Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard enters the season behind center as the Hawks’ clear No. 1, and is now focused on continuing to slow the game down.
By Charlie green
Hawkeye C.J. Beathard’s favorite professional quarterbacks have one quality that separates them from the field: an unmatched ability to process what the defense gives them in a matter of seconds.
“Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, those are a couple of my favorites, and they’re the best in the game,” Beathard said. “Aaron Rodgers is a great one, too; they’re so good at what they do it’s hard not to look up to them.”
While not quite at the level of the NFL, Division-I football moves fast. A quick diagnosis of defensive packages, alignments, and coverages is paramount to success at the position — and to the effectiveness of the offense as a whole.
Iowa’s hopes of a strong 2015 season hinge on how much Beathard can slow the game down from behind center and in the pocket, a skill he believes he has gradually obtained as he enters his fourth year in the Hawkeye program.
“I remember when I was a freshman coming in, like Ryan [Boyle] and Drew [Cook] are now, my mind was going 100 miles an hour, and I had no idea what was going on,” Beathard said. “And each year it continues to get even slower and slower, and now I feel like I have a good grasp of everything to where it comes really easily.”
The junior appeared in nine games in 2014, throwing for 645 yards with 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also completed 57 percent of his passes in the limited action.
Beathard ended his season by completing 13-of-23 passes with a pair of touchdowns and an interception and rushing eight times for 82 yards.
Physically, the Tennessee native brings another dynamic to Iowa’s offense in his mobility, arm strength, and quick release — all components that could lead to a more aggressive approach than that of the Jake Rudock era.
“His arm strength is amazing,” safety Jordan Lomax said. “And he also has the ability to use his legs and get out of the pocket to extend the play.”
Mental progression is the real unknown. With his experience in offensive coordinator Greg Davis’ system, Beathard’s understanding of Iowa’s offense figures to put him a good position for success.
Now it’s a question of understanding it relative to what the defense presents him; Davis is confident his quarterback is ready for that.
“Again, it’s a phrase that you hear a bunch, but it’s a true phrase,” Davis said. “The more you get comfortable with where our players are supposed to be, then you can start concentrating on what the defense is doing. And when you concentrate on what the defense is doing, the game does begin to slow down a little bit.
“For C.J., I think he’s got a great handle on it.”
It’s the little details that will make or break the quarterback in 2015, both before and after the ball is snapped. With his first season as the team’s starter approaching, Beathard is confident he has a solid grasp on the subtleties that go into playing the position at a high level.
“There are a lot of things, whether it be looking off the safeties, not going straight to my reads, reading coverages, even learning the techniques on the [defensive] line,” he said. “And movement in the [line]backers, knowing whether they’re blitzing or not, and mixing up the count so I can maybe audible into certain plays that are better for the offense.”
It may seem like a lot to process, because it is. But Beathard isn’t alone in his experience in the system, with receivers Tevaun Smith and Jacob Hillyer as well as tight end Jake Duzey all entering their senior years.
He’s also the only quarterback on the roster with college experience, with redshirt freshman Tyler Wiegers slated as quarterback No. 2 on the depth chart.
If he goes down with an injury or struggles, the Hawks don’t have an ideal option to step in for him.
The flip side of the lack of depth is that the job unquestionably belongs to Beathard, and spending the off-season as the clear No. 1 has given him all the opportunity to prepare for 2015.
“It’s a lot easier to get a rhythm of things when you’re not switching in and out of reps all the time,” Beathard said. “I’m getting all the 1 reps, and just really getting on the same page with the wide receivers, I feel a groove there.”