Iowa Linebackers - Thoughts??

I swear, if some of you keep nit-picking like this, I might just stay away from here this season. Just sit back and RELAX!!!!! Enjoy this season, and stop worrying about every little thing. Hyde got burned. Amari got toasted against Penn State last year, as CAAR said. Davis looked shaky in coverage. Well, 1. he's known as a guy who is a run stopper, and not that great against the pass, and 2. HE'S NOT OUR STARTING MLB!!!!

The linebackers' names didn't get called a lot. Well let's see here: EIU stretched things out with screens and short out routes a lot. That means that the D-Line and corners are going to get a lot of the action. Add to that: EIU also seemed determined to try and run up the gut on us. That wasn't happening. Their back wasn't going to make it to the 'backers. They had 65 rushing yards, I don't think it was because our defense had some big weakness.
 
glidinghawk said:
I agree. They played their areas well, they contained well, and they created a lot of opportunities for the corners and safeties to come up to finish tackles.

Nielsen is just fine, will do a capable job in replacing Edds at OLB.
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Sash flying up to lay some wood. Love it.
 
CAARHawk said:
Yep, all those sustained drives, third down conversions, time of possession, and scoring opportunities. If Iowa doesn't fix those problems on D it is going to be a long season.
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LOL. Exactly. What the heck is going on in here?? EIU had 6 first downs all game. 1 of those was the fake punt. 1 of those was the 1 time Hyde got toasted. Good cripes, what more do you people want?
 
We were playing EIU. My only real complaints on defense were Hyde giving up that TD, and the fact we didn't force any turnovers of any sort.

Last year, whether it was due to the presence of Amari or Angerer/Edds, it seemed we could force a lot of bad throws and get some picks. I don't think we ended up getting all that many fumbles last year, but I wouldn't mind a few stripped footballs either.
 
It is a damn good thing we don't face any type of a passer next week.

Just for Mesa.
 
Even though Sash and Greenwood played well with a couple of big hits, you didn't hear their name called too much either. Defensively this was a game for the corners and D-line and they did their job. EIU just didn't do anything over the middle in the passing game and when they stretched things to the sidelines the LB support was there, but usually taken care of by the line and corners. As for Hyde getting burnt, it can happen to anyone, especially in their first start. As long as he gets it cleaned up and it doesn't become a habit, I don't think there is too much to worry about. Good first game overall.
 
I thought that it was clear that the D needed to settle in a bit.

You have to recall that we were actually missing THREE regular starters from the D.

I thought that our MIKE play was only okay ... however, against squads that try to spread us out due to formation ... our MIKE almost always is rather "quiet." Our LEO and WILL plays was pretty darn respectable though.

Aside from getting beaten a few time ... I was pretty pleased with the CB play. You have to remember that with Prater out, we were starting TWO all new CBs. The quality of play was, quite frankly, better than I expected.
 
tm3308 said:
I swear, if some of you keep nit-picking like this, I might just stay away from here this season. Just sit back and RELAX!!!!! Enjoy this season, and stop worrying about every little thing. Hyde got burned. Amari got toasted against Penn State last year, as CAAR said. Davis looked shaky in coverage. Well, 1. he's known as a guy who is a run stopper, and not that great against the pass, and 2. HE'S NOT OUR STARTING MLB!!!!

The linebackers' names didn't get called a lot. Well let's see here: EIU stretched things out with screens and short out routes a lot. That means that the D-Line and corners are going to get a lot of the action. Add to that: EIU also seemed determined to try and run up the gut on us. That wasn't happening. Their back wasn't going to make it to the 'backers. They had 65 rushing yards, I don't think it was because our defense had some big weakness.
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This was my thought Exactly.
 
I thought Neilsen played well. Hunter was solid. Tarp is better in coverage than Davis or Johnson,who are good run stuffers.
We were starting 5 new guys on defense yesterday with only Clayborn,Klug,Ballard,Hunter,Greenie and Sash back from last year. Some glitches are to be expected. When Binns,Tarp,and Prater return, should be smoother.
I was pleased overall tho.
Enjoy the wins,Hawk fans...they will be hard-earned with this very tough schedule.
 
I rewatched just the D last night. They'd bunch their WRs, thereby forcing our MIKE to one side. That then helped to clear out the middle.

Quite frankly, Bruce did a better job than I initially thought that he did concerning his pass-D responsibilities. Also, if you watched him ... he was almost always near the ball (as he should be).

Overall, after the second watch, I'm feeling even more comfortable with our LB situation.

Mind you, the play wasn't perfect, and there are plenty of areas of improvement. However, I remember being far more negative about it (to myself) when I was first watching the game.
 
I know it was only in mop-up duty, but James Morris looked pretty impressive for a true freshman even against an inferior team. If he can add more weight to his frame which I'm sure he will, the kid is going to be a beast. Good to see.
 
kicker22 said:
I know it was only in mop-up duty, but James Morris looked pretty impressive for a true freshman even against an inferior team. If he can add more weight to his frame which I'm sure he will, the kid is going to be a beast. Good to see.
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+1

I have always been impressed with his hard work and heart at Solon. I didn't realize that he would adapt so quickly in college though. I think we will be seeing good things from this kid next year.
 
Pooker said:
It is a damn good thing we don't face any type of a passer next week.

Just for Mesa.
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'any type of passer'??

how about 'bad passer'.......

he can take advantage of those out-routes, but when it comes to the stuff over the middle facing zone coverage, that guy is abysmal. The same thing we saw when playing him last year, was the same thing he did v. Minnesota, which was the same thing he did v. NIU......He gets antsy with the small stuff, tries to make something happen - i.e. big play, and he just fails. it would be nice to light him up on those option plays they seem to run far too many of.....
 
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