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Joe Labas (pronounced LAY BUS) Updates + Sports Illustrated Story on how Ricky Stanzi played big part in Iowa landing him

That’s because he was sucking. Pretty sure it was because of his injury, but he was not playing well. That’s when fans think #2 should be #1. They are usually wrong, but if Iowa is getting great QB play, nobody is asking for #2. If Labas is really good, we won’t hear any calls for May, Lainez, next guy.

Nobody clamored for Jason Manson in 2004

Nobody clamored for Nathan Chandler in 2002

Nobody for Vandenberg in 2009

Nobody for Ruddock? in 2011

Nobody for “I don’t remember” in 2015
Of course if the starter is rolling people are happy. It’s how quickly some folks call for a guy to be benched that has always irked me. Fickle fans are whiny bitches, IMO. I don’t have any time for them.
 
Of course if the starter is rolling people are happy. It’s how quickly some folks call for a guy to be benched that has always irked me. Fickle fans are whiny bitches, IMO. I don’t have any time for them.
I will admit, usually a starting Iowa QB such as SP wouldn’t deservedly get as much criticism after a 10 win season, playing in the B10 Championship Game (nod to AP for his contribution toward this as well). However, this was a bit of an unusual season where the defense played extraordinarily well, while leading the nation in interceptions. Therefore QB play made one wonder, with only an above average talent, could we have possibly positioned ourselves to win the B10 championship game, and thus been a surprise playoff team?

IMO, I don’t consider myself fickle, and here’s why….Tate obviously has his better years as a SOPH/JR, but I never clamored for his change. Stanley took a little time to refine his pass capabilities, and at times was inconsistent from game to game. While he couldn’t beat his home state (WI), he did win 3 bowl games (including beat down of tOSU), and I never clamored for his change as well. From SP’s body of work over 19 games, I rate him only above Christensen from an ability to make plays when we need them standpoint. The fact that our defense and special teams has been so good lately, has really masked his QB play, so in 2022 we really need an accountable QB that will at least make the makeables consistently when we need them the most.
 
Like nobody did for Stanley, right?
Stanley got his share of criticism, much of it undeserved. I think in retrospect people realize he was a really solid QB.

Nobody...everybody...is a bit like always and never...they rarely apply. QBs are always under a microscope...it's the most visible position on the team. As such they get more scrutiny and criticism. But the idea that people are always in love with the backup is B.S. It makes a great sports cliche (and man are there a lot of em) but it's not really true.
 
I will admit, usually a starting Iowa QB such as SP wouldn’t deservedly get as much criticism after a 10 win season, playing in the B10 Championship Game (nod to AP for his contribution toward this as well). However, this was a bit of an unusual season where the defense played extraordinarily well, while leading the nation in interceptions. Therefore QB play made one wonder, with only an above average talent, could we have possibly positioned ourselves to win the B10 championship game, and thus been a surprise playoff team?

IMO, I don’t consider myself fickle, and here’s why….Tate obviously has his better years as a SOPH/JR, but I never clamored for his change. Stanley took a little time to refine his pass capabilities, and at times was inconsistent from game to game. While he couldn’t beat his home state (WI), he did win 3 bowl games (including beat down of tOSU), and I never clamored for his change as well. From SP’s body of work over 19 games, I rate him only above Christensen from an ability to make plays when we need them standpoint. The fact that our defense and special teams has been so good lately, has really masked his QB play, so in 2022 we really need an accountable QB that will at least make the makeables consistently when we need them the most.
Tate was great, his receivers and line sucked
 
If I’m not mistaken, it was Tate that beat tOSU at home with a 6th string RB no less. He definitely had some good games aside from the LSU/Sabin take down bowl game!
I’m talking about his Junior and senior years, dude was a stud
 
Tate was great, his receivers and line sucked
Depends what years ... he had perfectly good WRs in 2004 and 2005. Both Hinkel and Solomon were quite good. He had quite a prolific TE in Scott Chandler too. The OL was dog-crap in '04 ... but that was largely attributable to the fact that the group was ravaged by injuries.
 
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Story from today:

Some excerpts:

Ask Joe Labas to describe what kind of quarterback he is, and his answer doesn’t sound like the typical Iowa quarterback we’ve seen for the last 15 or 20 years.

“Long story short, I’m a dual-threat quarterback,” Labas said at the Hawkeyes’ recent media day. “I can run when I need to. Instinctual, too. I like to think I’m instinctual. Without even thinking, just knowing what to do when the bullets are flying.”

That somewhat renegade, improvisational quality can be found at all levels, from high school to college to the NFL. Give your best player the ball and let him make something happen with his arm or his legs.

Maybe that’s why Labas is such a curiosity among Hawkeye football followers. Word started getting out last winter that the 19-year-old redshirt freshman from suburban Cleveland was putting on dazzling performances while quarterbacking the Hawkeyes’ scout team. He was making the No. 1 defense look silly at times, we heard.

“The scout team is pretty much like playing football in the backyard. It’s a lot of fun,” Labas said. “They just give you a play and you go do it to the best of your ability. You try to give the defense a good look.

“I had a lot of fun with that."

“I’ve seen Joe improve on a daily basis. That’s really all you ask for,” Brian Ferentz said. “The hard part for Joe … he doesn’t have the wealth of experience of Spencer and Alex, he doesn’t have the years that those guys have. And having that experience is a huge advantage."

For better or for worse, Iowa puts a lot on its quarterbacks’ plates at the line of scrimmage. As coaches see it, Petras and Padilla are more likely to keep risk-averse Iowa out of bad plays.

“It’s a lot when you first get here. Like everybody, you’re kind of like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ll never be able to do this,’” Labas said. “But then the more you go, the more confident you get.”

Petras, a fifth-year senior, could conceivably return for a sixth season, but more than likely this is his Hawkeye finale. Padilla is a redshirt junior and would likely become the front-runner at QB in 2023. And then there’s Labas, who aims to continue to close that gap. True freshman Carson May and Class of 2023 commit Marco Lainez would then be the ones playing catch-up.



The full story:

 
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“I’ve seen Joe improve on a daily basis. That’s really all you ask for,” Brian Ferentz said. “The hard part for Joe … he doesn’t have the wealth of experience of Spencer and Alex, he doesn’t have the years that those guys have. And having that experience is a huge advantage."

you know how he gets that experience? Someone has to give it to him. I'm cheering hard for Padilla and Petras but come on. You are the one in charge of those decisions and I can't tolerate hearing how hard the playbook is or what is expected of the QBs. Most of the average Joe fans know what we are going to run, I'm sure the opposing coaches have a much better idea. (Excluding Urban Meyer)
 
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“I’ve seen Joe improve on a daily basis. That’s really all you ask for,” Brian Ferentz said. “The hard part for Joe … he doesn’t have the wealth of experience of Spencer and Alex, he doesn’t have the years that those guys have. And having that experience is a huge advantage."

you know how he gets that experience? Someone has to give it to him. I'm cheering hard for Padilla and Petras but come on. You are the one in charge of those decisions and I can't tolerate hearing how hard the playbook is or what is expected of the QBs. Most of the average Joe fans know what we are going to run, I'm sure the opposing coaches have a much better idea. (Excluding Urban Meyer)

I am surprised we get a QB each year when they have to know that they have almost no shot at winning the starting job in year 1 and year 2 (and probably in year 3)

I was hoping Joe would win the job because he would give us a dual threat that the offense needs when the play breaks down

Oh, well.
 
“I’ve seen Joe improve on a daily basis. That’s really all you ask for,” Brian Ferentz said. “The hard part for Joe … he doesn’t have the wealth of experience of Spencer and Alex, he doesn’t have the years that those guys have. And having that experience is a huge advantage."

you know how he gets that experience? Someone has to give it to him. I'm cheering hard for Padilla and Petras but come on. You are the one in charge of those decisions and I can't tolerate hearing how hard the playbook is or what is expected of the QBs. Most of the average Joe fans know what we are going to run, I'm sure the opposing coaches have a much better idea. (Excluding Urban Meyer)
Like against a FPS level opponent? Pretty good time to break in a new QB.
 
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I am surprised we get a QB each year when they have to know that they have almost no shot at winning the starting job in year 1 and year 2 (and probably in year 3)

I was hoping Joe would win the job because he would give us a dual threat that the offense needs when the play breaks down

Oh, well.
Would imagine most coaches try to get a qb in each class, most of whom would know there’s guys ahead of them.
 
All this talk about the importance of the QB being able to get the offense out of a play that’s not going to work. Every time the QB calls an audible it’s a run up the middle. How hard can that be?
I think there is a lot of truth in this, although of course not every audible is a run up the middle. But seriously, with college quarterbacks and the limited amount of practice time and experience they have can only have so many plays and audibles at their disposal. Also, over the course of the season, I would have to think that there is not much opportunity to install a lot of new plays or audibles either. So one would think that it would be pretty easy to evaluate a college quarterback, like Petras that has a lot of responsibility at the line of scrimmage, as to what his tendencies are when they are faced with a particular defensive look vs. a particular offensive alignment. You would think that defensive coordinators can analyze that pretty quickly and give certain looks to this type of quarterback to check them into the play that the defense wants them to go in to. This of course creates a few "makeables" during the game where you keep giving the defense a certain look and check into a certain play, but then break tendency and do something totally different. But that is very much a high-risk, high-reward type offense and one that makes it incredibly difficult to play from behind with.

All of that seems to be the reason, by my untrained eye, that Iowa's quarterbacks appear to digress in their senior years. Pretty much every one of them has done that under KF. In comparison, when a new quarterback comes in, with no tape to analyze, defenses have to play much more straight up because they don't know what they are getting. Atleast that is the way it looks to me.
 
I know it has been talked about a lot, but I am not sure if I ever saw the numbers before with regards to returning Iowa quarterbacks.

Under KF, Iowa has had 3 quarterbacks start for 3 years. This is how they fared:

Drew Tate: 2004 (10-4), 2005 (7-5), 2006 (6-7)
Ricky Stanzi: 2008 (9-4), 2009 (11-2), 2010 (7-5)
Nate Stanley: 2017 (8-5), 2018 (9-4), 2019 (10-3)

Of the 2 year starters, there have been 4 of those:

James Vandenberg: 2011 (7-6), 2012 (4-8)
Jake Rudock: 2013 (8-5), 2014 (7-6)
CJ Beathard: 2015 (12-2), 2016 (8-5)
Spencer Petras: 2020 (6-2), 2021 (10-4)

There have only been 3 quarterbacks that only started 1 year:

Brad Banks: 2002 (11-2)
Nathan Chandler: 2003 (10-3)
Jake Christensen: 2007 (6-6)

Not counting Petras (it is hard to evaluate the difference between 6-2 and 10-4), of the 9 opportunities that Iowa quarterbacks had to improve the team record in each subsequent year, they only did 3 times. So 67% of the time that an Iowa quarterback starts multiple years, the team record with that quarterback starting will be worse than the year before it.

Of course there are so many other factors that determine outcomes of games, but there is no ignoring that is a huge number and most would think that, at worst, should be the opposite in that a teams record should be better with a more experienced quarterback. As much as I hate to say it, the numbers are certainly not on Spencer's side here for 2022. Bright side though, Nate Stanley was able to improve the team record by 1 game in both his junior and senior seasons. So lets hope we have a little more Nate than Tate here as he has been the only Iowa 3 year starter to win 10 games.
 
I know it has been talked about a lot, but I am not sure if I ever saw the numbers before with regards to returning Iowa quarterbacks.

Under KF, Iowa has had 3 quarterbacks start for 3 years. This is how they fared:

Drew Tate: 2004 (10-4), 2005 (7-5), 2006 (6-7)
Ricky Stanzi: 2008 (9-4), 2009 (11-2), 2010 (7-5)
Nate Stanley: 2017 (8-5), 2018 (9-4), 2019 (10-3)

Of the 2 year starters, there have been 4 of those:

James Vandenberg: 2011 (7-6), 2012 (4-8)
Jake Rudock: 2013 (8-5), 2014 (7-6)
CJ Beathard: 2015 (12-2), 2016 (8-5)
Spencer Petras: 2020 (6-2), 2021 (10-4)

There have only been 3 quarterbacks that only started 1 year:

Brad Banks: 2002 (11-2)
Nathan Chandler: 2003 (10-3)
Jake Christensen: 2007 (6-6)

Not counting Petras (it is hard to evaluate the difference between 6-2 and 10-4), of the 9 opportunities that Iowa quarterbacks had to improve the team record in each subsequent year, they only did 3 times. So 67% of the time that an Iowa quarterback starts multiple years, the team record with that quarterback starting will be worse than the year before it.

Of course there are so many other factors that determine outcomes of games, but there is no ignoring that is a huge number and most would think that, at worst, should be the opposite in that a teams record should be better with a more experienced quarterback. As much as I hate to say it, the numbers are certainly not on Spencer's side here for 2022. Bright side though, Nate Stanley was able to improve the team record by 1 game in both his junior and senior seasons. So lets hope we have a little more Nate than Tate here as he has been the only Iowa 3 year starter to win 10 games.

The idea that senior quarterbacks always regress under Kirk has been debunked multiple times by now.

For Stanzi in particular, looking at the 2010 season and saying the team got worse totally ignores that 1) he had a great season statistically and 2) the defense that year got wrecked by injuries and blew several leads as a result.

And honestly, how could the offense/Petras do worse than last year?
 
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And honestly, how could the offense/Petras do worse than last year?

I get your point because they were terrible last season, but you could pose the same question the opposite way. How could the offense do better? It's the same players for the most part, less Goodson, a playmaker at WR in Jones, and the best center in school history. We have the same QB and the same OC going against a tougher schedule than last season.

Obviously players can improve, but on paper it doesn't look good. And we've seen Petras/BF (the most impactful positions on an offense) for multiple years now, I don't expect much improvement there. It'll likely have to be the players around them.
 
I get your point because they were terrible last season, but you could pose the same question the opposite way. How could the offense do better? It's the same players for the most part, less Goodson, a playmaker at WR in Jones, and the best center in school history. We have the same QB and the same OC going against a tougher schedule than last season.

Obviously players can improve, but on paper it doesn't look good. And we've seen Petras/BF (the most impactful positions on an offense) for multiple years now, I don't expect much improvement there. It'll likely have to be the players around them.
Despite the huge loss that is Linderbaum at center better to look to overall improved o-line play, more power/straight ahead rbs as the source of hope for the O. If Petras is marginally better in accuracy and decision making that will be a bonus.
 
Despite the huge loss that is Linderbaum at center better to look to overall improved o-line play, more power/straight ahead rbs as the source of hope for the O. If Petras is marginally better in accuracy and decision making that will be a bonus.

As well as running backs hitting the holes better than Goodson was, receivers dropping fewer passes, etc.

It’s not hard to see basic improvements based on the tweaks to the passing game they installed, plus improved health and overall development, though perhaps not to the extent we want. I admit I was hoping for structural changes not just minor changes, but we’ll just have to see.

God help Kirk if Petras struggles to open the season tho.
 
“I’ve seen Joe improve on a daily basis. That’s really all you ask for,” Brian Ferentz said. “The hard part for Joe … he doesn’t have the wealth of experience of Spencer and Alex, he doesn’t have the years that those guys have. And having that experience is a huge advantage."

you know how he gets that experience? Someone has to give it to him. I'm cheering hard for Padilla and Petras but come on. You are the one in charge of those decisions and I can't tolerate hearing how hard the playbook is or what is expected of the QBs. Most of the average Joe fans know what we are going to run, I'm sure the opposing coaches have a much better idea. (Excluding Urban Meyer)
The thing is that Labas has to EARN it. If he scores-out high enough (in practice) to be in a veritable draw with the other guys ... then his number will be called.

Why do you think Labas saw the most reps during the Kid's day practice ... that was closer to game-speed and they were explicitly TRYING to give him those extra, valuable reps!
 
As well as running backs hitting the holes better than Goodson was, receivers dropping fewer passes, etc.

It’s not hard to see basic improvements based on the tweaks to the passing game they installed, plus improved health and overall development, though perhaps not to the extent we want. I admit I was hoping for structural changes not just minor changes, but we’ll just have to see.

God help Kirk if Petras struggles to open the season tho.
Iowa's offensive personnel in '22 isn't that ridiculously different from what we had in '17 ... and that offense was able to have some efficiency scoring points. If the O can do it's job and score ... then this team will rack up victories. If this squad scores more like we did in '07 ... then we're in trouble!
 
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Despite the huge loss that is Linderbaum at center better to look to overall improved o-line play, more power/straight ahead rbs as the source of hope for the O. If Petras is marginally better in accuracy and decision making that will be a bonus.
THIS x1000! We saw it in the bowl game re: RB's running harder, the OL blocking people quite well and even with Kentucky missing some key D members. At times it reminded us of Shon Greene trucking defenders and running over people instead of racing around the edges and looking for HR's like TG did, although to his defense a weak OL and getting hit a ton in the backfield does lead to dancing and pressure.

Formula is quite simple as you mentioned:
1. Bigger, stronger more experienced OL
2. A stable of backs who appear to run as hard as we've seen in past few years (less 2nd and 12's and more 2 and 7 ish type of situations)
3. 4 available backs for fresher legs
4. An improved and decisive SP
5. More simplistic offense
6. WR jet sweep and 3 TE or flexing LaPorta to WR or slot will help too
 
Despite the huge loss that is Linderbaum at center better to look to overall improved o-line play, more power/straight ahead rbs as the source of hope for the O. If Petras is marginally better in accuracy and decision making that will be a bonus.
Yeah agreed. I depressed myself while typing up that response, so I hope I'm wrong.

Sounds like Dunker has impressed. Has anyone heard any update on Davidkov or know what he's dealing with?
 
The thing is that Labas has to EARN it. If he scores-out high enough (in practice) to be in a veritable draw with the other guys ... then his number will be called.

Why do you think Labas saw the most reps during the Kid's day practice ... that was closer to game-speed and they were explicitly TRYING to give him those extra, valuable reps!

Oh, 100% agree. Everything is earned. But when people are struggling mightily on the field and our o line can't protect the pocket, we may need a more mobile player. Some guys are just gamers...
 
“I’ve seen Joe improve on a daily basis. That’s really all you ask for,” Brian Ferentz said. “The hard part for Joe … he doesn’t have the wealth of experience of Spencer and Alex, he doesn’t have the years that those guys have. And having that experience is a huge advantage."

For better or for worse, Iowa puts a lot on its quarterbacks’ plates at the line of scrimmage. As coaches see it, Petras and Padilla are more likely to keep risk-averse Iowa out of bad plays.



Well at least this philosophy and approach to QB play is paying massive dividends on the field.

tenor.gif
 
Would imagine most coaches try to get a qb in each class, most of whom would know there’s guys ahead of them.

Agreed. I just think that Labas and Lainez (who models his game after Brad Banks) bring something to the QB position that Iowa has not had for a long time. And it appears that the complicated play book is what is holding Joe back.

Spencer is likely done after this year (though he could return for 1 more year). Deuce left the program, of course, but apparently is already QB2 at Kentucky. Kentucky's play book must be easier?

Who knows, maybe Labas will be ready to be QB1 by next season.

The last 6 Iowa QB recruits:

 
“I’ve seen Joe improve on a daily basis. That’s really all you ask for,” Brian Ferentz said. “The hard part for Joe … he doesn’t have the wealth of experience of Spencer and Alex, he doesn’t have the years that those guys have. And having that experience is a huge advantage."

For better or for worse, Iowa puts a lot on its quarterbacks’ plates at the line of scrimmage. As coaches see it, Petras and Padilla are more likely to keep risk-averse Iowa out of bad plays.



Well at least this philosophy and approach to QB play is paying massive dividends on the field.

tenor.gif

Production aside last year, it IS a formula that’s worked far more often than not under Kirk.

I get it, it’s not the most exciting style from our perspective. For Kirk, the point is to win games and put guys in the NFL. From that POV the strategy works.
 
It still sounds to me like the coaches really like Labas. The big question is simply when he'll be ready to take over the reigns. I'm quite confident that he'll ultimately be a starter for the Hawks ... I just don't know when.

Part of the reason why I'm so bullish on Iowa's O for the '24 season is that I'm anticipating that Labas will be an experienced starter by then.
 
“I’ve seen Joe improve on a daily basis. That’s really all you ask for,” Brian Ferentz said. “The hard part for Joe … he doesn’t have the wealth of experience of Spencer and Alex, he doesn’t have the years that those guys have. And having that experience is a huge advantage."

For better or for worse, Iowa puts a lot on its quarterbacks’ plates at the line of scrimmage. As coaches see it, Petras and Padilla are more likely to keep risk-averse Iowa out of bad plays.



Well at least this philosophy and approach to QB play is paying massive dividends on the field.

tenor.gif
If the offense is so complicated that it takes several years to master, it’s a royally dumb offense to run when you have players for 4 or 5 years at most.
 
I share the belief that Kirk has grown more cautious. But the QB question is an odd one for Iowa.

They obviously can see what we all see with Spencer, right? They shopped the job last year but Alex was terrible. I think that "experience" might accelerate if Spencer/Alex doesn't improve and very significantly so. There's a new option in '22. This is a staff that never talks about "deep bench" guys, they barely talk about the playmakers.

That is either very cunning or very obvious, depending on what is really going on in practice. A good way to let Spencer play himself into a real starter or out of a job. Kind of justifies jumping Padilla. A good politically workable message that can be used to explain any one of the possible outcomes.
 
I share the belief that Kirk has grown more cautious. But the QB question is an odd one for Iowa.

They obviously can see what we all see with Spencer, right? They shopped the job last year but Alex was terrible. I think that "experience" might accelerate if Spencer/Alex doesn't improve and very significantly so. There's a new option in '22. This is a staff that never talks about "deep bench" guys, they barely talk about the playmakers.

That is either very cunning or very obvious, depending on what is really going on in practice. A good way to let Spencer play himself into a real starter or out of a job. Kind of justifies jumping Padilla. A good politically workable message that can be used to explain any one of the possible outcomes.
I don't know if they necessarily "shopped out the job" to Padilla last year ... but, certainly, due to Spencer's injury ... Alex got his shot. By and large, I think that Alex did both good things ... and "young-guy" things ... pretty much a mixed bag. Certainly, the WRs and blocking didn't do him a ton of favors ... but he didn't really announce himself as the heir-apparent either.

I think that the thing that the coaches notice with BOTH guys (Alex and Spencer) ... is that they still WON with both guys. The truth of the matter is that the guys managed to "not lose" the game as much as they managed to win them. All the same ... the team still needed to score more points than the opposition ... and they did that.

I think that if the team was really having a tough time getting over the hump AND if they weren't winning with those QBs ... I think that the coaches would be willing to have a quicker hook. Alternatively, I think that if EITHER Spencer or Alex took the reins and distanced himself from the rest of the guys ... then there wouldn't even be a QB competition. The coaches would probably prefer having a clear victor too (it allows them to avoid the possibility of any ugly locker-room politics).

Unfortunately, for now, we're probably still stuck in the quagmire (that is our QB situation).
 
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I share the belief that Kirk has grown more cautious. But the QB question is an odd one for Iowa.

They obviously can see what we all see with Spencer, right? They shopped the job last year but Alex was terrible. I think that "experience" might accelerate if Spencer/Alex doesn't improve and very significantly so. There's a new option in '22. This is a staff that never talks about "deep bench" guys, they barely talk about the playmakers.

That is either very cunning or very obvious, depending on what is really going on in practice. A good way to let Spencer play himself into a real starter or out of a job. Kind of justifies jumping Padilla. A good politically workable message that can be used to explain any one of the possible outcomes.
I'd add that CJ Beathard's completion percentage through his first 2 years was no more impressive than Padilla's was last year. Padilla did the best he could given his circumstances and his experience-level at the time. I'm sure he's advanced since then.
 
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