sometimes it's not always scientific. A lot of times it's not and that's true at all positions. You judge the body of work and then we go with it. If that is the case, it's a delicate balance. You don't want whoever it is in the playing looking over their shoulder every snap. That's not healthy. We don't want that at any position. As we move forward with the season, it's true at any position, the guys that are struggling we're going to give somebody else an opportunity. We're just looking for gradual gains. That's true at every position.
(Stanley) beat (Wiegers) out (last year) and we had to make a decision there, too. And that was a close decision. It's just the way it works. Every year you evaluate differently and let guys compete. Last year, Nate was slightly ahead of Tyler and right now it's pretty much neck and neck. We'll see where it is next weekend and then probably make a decision.
It's who plays the position the best. If it was that simple (as picking who has the strongest arm), we'd have them all stand at the 50 and see who could throw it the furthest.
I like both guys. They're both outstanding young people, first of all. They're both really good students. That's not always tied into being a good quarterback but they carry themselves like quarterbacks. So, there are no bones there. They have different personalities. Every quarterback we've had over the 18 years has had a different personality and that's not the key. The key is who can move the team the best.
BRIAN FERENTZ
Both guys have done a nice job. We're certainly getting closer to a decision. Both guys have competed and made it a difficult decision but we're coming down the homestretch and we need to do what's best for the football team and I think we're getting closer to being prepared to do that.
As far as what we're looking for to manage the offense and do the things we're going to ask them to do, both guys are extremely capable. It's just going to come down to what we feel is best for the team, what gives us the best chance to win. I said it three weeks ago and I'll say it again, we'd be silly or foolish to think we're not going to need both guys before it was all said and done.
Each quarterback has different abilities but I would tell you that overall, based on what we're doing offensively, we have to take into account so many things at other spots, too, that the plan would be very similar for either guy.
I wouldn't have been surprised if (the QB competition sorted itself out) quickly and I'm not surprised that it didn't. Both guys are competent, both guys are capable, both guys are competitors and both guys are viewed by their teammates as being leaders and quarterback type players.
At the end of the day, we (coaches) have to do what we think is best for the team.
You want to look at the numbers. You want to look at the tangible data and what that says. Then you also have to go with what you see. Then you also have to go with what you feel. That's all part of the decision. That's why it's not an easy decision. If one of those things is just so obviously different, then of course that makes it an easier decision. When we're talking last year, C.J. Beathard is clearly going to have the best numbers. He gave you the best feel and he showed up the best in competitive situations. When you're looking at two guys that haven't played a lot of (college) football, it's not unexpected that it's so close but it makes it harder because now you're looking at all three of those things and you're trying to make that decision. You want to make sure that one thing doesn't outweigh the other things and being as fair as possible. That's what we're trying to do right now.
It's a little harder (to build chemistry and continuity shuffling quarterbacks in practice). We deal with it on the offensive line. We deal with it at running back. Anytime you're in practice, you're going to deal with rotations. But we do the best we can that when we get into live situations or scrimmage type situations that we keep one guy with one group just like we keep a line intact or a backfield intact the best we can so we are recreating that seven-, eight-, nine-play series where everybody is together.
If there is any division within the coaching staff on the quarterback competition - I think that would be a great story, wouldn't it, if I just came out and told you, shoot, we go in that staff meeting every day and we're as divided as Washington D.C. Anything we do we try to make a staff decision and we try to make a consensus. Ultimately, there's a chain of command and decisions have to be made. There's no division. We're all trying to find out what's best for our football team. Obviously the quarterback thing gets the most attention and I understand that, but we have other position battles going on and there's other positions where we're trying to find who those guys are going to be. Every day we're having personnel discussions and we're trying to put our best 11 on the field.
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