I'm Bored...lets do a 2011 Depth Chart Prediction

T

tgraham907

Well-Known Member
Man this is a slow time of the year and I know I can't stop thinking about the Black and Gold.

Here is what I got...let me know yours and what you think. Also make a list of True Freshman who touch the field.

QB- Vandenberg, Derby/Wienke....To be honest our backups scare me this year. I would love to see Rudock come in and challenge for the backup spot.

RB- Coker, Johnson/McCall....I think McCall is a stud, but I think De'Andre "the forgotten man" Johnson will be tough to beat out. Let us all hope that the IRBHG doesn't curse us again and take away Coker.

FB- Rogers, Gimm.... Hopefully Rogers is healthy. Not only is he a good blocker, but could be a big weapon as a runner. He could really bring a different dimension to our running game at fullback.

WR- McNutt, Shumpert/Hillyer
Davis, KMM.... Unfortunately camp Kirk is always on lock down so not a person really knows how these boys are developing besides a bad spring game and a few tidbits. I think our 1/2 punch of McNutt and Davis will be good, and I feel one of our freshman will step up and move into the two deeps. My guess is Hillyer due to his size and speed combo.

TE- Herman, CJF.... I really think these two guys could be a big factor for Vandy in his first go around. 6'5 and 6'6 athletic targets two throw at. The TE is also a known commodity in our O. I think our TE's will be vatsly improved from last year. I loved Riesner, but he really overachieved. I believe he maxed out early.

OL- Rieff, MacMillan
MacMillan, Scherff
Ferentz, Bofelli
Gettis, Scherff/Bofelli
Zusevics, Van Sloten....Our O-line is the heart and soul of this team and it will be beating strong this year. I think Scherff could very well beat our the Big Canadian due to his nagging string of injuries. If Mac gets his LG spot back I think he may also be the second string LT due to Scherff making a strong push at the LG position. I could see Bofelli and Scherff as our starting Guards in 2012 if Rieff decides to jump. I think we have more depth than we ever had here.

DL- Daniel, Raymon/Forgy
Daniels, Davis
Bigach, Cooper/Nardo
Binns, Alvis ...... Also the heart and soul of the Defense of the Hawkeye nation. I am sure Norm will have a solid unit by this fall, but it will obviously not be as big and strong as years past. I could see this unit really comiing together by midseason. The good thing is that we have a lot of upperclassman that are chomping at the bit to get on the field and prove themselves. I think Cooper and Raymon will get on the field. The two deeps may be questionable, but it is not like we have had anyone really step up and really lock down any position besides Binns and Daniels. I think they have the size and talent to possibly do it. I really love Alvis for the 2012 season.

LB- Kirksey/Hitchens
Morris, Davis/Spears
Nielson, Kirksey/Hitchens.... I think we may have a group of LB's that will really surprise this year. Morris has an extremely high upside that has yet to be fully tapped and Nielson showed that he can be an All-Big 10 LB last year. Lets hope Tyler can step in where he left off. Kirksey and Hitchens seem small, but have gotten high praise from the coach. I believe the coaches said that Kirksey would have played more last year if he was bigger.

CB/S- Prater, Castillo
Hyde, Miller
Sleeper, Law/Bernstine
Lowery, Castillo/Campbell....I think the secondary will take a few weeks, but like the D-line ..they could be very good by midseason. We have a lot of ability here, but a lack of on the field play. I really think Prater will allow Lowery to become a big time player in the big 10. I also think that the trio of Campbell, Lomax, and Law will be on the field playing special teams this year. I think Campbell will see time in nickel packages.

ST- Meyer, Mossbrucker
Guthrie, Mullings.... I think Meyer will become the Big 10's top kicker this year if he improves his stamina. He really impressed me as a freshman. As for punter....we will miss Donohue.

PR/KR- ???????...Your guess is as good as mine. I personally would love to see a PR who actually has a shot at taking one the distance. I do not want to see our starting WR's there...they just seem to big.


Freshman who play- McCall, Hillyer, Hamilton, Cooper, Raymon, Spears, Lomax, Campbell, and Law.
 
I'd be willing to bet anything Sleeper doesn't start a game this year unless injuries hit us at safety. If Hyde stays at FS then Miller or Bernstine will start at SS. If Hyde moves back to CB then I would guess it's Miller and Bernstine at the safety positions. I think Bernstine steps up big this year.
 
Good write up. I really think Carl Davis is going to be the surprise player of the year on defense. He has two things that provide potential at the DT...size and quickness. Young player, but he has several people talking about him as being a wrecking ball when it all clicks.

You don't move a good CB to Safety in the Spring to "get him a look" unless you are very, very concerned about the Safeties you have. I believe Hyde stays at safety and you end up putting your best four DB's on the field. Prater, Lowery, Hyde, and ???. Lowery turned some heads in the spring and I think he starts. I'm interested to see what Law can do also...from what I've read...special player.
 
That's interesting I have a different take on that.....I see...you don't move you starting CB to sfty unless you think it is his natural position and will be a stud and you are very, very confident in the options you have at CB to replace him.

Anyway......

I agree with much of what the OP said with a few noted exceptions.....
At WR...I think Staggs and Cotton could figure into the mix and as a group they will be good to very good. Of the true Freshmen I believe Grant will se the filed. He is very physical & very aggressive going after the ball in the air. He is also a prep guy and has that extra year under him.

AT RB & FB.... I agree with your thoughts on McCall and Rogers

At DL.....I think you are going to see a strong athletic hungry group that will hit the field running. They honestly aren't that much smaller and in fact are bigger than some past DL's.

At Lber.....unless the missed spring really set him back I'd guess Dibona will start at least early on. He had some really solid moments last year.

At Cb....I'd guess Castillo early but Lowery eventually. And at Sfty I see Hyde & Miller and they will be GOOOOODDDD!!! I love what they have around these guys...Bernstein, Sleeper, etc.

I'll hit the frosh later.

Chad
 
cmhawks99 said:
That's interesting I have a different take on that.....I see...you don't move you starting CB to sfty unless you think it is his natural position and will be a stud and you are very, very confident in the options you have at CB to replace him.

Anyway......

I agree with much of what the OP said with a few noted exceptions.....
At WR...I think Staggs and Cotton could figure into the mix and as a group they will be good to very good. Of the true Freshmen I believe Grant will se the filed. He is very physical & very aggressive going after the ball in the air. He is also a prep guy and has that extra year under him.

AT RB & FB.... I agree with your thoughts on McCall and Rogers

At DL.....I think you are going to see a strong athletic hungry group that will hit the field running. They honestly aren't that much smaller and in fact are bigger than some past DL's.

At Lber.....unless the missed spring really set him back I'd guess Dibona will start at least early on. He had some really solid moments last year.

At Cb....I'd guess Castillo early but Lowery eventually. And at Sfty I see Hyde & Miller and they will be GOOOOODDDD!!! I love what they have around these guys...Bernstein, Sleeper, etc.

I'll hit the frosh later.

Chad
Click to expand...


-Good points! Yeah, I forgot about Staggs. I didn't have a roster in front of me so I may have forgotten a few names.
-I liked Mr. Dibona a lot, but I feel he may be behind with Rhabado (Spelling?) and I believe he had a shoulder operation. Even if he doesn't start he will provide some quality depth.
-I think mid season will see the depth of our D-line finally coming around. I think we will see Hardy, Davis, and Cooper on the field rotating quite a bit.
 
cmhawks99 said:
That's interesting I have a different take on that.....I see...you don't move you starting CB to sfty unless you think it is his natural position and will be a stud and you are very, very confident in the options you have at CB to replace him.

Chad
Click to expand...
Good call. I agree.
 
The O -

QB: Vandenberg, Wienke/Derby
RB: Coker, White/McCall
FB: Rodgers/Gimm, Covert
TE: Herman, Fiedorowicz, Derby
WR: McNutt, Staggs
WR: Davis, Martin-Manley
OT: Reiff, MacMillan/Tobin
OT: Zusevics, Van Sloten
OG: Gettis, Boffeli/MacMillan
OG: Scherff/MacMillan, Boffeli
C: Ferentz, Boffeli

Assessment:

Provided that Iowa can develop some depth running the ball and that Iowa's pass catchers can exhibit some consistency ... the offense has the potential to develop into a extremely potent group.

I anticipate that we'll see a young TE enter the fray, along with AT LEAST one TR FR wide receiver .... they'll see action primarily on special teams ... however, given that we'll be losing McNutt and Herman, we'll need to develop guys behind them. I don't anticipate that we'll see any TR FR see action on the OL. Lastly, we could see as many as 2 TR FR earn action at RB. If Coe fails to qualify ... then he's just lost out on a golden opportunity. However, even if that ends up being the case, I'm still very excited about McCall and Canzeri.

I really expect big things from Iowa's OL. I think that between them, Vandenberg, McNutt, Herman, and Coker ... Iowa's O will be able to maintain great balance.
 
The D -

DT: Daniels, Nardo/Cooper/Alvis
DT: Bigach, Davis, Hardy/Alvis
DE: Binns, Alvis, Forgy
DE: Daniel, Alvis/Forgy
LEO: Nielsen, Kirksey/Getz
MIKE: Morris, Davis/DiBona
WILL: Kirksey, Hitchens/DiBona, Alston
FS: Hyde, Miller, Nielsen
SS: Miller, Sleeper, Bernstine/Donatell
CB: Prater, Bernstine, Campbell or Lomax
CB: Castillo/Lowery, Bernstine

Assessment:

Quite apart from a lot of the excitement surrounding Carl Davis ... I frankly hope that he mostly plays situationally so that he can come in and help provide the D with a spark. I want him to be able to just come out and play. If he has to come out too much and play in an every-down capacity ... then I think that we could see him "think too much" and not react enough. Such a scenario would knock down his confidence a peg or two ... and I don't want to see that happen.

Not unlike Spud, I'm hoping that we get enough guys healthy and able at the DT spot so that Alvis can spend most of his time at DE.

I expect that the DL will be okay. In many respects the group kinda reminds me a bit of the '07 DL ... only with the unit having fewer starts under their belts, but having more capable bodies to contribute. I expect solid play with some flashes of brilliance ... but mostly just a hard working group of "no-namers" who do whatever it takes to get 'er done. That's not to say that I don't think that the unit has high-quality guys ... however, the unit doesn't have headliners like we had last year.

If the LBs can remain healthy, I expect a marked improvement in the play there. My biggest concern is the tackling that we'll see out of the WILL spot. However, aside from that ... I actually think that we could see a nice leap forward in coverage skills there too. I expect that 2 TR FR LBs will earn early playing time. I think that the guys will mostly earn action on special teams, however, I wouldn't be shocked if a guy like Alston were able to jump on the scene and make it a tight race at the WILL spot.

If the LBs can remain healthy ... then I'm not at all worried about it as a position group. However, if injuries again strike at the LB spot ... then I'm terrified because of the complete lack of experienced depth there.

In the secondary, I think that the fact that we managed to have more success recruiting at CB might play a pivotal role in whether Hyde remains there. In terms of outright talent ... I see the best 4, in no particular order, being Prater, Lowery, Hyde, and Miller. However, that said, I think that Castillo is technically sound and currently more consistent than Lowery .... consequently, I anticipate that we'll see Castillo and Lowery splitting reps. That gets us back to the original assertion. I think that Iowa will enjoy a blow-out victory or two ... and that should open the door for a TR FR CB to see plenty of action. To that end, I think that that could end up leading the coaches to opt to keep Hyde at safety and then let Lomax and/or Campbell benefit from those reps.

The immediate implication there then is that Miller will likely re-enter the picture. To that end, I think that he'll compete with Hyde at the FS spot initially ... but ultimately I think that he'll slide over to the SS spot until Hyde graduates. I'm particularly intrigued by how Nico Law might enter the picture, because currently I have no idea.

While I compared the DL to the '07 DL ... I think that the '11 secondary provides a stark departure. The '07 secondary was particularly exploitable at safety ... and I don't expect to see that being the case in '11. Furthermore, Iowa fans love to bag on Shada ... and I see the starting CB opposite Prater being better than Shada ... so the secondary will be in much better shape.

All-in-all, I see a lot of different scenarios unfolding from the D ... and many of them are dependent on the health of guys on the front-7. Ideally experience guys who are capable of playing "fast" get the majority of the reps when "disciplined" play is a must .... however, hopefully enough young guys emerge so that they can make a positive splash in a back-up capacity. Also, I think that it will be very important on the D for some vocal leaders to step up. At this current juncture, I have no idea who will be "that guy" who the unit needs. We'll see ...
 
Homer I think Binns can be the vocal guy. I also think as Morris gains confidence he could step up to be that "guy" over the next three seasons. I have always been impressed with Binns video interviews on Morehouse's site. Prater/ Hyde have the reps/ success to have an impact should they choose to as leaders. I think guys like Nielsen and Daniel are more of lead by example guys but I really don't have an inside source feeding me that- just an impression.

I think that the D will use more players situationally this season- meaning that Iowa will use more types of defensive line ups. I think their will be a legitimate 3rd and long package exchanging either a ( or more) linebacker and defensive lineman (again or two) in obvious passing situations. I think DiBona will be the Will on 1rst and 2nd down. I think that Davis will be either a dedicated run stopper or a dedicated pass rusher. I also think that Alvis could be a pass rush specialist this season. Daniel and Binns will likely rarely leave the field this season. Nielsen and Morris can play any down. I just don't know if Iowa will play 3-4, Nickel or Dime or a combination of these packages.

Finally I think that Hyde will start the season at Corner but eventually make his way to Free and Lowery will be the starter for most of the season. I think initially that the backfield will consist of CBs Prater and Hyde as well SS Bernstine/ FS Miller. I just don't know if Bernstine can stay healthy or will be effective enough in pass cover to hold onto the job.
 
homerHAWKeye777 said:
The D -

DT: Daniels, Nardo/Cooper/Alvis
DT: Bigach, Davis, Hardy/Alvis
DE: Binns, Alvis, Forgy
DE: Daniel, Alvis/Forgy
LEO: Nielsen, Kirksey/Getz
MIKE: Morris, Davis/DiBona
WILL: Kirksey, Hitchens/DiBona, Alston
FS: Hyde, Miller, Nielsen
SS: Miller, Sleeper, Bernstine/Donatell
CB: Prater, Bernstine, Campbell or Lomax
CB: Castillo/Lowery, Bernstine

Assessment:

Quite apart from a lot of the excitement surrounding Carl Davis ... I frankly hope that he mostly plays situationally so that he can come in and help provide the D with a spark. I want him to be able to just come out and play. If he has to come out too much and play in an every-down capacity ... then I think that we could see him "think too much" and not react enough. Such a scenario would knock down his confidence a peg or two ... and I don't want to see that happen.

Not unlike Spud, I'm hoping that we get enough guys healthy and able at the DT spot so that Alvis can spend most of his time at DE.

I expect that the DL will be okay. In many respects the group kinda reminds me a bit of the '07 DL ... only with the unit having fewer starts under their belts, but having more capable bodies to contribute. I expect solid play with some flashes of brilliance ... but mostly just a hard working group of "no-namers" who do whatever it takes to get 'er done. That's not to say that I don't think that the unit has high-quality guys ... however, the unit doesn't have headliners like we had last year.

If the LBs can remain healthy, I expect a marked improvement in the play there. My biggest concern is the tackling that we'll see out of the WILL spot. However, aside from that ... I actually think that we could see a nice leap forward in coverage skills there too. I expect that 2 TR FR LBs will earn early playing time. I think that the guys will mostly earn action on special teams, however, I wouldn't be shocked if a guy like Alston were able to jump on the scene and make it a tight race at the WILL spot.

If the LBs can remain healthy ... then I'm not at all worried about it as a position group. However, if injuries again strike at the LB spot ... then I'm terrified because of the complete lack of experienced depth there.

In the secondary, I think that the fact that we managed to have more success recruiting at CB might play a pivotal role in whether Hyde remains there. In terms of outright talent ... I see the best 4, in no particular order, being Prater, Lowery, Hyde, and Miller. However, that said, I think that Castillo is technically sound and currently more consistent than Lowery .... consequently, I anticipate that we'll see Castillo and Lowery splitting reps. That gets us back to the original assertion. I think that Iowa will enjoy a blow-out victory or two ... and that should open the door for a TR FR CB to see plenty of action. To that end, I think that that could end up leading the coaches to opt to keep Hyde at safety and then let Lomax and/or Campbell benefit from those reps.

The immediate implication there then is that Miller will likely re-enter the picture. To that end, I think that he'll compete with Hyde at the FS spot initially ... but ultimately I think that he'll slide over to the SS spot until Hyde graduates. I'm particularly intrigued by how Nico Law might enter the picture, because currently I have no idea.

While I compared the DL to the '07 DL ... I think that the '11 secondary provides a stark departure. The '07 secondary was particularly exploitable at safety ... and I don't expect to see that being the case in '11. Furthermore, Iowa fans love to bag on Shada ... and I see the starting CB opposite Prater being better than Shada ... so the secondary will be in much better shape.

All-in-all, I see a lot of different scenarios unfolding from the D ... and many of them are dependent on the health of guys on the front-7. Ideally experience guys who are capable of playing "fast" get the majority of the reps when "disciplined" play is a must .... however, hopefully enough young guys emerge so that they can make a positive splash in a back-up capacity. Also, I think that it will be very important on the D for some vocal leaders to step up. At this current juncture, I have no idea who will be "that guy" who the unit needs. We'll see ...
Click to expand...
If the DL is just "OK", our LB's will be just "OK". The front 4 needs to control their gaps for the LB's to look good. I think Carl Davis could be starting by mid-season.
 
94HawkMA said:
If the DL is just "OK", our LB's will be just "OK". The front 4 needs to control their gaps for the LB's to look good. I think Carl Davis could be starting by mid-season.
Click to expand...

I think that the base-line of Iowa's D is for the DL to "do their job" ... and the most important part of that is to keep blockers off the LBs. That's why I think that we'll be able to see some really nice LB play.

The "issue" is that Iowa's D also typically leans heavily upon having the DL rack up a lot of tackles and TFLs too.

The '07 DL didn't really rack up huge stats when it came to sacks ... however, they did a pretty darn good job of allowing the LBs to make plays. That allowed for Coleman to really burst on the scene that year ... and it also contributed to Humpal's tremendous productivity too.

If Carl can play "fast" by mid-season ... then yeah, I could see him starting too. However, right now he's still a bit slow off the LOS ... and a lot of that has to do with him getting down the fundamentals so that they're second nature. Another part of it is for him to gain "good confidence" ... so then he can trust his instincts and the importance of the technique that is getting taught to him.
 
CAARHawk said:
Homer: see you have Alvis at DE. Really really think he will be stepping into Klug's roll.
Click to expand...

Alvis was seeing reps at DT because of our complete lack of depth at the position this past Spring. Furthermore, we have a bit of a "glut" of experience at DE in '11 because Binns, Daniel, and Forgy are each SRs.

My impression is that Norm just wants to get Alvis on the field .... he just thinks that Alvis is that sort of player. Alvis seems to be the sort of guys who's cut from the same cloth as Roth, King, and Klug. A guy who is a "scrapper" and who has a tenacious motor can have success AT BOTH the DE and DT spots. Klug was originally recruited at DE ... however, he was moved to the DT spot out of need. Alvis is a guy who will end up landing where he is most needed. In 2011, I think that Alvis will see reps BOTH on the inside and outside ... and, as Spud indicated, he's going to get those reps largely situationally (probably as a pass-rush specialist).

Right now you have to remember that in 2012, the coaches are going to want somebody with some experience stepping up and starting at DE for us. I think that Alvis will be one of those guys. Who else do we have to start the DE spots in 2012? Hardy and Heissel are guys who will compete for one of the DE spots .... as will Raymon ... however, Alvis is the guy with the "head start."
 
From what I've gathered, Sleeper was legitimately ahead of Bernstine through the spring. What I don't know is whether rhabo was a significant reason why Bernstine had gotten beaten out ... or whether Sleeper is just that good. I'm struck by the fact that Ferentz went out of his way to speak positively of Sleeper ... so he very well might be legit ... I do know that the kid has serious quicks. I also know that DJK has been vocal about saying that Bernstine isn't good enough in coverage to win a starting spot at CB.

At the very least, I see Bernstine getting plenty of reps in extra-DB sets. Whether he can win the SS spot ... I'm not so certain. If Bernstine were to win the SS job ... then that would really clarify to me where Nico Law would fit in. If Bernstine were to win the job ... then I could see Law earning early playing time in order to position himself to take over the starting spot in 2012.

However, the glaring hole in the above logic is that Lowery is a guy whom I've heard nothing but good things about. My inclined to believe that he's a guy who has a legit chance of winning a starting CB spot SOONER rather than later.

Anyhow, I gotta say that I'm really excited about the Iowa secondary. I see there being A TON of potential and a nice bit of depth too. I expect that the group will have its "green moments" at times .... not unlike how Sash got exploited some in '08 .... however, Sash also made a ton of plays for us as a RS FR too! I excited .... VERY excited! Of course, life is hard on ANY secondary if the opposing QB has all day to pass the ball ... so it will also be interesting to see how the Iowa DL fares ... and also whether we continue to see Morris effectively used in blitz packages.


spudhawk said:
I think that the D will use more players situationally this season- meaning that Iowa will use more types of defensive line ups. I think their will be a legitimate 3rd and long package exchanging either a ( or more) linebacker and defensive lineman (again or two) in obvious passing situations. I think DiBona will be the Will on 1rst and 2nd down. I think that Davis will be either a dedicated run stopper or a dedicated pass rusher. Nielsen and Morris can play any down. I just don't know if Iowa will play 3-4, Nickel or Dime or a combination of these packages.

Finally I think that Hyde will start the season at Corner but eventually make his way to Free and Lowery will be the starter for most of the season. I think initially that the backfield will consist of CBs Prater and Hyde as well SS Bernstine/ FS Miller. I just don't know if Bernstine can stay healthy or will be effective enough in pass cover to hold onto the job.
Click to expand...
 
Homer, you are the man! Good discussion for guys like me that have nothing else to do between January and August. I didn't realize that Davis was lacking in the quickness off the line category. I do know that Norm says he is very strong.
 
94HawkMA said:
Homer, you are the man! Good discussion for guys like me that have nothing else to do between January and August. I didn't realize that Davis was lacking in the quickness off the line category. I do know that Norm says he is very strong.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't consider Carl's "issues" a big deal. A big part of it is simply experience and getting up to game-speed. Another part of it is technique ... and that is something that can be taught. Young guys sometimes go off of the snap count more than just watching the ball ... and that can sometimes slow them down a little bit.

Some of it can also relate to lower body development. A huge portion of how explosive a player is depends on the development of their lower body. Lots of young guys spend too much time developing their arms (improving their bench numbers) and they don't do the leg-lifts and exercises that can produce elite-level explosiveness.

Anyhow, the great thing about Carl is that he's a bit of a freak when it comes to physical attributes ... furthermore, from everything I've heard, it sounds like he's a pretty good worker too. The key, as I see it, is for him to get down the fundamentals and to continue to improve his technique (like pad-level and use of hands).
 
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