Don't Take the Stanzi Out of Stanzi
Much has been made this spring about Ricky Stanzi's efforts to reduce his interception total. Stanzi and the Iowa coaching staff ought to be careful, though, not to reign Stanzi in too much. A big part of the Hawkeyes' success in 2009 was Stanzi's free-wheeling style. He and his dynamic receiving duo of Marvin McNutt and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos figure to pace Iowa's offense again this year. No good will come of a timid, conservative Stanzi too afraid to get the ball to his playmakers.
15 interceptions is easy to quantify. Stanzi started ten games. That's about a pick-and-a-half per game. The interception total is exasperated by the fact that four of those picks were returned for touchdowns. It seemed that Stanzi was talked about as much for his interceptions as he was for his clutch performances. The fact is, none of these interceptions had an impact on Iowa's won-loss record. Iowa didn't lose a game in which Stanzi threw a pick-six and Stanzi's interception against Northwestern had no bearing on the final score (his fumble did, but he was hit hard and injured on the play, and this article isn't about fumbles).
What did affect Iowa's success was Stanzi's willingness and ability to get the ball to his playmakers, especially in the clutch. Had Stanzi thought twice, he might not have hit McNutt for the win at Michigan State or tossed that jump-ball to Moeaki against Wisconsin just to name a few.
Brett Favre has made a hall of fame career out of gunslinging, but he is almost as well known for boneheaded, ill-advised interceptions. Favre's final pass last season was possibly the worst pass in the history of the NFL. Favre threw the ball down the middle of the field, across his body with his team in range for the conference-title-winning field goal. Favre's bungle directly cost the Vikings a shot at the Superbowl. Yet ask any Minnesota or Green Bay fan (The Jets have already deliberately forgotten Favre) if they would take Favre under center and you'll get a nearly unanimous yes. You don't want to take the Favre out of Favre.
Not to compare Stanzi to a future hall-of-famer, but the Iowa QB certainly has the same make-up. Unlike Favre, though, Stanzi never choked when it counted. Most of Stanzi's gaffes were early, allowing the defense and the rest of the team to pick him up, and come away with the win.
Iowa is risking losing the moxie that makes Stanzi special. The key, and it is yet to be seen if the Iowa coaching staff can do it, will be to get Stanzi to lower his interception total without putting a voice in his head that makes him afraid to throw any risky pass, like the ones Stanzi threw to win games last year.
Athletes must constantly strive to get better. While Ricky Stanzi has proven himself to be a winner, that doesn't excuse him from the need for improvement. Stanzi should be commended for wanting to improve his play. But it must not lead to changing the fundamental style of the player.
The 2010 Iowa Hawkeyes seem poised to compete for the Big Ten and national titles. They do so not in spite of their streaky quarterback, but because of his leadership and playmaking ability, especially in the clutch. This year's squad should be able to withstand turnovers by their QB.
Iowa, as is well known, has a stout defense. Even with a short field caused by a turnover it is a tall task to score against Iowa. In 2009 Iowa ranked 10th in the nation in scoring defense even with the 11 short fields set up by Stanzi picks.
Ricky Stanzi doesn't have the proficiency of Chuck Long, the cannon of Chuck Hartlieb or the smooth athleticism of Brad Banks, but he is a proven winner, and with a Rose Bowl or national title this year it will be hard to argue any of those players above Stanzi as the greatest QB in Iowa history, but it won't happen if you take the Stanzi out of Stanzi.
-Matt Mitchell
Spring Game Update
Ricky Stanzi went 7-11 with no picks in Saturday's spring scrimmage. He was able to effectively get Mcnutt and DJK involved in the offense. This bodes well for Iowa this fall. If Stanzi can cut back the picks without cutting back the playmaking, Iowa is set for a fun season, and Stanzi will be mentioned with the greats.
15 interceptions is easy to quantify. Stanzi started ten games. That's about a pick-and-a-half per game. The interception total is exasperated by the fact that four of those picks were returned for touchdowns. It seemed that Stanzi was talked about as much for his interceptions as he was for his clutch performances. The fact is, none of these interceptions had an impact on Iowa's won-loss record. Iowa didn't lose a game in which Stanzi threw a pick-six and Stanzi's interception against Northwestern had no bearing on the final score (his fumble did, but he was hit hard and injured on the play, and this article isn't about fumbles).
What did affect Iowa's success was Stanzi's willingness and ability to get the ball to his playmakers, especially in the clutch. Had Stanzi thought twice, he might not have hit McNutt for the win at Michigan State or tossed that jump-ball to Moeaki against Wisconsin just to name a few.
Brett Favre has made a hall of fame career out of gunslinging, but he is almost as well known for boneheaded, ill-advised interceptions. Favre's final pass last season was possibly the worst pass in the history of the NFL. Favre threw the ball down the middle of the field, across his body with his team in range for the conference-title-winning field goal. Favre's bungle directly cost the Vikings a shot at the Superbowl. Yet ask any Minnesota or Green Bay fan (The Jets have already deliberately forgotten Favre) if they would take Favre under center and you'll get a nearly unanimous yes. You don't want to take the Favre out of Favre.
Not to compare Stanzi to a future hall-of-famer, but the Iowa QB certainly has the same make-up. Unlike Favre, though, Stanzi never choked when it counted. Most of Stanzi's gaffes were early, allowing the defense and the rest of the team to pick him up, and come away with the win.
Iowa is risking losing the moxie that makes Stanzi special. The key, and it is yet to be seen if the Iowa coaching staff can do it, will be to get Stanzi to lower his interception total without putting a voice in his head that makes him afraid to throw any risky pass, like the ones Stanzi threw to win games last year.
Athletes must constantly strive to get better. While Ricky Stanzi has proven himself to be a winner, that doesn't excuse him from the need for improvement. Stanzi should be commended for wanting to improve his play. But it must not lead to changing the fundamental style of the player.
The 2010 Iowa Hawkeyes seem poised to compete for the Big Ten and national titles. They do so not in spite of their streaky quarterback, but because of his leadership and playmaking ability, especially in the clutch. This year's squad should be able to withstand turnovers by their QB.
Iowa, as is well known, has a stout defense. Even with a short field caused by a turnover it is a tall task to score against Iowa. In 2009 Iowa ranked 10th in the nation in scoring defense even with the 11 short fields set up by Stanzi picks.
Ricky Stanzi doesn't have the proficiency of Chuck Long, the cannon of Chuck Hartlieb or the smooth athleticism of Brad Banks, but he is a proven winner, and with a Rose Bowl or national title this year it will be hard to argue any of those players above Stanzi as the greatest QB in Iowa history, but it won't happen if you take the Stanzi out of Stanzi.
-Matt Mitchell
Spring Game Update
Ricky Stanzi went 7-11 with no picks in Saturday's spring scrimmage. He was able to effectively get Mcnutt and DJK involved in the offense. This bodes well for Iowa this fall. If Stanzi can cut back the picks without cutting back the playmaking, Iowa is set for a fun season, and Stanzi will be mentioned with the greats.
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