Hours of film study put Stanzi on top of his game

This past summer in Iowa City, Ricky Stanzi didn't have a job.

Sure, he had the summer workouts and all the Iowa quarterback stuff that goes along with that, but that filled up only so many hours of the day. And yes, he walked into what would be his third season as Iowa's starter. Yes, he had a sterling 18-4 record as a starter and basked in the “Love it or leave it” quote coming off the Orange Bowl victory.

Still, no job. Well, except Iowa quarterback. And let's not kid ourselves. That's a job.

Video study always was a major part of Stanzi's routine. This summer, he earned his black belt in it.

“He came to us with his requests as if he had a plan for what he was looking for and what he wanted to get out of the video-watching experience,” Iowa video coordinator Matt Engelbert said. “In May, we made every game of our 2010 opponents played from the previous year available for him to study during May, June, July and August.”

That's carried over to the fall and now you see the results.

Stanzi has gone from unsafe at a lot of speeds - as last season's 15 interceptions can attest - to a football graduate student.

“He has a parking spot. I'm joking,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said with a laugh. “That's an NCAA violation.”

Through six games, Stanzi has completed 99 of 145 (68.3 percent) for 1,474 yards, 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions. His 180.5 pass efficiency leads the Big Ten and is third in the nation.

Stanzi has the physical tools. He stands nearly 6-foot-5 and weighs 230 pounds. His arm is accurate and strong. He moves well and is a terrific passer on the run.

You don't want to make too much out of his diligence with the video projector, but then you hear him talk about it and you know it's crucial part of his routine.

It's where he finds comfort and confidence.

“When you get here, so much information is thrown your way as a football player,” said Stanzi, whose record as a starter is 23-5 (13-2 at Kinnick and 12-4 in the Big Ten). “I remember (offensive coordinator Ken) coach O'Keefe telling me on my high school visit, ‘When you leave here, you'll know football.'

“He wasn't lying. I've learned so much about the game of football, the checks, the fronts and little things that people don't even look at. You're football IQ jumps a little bit each year. I think that's natural if you're doing the right things as a program and watching film in the off-season and paying attention during the week.”

This summer, he took the film to a practicum level.

Stanzi is so versed in opposing defenses, he's “that guy.” He's the kid in the front of the class who blurts out the answer before the question is halfway out of the teacher's mouth.

“You can't stay in there with him,” wide receiver Colin Sandeman said. “You get to like two hours and you're just like, ‘Rick, I've got to go. I've got to go, like, do something.' He can just stay in there for hours.”

Stanzi credited David Raih, a first-year graduate assistant with Iowa who played QB for the Hawkeyes from 1999-2002, for his increased focus.

“You really need to be in tune when you get into that film room,” Stanzi said. “It's definitely a mental exercise. You put the phone away. All the distractions and anything that can take your focus away, and you're very critical with your eye and you kind of train yourself to do that.”

Stanzi watches for scheme, of course. Following one of Raih's suggestions, he's also started watching games instead of pure “cut-ups,” specific situations usually based on down and distance. He believes it helps him get a feel for what kind of defense will be called in a particular situation. He's also started keying into personnel.

“Personnel is huge,” Stanzi said. “It's not something I watched for in the past. I never worried about it until almost a day before the game. ‘Oh yeah, what are their numbers again?' You're just so worried what their schemes are. But now, personnel hints at a lot of things defenses do and I'm surprised I never focused on it before. It's been a huge tip in picking things up.”

The goal is comfort and confidence. If that takes 20 to 30 hours, in the QB classroom, clicking away at a projector shooting out digitized video on a screen in a dark room, so be it.

“You never want to leave without being sure about something, so you stay as long as you need to,” Stanzi said. “Sometimes you watch something too many times ... (but) I'd rather watch it too many times and have the right look than not understand it.

“In an average week ... I don't really keep track of

the hours. We're here everyday and we're watching at least three to four hours of film on our own as players. I think that's what it takes to be comfortable. The main thing is you want to be comfortable and you want to be confident.

“That's how you play your best.”