Freshman Nate Meier working at RB

Reality check. If our recruiting didn't totally suck, guys like this wouldn't be getting a shot. Garmon is the only bigtime rb that we recruited.
 
OUTofTOWNHAWK said:
Iowa doesnt need a super star. They need a back that tries hard(Arob and Coker were players that put it out there and kept their feet moving, but were not overly talented). If a player that runs the ball out of the back field(I will not use the term for them) picks up the blocking then they can play in an Iowa offense. Blocking is the key factor on who KF lets on the field. With the OL that Iowa has on a regular basis the guy that is handed the ball in the backfield and then given a chance to run does not need to have great running skill for the Iowa offense to work. On the other hand, a guy like Greene comes along then you have something great. You dont need that to make this offense good though.

If the kid can block then he will see the field.
Click to expand...

A-Rob was garbage and Coker was extremely talented.
 
but he was the most dominating high school back I've ever seen in person
Click to expand...

You never saw Roger Meyer, huh?

Didn't have gaudy, Bugs Bunny numbers like some of these guys, but it took half a defense to take him down on every play. Ask Harlan how they liked having to stop him.

Hopefully Nate Meier has a successful Hawkeye career. I'd prefer to see him be a linebacker, though. I think he might have the ability to be a Greenway type of player there, and I think we can find a productive RB a lot easier.
 
Whatever Meier becomes for the Hawks, this is one of the greatest highlight videos ever.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LbAP45ObT8]Nate Meier Senior Highlight Video - YouTube[/ame]
 
hill had some huge stats too and he played 11-man at a higher level. meier has extreme talent as a football player but his best location will be at fb or lb.

a comparison to greenway is a good one because they both played non-11 man football...but that is where it ends. greenway grew in college and was a safety and qb in hs...meaning he had to learn a position. meier was an rb and he already is as big as greenway ended up. i dont know what meier played on defense but i would say his learning curve is less than chad's. and that speaks volumes for how good chad was.
 
Great vision and awareness, hard running, looks for people to hit. I like the fact that he just looks "football". Tough, hard-nosed kid that will do some great things whatever position he plays...Hell, give him a shot in the backfield and see what transpires....He also reacts very well at the LB position, has a nose for the ball...and that's why he is wearing the black and gold...love this kid...
 
He is starting at RB not because the coaches want him there, but because he wants to be there. The article says they are starting him out there because he wanted to give it a shot.
 
vosov said:
He is not at RB because Iowa is desperate. He may play there if Iowa is desperate, but the plan has always been for him to start at RB.
Click to expand...


You're wrong. Any time Kirk Ferentz says something like "that is a position that he came in that he really wanted to give a shot to," you know that the coaches want to move him.

I direct your attention to AJ Derby, Brad Rogers, Dallas Clark, Anthony Hitchens, Austin Vier, Tom Busch, Brett Morse, Marvin McNutt and Rodney Coe (sort of).

No, the plan is to give Meier a year to prove that he's a Big Ten back and then move him to LB/DE/FB if he's buried behind Canzeri, Garmon, Hill and Bullock, which he almost assuredly will be.
 
Last edited:
IowaTeddy said:
His HS film was great...but it was also hilarious. I had never really seen 8 man until I youtubed him. The gameplay reminded me of an awesome, intense pick up game.

I don't want to be Mr. KneeJerk, just because someone started a thread on a fan blog... but the kid has never even played 11 man football (assuming his youth experience was also reduced player count). I could put it more rudely and say that he has NEVER EVEN PLAYED REAL FOOTBALL.

However, physical talent is physical talent and I think he could be really good. So many reasons to be skeptical though
Click to expand...

Strong candidate for Dumbest, Least-Informed, Closest-to-Being-a-Bona-Fide-Troll Post of the Year.

Chad Greenway played 7-man football, FYI. Other Hawks have done well who played at "small-school" level in high school.

Give the kid a chance. Barring injury or academic/legal foul-up, the worst that can happen is that he gets moved to a different position and/or spends his career on scout team.
 
IowaTeddy said:
OKay okay, I knew people would have examples for me (this is Iowa Football after all) and I didn't mean to offend anyone. Seriously. No offense at all, this kid is a way better athlete than I am, or anyone on my HS team was either.

And it's true about Greenway, and awesome. But Chad Greenway redshirted year 1, then had injuries/sat for most of his second year. And in his 3rd year, he started as a sophomore. Greenway had two full years to come into the program and develop physically and mentally. He didn't emerge from 7 man football as an 18 year old and start contributing in the Big 10.

I am willing to bet that VERY few guys have done that ever. But I've never seen/heard of a more physically ready 8 man player than Nate Meier. So let's see.

I am not hating on him at all. When he committed, I literally starting thinking about him in the Ron Dayne mold.
Click to expand...

Dr. Jekyll, meet Mr. Hyde...
 
OUTofTOWNHAWK said:
I agree with you. Coker and Arob were not elite backs but I think they were good. I thought Coker was very good even though the masses said he was too slow to the hole.

We dont know what GD will do to the offense, but we do know that KF has said time and time again that guys in the backfield could not see the field util they can block.

This is why I think that Iowa doesnt need a great back they need a back that can block well and not fumble the ball.

If GD is going to pass more than you need a really good blocking back that can catch the ball. You dont need a superstar that makes people miss.

When I think of a superstar back I think of a back that you hand the ball to and he creates on his own.
Click to expand...

The very thing that kept Shonn Greene off the field early in his career was poor blocking. Who could, until the 2008 season, forget some of those missed blitz pick-ups and half-blocks?
 
Last edited:
hawkeyebob62 said:
The very thing that kept Shonn Greene off the field early in his career was poor blocking. Who could, until the 2008 season, forget some of those missed blitz pick-ups and half-blocks?
Click to expand...

No, the very thing that kept Shonn Greene off the field early in his career was Kirk Ferentz's loyalty (well-earned in this particular case) to Albert Young.
 
This kid really looks like he has the ability to fit in at multiple positions. His running reminds me of A-Rob, not speedy but balanced and is able to just run through or bounce off contact. I think he would also fit in well at the Mike position. Has enough speed to cover receivers when needed, but has that tough nosed, loves contact kind of attitude to blow things up in the middle. I could also see him bulking up more and playing DE as long as he can keep his speed and of course learn everything there is about playing in the trenches. I'll be shocked if we don't see this kid playing somewhere regularly, but I'm going to say it won't be for a couple years and I think it will be on defense.
 
hawkeyebob62 said:
Strong candidate for Dumbest, Least-Informed, Closest-to-Being-a-Bona-Fide-Troll Post of the Year.

Chad Greenway played 7-man football, FYI. Other Hawks have done well who played at "small-school" level in high school.

Give the kid a chance. Barring injury or academic/legal foul-up, the worst that can happen is that he gets moved to a different position and/or spends his career on scout team.
Click to expand...

Are you kidding me? I think everything I said us accurate. And read the whole thread, we have already discussed Greenway.

The point is that thi kid is a great looking athlete already. However, he has never even played 11 man! Talk about a learning curve! Sure, "greenway did it", but no he didn't. Greenway sat for two years before coming into playing time.

And my point about watching the 8 man is that anyone can clearly see it is very different from 11 man. If you played 8 man or something and you are so offended, please don't be.

My argument was: we as fans need to realize that it might be unrealistic to expect an 18 year old fresh out of the 8 man league to contribute.

He might be able to though. I cant remember an 8 man player as physically developed as him. I'm as excited about him as any freshman the hawks are bringing in and I think he could be Iowas version of a Wisconsin type back.
 
IowaTeddy said:
His HS film was great...but it was also hilarious. I had never really seen 8 man until I youtubed him. The gameplay reminded me of an awesome, intense pick up game.

I don't want to be Mr. KneeJerk, just because someone started a thread on a fan blog... but the kid has never even played 11 man football (assuming his youth experience was also reduced player count). I could put it more rudely and say that he has NEVER EVEN PLAYED REAL FOOTBALL.

However, physical talent is physical talent and I think he could be really good. So many reasons to be skeptical though
Click to expand...

Greenway would agree with you. He never played REAL FOOTBALL and he never earned a PRO BOWL berth or became the Vikings DEFENSIVE MVP. He was just too weak and talentless because of his days playing 9-man football.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Share this page

Top