Common Sense Question For Staff on Martin

Well, on one of the few plays he got on the field a couple weeks ago I DID see him miss a key block on a LB which was his assignment on the play -- probably didn't help.
But people on this board, including Fryowa, are missing the point. With Martin it's NOT an issue of stars or past performance or what's happening in practice. KF said HIMSELF during fall practices that from what he'd seen, if Martin's waiver got approved he was going to play and help this team right away. THAT quote from the head coach needs to be the basis of all reporter questions going forward related to Martin. What has changed from 2 months ago when "he's going to help us right away" to now?
 
Xerxes said:
Then it must be a playbook thing. Otherwise KF would have him out there in the rotation at least.

I'm well aware of the narrative here about Kirk not playing talent, but the truth is Kirk will give you a chance if you know the playbook regardless of your age and talent level.

We've seen plenty of walk-ons and scholarship players (a gray-shirt player too) get in as true FR, RS FR, or SO because KF could trust them not making mental errors.
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It’s not the big conspiracy some people are trying to make it at this point. OM was practicing at the two other wideout spots. I think he plays some snaps this weekend. With the bye week coming he may start taking reps at the X spot if Smith is going to be out awhile. I would not be surprised to see OM as the starting X WR for the game in Madison.
 
Well, it looks like the majority of the posters on this thread (myself included) gave offensive genius Brian Ferentz too much credit in assuming Oliver Martin would get some serious playing time now that Iowa's #1 WR is injured. Instead, Brian elected to feature Nico Ragaini out there to terrify defenses...and he did not disappoint. 1 catch for 4 yards, and 4 drops for 0 yards. Will that be enough to give Martin at least a hand full of reps over Ragaini? Nah, that would make too much sense against Wisconsin.
 
phdsvp said:
There are two possible explanations:

1. Martin should be playing and isn't because the coaches don't understand what talent is.
2. Martin should not be playing because he isn't good enough.

I just want to know which one.
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It's #2.
 
Thing is we do not know why and the info is being kept in Fort Knox. So we just have to go with not ready to go yet in terms as being as good as the other guys ahead of him.
 
Would be curious how 'physical' OM is in practice? Also curious how Iowa practices compare to Michigan's?
Seems Iowa has 1 to 2 players who get hurt in practice each week and can't play on Saturday.

Noticed last home game - more than 1 possession where offense comes off the field and #5 is not anywhere around the offensive group on the sideline.
 
IowaLawWasRight said:
Well, it looks like the majority of the posters on this thread (myself included) gave offensive genius Brian Ferentz too much credit in assuming Oliver Martin would get some serious playing time now that Iowa's #1 WR is injured. Instead, Brian elected to feature Nico Ragaini out there to terrify defenses...and he did not disappoint. 1 catch for 4 yards, and 4 drops for 0 yards. Will that be enough to give Martin at least a hand full of reps over Ragaini? Nah, that would make too much sense against Wisconsin.
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Those drops were for whatever the accumulated yardage the completed throws would have added up to-in the negative. And that doesn't even take into affect potential yards after the catch.

So its actually worse than zero.

You can even throw one or two drops out because everyone drops one or two on occasion, and you will still end up well in the negative.
 
Another week has gone by with Oliver Martin deeper and deeper into Ferentz' dog house. Even Max Cooper has been getting reps out there. All 3 tight ends are getting targets. But no trace of the only 4 star skill position player to play at Iowa in the past decade. Is it because the offense is clicking on all cylinders with the current personnel, minus Brandon Smith? Well, after the Minnesota game, Iowa's offense ranks 85th nationally, below power houses Kansas, Coastal Carolina, and Florida International. They say if it ain't broke, don't fix it...but this offense, filled with play makers (Goodson, Smith-Marsette, Tracy, etc.) is broke. The team is winning in spite of being out gained by opponents because the defense is elite. It's time to reevaluate the offense, both for this year and in years to come. If the WR pecking order is going to be solely based on union card, there's no sense for any new recruits to come in because they are not going to see the field for the next 3 years.
 
IowaLawWasRight said:
Another week has gone by with Oliver Martin deeper and deeper into Ferentz' dog house. Even Max Cooper has been getting reps out there. All 3 tight ends are getting targets. But no trace of the only 4 star skill position player to play at Iowa in the past decade. Is it because the offense is clicking on all cylinders with the current personnel, minus Brandon Smith? Well, after the Minnesota game, Iowa's offense ranks 85th nationally, below power houses Kansas, Coastal Carolina, and Florida International. They say if it ain't broke, don't fix it...but this offense, filled with play makers (Goodson, Smith-Marsette, Tracy, etc.) is broke. The team is winning in spite of being out gained by opponents because the defense is elite. It's time to reevaluate the offense, both for this year and in years to come. If the WR pecking order is going to be solely based on union card, there's no sense for any new recruits to come in because they are not going to see the field for the next 3 years.
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scuse me...what year is Tracy? Raigaini? Union card?
 
IowaLawWasRight said:
Another week has gone by with Oliver Martin deeper and deeper into Ferentz' dog house. Even Max Cooper has been getting reps out there. All 3 tight ends are getting targets. But no trace of the only 4 star skill position player to play at Iowa in the past decade. Is it because the offense is clicking on all cylinders with the current personnel, minus Brandon Smith? Well, after the Minnesota game, Iowa's offense ranks 85th nationally, below power houses Kansas, Coastal Carolina, and Florida International. They say if it ain't broke, don't fix it...but this offense, filled with play makers (Goodson, Smith-Marsette, Tracy, etc.) is broke. The team is winning in spite of being out gained by opponents because the defense is elite. It's time to reevaluate the offense, both for this year and in years to come. If the WR pecking order is going to be solely based on union card, there's no sense for any new recruits to come in because they are not going to see the field for the next 3 years.
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I think you are a little too obsessed with stars and stats. I wouldn't worry much about Oliver, he will be ok, give him the offseason and the camps to figure it out. With him, you have to look at 2 things. One is that he is competing with the guys that we had to get after he chose Michigan. Atleast one of them would not be here if it weren't for that, and they all have more time in the program. Second, is that fortunately for the team and unfortunately for him, he is at a position that is really good right now. B. Smith, ISM and Tracy are all locks. I like Nico but I don't think he is irreplaceable because he does drop the ball a lot, but, OM isn't exactly a slot guy. I think his effectiveness is on the edge because he just doesn't look like he has the twitch needed for the slot, and those other 3 guys are pretty good. Correct me if I am wrong because I haven't focused on it, but I think Cooper has gotten his few snaps in the slot. And we haven't seen Lockett yet have we, even though he is on the depth chart? Remember that guy too, he has elite speed, a Florida guy, and has time in our program too.

Too bad OM wasn't a TE, guard or tackle, we could have plugged him right in.
 
dirtwrap said:
I think you are a little too obsessed with stars and stats.
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He’s obsessed alright. But he’s obsessed with KF-hate and not stars and stats; they’re cherry-picked when necessary to enforce the hate; when it doesn’t then they’re ignored.
 
dirtwrap said:
I think you are a little too obsessed with stars and stats. I wouldn't worry much about Oliver, he will be ok, give him the offseason and the camps to figure it out. With him, you have to look at 2 things. One is that he is competing with the guys that we had to get after he chose Michigan. Atleast one of them would not be here if it weren't for that, and they all have more time in the program. Second, is that fortunately for the team and unfortunately for him, he is at a position that is really good right now. B. Smith, ISM and Tracy are all locks. I like Nico but I don't think he is irreplaceable because he does drop the ball a lot, but, OM isn't exactly a slot guy. I think his effectiveness is on the edge because he just doesn't look like he has the twitch needed for the slot, and those other 3 guys are pretty good. Correct me if I am wrong because I haven't focused on it, but I think Cooper has gotten his few snaps in the slot. And we haven't seen Lockett yet have we, even though he is on the depth chart? Remember that guy too, he has elite speed, a Florida guy, and has time in our program too.

Too bad OM wasn't a TE, guard or tackle, we could have plugged him right in.
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Yep. Tracy, ISM, Raigini, and B. Smith comprise the best set of receivers we've had here in a really long time. Martin will need an offseason to find his niche, be that beating out Ragaini (who's only a redshirt freshman and will also improve) or being the swiss army guy that can fill in whenever someone needs a breather.
 
Guys - news flash, Smith hasn't played in 3 1/2 games. Tracy, ISM, Ragaini and Smith all played in the same games. When Smith went out, you would expect a 4th WR to get playing time. That was supposed to be Martin (or the freshmen). Instead, no one else saw the field except some snaps for Max Cooper.


N8theGr8 said:
Yep. Tracy, ISM, Raigini, and B. Smith comprise the best set of receivers we've had here in a really long time. Martin will need an offseason to find his niche, be that beating out Ragaini (who's only a redshirt freshman and will also improve) or being the swiss army guy that can fill in whenever someone needs a breather.
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IowaLawWasRight said:
Guys - news flash, Smith hasn't played in 3 1/2 games. Tracy, ISM, Ragaini and Smith all played in the same games. When Smith went out, you would expect a 4th WR to get playing time. That was supposed to be Martin (or the freshmen). Instead, no one else saw the field except some snaps for Max Cooper.
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I haven't re-watched the game nor have I seen a personnel accounting list for each play, but what is obvious to me is that after ISM, Tracy and Nico, the coaches have chosen to use Goodson in the slot some, using the fullback of course in I formation, and using a lot of 2 tight end looks with all three TE's Beyer, Wieting and LaPorta.

So I wouldn't read into the OM situation that he has been passed up on the depth chart, I would encourage you to look at it that the coaches want to use Goodson as much as they can, and the need for balance and the desire to run dictates that they have to have capable TE's on the field and we have so many plays including play action out of the I formation that we cannot abandon the fullback.

You can read into it though that Tracy is absolutely better than OM at this point and they are going to give him all the reps they can.
 
IowaLawWasRight said:
Another week has gone by with Oliver Martin deeper and deeper into Ferentz' dog house. Even Max Cooper has been getting reps out there. All 3 tight ends are getting targets. But no trace of the only 4 star skill position player to play at Iowa in the past decade. Is it because the offense is clicking on all cylinders with the current personnel, minus Brandon Smith? Well, after the Minnesota game, Iowa's offense ranks 85th nationally, below power houses Kansas, Coastal Carolina, and Florida International. They say if it ain't broke, don't fix it...but this offense, filled with play makers (Goodson, Smith-Marsette, Tracy, etc.) is broke. The team is winning in spite of being out gained by opponents because the defense is elite. It's time to reevaluate the offense, both for this year and in years to come. If the WR pecking order is going to be solely based on union card, there's no sense for any new recruits to come in because they are not going to see the field for the next 3 years.
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Keenan Davis was a 4 star and within the last decade.
 
If he stays healthy I think Tracy will end up being Iowa's all time receiving leader. I also do not see Martin on the same level physically as Smith and ISM. While ISM isn't the biggest guy he plays with a chip which I like
 
IowaLawWasRight said:
Guys - news flash, Smith hasn't played in 3 1/2 games. Tracy, ISM, Ragaini and Smith all played in the same games. When Smith went out, you would expect a 4th WR to get playing time. That was supposed to be Martin (or the freshmen). Instead, no one else saw the field except some snaps for Max Cooper.
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What exactly has Martin shown that proves he needs to take touches from any of those guys? What would have Martin changed in Saturday's game, or any of our losses even?

What exactly have any of those guys shown that proves their play needs to be supplemented by anyone else? We're getting the best production out of our WR core since 2011.

It's also been pretty strongly hinted at that Martin has been banged up most of the year and is definitely not 100%.

The Max Cooper stuff is blown way out of proportion. He has one catch on the season, and probably 3 targets at most. He's not taking any receptions away from our top 3/4, and neither would Martin. At the very worst, he solved our problem of our PR team giving away field position by taking

Once again, you are complaining about a nonexistent problem solely for complaining's sake.
 
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