The TD he threw to Bitter down the left sideline showed touch and accuracy. Purdy's durability has left us with a replacement without a ton of reps but from what we've seen he looks the part. Some on here need to stop worrying about the what ifs.
Throwing downfield needs more that Dekkers arm
- Thread starter blood94
- Start date
Not to take it away from Brock, because after all he stuck it out and earned it, but I think just about any average to above P5 QB could have broken almost all of the same records at ISU if they started the same amount of games with this team. To be frank, the QB records at ISU were trash.
Watching live puts into perspective how often Purdy was running for his life. Against any decent DL or DC who knows our biggest weakness, Purdy was running as soon as he completed his drop. Gameplanning against our offense was really easy. 8 guys in the box to stop Breece, blitz on passing downs and watch Purdy backpedal and throw up a prayer. He doesn't have the arm strength to overcome throwing off platform against pressure. When he got good protection, his deep ball was fine more often than not.
How many reps do backup QBs usually get? He played quite a bit this year and even got into the OU game with a lot of pressure to perform.
I've said it before and it bears repeating: Purdy was definitely the best choice for us at QB for his first 2 and maybe 3 years. We NEEDED someone like him -- a never give up guy that scrambles to make plays. But as the rest of the team got better, he became a bit of a liability this year, and I wish Dekkers would have seen more play time, because I believe his ceiling is quite a bit higher. I'm not saying we should have benched Purdy, but a few more drives with Dekkers after the WVU loss would have been nice to see.
You know, to avoid a slow September start next year. . .
Dekkers has an it factor that was evident in high school. Will be fun to see if that translates.
In the past we rarely had a QB stay healthy all year is the point I was making. I don't think we've had a QB waiting in the wings in my lifetime (and I'm old) better suited to take over than Dekkers.
That's what I keep trying to tell my wife before I head to work.
I don't think inexperience is a concern of mine for Dekkers. Like you made note of, he got valuable reps vs OU, reps that mattered, not just garbage time against Kansas. He also got some run vs Iowa when the game was in doubt but not fully decided. I think my biggest concern for him at this point is how will his pocket presence be, how will he respond to pressure, ie will he be able to avoid pass rush or will he stand like a statue in the pocket and just take it from the defense. Also accuracy will be a question mark, as we've been spoiled by the most accurate passer in ISU history the last 3.5 years. Dekkers has a stronger arm than Brock but as we've seen in the glimpses we've had, he has a ways to go in the accuracy department and knowing when to throw a rocket and when to put a little touch on it. Either way, it will be fun to see how he progresses and I'm excited to see how it plays out with him.
Yeah, I think maybe Sage is the only one, and it wasn't like I knew for sure he was primed to take over, but he obviously was. (that's in 26 years following for me)
Different era so numbers are a bit skewed but Dekkers will blow that 52% completion percentage out of the water.
That was gonna be my callout -- he's gotta learn some touch. You don't need to rocket every single pass on a rope to somebody, nor is that going to help 50+ yards downfield. Deep throwing isn't just arm strength, it also requires arc and accuracy. Fortunately, these things can be taught and practiced.
That's why I'd like to see ISU come out of the gate better in September and put away teams ... and let the backup QB especially get more game experience.
Maybe have a spring game, also.
My take on the shot plays in 2018 / 2019 v. 2020 / 2021 is that the coaches have tried to make the offense operate within the designed scheme vs. more of a backyard style of football we saw in Brock's Fresh, Soph years.
I don't think Purdy is a Rodgers / Brady / Manning style qb (that is not an insult those are literally some of the best QBs in the last 25 years). Key is, Purdy's style is more backyard, gun slinger, pump fake, try to make a play off script. See if option 1 is open, if not, toss it up to Butler and see what happens or take off, give a pump fake and pick up a few yards with his feet.
In his Jr/Sr years, the coaches asked Purdy to read the def, go through his progressions, throw in rhythm, operate within the scheme... etc. This has been a challenge for him (imho) and often he throws the ball "behind" the guy because he is waiting to see if he is open or he is throwing out of rhythm. He is not anticipating where the guy will be open based on the def and throwing to the spot. This is hard to do (not trying to over simplify what is being asked). But I don't think that this is Purdy's strength.
If he plays back yard football (think Johnny Manziel at A&M) would he have had more success the last 2 years? Not sure... but looking at the stats he had more yds/gm, TDs/gm, higher Yds/Att and higher QB ratings his first two years. His second 2 yrs were less prolific but he had a higher comp%. Year 1 he had Butler, Year 2 he did it with Jones / Milton. I don't think it was as much about the WRs as it was the style of play, and what the coaches asked him to do.
Last edited:
Wallace was the best QB I ever saw at ISU. I love Prudy and all he has done for ISU. Saying he is 2nd best should not be an insult ... but some here will say it is.
Go watch the ISU vs. Iowa game from 2002.
Then look at the talent around the two QBs.
Wallace made play after play after play put the team on his back at times and carried them to the win. Did they win every game? No. Go watch the FSU game... The guy made plays.
Purdy is an excellent player who played 4 yrs at ISU with the most talent ISU has ever had. Put Wallace on these teams for 4 yrs he would have all the records too.
Show me the games Purdy put the team on his back for a come from behind win. I am not trashing him. He is an excellent player who made plenty of plays that helped us win games. But I did not see him put an average / below average team on his shoulders week after week and carry them to wins. He played within the scheme and helped guide the most talented teams we have ever had to the most successful run we have ever had. He is among that talent and is a big reason why we have had this success. But I think many are caught up in the moment. Not every player needs to be the best ever just because we are having the most success we ever have as a team.
That is just my take though...
Last edited:
Dekkers has been a student of the program for a few years now. He's listened to every play called. He's been through every practice. He's traveled and knows the system. We are fortunate to have him in place. He's participated in well under 1% of the plays on the field which is really the only mystery at this point. How will he look over multiple quarters and multiple games is of course a mystery and being Cyclone fans we tend to think the worst. I've seen comments regarding his accuracy, and yes, they are correct ... but what a tiny tiny sample size of his ability. He's had no chance to get into rhythm. He's been put into spots coming off the bench having not broken a sweat in warmups for hours. In front of huge crowds. Do you know how freakin difficult that is? I'd say given his student teaching and how he's performed under those conditions is reason to be very optimistic. I think when he's "the man", the game will slow down for him and we will be very pleased.
Arm strength is not an issue at all, short passes are. If you watch him in the limited time he had there was more drops or passes going over heads. He tries to throw to fast instead of accurate. Hopefully that is fixed before fall. Before the third quarter of the last home game he was throwing footballs from the 40 to the opposite endzone. Throwing 60 yards with ease and they were getting there fast. Did anybody else see that.
I think it's reasonable to think Seneca was better. I was at the FSU game, and his play in that game was maybe the most exciting feat I've witnessed from an ISU player. He was great, and he definitely didn't have the supporting cast or coaching that Purdy did.
But I have a hard time with the argument that Seneca was more of a "put the team on his back for a win" quarterback. Despite Seneca's talent, ISU got beaten badly in a lot of his starts, especially against good teams. That's just a fact. Brock wasn't as flashy, but his accuracy and decision making absolutely were major reasons we won so many games during his career. Many of those wins were against teams ranked much higher than us.
Like I said, I think it's a good argument both ways. I will be surprised if Purdy hangs around in the NFL as long as Wallace did, so maybe that's another mark in Wallace's favor.
Wallace had elite accuracy. The difficulty in his attempts much greater.
The fact is ISU has never had a defense that has showed up in basically all but 3-4 games over 4 years. That’s the fact you’re looking for. Combine that with some of the best receivers and RB in program history, and you should be in every game.