Ricky Stanzi

Ricky Stanzi
refer to caption
Stanzi with the Cleveland Browns in 2016
Free agent
Position: Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1987-09-03) September 3, 1987
Mentor, Ohio
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight: 228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school: Mentor (OH) Lake Catholic
College: Iowa
NFL Draft: 2011 / Round: 5 / Pick: 135
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
CFL status: International
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at CFL.ca

Ricky Stanzi (born September 3, 1987) is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at University of Iowa.

Early years

Originally from Kirtland, Ohio, Ricky attended Immaculate Conception School from Kindergarten to 8th Grade. Stanzi went to Lake Catholic High School in Mentor, Ohio and was rated a 3 star recruit.[1] He accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Iowa to play quarterback.[2]

College career

Stanzi posted 26–9 record as starting quarterback (74%) and won all 3 bowls, becoming only the 3rd Big 10 QB to do so. Additionally, Stanzi also had unprecedented success against ranked opponents winning all 3 games vs top 5 ranked teams and having a 6–3 record vs. ranked opponents in his 3-year career. Notable wins include going 3–0 over legendary coach Joe Paterno of Penn State and 3–0 over Kirk Cousins of Michigan State.[3]

Stanzi took over as starter at Iowa as a sophomore beginning in the 2008 season. He completed 150 passes for 1,956 yards with 14 TDs.

Midway through his junior campaign, he was replaced by James Vandenberg on November 7, 2009 against Northwestern after suffering a sprained right ankle. It was later confirmed that Stanzi had surgery on his ankle.[4] Stanzi returned at the conclusion of the season to lead Iowa to an Orange Bowl victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Stanzi ended up passing for 2,417 yards and 17 touchdowns in his junior season – completing 56.2 percent of his attempts.

Stanzi was 14–4 in his career as Iowa's starter going into his senior season, and in July 2010, Stanzi was named to the 2010 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award and Manning Award watch lists. He was also a finalist for The 2010 Premier Player of College Football Trophy which is awarded based on fan votes.[5][6]

Stanzi returned to Iowa in 2010 with 9 touchdowns and no interceptions through his first four games. He completed 19-of-25 passes with three passing touchdowns on September 24, 2010.

One of Stanzi's most memorable moments of the 2010 season occurred on November 6 in a game against the Indiana Hoosiers, when Stanzi hooked up with Marvin McNutt for a 52-yard touchdown which put Iowa up 18–13 with 2:56 remaining in the game. Stanzi put up big numbers in the 2010 season with a 167.2 quarterback rating along with 22 touchdowns. Stanzi ranked third in the nation in passing efficiency.

College statistics

YearTeamAttemptsCompletionsCompletion %YardsTDsINT
2006Iowa
Redshirt
2007Iowa400.0%000
2008Iowa25415059.1%1,956149
2009Iowa30417156.3%2,4171715
2010Iowa34522164.1%3,004256
College Totals90754259.8%7,3775630

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert jump Broad Wonderlic
6 ft 4 3⁄8 in
(1.94 m)		 223 lb
(101 kg)		 32 in
(0.81 m)		 10 in
(0.25 m)		 4.93 s 1.65 s 2.81 s 4.43 s 6.95 s 32 1⁄2 in
(0.83 m)		 9 ft 2 in
(2.79 m)		 30[7]
All values from NFL Combine[8]

Kansas City Chiefs

Stanzi was selected with the 135th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Stanzi was activated for the first time in his NFL career for the Chiefs against the New England Patriots on November 21, 2011. At the end of the 2011 NFL season, Stanzi was second-string behind Kyle Orton.

Stanzi was expected to be the backup to Matt Cassel, and competed in the 2012 preseason with Brady Quinn, who was signed by the Chiefs on March 17, 2012. However, Quinn eventually won the number two spot.

Stanzi was released by the team on August 25, 2013.[9]

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars claimed Stanzi off waivers on August 27, 2013. He was released on September 28 and re-signed on September 30. The Jaguars released Stanzi on August 29, 2014.[10]

Others

The Houston Texans signed Stanzi to their practice squad on December 16, 2014. The New York Giants signed Stanzi off the Texans practice squad to a Reserve/Future contract on January 8, 2015.[11] On September 5, 2015, he was waived by the Giants.[12] The Detroit Lions signed Stanzi to their practice squad on September 8, 2015.[13] Stanzi participated in rookie minicamp on a tryout basis with the Cleveland Browns in 2016.[14] However, he went unsigned, and spent 2016 out of football. In April 2017, Stanzi participated in The Spring League, a developmental football league intended to provide a platform for free agents to be seen by scouts.[15]

Calgary Stampeders

Following the Spring League games, Stanzi signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL on May 16, where he will compete to be the backup quarterback to Bo Levi Mitchell, a role which was held by fellow Iowa alumn Drew Tate the previous season.[16] During the 2 game CFL preseason, Stanzi completed 13 of 18 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown, and added one rush for 14 yards.[17] Stanzi officially was named to the regular season active roster for the Stampeders on June 17.

During its July 29 game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Stanzi made his professional regular season debut when he entered during garbage time of Calgary's 60–1 victory. Stanzi's first professional pass attempt was a completion to receiver Anthony Parker. Stanzi finished the game with one completion on two attempts, for 5 yards.[18] Stanzi finished the year with 4 completions on 8 attempts for 53 yards, no scores, and 2 interceptions, all of his playing time coming during garbage time. The Stampeders advanced to the 105th Grey Cup, but were defeated by the Toronto Argonauts. Stanzi's opposing quarterback during the Spring League, McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who likewise spent 2017 as a CFL backup, was a member of the victorious Argonauts roster.

References

  1. ↑ "Rivals.com". n.rivals.com.
  2. ↑ "Player Bio: Ricky Stanzi". http://www.hawkeyesports.com. Retrieved 2009-11-11. External link in |publisher= (help)
  3. ↑ "Official Athletics Website of the Iowa Hawkeyes". www.hawkeyesports.com.
  4. ↑ Rittenberg, Adam (November 10, 2009). "Iowa's Stanzi has surgery, doubtful until bowl". ESPN. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
  5. ↑ Logue, Andrew (July 14, 2010). "Stanzi named to O'Brien watch list". www.desmoinesregister.com. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
  6. ↑ "Stanzi Named to Manning Watch List". www.hawkeyesports.com. July 27, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  7. ↑ "Historical NFL Wonderlic Scores". wonderlictestsample.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Ricky Stanzi Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  9. ↑ Ferrin, Reid (August 25, 2013). "Chiefs Announce Roster Moves". KCChiefs.com. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Cut day: C Mike Brewster, QBs Ricky Stanzi and Stephen Morris waived".
  11. ↑ "Giants sign QB Ricky Stanzi". Pro-Football Talk. NBC Sports. 8 January 2015.
  12. ↑ Eisen, Michael (September 5, 2015). "New York Giants announce 53-man roster". Giants.com. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  13. ↑ Katzenstein, Josh (September 8, 2015). "Lions add QB Ricky Stanzi to practice squad". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  14. ↑ Jackson, Zac (May 13, 2016). "Browns giving QB Ricky Stanzi a look". profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Is Spring League an NFL springboard? It's at least a shot". ESPN.com.
  16. ↑ "Calgary Stampeders will have three-way battle for backup quarterback position". 23 May 2017.
  17. ↑ "Ricky Stanzi – Calgary Stampeders".
  18. ↑ "2017-07-29 Game Tracker – Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Calgary Stampeders (2395) – CFL.ca". CFL.ca.
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