Although a depth chart is printed and published in black and white, it is far from that simple to manage the decisions, the players, and what the potential fallout could be from shuffling stuff.
This week saw the Iowa Hawkeyes shuffle the depth chart in the biggest of ways naming Brendan Sullivan their starter. He provided a jolt to Iowa last week and led them to a strong second half.
He came in after Cade McNamara left the contest and as reported recently, is dealing with a concussion which will keep him out of this Saturday’s game against Wisconsin.
Even with the injury, a new starting quarterback could set the stage for some awkward issues if not handled properly. Today, Kirk Ferentz discussed what the relationship between Cade McNamara and Brendan Sullivan is like and how it breeds success over awkwardness.
“I’m not privy to any of them, but I know all three of those guys have a good time together and they relate very well. They go back and forth all the time. As I said, Cade tried to sit through meetings yesterday and just couldn’t make it, wasn’t able to focus and all that stuff, which is not uncommon.
“But no, they all care about each other. They pull for each other. It’s been that way all season long, even when we started rotating Brendan in. All three of them, they’ve got a really good vibe.
“That’s what you hope for. You hope you have that kind of thing. It was funny, I was driving in this morning, they were talking about Russell Wilson and Fields and the chemistry they have, and I guess on TV last night they were showing those guys on the sideline talking and conversing, and it was Bill Polian and Solomon Wilcox just talking about what a good relationship. That’s what good teams have.
“Everybody wants to compete and everybody wants to win the job. That’s what you want every player to want. But also only one person is going to win it typically. Some positions you rotate. But you hope in each and every group and then groups across the way are good with each other. I think that’s a trademark of a good team. Not that you love everybody; that’s not realistic. But everybody has got a respect and they get along.
“In the quarterback room, that’s a really healthy thing. They compete against each other all the time, but they’re all together, which is great. It’s fun,” Ferentz elaborated about the state of the quarterbacks.
Although out this weekend, McNamara has seen a lot of football, a lot of defenses, and can be an asset for Brendan Sullivan throughout the preparations for Wisconsin.
Cade McNamara is the veteran in a room of Brendan Sullivan, Marco Lainez, and Jackson Stratton, all of who will rely on his knowledge and pick his brain to help the Iowa Hawkeyes succeed.
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