Fant's Tweet

[99topdawg]

Every single coach in the world starts their 2 best Dends. That means Kirk thinks AJ is the 3rd best one on the team.

I heard KF say on a call in show that it's about run defense vs. pass defense. I can't deny that Hesse is an amazing DE against the run.

 

[PCHawk]

To the people that think that Ferentz is holding AJ or any other young player back, have you thought that maybe AJ has been successful in part due to his selective usage instead of in spite of it? People are so stat driven sometimes that they can't see things for what they really are. AJ had 10.5 sacks, which is great, but the play by a defensive end is much much much more than just that number. However, Hesse is a great player too. He may not have the stats, but he has made some great plays over the years including this one, along with AJ, and I think they can do that when they are fresh. How many times have we seen a lack of defensive line depth kill us at the end of games because our guys are gassed? And now we have competent depth that people are complaining about one guy not playing all the time?

The way I see it, AJ is our best past rusher, and one of the best ever to wear this uniform. And so I would want that guy fresh, like really fresh, so that when we can get to 3rd and obvious passing situations, I am putting that guy in to make an impact on the game. If there was a problem getting to that 3rd and long, sure, then maybe you have to use him more, but there is no way you can expect him to have the impact on 3rd down or in the 4th quarter if you stack 25 more run plays on him.

If AJ cant handle more plays without a dropoff in production, he's the most out of shape stud athlete in the history of the world.

 

[dirtwrap]

It's double edged sword when you show loyalty to upperclassmen. I get why KF does it but there is a downside. The better 4 and 5* prospects won't choose to play for a coach that does this. Unless you live and breath Iowa football like AJ does. They feel like they have the talent to play right away and they might feel like they won't get that opportunity at Iowa. Right or wrong, I think that's a point of negative recruiting on KF.

I think there is plenty of proof in the Ferentz era that he is not afraid to play the young guys. He is also not afraid to play a walk-on instead of a highly recruited kid either. I think the double-edged sword is that a lot of the 4* and 5* kids come in with a sense of entitlement because someone labeled them as a good player. I know at blue blood schools it works better, because they are all competing with other 4 and 5* kids. But how often does it work out for us to pull a highly recruited kid from somewhere across the country that didn't grow up a Hawk fan and it work out?

 

[Xerxes]

I think Schwartz missed the point of Fant's tweet. He wasn't just "cheering on his teammates." He was rightfully taking a shot at Ferentz for not playing his talent (Epenesa in this case). The "he should be out there every play" comment wasn't about Epenesa--it was Fant commenting on his own playing time and Ferentz's pattern of not putting talent on the field.

Let's not sugar coat this. Fant's pissed at the Ferentz's. Epenesa will have a decision to make next year too, if Iowa makes a bowl game. Aside from that, will Ferentz even allow the 5-star talent to start in his last year as a Hawkeye, or is there a hard-working Iowa kid with more union card stock?

Did you like the comment from the color guy about how BF talked to him about Iowa missing Fant because he was their "3rd option"?

I thought it was pretty funny. Total pot-shot at Fant.

 

[dirtwrap]

If AJ cant handle more plays without a dropoff in production, he's the most out of shape stud athlete in the history of the world.

You are entitled to your opinion but I highly disagree with that. I don't care if you are an NFL pro-bowler and how great of shape you are in, your production is better at the beginning of the game than at the end. Your production is better when you are healthy than when you are injured. So again, in this situation, I think a fresh AJ is better than a fresh Hesse, hands down. But I think a fresh Hesse is better than an exhausted AJ. Especially at defensive end when you are essentially running a sprint every play, and if you take a play off it shows.

 

[PCHawk]

You are entitled to your opinion but I highly disagree with that. I don't care if you are an NFL pro-bowler and how great of shape you are in, your production is better at the beginning of the game than at the end. Your production is better when you are healthy than when you are injured. So again, in this situation, I think a fresh AJ is better than a fresh Hesse, hands down. But I think a fresh Hesse is better than an exhausted AJ. Especially at defensive end when you are essentially running a sprint every play, and if you take a play off it shows.

Does he even play half of the snaps? If he was playing 3/4 of the snaps I could se your point. But half at best?

 

[BVHawk95]

If AJ cant handle more plays without a dropoff in production, he's the most out of shape stud athlete in the history of the world.

Everyone gets tired. It's a fact of football.

Remember the 2010 DL? That was an insane group, with Clayborn, Ballard, Daniels, and Klug. However, they didn't rotate hardly as often as we do now (along with an inability for the offense to sustain drives late), and it showed, as they huffed and puffed at the end of games and were way less effective. Got to think that sticks in KF's mind as well.

 

[deanvogs]

AJ is a beast, but I really hope the coaches keep rotating our DL in years moving forward. We didn't lose a single DL player to injury for a single snap this year. I think the rotation has made all the difference in the world for those guys. They also talk about they are the tightest nit position group as well, which makes sense because every week you know that you have at least 8 guys working very hard as they all know they will be contributing and will be key to the team each and every week.

 

[Xerxes]

Every single coach in the world starts their 2 best Dends. That means Kirk thinks AJ is the 3rd best one on the team.

When it comes to defending the run, I'd agree with KF that AJ is Iowa's 3rd best DE. Hesse showed just how good of a run DE he is on that goal line stand. And really Nelson and Hesse have been proving their worth at DE since they started playing.

When it comes to DE in passing situations, Hesse is easily behind AN & AJ.

It actually works out great. AJ can stay fresh for passing situations and Iowa's run D doesn't take a hit by having Hesse on the sidelines.

 

[uihawk82]

Why is KF such a dummy? I mean, he's proven over and over and over that he doesn't know how to manage a young mans career. I wonder why parents even send kids to Iowa.

There is a huge difference between playing defensive and offensive line when it comes to energy expenditure and oxygen debt. Most Dlinemen are trying to push on guys that outweigh them by 20-40 pounds. Dlinemen are going into total sprint burst on pass rush while Olinemen are taking a step back planting their feet and trying to stay firm.

On wide running plays the Olinemen make a block or two and sometimes dont chase on the play while Dlinemen are working off the blocks and then chasing as long as the whistle hasnt blown.

Huge difference and that is why we see much more rotation in the Dline. That being said AJE has accomplished a lot in 2 years. He wasnt great at setting the edge his first year, Hesse was a tough smart DE, and this year it has worked even better as AJE is better on the run and getting more snaps. AJE should be ready for primetime in his 3rd and probably last year as a hawks.

Hesse and Drew Ott got thrown to the wolves as undersized freshmen and the both played great. I still feel sorry about Ott's injuries and I only know him as a fan.

 

[lightning1]

Parker Hesse plays well enough that this situation is not a big deal either way. The same thing cannot be said for Fant vs Beyer/Wieting. And it isn't even close.

 

[Northside Hawk]

I think Schwartz missed the point of Fant's tweet. He wasn't just "cheering on his teammates." He was rightfully taking a shot at Ferentz for not playing his talent (Epenesa in this case). The "he should be out there every play" comment wasn't about Epenesa--it was Fant commenting on his own playing time and Ferentz's pattern of not putting talent on the field.

Let's not sugar coat this. Fant's pissed at the Ferentz's. Epenesa will have a decision to make next year too, if Iowa makes a bowl game. Aside from that, will Ferentz even allow the 5-star talent to start in his last year as a Hawkeye, or is there a hard-working Iowa kid with more union card stock?

I made the comment right away in the game thread about the truth finally coming out. He was clearly getting in a parting shot.

Kirk made some comment in one of the pregame pressers Rob posted about the need for two tight ends that would seem to contradict what he was saying after the Northwestern game.

Fant was going pro, and skipping the bowl, the moment his family's comments came out in early October. It had that feel right away.

 

[SteveGarvey1]

Every single coach in the world starts their 2 best Dends. That means Kirk thinks AJ is the 3rd best one on the team.

Isn't there more to being a DE than rushing the passer? AJ is obviously the best at that but didn't his lack of knowledge at other aspects of playing the position hold him back some? Being in the right position, stuff like that.

 

[BVHawk95]

Isn't there more to being a DE than rushing the passer? AJ is obviously the best at that but didn't his lack of knowledge at other aspects of playing the position hold him back some? Being in the right position, stuff like that.

Keeping contain, setting an edge against the run game, responsibilities against the read and speed option, getting a knock off on the tackle so he doesn't get a free shot at the LB, etc.

 

[PCHawk]

Isn't there more to being a DE than rushing the passer? AJ is obviously the best at that but didn't his lack of knowledge at other aspects of playing the position hold him back some? Being in the right position, stuff like that.

There is. Are you saying AJ wasnt good at all that after 2 years in the program? I would say it's likely that Hesse is a tiny bit better at some parts of the game, but AJ is night and day better at others.

If you weigh all the positive things AJ did and how they impacted the game against all the negative things he did and how they impacted the game, then do the same thing with Hesse, then compare them against each other, I dont even think it's that close who was better on the field. And that says a lot because Hesse is a damn good player.

I say a play where AJ gave up the edge and gave up 15-20 yards (Hesse has done that too) and thought "that's the reason he doesn't play more". The problem with that is those extra 15-20 yards every so often dont hurt near as bad as the extra sacks and forced fumbles help. And that's assuming AJ gives those plays up more often than Hesse does, which is a pretty big assumption right now.

 

[lightning1]

Isn't there more to being a DE than rushing the passer? AJ is obviously the best at that but didn't his lack of knowledge at other aspects of playing the position hold him back some? Being in the right position, stuff like that.

I hope we have coaches that are capable of teaching stuff like that. Unless you think AJE is un-coachable?

 

[Hawkfnntn]

It's too bad some folks don't realize that the fact we are deep all across the Dline is a huge reason that they are as effective as they are all 4 quarters...It's not like a power forward in basketball we are talking about with playing time. It's totally different.

Those of us that remember just a few yrs ago when we had Clayborn, Ballard and that group of guys where they were really good too. For like 2.5 quarters and they all ran out of gas. Partially because we still played a similar style and put a lot of pressure on the D to win us games. Partially because they didn't rotate others in much.

Could AJ have played more? Oh absolutely I'm sure he could have played 10 more snaps a game no problem. But there's nothing to complain about here. It helped keep him and Hesse BOTH fresher and healthier all year long. There's a big difference between playing at close to 100% energy and health wise late in games then at 75% or less. Ask any offensive lineman that has to block them....

This is something we used to complain about legitimately back when we had no depth. Now we have fans bitching about having it and second guessing the coaches on what best way to split up the reps are. There's no pleasing everyone...

 

[InGoodCo]

Yeah, Kirk handed it to him. Fant didn't earn the opportunity to play at Iowa and score all those touchdowns or earn the 1st round NFL draft predictions.

I definitely didn't say that. No where did I even insinuate that. Noah earned every bit of what he had coming to him, but you're being disingenuous if you don't think Iowa was the catalyst for Noah's rise or have just realized that Iowa put's tight ends in the NFL.

 

[trj]

PP used Parker Hesse all over the place. He had him on the edge, played him a lot inside, occasionally dropped him off in coverage. Iowa doesn't do a lot of stunts or twists, but when they did, you could count on Hesse having a free shot. I am not insinuating AJE is a one trick pony or not capable of doing those things, just that Hesse was really good at his role.

I never had an issue with AJE not starting or being on a snap count. He will get his 50+ snaps next year, be a beast and collect his NFL money. This is a non-issue with me.

 

[westender]

I think Schwartz missed the point of Fant's tweet. He wasn't just "cheering on his teammates." He was rightfully taking a shot at Ferentz for not playing his talent (Epenesa in this case). The "he should be out there every play" comment wasn't about Epenesa--it was Fant commenting on his own playing time and Ferentz's pattern of not putting talent on the field.

Let's not sugar coat this. Fant's pissed at the Ferentz's. Epenesa will have a decision to make next year too, if Iowa makes a bowl game. Aside from that, will Ferentz even allow the 5-star talent to start in his last year as a Hawkeye, or is there a hard-working Iowa kid with more union card stock?

Who cares at this point. Done and ovah. wish all parties involved the best and a happy new year.