Wes Bunting of NFP--Scout's Notebook on Stanzi.

A

albertyoungisgood

Well-Known Member
The view of someone who doesn't drink the kool-aid.

"I’ve been impressed with the play of Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi all season long, but I just can’t tell anyone I think the guy is going to be a starter at the next level, and watching him run the Iowa two-minute drill Saturday was just another reason why. He doesn’t have the type of arm to fit the ball into tighter spots, he seems a bit slow to react and decipher info when forced to throw through the teeth of a defense and he gets high and inconsistent with his footwork at times when asked to not play within himself. And despite the fact he made a big throw to keep the drive alive, there were simply too many inconsistent/poor decisions littered throughout to make me feel confident in saying, “I want this guy to start for me in the NFL.â€￾ Looks more of a solid reserve to me."

Saying someone can be an NFL backup QB should not be considered an insult.
 
Pretty fair assessment. He is a quality QB, but just as some coaching decisions baffle me, so does some of Stanzi's play at times (ie: throwing to 3yard routes when if caught the clock will run out). Might not be a bad idea for the Hawks to incorporate a little "2 minute-drill" work in games once in a while just to prepare them for when they actually need to execute it.
 
I don't get the feeling that Ricky throws many balls to his second or third reads. It's either a home run or nothing.
 
Wasn't Tom Brady drafted in the 7th round? No, I am not comparing the two but just askin
 
Ricky was throwing into a strong wind the whole 4th quarter.
I have said all along he will be holding a clipboard next year and maybe the next 3 years,but has all the measurables to play qb in the NFL, unlike all other Iowa qbs since Chuck Long. He just needs to go to the right team. Jim Sorgi has been Mannings backup for half a decade...and he sucked at Wisconsin.
 
"Poor build, very skinny and narrow, lacks mobility and the ability to avoid the rush, lacks a really strong arm."
 
I don't think Ricky will play meaningful time at the next level....Ricky either decides who he is going to throw to in the huddle. or makes his progressions but he goes short to long instead of long to short.
 
JHHawk said:
Ricky was throwing into a strong wind the whole 4th quarter.
I have said all along he will be holding a clipboard next year and maybe the next 3 years,but has all the measurables to play qb in the NFL, unlike all other Iowa qbs since Chuck Long. He just needs to go to the right team. Jim Sorgi has been Mannings backup for half a decade...and he sucked at Wisconsin.
Click to expand...

I would agree with this.....He will probably need to sit for a couple of seasons. It will have to be with the right team and the right situation for him to actually play and have success. Kansas City and Seattle come to mind as a good places for him to go.......Come in as a 3rd or 4th round pick with minimal expectations would probably be ideal.


Btw, Why does everyone seem to forget about Mark Vlasic? He is probably the only Iowa QB to have any type of NFL success in the last 30 years.
 
I don't really disagree with his views too much. Though he is being critical of one game. Aside from the last series in Arizona, i still think that was one of Stanzi's best performances this year.
 
My concern with Ricky at the next level would be his ability to pick up the complexities of an NFL playbook, regardless of what team gives him a chance, and he will get a shot. I watch us week in and week out and I generally know what routes are coming in what formation, down/distance, etc. I have to think this is because they can not put more in or mix it up because our personnel get confused. I've just seen too much confusion at times and indecisiveness through this season when there really shouldn't be any. Not by a guy who works and prepares as hard as Ricky does. I really thought this year would be like shooting fish in a barrell for Rick and the Hawks, but that just hasn't been the case.
 
I don't think any of us can say right now whether Ricky will be able to play at the next level. Our coaching staff is not very good at developing the NFL skill set in QBs. (This is not meant to be a complaint about our coaches, just an observation.)

If a top flight QB coach got a hold of Ricky he might surprise everyone.
 
bradk6 said:
My concern with Ricky at the next level would be his ability to pick up the complexities of an NFL playbook, regardless of what team gives him a chance, and he will get a shot. I watch us week in and week out and I generally know what routes are coming in what formation, down/distance, etc. I have to think this is because they can not put more in or mix it up because our personnel get confused. I've just seen too much confusion at times and indecisiveness through this season when there really shouldn't be any. Not by a guy who works and prepares as hard as Ricky does. I really thought this year would be like shooting fish in a barrell for Rick and the Hawks, but that just hasn't been the case.
Click to expand...

I disagree. Let's be honest, this is a coaching staff that the trickiest of trick plays is a reverse so the lack of "openning things up" can't be put on Stanzi. This the same offense that Banks ran, that Chandler ran, that Tate ran (obviously a little different b/c we don't have Brownlee as the only tailback). It would be like getting mad at someone for not knowing Algebra when they are only given a simple arithmetic teacher.

I think that Stanzi's down to earth mentallity, mixed with his work ethic of being the first guy in, last guy out will go a long way at the next level. Talent and measurables can only take you so far. Look at Manning and Leaf. Two similar guys when it came to ability, but one put in far more work off the field than he did on it and now one is a first ballot HOFer and one is coaching middle school fball somewhere.
 
Last edited:
imported_golfinghawkeye said:
I don't think any of us can say right now whether Ricky will be able to play at the next level. Our coaching staff is not very good at developing the NFL skill set in QBs. (This is not meant to be a complaint about our coaches, just an observation.)

If a top flight QB coach got a hold of Ricky he might surprise everyone.
Click to expand...

Agreed. As far as getting the ball out quickly or effectively running a two-minute drill, that assumes this coaching staff has a two-minute drill. If they do, they sure haven't pulled it out this season. So I don't know whether Ricky's had much of a chance to show whether he can run a hurry-up, no-huddle offense with time running out.
 
As for the NFL, the upside for Stanzi is Todd Collins. He's probably another Mark Vlasic. He is not better than Matt Cassell and has no hope to be so.
 
I will say this if Jim Sorgi can hold a clipboard in the NFL for 7 years Stanzi sure as hell can. Stanzi is 10 times better then that guy ever was.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Share this page

Top