Still trying to make sense of Kirk Ferentz’s refusal to play another quarterback
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa quarterback Alex Padilla would have a right to be frustrated, and maybe he even feels a little offended by what his offensive coordinator said recently when asked what would be the downside to switching quarterbacks.
Padilla hasn’t been made available for weekly press conferences, or for after games since he doesn’t play, so one can only imagine how he felt when Brian Ferentz said “what’s the upside” to switching quarterbacks at a press conference last week.
It came off as a snarky and flippant remark at the expense of Padilla, and it makes you wonder what in the heck is happening at practice that would make Iowa so unwilling to give Padilla a chance just to provide a spark, considering how horrendous the offense has been this season with Spencer Petras taking every snap at quarterback.
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, who is Brian Ferentz’s father, was asked at his Tuesday press conference how confident he would be if Petras were injured and another quarterback, presumably Padilla, had to play.
“I’ve said it before publicly and feel the same way,” Kirk Ferentz said. “Alex has played, stepped in, and did a good job. I’m guessing he’ll do a that. He’s practicing well. In our opinion, Spencer is practicing better right now. It’s kind of where it’s at. I think we have two guys that have experience that we feel good about and act like quarterbacks.
“I’m not suggesting the other guys don’t. They’re just younger right now. They’re further along in the development.”
Padilla, a fourth-year junior, started three games and played three quarters of a fourth game last season, and Iowa won all four of those games.
But he also completed less than 50 percent of his passes and he was benched and replaced by Petras for the second half against Nebraska in the regular-season finale.
So, Padilla didn’t do enough last season to convince Kirk Ferentz that he deserved to be the starter, and Padilla apparently hasn’t done enough in practice this season to change Ferentz’s mind.
Kirk Ferentz said again on Tuesday that Petras continues to practice better than the other quarterbacks.
Kirk Ferentz also praised Petras when asked to evaluate his performance after six games.
“He’s done a good job handling the circumstances,” Kirk Ferentz said. “That’s really going back to the evaluation question. That’s how we do it. We try to be realistic about what the picture looks like and then make a fair assessment. He’s done a lot of good things. I think he’s improved, gained confidence, as crazy as that may sound. I think he’s doing a lot of good things out there. We just need to get better collectively offense level. That’s my encouragement.”
Iowa, with records of 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten, has lost back-to-back games and is a 29-point underdog against Ohio State on Saturday.
The Iowa offense is ranked at, or near the bottom nationally in multiple offensive statistical categories, and Petras has only thrown two touchdown passes in six games.
This is arguably the worst the offense has ever been in 24 seasons under Kirk Ferentz, and that includes Ferentz’s first season in 1999 when Iowa finished 1-10.
Petras has started 25 games, but he’s getting worse from a statistical standpoint, and fans are upset and confused about the refusal to play another quarterback.
The decision to stick with Petras exclusively is hard for fans to understand because they see the product on the field and wonder why giving another quarterback a chance would make it any worse.
Another concern is if Petras were injured and couldn’t play is that no other quarterback has taken a single snap this season.
Iowa defeated Nevada 27-0 on Sept. 17 in a game that took more than six hours to play at Kinnick Stadium due to having three lightning delays, and yet, Petras still took every snap at quarterback.
What harm would’ve it have caused to have given Padilla a series or two late in the game?
But remember, this is the same head coach that had James Vandenberg take every snap during the 2012 season when Iowa finished 4-8 overall.
Greg Davis was in his first season as the Iowa offensive coordinator in 2012, but as is the case now, Kirk Ferentz decides who plays quarterback, not the offensive coordinator, even when the offensive coordinator is Kirk Ferentz’s son.
Hopefully, Brian Ferentz regrets what he said with his three-word answer to switching quarterbacks because he should regret it.
From a public relations standpoint, it was a terrible statement because it was disrespectful to the other quarterbacks.
As for Petras, it’s no fun writing about his struggles, or that he should be replaced at times, but that’s where we are with the quarterback situation.
Petras is a class act who apparently practices well and prepares to the fullest, but the success rarely has carried to the games.
But Petras isn’t to blame for how the quarterbacks are being utilized, or not being utilized.
The buck stops with Kirk Ferentz.