I give him tons of credit. I may be his biggest fan. BUT When he’s off, he’s way off. And actually I think the receivers take to much criticism. I have no idea how good they are. And I mean over the last 3-4 years, not just this year.
And it was just a playful jab.
I think he has a terminal case of Husker anxiety. Something he and I both share. Emotionally, he appears to take on too much. He seems soulful and confused, which would significantly delay his processing speed. He also has a crappy QB’s coach and spent several years not knowing if the snap was going to go over his head. I don’t know how he can put up with the scrutiny that is so undeserved.
Can we agree that if he had even an average o-line and better coaches he wouldn’t need therapy for the rest of his life? And also, very few could have done any better and most would have done significantly worse. I also can’t believe he’a stayed relative heathy.
All very true. I would add that this offense just asks too much of him. 40 different formations, motions, protection schemes, before the ball is even snapped. Then he has to execute the play, which normally has several different reads in succession, and defenders running free through our young, porous line. I seriously doubt even Mariota or Milton could hack it in Lincoln right now.
I once heard an old, very successful HS football coach say that he ran at most, 8 plays, because 'even though most boys like the game, the average thought in their heads is about 3 things, and none of those thoughts have anything to do with football.' This goes for college athletes, too, to some extent. He has classes, grades, a girlfriend, social life, etc.
I dislike Iowa very much, but Ferentz has a formula he's stuck to for more than 2 decades now: simple plays, simple reads. Focus on fundamentals, defense, special teams. Petras gets an easy snap under center, quick and efficient (most of the time), turns around, hands off/fakes the hand off, boots. Simple, predictable, but effective. On the boots/waggles, he has 2, maybe 3 easy reads, and if they aren't there, he can scramble or throw the ball away. It isn't flashy or super exciting, and once again, I DON'T want to be Iowa, but who's ranked 5th in the country, and who isn't?
