#1DieHardHawk
Well-Known Member
'nuff said...
I'd trade Doyle for Minny's S&C coach at this point.
The reason Taylor was dragging guys most of the time was because everybody was trying to tackle too high. It’s not a question if guys were strong or not, it’s because you cannot bring someone down with that talent by playing high. I can’t even remember a play yesterday when we tackled him low . No matter how strong someone is they won’t be able to stop him with his speed and natural leverage with how he runs. That is a major reason he is the best in the country
Fundamentally our linebackers and safeties did not tackle well yesterday and that is not on Doyle
A man can't run if his legs can't move. What we see in this photo is how Iowa tackled all game long.The reason Taylor was dragging guys most of the time was because everybody was trying to tackle too high. It’s not a question if guys were strong or not, it’s because you cannot bring someone down with that talent by playing high. I can’t even remember a play yesterday when we tackled him low . No matter how strong someone is they won’t be able to stop him with his speed and natural leverage with how he runs. That is a major reason he is the best in the country
Fundamentally our linebackers and safeties did not tackle well yesterday and that is not on Doyle
The bottom line is opponents that have good defenses have figured out how to stop Iowa's offense on pretty much a regular basis. Northwestern, Wisconsin and Penn State figured out how to beat Iowa a long time ago. They do so with regularity.
It's not just the tackling.
How about the fact that the Paulsen twins and Reiff have all been in the program for 5 years - yes, 5 years - yet, none of the three can "out-physical" the opponent across from them. Not their fault necessarily, but one of the main goals of the S&C program is to get our guys ready to battle in the trenches.
Ironically, that's what this program is supposed to be known for, but I think it's reasonable to question whether that reputation is built more on historical reputation rather than substance.
You have to wonder if Doyle has become so caught up in analytics and metrics that he's allowed the program to lose its way. Either way, something is amiss. We certainly aren't the "Bullies of the Big Ten" anymore.
It's not that bad. Penn State's winning streak is only at 6 games. We have a 1 game win streak against Northwestern and have won 1 of the last 4 games. We have won 1 of our last 8 games against Wisconsin. Most of the wins are totally fluky and if Iowa gets some breaks and bounces, they'll win those games again.
I gather that both Paulsen twins have had knee issues. They have both lost considerable time rehabbing them. Lost time for chronic injuries means missed development and conditioning.
I kind of wonder if they both have the same general issues, being identical twins. It's relatively common for people to have physiological issues with their knees. Some don't hold up to wear.
It would be interesting to be able to see what their strength gains and measureables are from when they entered the program to now. I would imagine they have gotten much stronger but you have to remember that Doyle doesn’t coach the online. Look at Wirfs, he is one of the strongest guys in the nation I would bet and he still gets beat. This has more to do with guys being healthy as well as just being good at a position not just strong. It is my opinion that both twins were project guys to begin with and not shoe in star caliber players from day one. Some guys are better than others and strength is only part of the equation
It would be interesting to be able to see what their strength gains and measureables are from when they entered the program to now. I would imagine they have gotten much stronger but you have to remember that Doyle doesn’t coach the online. Look at Wirfs, he is one of the strongest guys in the nation I would bet and he still gets beat. This has more to do with guys being healthy as well as just being good at a position not just strong. It is my opinion that both twins were project guys to begin with and not shoe in star caliber players from day one. Some guys are better than others and strength is only part of the equation