So, obviously, the situation with Gronowski's surgery and recovery time is disappointing. It may end up being OK, but you can't argue that missing spring reps means we are missing valuable opportunities for the offense to gel.
That said, I think it's worth thinking about what the coaching staff could have, or should have, done, once they learned that Gronowski would need the surgery. Here are the options, as I see them:
- Stop the recruitment of MG and stand pat with the guys you have -- Sullivan, Brown, Stratton, Sullivan, and Fitzgerald. Not a terrible QB room at all, and you cross your fingers that Sully improves or someone else steps up.
- Stop the recruitment of MG and look for another portal QB. The problem with this is that there's not much left. We already missed on Pribula. I suppose Devin Brown is still out there as a possibility, but he's unproven, and it's anyone's guess as to whether or not he would consider Iowa. (And it's entirely possible the Iowa staff already gauged interest from Brown and/or others and learned that it wasn't likely.)
- Stop the recruitment of MG and wait for the spring transfer portal to see what other QBs might be available. Pretty big gamble with this one. Who knows if any decent QBs would be available, or if they'd even be interested in Iowa.
- Stick with MG, and hope that the doctors are correct in that a full recovery will be possible by June. If not, you're no worse off than you would be if you went with option #1. In the meantime, you can use the spring for MG to get comfortable with his teammates, his coaches, and the playbook; and have more reps available for the rest of the QBs during spring practice, which should help strengthen depth and build for future development.
All things considered, I think option #4 is the smartest way to go. Far from ideal, obviously. But the best of the available options, as I see it.
