Despite lack of playing time, Stanzi works to improve
 

By ADAM TEICHER

The Kansas City Star
Despite lack of playing time, Stanzi works to improve.

For quarterback Ricky Stanzi, the final week of the season appears destined to be much like the first and all the others in between. What little practice work he gets will be limited to helping the Chiefs’ defense prepare for Sunday’s final game of the season against the Broncos in Denver.

It is difficult, if not impossible, for a young quarterback to develop that way. But it speaks loudly to what the Chiefs think of Stanzi that in a 2-13 season where they have continually displayed the need for a quarterback, they haven’t given Stanzi a look.

It seems like a wasted season for his development, but Stanzi at least believes he is a better player than he showed during what for him was a rough preseason.

“Every year, you develop,” he said. “There’s no wasted year. You may not be on the field, but there’s been a lot of time spent on watching film, working on footwork, working on the fundamentals, working on your throwing. You’d like to be playing, but you can always get better, and that’s what I’ve been trying to do.”

“You would hope as a player you’re progressing through the season. It’s been great to be able to sit here, learn things and not have to be … sometimes you’re thrown in to a situation you’re not ready for.”

Stanzi looked as though he wasn’t ready to play in the preseason, particularly a turnover-filled game against the Rams in St. Louis. Coach Romeo Crennel acknowledged that the memory is difficult to shake.

“What happened in the preseason happened, but I know he’s grown as a player, grown in the classroom since that time,” Crennel said. “It still comes down to whether I decide to give him a chance or not.

“Getting him on the field becomes more difficult. Not only him, but there are many guys who are behind other guys. You take anybody who’s behind Tamba Hali. He can show improvement, but his chances of getting on the field are not going to be great unless there’s an injury situation.”

The preseason has been over for almost four months, but it is hard for a backup to prove he is a better player since he gets little in the way of meaningful practice time.

“It’s difficult but in practice you can show the progress you’re making, whether it’s fundamental things or your decision making,” said Brady Quinn, who is now the Chiefs’ starting quarterback but was a backup for most of his NFL career. “Everything you do is on film, and it’s not as if the coaches aren’t watching that film.

“That’s one of the biggest differences between college and the NFL is that you have to take it upon yourself to get better each day and to prepare yourself. You don’t get the work that the starters do.”

Crennel indicated that Stanzi was taking that work seriously.

“It’s hard in that situation because he only gets show-team reps,” Crennel said. “On the show team, you have to show that you’ve improved your fundamentals because the show team is not a real test. You’re running off (play) cards, and we circle the guy we want him to throw to so he doesn’t have to read the coverage and all those things. To his credit, he tries to read the coverage and know what coverage is being played … and know whether he would go to the guy that’s being circled. Many times, he’ll come back and say, ‘Hey, this is a set up. I wouldn’t throw to that guy normally.’ I say, ‘I appreciate that, Ricky, but we need to see the ball go to this particular spot.’

“So you can tell a little bit that he’s into it mentally by things like that. He’s made strides. If we deem that we want to give him the chance to show what he can do, then we’ll dress him and see if there’s an opportunity for him to get into a game.”

That won’t happen Sunday unless Crennel has a dramatic change of heart. Stanzi’s contribution will again be to imitate in practice the opposing quarterback, in this case Denver’s Peyton Manning.

It’s not like playing, but it’s all Stanzi has.

“You get to go against the first-team defense,” Stanzi said. “You get to go against some great defenders. You get to work on some of your things. You treat it like a game. You take it seriously and you make it count. If you do that, you’ll be a better player.”

Stanzi has nice hair.

I don't want to hear it. He sucks so bad he can't beat out the two pieces of shit we have at QB now.

Hugs.


:grouphug:

And you know this because of the geniuses doing the player evaluations?...

I know they are ****ing idiots. I also know they are desperate ****ing idiots who will try anything to save their jobs.

He better not be on this team next year. If he can't find the field during this season, he's not an NFL QB.

So he works and still fails!

:shake::spock::facepalm:

There is not one damn QB ahead of Stanzi that can be compared to Tamba Hali. What a stupid statement.

Except Tamba is actually, you know, a good player. :doh!:

Many times, he’ll come back and say, ‘Hey, this is a set up. I wouldn’t throw to that guy normally.’ I say, ‘I appreciate that, Ricky, but we need to see the ball go to this particular spot.’


I think this says a lot right here. Coaching sucks !

:eek:

I agree the coaching sucks, but how does that statement add to it?

It would be absolutely stupid for Stanzi to not get any playing time this week. Stupid from an evaluation opportunity standpoint, and stupid from a motivational standpoint.

So he will be inactive.

FYP.

This isn't true. Pioli is too proud. He is stuck in his ways.

"Stanzi looked as though he wasn’t ready to play in the preseason, particularly a turnover-filled game against the Rams in St. Louis." As opposed to Cassel who wasn't ready to play in just about every regular season game. Sounds like something right out of a Three Stooges movie. There, I've set someone up.

Always leaves a question in your mind, doesn't it? Then again, those are the same ones who picked him. So who knows....

Not only would it give them something to evaluate him off of, but would help him to better understand where he needs to improve this offseason. If he were to light it up next preseason, he could potentially have some trade value or solidify himself as a capable backup. Sure would be nice if he got that playing time....

Grocery sacker soon

That was my initial reaction as well.

What kind of deluded thought process is going on in RAC's head if he even remotely thinks that the mess at quarterback is even remotely similar to the outside linebacker position?

They're telling him to throw the ball a certain place instead of allowing him to make his reads on throw to the guy that is, you know, open...

This offense, no matter who is under center, is near the bottom of the league in YPA. Why do you suppose that is?

Let's presume that Stanzi is physically and mentally talented enough to play QB in the NFL.


How on Earth would he possibly improve enough to see with the 2 turds ahead of him as mentors and this herd of green apple splatters coaching him up?

He'll never succeed because the people in this organization never wanted him to succeed.

I've seen it too many times in my years playing hockey. It's hard to over come those odds.

He has a shit QB that Pioli signed for way too much money to be inactive and Quinn, who everyone has been thinking "what if" all these years.

Same ones that drafted him.

Exactly! Why people are still supporting this kid is beyond me. If he can't beat out Cassel and Quinn he shouldnt have a job.

I dont care how great his hair looks blowing in the wind, while holding a clipboard.:banghead::banghead::banghead::doh!::banghead::banghead::doh!:

This.

If Pioli wanted to stay here he would have made Crennel start Stanzi to give him an outside chance of winning and keeping his job.

Stanzi must be horrific.

So the same folks that continuously said Matt Cassel was a good QB are suddenly ONE HUNDRED PERCENT ACCURATE in their assessments of the other QBs on the roster?

They play Eric Berry at LB and put Tyson Jackson on the field game after game, but when it comes to Ricky Stanzi, they're smart enough to know he doesn't belong on the field.

:rolleyes:

Yeah, because Pioli knows what good QBs look like. After all, he traded a 2nd for Matt Cassel and gave him $60M.

Don't worry htis - NOT going to enter this thread & argue how bad stanzi sucks...

I don't think he's getting a fair shake. I'm not sure we can equivocally say whether he's worse than the two in front of him--seriously, do you trust the coaching staff THAT much? why? we've been fed the bullshit all year--'he's not good enough to get playing time.' yet they'll play cassel until they HAVE to pull him?!?

yeah. I don't trust this coaching staff, neither should you. I think the kid has talent, and I'd like to SEE them GIVE him a chance to show said talent. if he flames out, OH NOES, WE'RE GOING TO LOSE ANOTHER GAME!

their handling of stanzi? yet another crime committed by the worst coaching staff/front office in the NFL.

Because this board so badly thinks that any QB drafted by us is better than a retread. So far, it's never panned out.

Stanzi has to be ****ing atrocious. End of story.

And I'm trying to remember what idiot that was that talked me into the whole "Quinn got a raw deal and really could be something awesome if given a chance."

who was it?

I don't even think he should play. I don't care if he plays a down as a Chief. I don't care if he retires.

I'm just pointing out a clear and obvious double standard.

Yes, and Terrance Copper is a better WR than Steve Breaston.

/RAC

Cassel and Stanzi are both Pioli guys. Why wouldn't Pioli and Crennel let him play?

I agree. He shouldn't be thrown to the wolves in denver with a playoff hungry crowd. I love the idea of denver going into the playoffs with an 11 game winning streak.

:rockon:

You're assuming they know what a good QB looks like.

"I'm not a smart man Clark, but I DO know what Tom Brady looks like."

I don't think there's a down side to playing him either. This coaching staff has made so many calls that are questionable at best, that you have to then question almost ever choice they've made. Like you said, what's the worst that could happen, another loss?

They stuck with Matt Cassel for over 3 years and only benched him when fans started flying banners and giving up their season tickets.

The replaced him with Brady ****ing Quinn.

Tom Brady might as well be a super model because Scott Pioli doesn't have the first clue about QBs.

THIS IS EXCITING NEWS!

I made that point a billion times.

They are desperate. Being a good evaluator of QB has nothing to do with it. Why wouldn't they play Stanzi?

Thanks for solidifying that stanzi sucks ;)

They're not desperate.

Obviously.

Steve Breaston is inactive.

They're still playing petty roster games despite that fact that everybody knows they're getting canned.

An unknown quantity is just that, an unknown quantity.

Division by zero has the same outcome each & every time

Zero is a known quantity, Stanzi is not.

Sorry, should have stated by A zero...

Ditto

:clap:

Seriously, how can the quarterback play get any worse. We ran for over 300 yards rushing and still lost. Brady most memoriable play was throwing a horrible pick 6. I don't care how bad of a quarterback Stanzi is but I am almost to the conclusion that anybody can go out there and play better than the the pieces of shit we have under center. It has gotten so bad that I am pining for the days of Thigpen and Huard. There is no reason not to play Stanzi and see what he has. However, almost all of RAC decisions leave me :banghead: so can't say I'm not surprised.

Pioli was extremely attached to Cassel, and I think Crennel is extremely attached to Quinn. That kinda leaves Stanzi out in the cold, even though Cassel and Quinn are extremely shitty so we may as well have played Stanzi. Who cares though at this point? GENO!

Ahh, back to the questions no one will ever answer...

If you're convinced Stanzi is a flaming piece of dog shit, why do you care if he starts? Are you afraid he'll cost us a playoff spot? Are you afraid of being proven wrong?

Say you're a big Stanzi fan...Wouldn't you want to see him get a chance to show up all the naysayers?

And if you don't have an opinion one way or the other on Stanzi, why would you care if he plays?

I just would like to see him play out of sheer curiosity...Why don't you?

I don't even care at this point other than to say this team wastes roster spots on mediocre players every year.

just like Croyle, he will walk with buttloads of cash for basically doing nothing.

Ricky, we need a clean up on isle 3, Ricky clean up on isle 3......

Tamba is playing well. Quinn and Cassel take the game of football back 70 years.

Exactly.

Read it again. He does that while QBing the show-team. They want him to throw to a particular spot to emulate what the other team does. It's not his job, in that situation, to be Ricky Stanzi. It's his job to impersonate the tendencies of whomever is the opposing QB.

I believe the "box" that the coaching staff has presumably put Stanzi in is the reason for his slow development.

The greater question is will anyone ever love Ricky Stanzi?

Which means he's not getting a chance to show them what HE can do.

I don't see what's so ****ing hard about this.

He's the 3rd string QB on one of the most poorly coached and run teams in the HISTORY OF FOOTBALL.

Is it possible he sucks? ABSOLUTELY. Is it a foregone conclusion? Only if you're a narrow-minded moron.

Stanzi has a bigger arm than Quinn or Cassel, and is almost certainly smarter -- he got 30 on the Wonderlic. Pioli's handling of the QB position since he has been here is so bizarre no words I can think of do it justice. It could be that Stanzi is as bad as the trash Arizona trots out there, or it could be that Pioli is insane, or both.

I agree. But I also wouldn't put it past them to be afraid to play the boom bust guy who could make this team look even worse if he's not ready. Either that or if stanzi plays well, that's fuel for the wwe should have drafted a qb crowd.

Either way... There's no excuse. It feels like they won't play stanzi because they are worried about their jobs instead of the future of the franchise.

Abslutely the same responses as the last time I posed these questions in a "Stanzi" thread..."He sucks!", "He can't beat out Cassel or Quinn!", "He played crappy in a preseason game once, he can't be any good!"...

You morons are pathetic...Not a single one of you can come up with a valid reason to not let Stanzi play a game.

You sound like a bunch of Romeos at a press conference.

This.

Who knew carrying a clipboard required improving upon?

I know its not his style, but i'd still like to see Clark step into this... he paid for the mfer, why wouldnt he want to see what he bought and if its worth keeping?

Everything about this club has been 100% reeruned this year, it defies the imagination.

I'm glad to hear he's polishing his elite clipboard holding skillz.

Mikey quoting himself...LMAO

Are you forgetting who the person who drafted him is? That alone is enough to tell us he sucks.

I don't want to see him play in THIS game since we have the first overall pick on the line. I have no idea how he would play (probably badly), but I don't want to take the chance. If we were picking later, like 5th or so, I'd be all for seeing him play out of sheer curiosity.

Pioli is trying to hide Stanzi for his next team./Stanzi nut huggers

Stanzi must have been the one who jacked up Pioli's peanut butter and jelly sandwhich.

Congratulations.

You are so far the only person attempting to answer the question of why Stanzi shouldn't get to play.

ROFL

Shut up, you reerun.

At least Arizona is trotting options out there. The Chiefs throw the same failure out there week after week. What does that say to your team when you can't possibly be bad enough to play yourself out of the lineup?

Grandpa Romeo wants to give Brady all the action he possibly can after telling him that he won't have to look over his shoulder.