A bit of coaching criticism from the combine...

C

CP87

Well-Known Member
Leistikow wrote a combine rundown article. Within it were these nuggets:

Contrary view on Iowa O-line
The prevailing thought in the NFL community is that Iowa does a great job of sending pro-ready offensive line prospects into the league. It’s commonly mentioned by anyone talking about Hawkeyes such as Daniels and Welsh. Indeed, Mayock brought it up right away when assessing Daniels. Hawkeye linemen are always taught well, he said, which is a reassurance to those thinking about drafting them.

One scout who used to cover Midwest area teams offered a different take.

“They’re coached at Iowa to not punch, so they’re just kind of catch-blockers,” he said. “That can work in terms of consistency and cohesion at the college level. But at the NFL level, you’ve got a guy that’s bigger, faster and now he’s being the aggressor, he’s dictating play. That doesn’t work as well. Everyone has this mindset that all these Iowa linemen come in and they’re NFL-ready. And that’s not something you normally coach out of. That’s not something that normally changes. And we see that in a guy like Riley Reiff (a tackle for the Vikings).

“That’s what made Brandon Scherff (a guard with the Redskins) such a great prospect. Because he’s one guy that did punch.”

It’s impossible to tell if that view is privately held by more than one scout, but it’s something to keep an eye on as you watch the draft fortunes of Daniels and Welsh. That scout saw Daniels as more of a third-round pick.
​
AND

Wadley missing his coach
Wadley gave a shoutout to his former position coach at Iowa, Chris White, when asked about his progress as a pass-blocker. The ability to protect the quarterback is one of the questions NFL evaluators have about Wadley.

“My junior year of pass-blocking, I felt, was better than my senior year. Two different coaches. Two different expectations,” Wadley said. “When I was with coach White, I’d been with him for four years. I’m not taking away from any coaches. But I was more able to cut anywhere. I was able to take on blocks how I wanted to, other than coach Brian (Ferentz). He coached a little different.”​
 
One scout and it makes huge news. I'll take BB's opinion from New England over a random scout. They forgot about Marshal Yanda also. maybe a Bulaga??? And who could forget those Scherff pancakes?!?!?!?!
 
I have heard KF speak about blocking at a HS clinic, and he did emphasize that they teach NOT to initiate contact with the hands, but rather to strike with shoulder/chest/head and work to lock out the arms after initial contact. The reasoning being that most college OL (and certainly almost all HS OL) are not strong enough to deliver an effective blow with the hands. Over-emphasis on them trying to do something that will not be effective can lead to poor body placement and balance, as well as changing a "forceful" initial contact to a "mushy" one.

The downside of this approach is that it potentially lets a defender get hands on you before your strike can be delivered. They do coach how to defeat the defenders' hands, even though they do not coach how to "punch."

So the part about not coaching to "punch" is likely true. I can't evaluate whether there is any truth to this coaching technique negatively impacting an Iowa o-lineman's readiness for the pro game, that goes well beyond my knowledge-level.
 
I would think this is an isolated opinion. Kirk keeps the assembly line to the NFL going with O-line prospects. If most scouts felt this way, there wouldn't be as many or they'd go later in the draft than they have.

Unless, it's a sudden, new train of thought that will hurt future Iowa O-line prospects.
 
CP87 said:
I have heard KF speak about blocking at a HS clinic, and he did emphasize that they teach NOT to initiate contact with the hands, but rather to strike with shoulder/chest/head and work to lock out the arms after initial contact. The reasoning being that most college OL (and certainly almost all HS OL) are not strong enough to deliver an effective blow with the hands. Over-emphasis on them trying to do something that will not be effective can lead to poor body placement and balance, as well as changing a "forceful" initial contact to a "mushy" one.

The downside of this approach is that it potentially lets a defender get hands on you before your strike can be delivered. They do coach how to defeat the defenders' hands, even though they do not coach how to "punch."

So the part about not coaching to "punch" is likely true. I can't evaluate whether there is any truth to this coaching technique negatively impacting an Iowa o-lineman's readiness for the pro game, that goes well beyond my knowledge-level.
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I'd like to add that an OL "punching" too soon or with only his arms is a good way to get your ass whipped by a DL with above average hands. I used to love it when guys would commit to punching early as it made it much easier to clear their hands and get past them. Well-coached OL will hold off on their punch until they've drawn the defender in close enough to get a hold of them (legally), or even do a quick fake punch to get the defender off balance.
 
Iowa has two of the top 5 or 6 guards in all of the NFL right now in Scherff and Yanda. They've had, currently have and will have many more good lineman in the league. Anyone want to take a bet on Wirfs and Jackson making the league? I take things like this with a grain of salt. There's more than one way to skin a cat, win football games and coach offensive lineman. One guys 2 cents in this arena is worth just that.
 
Kirk does teach immediate hand placement at the center of mass. If I had to guess, I'd say that the difference is in the zone blocking scheme. In our scheme, the linemen are frequently engaged while moving. If you "punch" aggressively in that scenario, you run the risk of over-extending and getting off balance, whereas that would be less of a concern in a power scheme where you are driving down hill.

I actually find Wadley's comments more eye-opening. To blame your coaches for poor blitz pick-ups is a little bush league, IMO. I highly doubt Brian de-emphasized it or didn't teach him proper technique. If that was the case, then why were Butler and LeShun Daniels good at it? Wadley has never been an enthusiastic blocker. He should man up and admit it's a weakness and that he's willing to work at it, but don't throw others under a bus.
 
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trj said:
If you are going with this where I think you are heading I would agree. Reiff has been a starter going on a decade plus.
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Reiff probably completed his best season as a pro. Perhaps he is saying that Reiff had to learn "pro techniques" to finally get to this point? Just speculating.
 
It's just a difference in philosophy. I'm with KF on this one and as others have already stated, I'll take good footwork, good balance and good technique over a punch that might cause my OT to be off balance and get his pants whipped by a defender on the edge.
 
This is also a scout that might be down playing Daniel’s ability so that he drops lower in the first round so his team can grab him without trading up (not that anyone would trade up to get a center but if multiple teams have that position as a need ...)
 
Like all these guys I think they're coachable. So, if the NFL team they go to want them to do more punching I think they can figure it out pretty quick. Hard to argue that Kirk doesn't teach good OL technique with all the OL Pros they've produced.
 
Of all things I question constantly, O Line development will never be 1 of them. Every year, and I mean every single year! We are grooming at least 1 NFL caliber lineman. To question Kirk's coaching technique for OLine is like spitting in the wind. This is one area Captain Kirk has never had a problem.

I'm guessing this scout was from the Browns organization. They consistently find new ways to critique and evaluate talent. They have been killing the draft the last few years....oh wait.
 
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