Iowa v N Illinois Two Deep

[SpecialKHawk]

Lt - scherff 6'5 315, Macmillan 6'6 294

lg - boffeli 6'5 295, Simmons 6'2 295

c - Blythe 6'3 300, Gaul 6'3 277

rg - Walsh 6'4 290, Donnal 6'7 305

Rt - van Sloten 6'7 300, ward 6'5 290

Outside of gaul no one is under 290 so I would say we are far from lacking size on the line. And if Walsh is 15 lbs lighter than Donnal and still beat him out that means he has great technique and strength and probably has a solid mean streak. Nothing to complain about here. My money is on Donnal being considered the 6th lineman which means he will play a lot. Iowa plays their back up lineman more than people realize. Especially at the guards.

The fact we can debate this position means we could be good up front. For once we have a stable of ball carriers this season with different skill sets but we have to control the LOS first. We shall see how this group of lineman perform and you are correct that depth is not a bad thing as injuries happen.

 

[WinOneThisCentury]

I agree. We should hope Shuppert is showing his stuff in practise. I understand he hasnt shown it his first three years. But lets see what he does on game day. The contact info was very interesting. Hadnt heard that. But it could make a real difference

My guess is that Shumpert is thriving under a different receiver coach and that is why he has ascended to the top of the depth chart. After the iowa state game last year, he was almost permanently benched for some critical drops. His confidence was destroyed and Soup, from what i heard, wasn't really a builder of men...plus I think he knew his job was on the line...so why take chances with a guy that hasn't performed.

Don't underestimate what Kennedy may do for these guys...having confidence in your players and building them up psychologically, goes a long way in improving performance. Hopefully GD and Kennedy have a positive impact on KF's attitude toward mistakes...sometimes you have to let young players make mistakes and learn from them. KF has always been a hard *** when it comes to that...and it's a criticism that I think is warranted.

I'm hoping the drops go away this year.

 

[DP5555]

The fact we can debate this position means we could be good up front. For once we have a stable of ball carriers this season with different skill sets but we have to control the LOS first. We shall see how this group of lineman perform and you are correct that depth is not a bad thing as injuries happen.

A preseason depth chart by Kirk Ferentz and you are throwing a hissy fit hahaha! You do realize KF has been at Iowa for over a decade right? You do realize depth charts this time of year mean very little right? You do realize you are THAT guy now right? You know.... THAT guy who freaks out over a depth chart that means nothing more than Ferentz showing some love to his older players.

Just give it a rest man. The season starts in a week. If you want to criticize the coaches on who is playing then at least wait until we actually see who is playing. Freaking out over a KF depth chart is comical.

 

[SpecialKHawk]

A preseason depth chart by Kirk Ferentz and you are throwing a hissy fit hahaha! You do realize KF has been at Iowa for over a decade right? You do realize depth charts this time of year mean very little right? You do realize you are THAT guy now right? You know.... THAT guy who freaks out over a depth chart that means nothing more than Ferentz showing some love to his older players.

Just give it a rest man. The season starts in a week. If you want to criticize the coaches on who is playing then at least wait until we actually see who is playing. Freaking out over a KF depth chart is comical.

I will be that guy but at least I am not the GUY that runs around posting but really contributing nothing.

 

[DP5555]

I will be that guy but at least I am not the GUY that runs around posting but really contributing nothing.

Really? You aren't that guy? Coulda fooled me. You've done a pretty solid job of contributing nothing in this thread.

 

[SpecialKHawk]

Really? You aren't that guy? Coulda fooled me. You've done a pretty solid job of contributing nothing in this thread.

Yes I guess you know from personal experience

 

[Eda]

Huffing and puffing about the first depth chart before the first game is a waste of time. Right now it's still not set.

Huffing and puffing about putting the biggest o-line out there just to "put the biggest o-line out there" is a waste of time. Iowa doesn't historically have a huge line. The scheme we run doesn't require that. This isn't the same scheme Wisconsin runs, therefore we don't need the same linemen.

Huffing and puffing about Shumpert over anyone else is a waste. None of us have been at practice and have no idea how anyone looks. Shump had the dropsies last year; but so did everyone else (including T.Smith). Smith seems to be having a good camp, who's to say Shump isn't? Both are very athletic. If you ask me, we have a good problem on our hands (unless both develop the dropsies again).
As for Powell, if he hasn't learned enough of the offense yet, he shouldn't be listed as a starter. Give him some game reps, sure; but not a starter. At least, not at this point.

To the Law/Lowdermilk battle. Both are gifted athletes. If Lowdermilk knows the position better, he deserves the spot. This is year 3 for Law. He needs to pick up the position, or he's going to be the one wasting the talent on the bench; not the coaches. This will be his 2nd year with coach Parker, so I truly hope he picks it up.

 

[DP5555]

Huffing and puffing about the first depth chart before the first game is a waste of time. Right now it's still not set.

Huffing and puffing about putting the biggest o-line out there just to "put the biggest o-line out there" is a waste of time. Iowa doesn't historically have a huge line. The scheme we run doesn't require that. This isn't the same scheme Wisconsin runs, therefore we don't need the same linemen.

Huffing and puffing about Shumpert over anyone else is a waste. None of us have been at practice and have no idea how anyone looks. Shump had the dropsies last year; but so did everyone else (including T.Smith). Smith seems to be having a good camp, who's to say Shump isn't? Both are very athletic. If you ask me, we have a good problem on our hands (unless both develop the dropsies again).
As for Powell, if he hasn't learned enough of the offense yet, he shouldn't be listed as a starter. Give him some game reps, sure; but not a starter. At least, not at this point.

To the Law/Lowdermilk battle. Both are gifted athletes. If Lowdermilk knows the position better, he deserves the spot. This is year 3 for Law. He needs to pick up the position, or he's going to be the one wasting the talent on the bench; not the coaches. This will be his 2nd year with coach Parker, so I truly hope he picks it up.

Exactly. Shumpert and Smith have both had drops. However, if they are performing well in practice and they've earned a chance to start then what in the heck is Ferentz supposed to do? "I'm sorry son, you've been practicing really well, you've done everything we've asked of you, but because of the way you've performed during games in the past I'm not going to give you a chance"... How the heck do you think that would be perceived by the team? If he's been performing in practice then he deserves a chance to do it in a game. Whether or not he's struggled in the past. If he fails to make an impact and continues the dropsies then you look elsewhere. You can't just bail on a kid who's done nothing but work to get better. Gotta give him a chance. He has great size and solid speed for a WR. If he can get it figured out he could be a nice weapon for this offense.

 

[MeatMan]

Surprised Lowdermilk is ahead of Law. Obviously all mental with Law.

i'm sure this has already been addressed/discussed in this thread but here's my 2 cents:

from what i have heard, Law definitely can deliver on the wow plays, but still gets caught out of position. probably the last thing you want your safeties doing. until he can get that down, he won't be starting.

 

[HawkeyeWalker]

Pure speculation is awesome.

Thank God we have actual football in 6 days.

 

[LASBUR]

Agree with everything you said. I dont understand why all the KF bashers havent been on him about the biggest mistake he has made at Iowa. Things were really bad last year. SOUP !!!

My guess is that Shumpert is thriving under a different receiver coach and that is why he has ascended to the top of the depth chart. After the iowa state game last year, he was almost permanently benched for some critical drops. His confidence was destroyed and Soup, from what i heard, wasn't really a builder of men...plus I think he knew his job was on the line...so why take chances with a guy that hasn't performed.

Don't underestimate what Kennedy may do for these guys...having confidence in your players and building them up psychologically, goes a long way in improving performance. Hopefully GD and Kennedy have a positive impact on KF's attitude toward mistakes...sometimes you have to let young players make mistakes and learn from them. KF has always been a hard *** when it comes to that...and it's a criticism that I think is warranted.

I'm hoping the drops go away this year.

 

[dave3912]

Agree with everything you said. I dont understand why all the KF bashers havent been on him about the biggest mistake he has made at Iowa. Things were really bad last year. SOUP !!!

I think a lot of people were in denial over Soup because of his reputation from coaching at Michigan. Obviously he had a better WR talent there (at Mich) but it's easier to say it wasn't him (last season) because of his past.

 

[OLWPAORWWM]

Agree with everything you said. I dont understand why all the KF bashers havent been on him about the biggest mistake he has made at Iowa. Things were really bad last year. SOUP !!!

I think DJK and McNutt took some of the heat off of Campbell.

 

[DP5555]

I think a lot of people were in denial over Soup because of his reputation from coaching at Michigan. Obviously he had a better WR talent there (at Mich) but it's easier to say it wasn't him (last season) because of his past.

I remember Soup being interviewed after the first spring camp when they began installing GD's offense, and he flat out said in the interview that some of the players were ahead of him in terms of learning the system and terminology. I didn't think much of it at the time, but in hindsight I think it says a lot. I liked Soup. He seemed like a genuinely good guy, but it's pretty tough to be an effective position coach when you don't even know what your players are supposed to be doing. If you don't know it then you had better figure it out pronto.

I suppose it's a lot like any other career. You may be an expert at your job, but if you get a new manager and they completely overhaul the way you do things then all of a sudden your'e forced to either adapt or move on. I give Ferentz credit for giving him a chance to adapt, but it was pretty clear he wasn't able to get on the same page fast enough.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

I think DJK and McNutt took some of the heat off of Campbell.

True enough, but DJK and McNutt, along with others, benefited from having Soup as WR coach. The biggest benefciaries were our RBS, as the WR corps, as a whole, became very adept at downfield blocking. That was on Soup.

 

[LASBUR]

Benefited how Bob ?

True enough, but DJK and McNutt, along with others, benefited from having Soup as WR coach. The biggest benefciaries were our RBS, as the WR corps, as a whole, became very adept at downfield blocking. That was on Soup.