BTN at Iowa Open Practice

[CP87]

Changes coverage down field to an extent to man coverage in these situations?

That is not really how I interpreted it. I didn't think they were talking about blitzing per se, but rather personnel usage. That is, perhaps Hitchens lines up at DE in obvious passing situations, and some less-explosive DL goes to the sidelines to be replaced by a DB or another LB. Or, as we have seen at times in the Ferentz era, perhaps they play 3-man line, go nickel, and send one of the 3 LBs as well.

Either way, there would be no necessity to play man because there are still 7 in coverage. Just the way I interpreted it, I could be wrong. That said, Iowa played a lot more man last year than previous years, and that could continue. I do think their safeties can be abused in man, so it is a bit risky.

 

[Clark]

That is not really how I interpreted it. I didn't think they were talking about blitzing per se, but rather personnel usage. That is, perhaps Hitchens lines up at DE in obvious passing situations, and some less-explosive DL goes to the sidelines to be replaced by a DB or another LB. Or, as we have seen at times in the Ferentz era, perhaps they play 3-man line, go nickel, and send one of the 3 LBs as well.

Either way, there would be no necessity to play man because there are still 7 in coverage. Just the way I interpreted it, I could be wrong. That said, Iowa played a lot more man last year than previous years, and that could continue. I do think their safeties can be abused in man, so it is a bit risky.

I interpreted it the same way.

Instead of having 4 dl, 3lb, and 4 db you'd have 2dl 4 lb and 5 db.

Basically you're subbing your de's for linebackers

 

[Golfer]

Got it. Thanks.

 

[Foval21]

Dave Revsine ‏@BTNDaveRevsine1m
QB position still a concern for #Hawkeyes - all 3 have had good & bad moments today. Tough to judge too much from 1 practice

Tough for Dave to judge from 1 practice but easy for hwk23 to judge after 2 scrimmages.

 

[Foval21]

Dave Revsine @BTNDaveRevsine
As far as pass rush - said they might mess around some with LB's on the line in passing situations to help provide pressure

I read this that the line is solid (because of other tweets) but they might put some lbs in at de to get quicker and more athletic in big passing downs.

this is actually pretty smart because a lb at de would have a better chance running down a scrambling QB. They will have to train them to not get caught up with the tackles and to use their speed because they would be giving up so much size those tackles would clamp them down if they get their hands on them.

 

[tm3308]

I read this that the line is solid (because of other tweets) but they might put some lbs in at de to get quicker and more athletic in big passing downs.

this is actually pretty smart because a lb at de would have a better chance running down a scrambling QB. They will have to train them to not get caught up with the tackles and to use their speed because they would be giving up so much size those tackles would clamp them down if they get their hands on them.

This is what I took from that and I think that's alright. As long as the line can hold up against the run, that would be an improvement.

 

[HerkyDude]

Did they mention the TE's at all? I missed it if they did. It seems like it would be hard not to mention CJF and the others.

 

[tm3308]

Did they mention the TE's at all? I missed it if they did. It seems like it would be hard not to mention CJF and the others.

From the sounds of things, they focused primarily on the question marks for Iowa. Defensive line, wide receivers, quarterbacks. I don't recall there being much talk about the secondary, linebackers or offensive line either, so I wouldn't be too concerned about the lack of TE attention.

 

[Eda]

Got it. Thanks.

Golf, I wasn't sure how to read that either. I didn't exactly take it like some of the others on here, but I do agree with their take.

I do think its an aggressive approach for Parker to help the D get off the field sooner. Last year we were horrible on 3rd down (see the NW and PSU games for example); yet we were near the top in the B1G in redzone defense.

Could this be an attempt to depart from Norm's "bend but don't break" defense? I don't know. But I'm excited to see it on the field. I'm glad to hear it.

 

[imported_ankle23]

I read this that the line is solid (because of other tweets) but they might put some lbs in at de to get quicker and more athletic in big passing downs.

this is actually pretty smart because a lb at de would have a better chance running down a scrambling QB. They will have to train them to not get caught up with the tackles and to use their speed because they would be giving up so much size those tackles would clamp them down if they get their hands on them.

same as what they did with greenway back in the day, no? he played up on the los, situationally. he was quick, as i recall and could react according to the play.

p.s. and it was done this way because the DL was 'not great' that year, i believe his senior year.

 

[CAARHawk]

They are desperately trying to sign a JUCO DE. That should tell you all you need to know.

 

[RocknRollface]

Ok good point. Coker was pretty big but I think he was slower than Greene.

Much slower. Much much much slower.

 

[CAARHawk]

same as what they did with greenway back in the day, no? he played up on the los, situationally. he was quick, as i recall and could react according to the play.

p.s. and it was done this way because the DL was 'not great' that year, i believe his senior year.

Saying the DL was not great that year is a huge understatement. King and Kroul got steamrolled all season. Chad and Hodge did all they could do, but with the center of the D line being driven 5 yards off the LOS there is only so much you can do.

It was kind of like the center of the OL after MacMillan and Gettis went down in 2010.

 

[vosov]

They are desperately trying to sign a JUCO DE. That should tell you all you need to know.

I am aware of one JUCO DE that they are recruiting that would have three years to play. Am I missing some other recruits, or was that an extreme exaggeration?

 

[vosov]

Saying the DL was not great that year is a huge understatement. King and Kroul got steamrolled all season. Chad and Hodge did all they could do, but with the center of the D line being driven 5 yards off the LOS there is only so much you can do.

It was kind of like the center of the OL after MacMillan and Gettis went down in 2010.

That DL got steamrolled at the beginning of the season, but ended up being pretty good. They treated Wisconsin and Joe Thomas like a pommel horse by the end of the year.

 

[HawkinGoferLand]

Did they mention the TE's at all? I missed it if they did. It seems like it would be hard not to mention CJF and the others.

This was written by Dienhart yesterday on BTN.com:

At 6-7, 265, C.J. Fiedorowicz passes the eyeball test. But he doesn’t run very well. And he’s not overly physically despite his size. Still, he should be a nice weapon in the red zone and mismatch for defenses at a position that is loaded. How loaded? Kirk Ferentz thinks he has four or five tight ends who can play. There is a nice mix of size, speed and hands. Jake Duzey made a nice play near the end of practice. Ray Hamilton also will play a key role.

 

[HawkinGoferLand]

one of my favorite tweets from yesterday:

Dave Revsine ‏@BTNDaveRevsine22h
Really like the style of new WR Coach Bobby Kennedy. Substantive feedback on every rep

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Dave Revsine ‏@BTNDaveRevsine22h
Iowa is one of those practices where there is constant coach feedback. Ferentz provides a lot of it - particularly w line play.

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[WinOneThisCentury]

Let's hope CJ takes offense to the comments, especially the physical part of it. I do think he will have trouble getting open at the next level though. Outside LB's in the NFL all run like safeties. KF seems to think he has made some serious progress from last year. I'm hoping he has a great year. Having a few step up at WR will certainly help matters as the safeties will have to help over the top on the WRs...rather than sitting on the seam routes.

 

[DP5555]

This was written by Dienhart yesterday on BTN.com:

At 6-7, 265, C.J. Fiedorowicz passes the eyeball test. But he doesn’t run very well. And he’s not overly physically despite his size. Still, he should be a nice weapon in the red zone and mismatch for defenses at a position that is loaded. How loaded? Kirk Ferentz thinks he has four or five tight ends who can play. There is a nice mix of size, speed and hands. Jake Duzey made a nice play near the end of practice. Ray Hamilton also will play a key role.

I'm not a big fan of Dienhart so I'll take it with a grain of salt. However, if what he said is true it makes me wonder if they bulked him up a little too much. Coming out of high school he was known for his combination of size and speed. Now Dienhart is saying he doesn't run very well...

He always had good size. That was never an issue. If all that bulk slowed him down I'd prefer he lose some of it in order to maintain his speed. Maybe shed 15 lbs off. A TE who's 6'7 250 is still a big dude.

I'll wait until we see him in action before making too much of Dienhart's comments.

 

[HawkinGoferLand]

Here's a compilation of tweets on DL: (SIAP)

Dave Revsine ‏@BTNDaveRevsine23h
Carl Davis very impressive in individual drills. Looks like he may be poised to take a major leap

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Dave Revsine ‏@BTNDaveRevsine20h
Phil Parker talked about some of the younger guys who have stood out on D - Jordan Lomax, Jaleel Johnson, Drew Ott and Carl Davis.

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Gerry DiNardo ‏@gerrydinardo19h
BTN Camp Tour 2013 #Hawkeyes F. Ekakitie and J Johnson help D Line in a big way

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Gerry DiNardo ‏@gerrydinardo20h
BTN Camp Tour 2013 #Hawkeyes Defense in same spot as offense - solid in the box but need to be able to stop explosives with the back end

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Tom Dienhart ‏@BTNTomDienhart23h
Another possible #Hawkeyes pass rusher is Nate Meier. Drew Ott also has potential.

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Tom Dienhart ‏@BTNTomDienhart23h
To amp up the pass rush, Kirk Ferentz says he may line up LBs like Christian Kirksey, Anthony Hitchens and Quinton Alston on passing downs.

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Tom Dienhart ‏@BTNTomDienhart23h
#Hawkeyes DT Carl Davis passes the eyeball test. He could be special. pic.twitter.com/d1NWwmC7sk

View photo


more from Dienhart article yesterday:

The defensive line is another key spot. Who will rush the passer? I’m not sure there is a natural one on the roster. Inside, Louis Trinca-Pasat looked good. He’s strong and tough. Many tell me massive Carl Davis is an NFL prospect. At 6-5, 315, he’s a specimen. He needs to play with more consistency. Ferentz thinks he could get a push inside as a rusher. He’s a mountain. Dominic Alvis is a guy who showed me a bit of something off the edge. Nate Meier looks good, too, and Drew Ott has a burst. Ferentz says he may use a linebacker like Anthony Hitchens, Christian Kirksey or Quinton Alston as a rusher on passing downs.