First off, I come in peace.
It’s no secret quarterback play has been much-maligned throughout Kirk’s tenure. The question naturally becomes: why?
Let’s start with Jake Christensen. He was highly touted coming out of high school, whose dad played in the NFL. Obviously, he never lived up to the billing. Okay, recruiting is a crapshoot and busts happen.
James Vandenberg. IIRC, was a prolific passer in high school whose Iowa career looked promising when he stepped in for injured Ricky Stanzi at the Shoe and played phenomenally. Needless to say, it went downhill from there.
Jake Rudock. Was derisively known for “check downs,” but finished his college career at Michigan, where he excelled in Harbaugh’s first year.
Nate Stanley. A genuine case of Jekyll and Hyde. We all remember his phenomenal games against USC and OSU as much as we do debacles like his performance at Penn State.
We don’t need to recap Spencer Petras, although it’s worth noting (for those who don’t know) Petras was a 4-star prospect who broke all of Goff’s passing records in high school. I don’t care how good his high school team was, you don’t put up those numbers if you can’t throw.
So here’s my question: Is the Iowa offense “too complex” and/or not quarterback friendly? I know the “too complex offense” has been a source of jokes on here, but seriously. There’s clearly a long list of quarterbacks during Kirk’s tenure who have been downright dreadful, many of whom came to Iowa with a lot of accolades. Yes, I understand the quarterback position is difficult. Yes, I get there are busts in recruiting, but it seems to me there’s a pattern here spanning fifteen years.
So, in short, is it the system or quarterback development? Or both? Or something else?
Oh, and yes, another thread about Iowa quarterbacks. If that’s how you view it, no problem. I’m not asking you to participate in the discussion, so please feel free not to leave snarky comments. Thanks.
It’s no secret quarterback play has been much-maligned throughout Kirk’s tenure. The question naturally becomes: why?
Let’s start with Jake Christensen. He was highly touted coming out of high school, whose dad played in the NFL. Obviously, he never lived up to the billing. Okay, recruiting is a crapshoot and busts happen.
James Vandenberg. IIRC, was a prolific passer in high school whose Iowa career looked promising when he stepped in for injured Ricky Stanzi at the Shoe and played phenomenally. Needless to say, it went downhill from there.
Jake Rudock. Was derisively known for “check downs,” but finished his college career at Michigan, where he excelled in Harbaugh’s first year.
Nate Stanley. A genuine case of Jekyll and Hyde. We all remember his phenomenal games against USC and OSU as much as we do debacles like his performance at Penn State.
We don’t need to recap Spencer Petras, although it’s worth noting (for those who don’t know) Petras was a 4-star prospect who broke all of Goff’s passing records in high school. I don’t care how good his high school team was, you don’t put up those numbers if you can’t throw.
So here’s my question: Is the Iowa offense “too complex” and/or not quarterback friendly? I know the “too complex offense” has been a source of jokes on here, but seriously. There’s clearly a long list of quarterbacks during Kirk’s tenure who have been downright dreadful, many of whom came to Iowa with a lot of accolades. Yes, I understand the quarterback position is difficult. Yes, I get there are busts in recruiting, but it seems to me there’s a pattern here spanning fifteen years.
So, in short, is it the system or quarterback development? Or both? Or something else?
Oh, and yes, another thread about Iowa quarterbacks. If that’s how you view it, no problem. I’m not asking you to participate in the discussion, so please feel free not to leave snarky comments. Thanks.