Stanback missing out on QB carrousel
He used to smile and turn the other dreadlock whenever the issue of playing time came up. Washington’s sophomore quarterback Isaiah Stanback, however, has taken a different tact as the cobwebs continue to form.
In all seriousness, in both tone and facial expression, the speedster from Garfield High School made it clear he’s ready to play again after a five-week layoff, that’s he’s fully recovered from an ankle sprain suffered in the opener against Fresno State. He’s been healthy enough to compete for the job for the past two to three weeks. He’s not all that sure why he hasn’t.
“The coaches feel one way, and I’m sure I feel another way,” Stanback said Monday before heading to practice. “I can’t really give a straight-up answer. I feel the last three weeks I’ve been fine. The coaches obviously feel different. They make the decisions. I’ll be ready to play when they call.”
His UW coaches have said repeatedly that he still looked hobbled and had missed too much time to simply resume playing again on Saturdays. Stanback disagrees.
“Personally, I felt three weeks ago that I was 90 percent and the last two weeks I felt 100 percent,” he pointed out.
After a nightmare outing against Fresno State, one in which he got hurt and served up two opposing touchdowns on turnovers, offsetting a crisp scoring drive that he personally capped off with an eight-yard run, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound quarterback has become a forgotten man.
He has watched junior Casey Paus run the team for three games, and then give way to freshman Carl Bonnell, who has started the past two outings. When Bonnell got hurt last Saturday, he stayed put while Paus took over against San Jose State and reclaimed the No. 1 job for this week’s Oregon State game.
Asked whether Stanback will get designated playing time against the Beavers, UW coach Keith Gilbertson wasn’t inclined to promise that. “I don’t think it would be that kind of deal,” he said. “He’s the backup quarterback now. He’s going to get reps. He has to be ready to go.”
Meantime, Stanback has been irritated at suggestions made outside the program that he should move to wide receiver, a place he played as a freshman, particularly since injuries have wiped out the position in recent weeks and younger players haven’t responded well. That’s not going to happen in his mind.
“I’ve had people come up and say stuff, and I pretty much blow it off because I’m a quarterback,” Stanback said firmly. “I felt I did my part last year, helping out the team, and a lot of people forget about it. I don’t see Carl being asked to play wide receiver, or Casey being asked to play wide receiver.”
While injured, Stanback said he improved his passing accuracy, which his Huskies coaches have duly noted. He’s maintains he’s a quarterback, not a wide receiver, and he’s not only a college quarterback, he fully intends to play that position in the NFL some day.
“I just want to focus on quarterback,” he said. “I know I can play quarterback. I’ve had one game to play quarterback so far. Just give me my chance.”
Lame duck or not?
Gilbertson, on the weekly Pac-10 conference call, was asked again about his job security.
He was fairly candid with his answer, which didn’t sugarcoat the situation.
“I really don’t know,” the second-year Huskies coach said. “We don’t talk about it. I haven’t made a big deal about it. They certainly haven’t.”
Short yardage
Sophomore tight end Ben Bandel, who started seven games and caught 11 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown last season, has had his career end because of a knee injury, his coach said. … With his groin injury, Bonnell has been officially ruled out of Saturday’s game against Oregon State.