Stanley’s a hawk and props to him for that but he killed us sometimes n never came up big or clutch in any big moments (minus OSU and Against Lil Debbie)
I don't know, that's a little off. I mean, he was 3-0 in bowl games. He laid some eggs, though, too. I think people go too far either way on him, especially the people who think he was a dud. The people who think he's a day 2 draft pick seem a somewhat deluded, too. He wasn't the best QB Iowa's ever had, but he was pretty damn good, really.
He never got Wisconsin figured out until the fourth quarter this year and by then it was too late. He struggled against the top defenses and occasionally had "wtf?!" games against teams that weren't great, but that was before this year--he won all the games he was supposed to win this year, no brainfarts like against Purdue in years past. Unfortunately, he struggled like hell against Michigan and Penn State. He missed some deep throws at times that would have changed some games, but he also hit some huge throws, too. He improved a bit every year he was a starter and he improved the team's overall record each year as well (8-5, 9-4, and 10-3).
But ... this thread was supposed to be about Petras. He's had two years in the system already whereas Stanley started his true sophomore season. All indications are that Petras has all the gifts Stanley had--the arm strength, the intangibles--but with apparently a bit more outspoken confidence and a little bit more pocket presence. Plus, he apparently throws a great deep ball. I don't necessarily expect him to be better than Stanley was as a senior and he will probably have some head scratchers as a first year starter, but I think he might have a higher ceiling than Stanley and maybe a more natural feel for the game--I'm going off of what other people have said watching him practice, from coaches and players, last year's spring game, as well as watching him on some online videos.
I'm excited about Petras and I think we should all be able to be excited about him without throwing Stanley under the bus because Nate contributed a lot to Iowa's program (and it was fun as hell watching him go out with a bang against USC).