Happy for Penix, and IU is cursed

[IUCX9]

We lived in a Bizarro World where Penix was passed over for Bazelak. Granted, Penix could not stay healthy here, but 2 years of pristine health at Wash has him reaching all the potential so many saw in him.

It brought to me Cig's comments on how good players find their way onto the field and staying away from players who can't stay healthy. Both are very true. But sometimes, a good player finds himself in a bad situation and just needs a fresh start, in a better system and a better staff.

Penix was one such in a bad situation. A very talented player with NFL characteristics, but forced into 2 bad OC hires by a bad bad HC. Dubbed "injury prone", he was passed over and decided to find a fresh start elsewhere. He went to a good school, with a good coach who put him in a good system surrounded by good players. Next week, he'll be playing for the National Championship.

I hope Cig can break the curse we've suffered through since Mal was unceremoniously fired 3 decades ago.

 

[Kelly_32]

Penix wasn't passed over for Bazelak. Penix left. That's the only reason Bazelak was a Hoosier.

Penix entered the portal on 12/5/21.

Bazelak committed to IU on 1/6/22.

Penix was injury prone. He suffered two non-contact ACL injuries.

Also, Cig doesn't give AF about curses.

 

[td75]

Tom Allen explains Kalen DeBoer's 'secret sauce' as Washington coach, ex-Indiana OC enters CFB Playoff

How did Washington reach the College Football Playoff? Second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer and Indiana transfer QB Michael Penix Jr. are major factors. Their former head coach at Indiana, Tom Allen, gives 247Sports an inside look at what separates them from the sport's best as the Huskies eye a...

247sports.com

Tom Allen's thoughts...Penix had strange injuries in Bloomington...

 

[Courtsensetwo]

MP is a joy to watch.

 

[IUCX9]

Penix wasn't passed over for Bazelak. Penix left. That's the only reason Bazelak was a Hoosier.

Penix entered the portal on 12/5/21.

Bazelak committed to IU on 1/6/22.

Penix was injury prone. He suffered two non-contact ACL injuries.

Also, Cig doesn't give AF about curses.

All true. Plus a non contact shoulder injury.

Perhaps my memory is failing me. Thank you for the correction.

 

[RegionHoosiers]

Penix left once Allen let go DeBoer's hand picked successor, who needed to be let go.

I'm happy for Penix now. It was the right call to get out of Bloomington. I don't blame Allen for his injuries. There would have been much weeping if Allen decided to rely on Penix staying healthy for a 5th year.

 

[Bucket Getter]

I think most around here were convinced MP was broken. Kid showed some real guts to move on, recover, and show the world who he really is.

 

[Harry Hondo]

Penix wasn't passed over for Bazelak. Penix left. That's the only reason Bazelak was a Hoosier.

Penix entered the portal on 12/5/21.

Bazelak committed to IU on 1/6/22.

Penix was injury prone. He suffered two non-contact ACL injuries.

Also, Cig doesn't give AF about curses.

Penix was “injury prone” because he had to run for his life. Evident that IU didn’t have the offensive line play to give him time to throw or protect him from getting sacked. He’s been injury free at UW, because he has time to deliver the ball and he doesn’t get sacked. Simple.

 

[IUNorth]

Penix was “injury prone” because he had to run for his life. Evident that IU didn’t have the offensive line play to give him time to throw or protect him from getting sacked. He’s been injury free at UW, because he has time to deliver the ball and he doesn’t get sacked. Simple.

This is the answer. If he had to scramble to make plays at UW as much as he had to at IU, he'd have had some "non contact" injuries there as well in all likelihood.

Just like he will in the NFL if he's in any sort of system or situation that can't protect him.

UW has protected him much better. As a result, he doesn't get sacked as much, and more importantly, he doesn't need to scramble out of the pocket nearly as much to make plays.

Happy for the kid. And with regards to Penix, IU wasn't cursed, they just weren't good at protecting QBs.

 

[td75]

This is the answer. If he had to scramble to make plays at UW as much as he had to at IU, he'd have had some "non contact" injuries there as well in all likelihood.

Just like he will in the NFL if he's in any sort of system or situation that can't protect him.

UW has protected him much better. As a result, he doesn't get sacked as much, and more importantly, he doesn't need to scramble out of the pocket nearly as much to make plays.

Happy for the kid. And with regards to Penix, IU wasn't cursed, they just weren't good at protecting QBs.

How many times was he actually sacked during his IU days?

 

[Bucket Getter]

How many times was he actually sacked during his IU days?

I'm too lazy to look it up for you, but I'd be willing to bet it was a lot more after DeBoer left. And the sacks might not have been the big thing. It might've been that he had to run to prevent a sack. I cringed 3 or 4 times last night when he ran the ball. Probably PTSD for me.

 

[Victorbmyboy]

He was the least sacked QB this year. He also doesn’t scramble run hardly at all. He has a very fast release which is NFL ready. That game will move him up the draft board. He’s a rare combination.

 

[IUFan4Lifer]

He's brittle, always has been. Playing in the PAC 10 week to week is not the same as playing in the B1G or SEC. Michigan will take him out with one hit....deliberately.

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

Penix was “injury prone” because he had to run for his life. Evident that IU didn’t have the offensive line play to give him time to throw or protect him from getting sacked. He’s been injury free at UW, because he has time to deliver the ball and he doesn’t get sacked. Simple.

This is just flat nonsensical

 

[Victorbmyboy]

He's brittle, always has been. Playing in the PAC 10 week to week is not the same as playing in the B1G or SEC. Michigan will take him out with one hit....deliberately.

That’s a ridiculous statement. He’s been injury free for 2 years. Hes now played more injury free games. Who has Michigan taken out deliberately?

 

[IUFan4Lifer]

That’s a ridiculous statement. He’s been injury free for 2 years. Hes now played more injury free games. Who has Michigan taken out deliberately?

Michigan is dirty as f*ck. They will do anything to get an advantage. And no he has not been injury free.

 

[Victorbmyboy]

Michigan is dirty as f*ck. They will do anything to get an advantage. And no he has not been injury free.

lol. Ok. I see you are being specific.

 

[IUFan4Lifer]

Ask Jeremiah Alexander, and bruised ribs. This is your mulligan as I don't normally waste my time with trolls.

 

[HoosierJimbo89]

It really is crazy that IU had DeBoer and Penix on campus. Too bad IU couldn't make them both work.

 

[Palmbeachhoosier]

Penix wasn't passed over for Bazelak. Penix left. That's the only reason Bazelak was a Hoosier.

Penix entered the portal on 12/5/21.

Bazelak committed to IU on 1/6/22.

Penix was injury prone. He suffered two non-contact ACL injuries.

Also, Cig doesn't give AF about curses.

Thank you for stating all of this

 

[Palmbeachhoosier]

How many times was he actually sacked during his IU days?

I don’t have the answer to that but I know one injury the collar bone happened on a Qb sneak and a knee injury was on a scramble where he was not hit and going out of bounds.

 

[Palmbeachhoosier]

All true. Plus a non contact shoulder injury.

Perhaps my memory is failing me. Thank you for the correction.

The shoulder was on a Qb sneak there was contact

 

[kraft cheese+macaroni]

The shoulder was on a Qb sneak there was contact

Contact, yes. As a result of getting hit because of a poor OL, no.

 

[OpenWheels]

I thought I remembered Penix being banged up a couple times but playing because in comparison he made it look like the rest of the QB room sucked. He was tentative early season when he came back from the first injury from the previous year. As if IU couldn't afford to give him time to heal.

I'm just spitballing by memory though.

 

[Victorbmyboy]

Ask Jeremiah Alexander, and bruised ribs. This is your mulligan as I don't normally waste my time with trolls.

Troll..? Yeah ok. Just ignore me then. Like its a threat.

 

[mattndallas]

Quite honestly, the last game he looked "good" (not great) to me was the OSU game of 2020. Even then, he was 53% completion.

The next week was Maryland, and even before he went out, he looked terrible. Missing wide open guys...he was like 6 for 19 for 84 yards when he went out. That was with the 2020 team. I was having "Ramsey Remorse" a bit that year.

His next start was the Iowa disaster, and was pretty bad against Cincy and PSU before being forced to tap out in 2021.

His passer ratings with us were:

2018 - 125.6
2019 - 157.6
2020 - 136.5
2021 - 101.9

To me this obviously points to OC issues...but he wasn't exactly tearing it up either.

Although I dug Ramsey (and he was great) I was always afraid of exactly this happening if we picked him over Penix. Mike would go on and lead "FSU" (or whoever) to national contention, and we would have remorse.

Our luck, we end up losing both of them anyway...and they go on to vastly more memorable performances after IU.

Would be great to enjoy the "salad days" of an IU QB for once...whether it be Tre R, Peyton, or Mike. Sucks.

 

[mobilehoosier]

Pretty sure Penix experienced the first major injury of his career at IU.
Remember reading about him in HS not getting hurt at all. Anyone else remember that?
Injury talk began after the Penn State no contact injury, which was the first one at IU.

I love the kid. We were not good enough to keep him. Sig can change all that. Like to see him win it all. Go Hoosiers!

 

[vesuvius13]

Pretty sure Penix experienced the first major injury of his career at IU.
Remember reading about him in HS not getting hurt at all. Anyone else remember that?
Injury talk began after the Penn State no contact injury, which was the first one at IU.

I love the kid. We were not good enough to keep him. Sig can change all that. Like to see him win it all. Go Hoosiers!

I hope Washington wins it all and Penix and DeBoer gets to revel in the win.

 

[DANC]

Tom Allen explains Kalen DeBoer's 'secret sauce' as Washington coach, ex-Indiana OC enters CFB Playoff

How did Washington reach the College Football Playoff? Second-year head coach Kalen DeBoer and Indiana transfer QB Michael Penix Jr. are major factors. Their former head coach at Indiana, Tom Allen, gives 247Sports an inside look at what separates them from the sport's best as the Huskies eye a...

247sports.com

Tom Allen's thoughts...Penix had strange injuries in Bloomington...

That's a great article. Ironic that Allen praises Deboer even keel attitude when Allen is the exact opposite.

 

[DANC]

How many times was he actually sacked during his IU days?

Not that much. I remember, at the time on this board, people were talking about Ramsey getting rocked and getting back up, but that Penix wasn't sacked that much because he had a quick release and I remember he could actually move.

 

[iueyedoc99]

Penix was “injury prone” because he had to run for his life. Evident that IU didn’t have the offensive line play to give him time to throw or protect him from getting sacked. He’s been injury free at UW, because he has time to deliver the ball and he doesn’t get sacked. Simple.

The first ACL he was running downfield in the open field untouched after a big gain, the other he was OOB and someone kind of ran into the back of his heal or something. Both were pretty much freak accidents.

Our OL hasn’t been great but let’s not pile on stuff that they got nothing to do with.

He was injury prone and he def benefitted from playing behind the best line in the country at WA.

Both can be true.

 

[IU_Hickory]

Penix was “injury prone” because he had to run for his life. Evident that IU didn’t have the offensive line play to give him time to throw or protect him from getting sacked. He’s been injury free at UW, because he has time to deliver the ball and he doesn’t get sacked. Simple.

Most of his injuries happened without contact. It was just crap luck

 

[Bucket Getter]

lol. Ok. I see you are being specific.

Maybe you don’t remember a couple years ago when their long-haired LB intentionally stepped on one of our guys. That game was full of Michigan cheap shots.

 

[DCDAVID]

Quite honestly, the last game he looked "good" (not great) to me was the OSU game of 2020. Even then, he was 53% completion.

The next week was Maryland, and even before he went out, he looked terrible. Missing wide open guys...he was like 6 for 19 for 84 yards when he went out. That was with the 2020 team. I was having "Ramsey Remorse" a bit that year.

His next start was the Iowa disaster, and was pretty bad against Cincy and PSU before being forced to tap out in 2021.

His passer ratings with us were:

2018 - 125.6
2019 - 157.6
2020 - 136.5
2021 - 101.9

To me this obviously points to OC issues...but he wasn't exactly tearing it up either.

Although I dug Ramsey (and he was great) I was always afraid of exactly this happening if we picked him over Penix. Mike would go on and lead "FSU" (or whoever) to national contention, and we would have remorse.

Our luck, we end up losing both of them anyway...and they go on to vastly more memorable performances after IU.

Would be great to enjoy the "salad days" of an IU QB for once...whether it be Tre R, Peyton, or Mike. Sucks.

He looked like a shadow of himself in 2021 and has said, in interviews, that the injuries (and fear of another injury) were on his mind that season. He looked very tentative and probably should have not gone back on the field as soon as he did.

Very happy for him as he seems like a great kid that overcame adversity. His quick release and accuracy are a thing of beauty. He has also developed a great touch as opposed to early in his career when every pass, including 5 yarders, was a fastball.

 

[Victorbmyboy]

Maybe you don’t remember a couple years ago when their long-haired LB intentionally stepped on one of our guys. That game was full of Michigan cheap shots.

One instance? Hell I remember when a jealous player on IU took Nick Sextons knee out on purpose in the spring. it was bad enough he was never the same.

 

[IUFan4Lifer]

Penix was “injury prone” because he had to run for his life. Evident that IU didn’t have the offensive line play to give him time to throw or protect him from getting sacked. He’s been injury free at UW, because he has time to deliver the ball and he doesn’t get sacked. Simple.

By your logic, Ramsey should've had season-ending injuries as well.