Iowa's play-action roll outs are the easiest play in football to defend. It relies on running the off-tackle play so often that the opposite-side DE gets used to chasing after the RB. Rarely does the opposite-side DE ever get to the ball carrier anyway, so all that DE needs to do on an off-tackle handoff to the other side is simply assume the QB has the ball after every hand-off/fake hand-off and he will create pressure on every roll-out pass, forcing a quick release. It's mind-numbing how often you see DEs fall for the fake and move across the line when they rarely make the tackle on an off-tackle run to the other side anyway. Any good defensive coach can stop Iowa's roll-outs...easily.
Post Open Spring Practice HN Content
- Thread starter RobHowe
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I saw plenty of ISU fans complaining about Purdy last year, and he is far and away the most prolific QB their program has ever had.
HuckFinn
Well-Known Member
You might want to study defensive assignments, DE variations, before you assume that on every play away from them they should do nothing but guard the boot.
Great post. I hope Petras can pull it together this year with a better line, more downhill running backs, WRs that aren't freshmen, etc. I'll be cheering.
I think Iowa fans remember Stanley rather fondly, but man, if you go back and read what fans said about him... they wanted him pulled as well. The backup QB at Iowa is always a Heisman in waiting.
Going into 2021, I really underestimated the effect of losing...
2 NFL-caliber OTs (I think Kallenberger would have been an UDFA, like Alaric Jackson, had he decided to pursue the NFL)
2 NFL-caliber WRs (ISM actually played, B. Smith was on the practice squad for the Cowobys)
The OL and RBs coaches.
Our OTs just couldn't hold up last year, and our OGs couldn't get and stay healthy.
We thought Tracy was a #1 WR, but it turns out he was a #3 WR who looked okay when teams were scared about ISM taking the top off the coverage.
And the results have generally been uneven when our offensive coaching staff gets shuffled around.
It seems obvious in retrospect, but all of these things really impacted the 2021 offense, and I just thought they would be easier hurdles to clear prior to the year.
I can make a case for optimism this year...but like so many of you, it is just getting hard to get my hopes too high in year 6 of the BF-offense.
trj
Well-Known Member
When was the last time the offensive line was good as a cohesive unit? Yes, there have been a lot of really good individual pieces and we can rattle off the names of a bunch of dudes collecting NFL checks, but I am talking as a whole. IMO, it has been a decade plus.
I'm not suggesting KF is living off his reputation, but can we get one year where the o-line is not a work in progress.
Fryowa
Administrator
False. Wait till he tears us to pieces in a Purdue uniform.
That could definitely happen. But it is getting to the point where I think Brohm could tear us apart using Coe's roster.
Fryowa
Administrator
Tracy is seriously good and Brohm will use him like a David Bell. Bell was a Barkley-esque freak of nature, but Purdue knows how to beat Iowa with receivers whoever they may be.
I was so surprised last night to see Bell listed like the 12th or worse ranked WR in this draft.
That is what a 4.7 40-time will do. Whoever gets him will be happy.
Maybe Tracy is good, but how do we explain last year? We can blaim BF's ineptitude for the overall offense performance, but EVERY receiver we threw out there performed better than Tracy. He stunk out loud. Did BF just misuse him worse than he misused all the other WR? Kill his confidence?
Hard to wrap your head around how someone who looked so promising filling in for B. Smith in 2019 was all of a sudden WR5 on a team that wasn't exactly loaded at that position. I still think the presence of ISM (and the fear he put into defenses) masked some of the weaknesses of both Tracy and BF.
trj
Well-Known Member
Not to throw shade on Petras, but Tracy will have O'Connell throwing him the football. O'Connell is arguably the 2nd best quarterback in the conference. Excuse my language, but Tracy would have to really F something up not to catch at least 40-50 passes next year.
I get where you are coming from, tho. By week 5 you really couldn't say Tracy should be playing ahead of Bruce or Johnson. There is a case for Ragini, IMO, he wasn't great last year.
Fryowa
Administrator
This.
Like Linderbaum’s arm length, the underwear olympics is a terrible gauge of true football talent.
Fryowa
Administrator
In my opinion Tracy had the most bad passes thrown to him out of the bunch for what it’s worth.
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
Are you accounting for the possibility he ran bad routes and/or had bad timing?
NorthKCHawk
Well-Known Member
Purdue's offense is designed to beat zones. Even good ones. The WRs run precise routes and the QB throws to the open space knowing that the WR should be there. It is damn hard for a zone defense to defend against good route running and an accurate QB with a quick release. That is Purdue and that is why they have had our number and other powers at the top.
That said, the key to beating Purdue is on offense, not defense. Purdue will move the ball on Iowa and score. But, if the offense would control the ball and score as well, Iowa can beat Purdue 24-21. The offense was wholly inept last year. Brutally so.
That said, the key to beating Purdue is on offense, not defense. Purdue will move the ball on Iowa and score. But, if the offense would control the ball and score as well, Iowa can beat Purdue 24-21. The offense was wholly inept last year. Brutally so.
