Is it just me,

I think people are nitpicking and overreacting over one subpar performance. clearly, I'm in the minority on this so maybe i'm wrong. He is late getting over on a couple of plays and people are saying he is having a bad year.

I guess the bar is set so high that it is impossible to live up to.

I think he's still done a good job of getting where he needs to be. It's the way he's finishing that has me worried (and like I said, I've been seeing in for awhile now).
 


I think he's still done a good job of getting where he needs to be. It's the way he's finishing that has me worried (and like I said, I've been seeing in for awhile now).


Shoulder? Surgery this spring, issues with it in the past......Compensating/ maybe trying to protect the shoulder? I haven't dvr'd any game this year so i can't go back and look......Maybe your right, i'll iso on him in the wisky game.
 


Shoulder? Surgery this spring, issues with it in the past......Compensating/ maybe trying to protect the shoulder? I haven't dvr'd any game this year so i can't go back and look......Maybe your right, i'll iso on him in the wisky game.

Now that you mention that, I'll be doing the same this week. ESPN3 isn't precise enough timing-wise, and the resolution isn't high enough to really use it to analyze, so I'll be keeping an eye on which shoulder he's leading with on those hits.
 


I think he's still done a good job of getting where he needs to be. It's the way he's finishing that has me worried (and like I said, I've been seeing in for awhile now).

This is the thing that bothers me and makes it seem more obvious - I have noticed Sash repeatedly not playing to the level he can. I also pay particularly close attention to safety play, so I'm sure I focus on Sash and Greenwood more, but Sash has had a tendency to not break down numerous times while coming up to make tackles, and that's fundamental for open field tackling for secondary players. Open field tackling is one of, if not the most challenging aspects to safety play. In those situations I'd rather Sash tackle like Greenwood and deliver less of a blow but be more sound then try to deliver a huge hit and whiff or not make the tackle.
 


Hey guys....not sure how good or bad our team's tackling is compared to other teams. But I'm sure glad Michigan wasn't doing anything outstanding that way either. Remember how many times AROB got hit, broke tackles and kept on moving up the field. It was great to see! I think sometimes you gotta chalk it up to good offensive players doing their thing too. Right?
 


There's no better time than against Wisconsin and Michigan State at Kinnick to get the Hawk tackling and general defense up to Iowa standards. What a tremendous opportunity the defense has to put everything together the last half of the season and help nail down this Big Ten title. People will be paying attention. It's time to live up to the hype. The road to Pasadena is wide open and the Hawks are in the driver's seat.
 


It's been a while since I've been frustrated with Iowa's tackling, but I found myself yelling at the TV Saturday for that very reason. Perhaps it all comes back to what Deace said this off season: Michigan and Iowa are simultaneously bad matchups for each other. I just don't think our defense forgot how to tackle all of a sudden, with all the credibility they've amassed. We could very well lose to Wisconsin, but I don't think it'll be because of poor tackling.
 


It's been a while since I've been frustrated with Iowa's tackling, but I found myself yelling at the TV Saturday for that very reason. Perhaps it all comes back to what Deace said this off season: Michigan and Iowa are simultaneously bad matchups for each other. I just don't think our defense forgot how to tackle all of a sudden, with all the credibility they've amassed. We could very well lose to Wisconsin, but I don't think it'll be because of poor tackling.

Like I said in my OP, this is not a knee-jerk reaction to one game for me. Maybe me voicing my concerns was spurred on by the game Saturday, but the issue is one I've noticed all year. I hope that it gets cleaned up, because we're hitting the portion of the schedule where we can ill afford fundamental mistakes.
 


Let's not bag too much on Sash. However, I will say that the Iowa D hasn't been tackling as well as they do in most years. They usually have already settled in by now and are tackling a bit better. However, that said, it's hard to get a good gauge on their performance against Michigan ... because the Wolverines have some guys who are awfully "slippery."
 


I think tackling has suffered at all levels. I was at a HS game a couple weeks ago and it didnt look like either team could tackle me, and at 50 and 250 pounds, Ive lost a step or two..
 


Overall, I don't think that the Hawks are tackling as well this year as they have in the past few years. They still tackle pretty well (better then most other teams), but we are certainly seeing more missed tackles then we are used to.

Part of it, I'm sure, is losing Angerer/Edds. Angerer was a tackling machine. This years LB's are doing well, but they really can't compare to Angerer yet. I also think that, because of the inexperience of the LB's, we are seeing more one-on-one tackling (thus creating more chances for missed tackles).

It also seems like Sash is trying to kill someone out there. Whether he is trying to make highlight reels, or just doing what he thinks he is supposed to be doing, he is definitely bringing the pain. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be wrapping up - just chopping.

I'm quite sure that the coaches are working on it. I'm hoping that it is a matter of the paleyrs learning to play together, and things will get better as the season progresses. Honestly, I think they are getting better. It may have stood out more against Michigan, but DR has been damn good at making people miss.
 




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