Are there really no better safeties in this program.

H

hawkfarmer

Well-Known Member
As I watch Miller and Lowdermilk just do poorly week in and week out I just wonder where all this talent that they recruit each and every year is at at the safety position:

Just looking back at the last 4 recruiting classes for guys listed as Safeties (Scout):

2013:
Solomon Warfield
Malik Rucker
Derric Mitchell

2012:
Anthony Gair (was Anthony Morgan)
Ruben Lile
Jordan Lomax (now at corner)

2011:
Nico Law
Lowdermilk actually listed as an OLB

2010:
Tanner Miller
Don Shumpert (not doing so hot at WR)

There are probably others that could fit the bill that were recruited as corners that could play safety, but man Miller just looks lost out there 50 % of the time.

I just can't believe that we don't have better athletes that can play safety more effectively.
 
The secondary is THE WEAK LINK of this year's team. Blown coverages (leaving wide open receivers) have cost the team several scores already. The mental part of the game, rather than physical mistakes are unacceptable.

Without these glaring mistakes this team might be 6-1.
 
They have the skill they are jsut blowing coverages. I dont think the whole group gets it. I dont think it matters whose on the field they as a group are lost.
 
brozley said:
The secondary is THE WEAK LINK of this year's team. Blown coverages (leaving wide open receivers) have cost the team several scores already. The mental part of the game, rather than physical mistakes are unacceptable.

Without these glaring mistakes this team might be 6-1.
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And yet our secondary was good enough to force Braxton Miller into several long scrambles...

But, yes, secondary is our weakest link right now.
 
Didn't Derric Mitchell switch over to receiver too?

But we can't recruit. Simple as that.

We have a kid from Kalona, IA as our safety that played 2A football. Can't expect much.
 
I've thought about this on several occasions and the only thing I can come up with is Phil Parker was a slow, over achieving white Safety in his playing days and he is bent on finding the same guys as the DB coach at Iowa. Maybe someone can convince him that he was a lightning fast, NFL All Pro Safety, back in the day. That could help us out a lot!
 
Can you imagine what we are going to look like next year? When we have 3 new LBs defending passes in front of these 2? You think they are playing out of position now, wait until they feel like they have to help out the new LBs.
What's on the menu in 2014, you ask? A slow base with a touch of new LB, then we add just a dash of no pass rush. It's a veritable smorgasbord for opposing QBs.
 
Lile is the one I wish I knew more about. He's got the tools, but I have no idea how far along he is in his development. Rucker also is in that category, IMO.
 
lightning1 said:
I've thought about this on several occasions and the only thing I can come up with is Phil Parker was a slow, over achieving white Safety in his playing days and he is bent on finding the same guys as the DB coach at Iowa. Maybe someone can convince him that he was a lightning fast, NFL All Pro Safety, back in the day. That could help us out a lot!
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List of overachieving white safeties under Phil Parker:

Matt Bowen
Derek Pagel (walk-on)
Sean Considine (walk-on)
Tyler Sash
Brett Greenwood (walk-on)

Miller and Lowdermilk definitely haven't been success stories to this point, but let's not engage in revisionist history and pretend that Parker hasn't consistently put quality safeties on the field. Honestly, the worst safety tandem (before this one) of the last 10-12 years was Merrick-Paschal.

Skin color had nothing to do whether these players were successful or not.
 
lightning1 said:
Can you imagine what we are going to look like next year? When we have 3 new LBs defending passes in front of these 2? You think they are playing out of position now, wait until they feel like they have to help out the new LBs.
What's on the menu in 2014, you ask? A slow base with a touch of new LB, then we add just a dash of no pass rush. It's a veritable smorgasbord for opposing QBs.
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So what you're saying is we're going to need to score like Baylor to have a chance in games. Pretty sure Kirk will never score like Baylor, either.
 
UberHawk said:
That's a bizarre statement as it relates to our safeties. Exactly when have Miller or Lowdermilk ever shown that they belong on a Division 1 football field? Lowery, sure, he clearly has talent but is one of the more inconsistent players of recent Iowa vintage. You know you're in trouble when the 2 senior multi-year starters get routinely torched and the true freshman with 6.5 games under his belt is the most consistent player in the group.
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Miller doesn't have bad physical skills. He's got decent wheels (won state in the 400 hurdles, finished second in the event at Drake relays), and pretty good ball skills.

His problems come in coverage when he gets lost and is way out of position. That's obviously a major problem to have, but OoTH's point still stands, at least in Miller's case.
 
Pagel, Bowen and Greenwood all struggled in their early years. Sash and Considine were the only two that looked like they belonged, when they first started. I threw the "white" part in there because it tied in my theory as it pertained to Phil Parker.
 
And Tanner Miller's was given a scholarship over a kid that is a two year defensive lineman starter for #8 Stanford. Maybe should swithced around the scholarship and "pre-ferred" walk on offers!
 
Im not sure of the issue most people are having with Lowdermilk. He has played pretty well this year, IMO.

Miller has not.
 
lightning1 said:
Can you imagine what we are going to look like next year? When we have 3 new LBs defending passes in front of these 2? You think they are playing out of position now, wait until they feel like they have to help out the new LBs.
What's on the menu in 2014, you ask? A slow base with a touch of new LB, then we add just a dash of no pass rush. It's a veritable smorgasbord for opposing QBs.
Click to expand...

Well if both of those two safeties are still playing next year Iowa is really in trouble because they'd be playing an ineligible player.
 
UberHawk said:
Winning track events at the small school level in Iowa does equate to having the necessary physical tools to compete in football at the Big Ten level.
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Does the Drake relays separate by class size? I didn't think so but maybe they do.
 
UberHawk said:
I know next to nothing about track, but I think they do. Either way, you would be making the claim that winning an all-class track event in the state of Iowa necessarily makes someone fast. It most certainly does not.
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It doesn't make him slow does it? I think just assuming he's slow because he's white and plays safety is even more presumptuous.
 
UberHawk said:
I know next to nothing about track, but I think they do. Either way, you would be making the claim that winning an all-class track event in the state of Iowa necessarily makes someone fast. It most certainly does not.
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The Drake Relays are NOT separated by class. They throw all of the high school kids in together.
 
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