HawkeyeMHA
Well-Known Member
We are outmanned and almost every position in the field IMO. Throw in a new offensive philosophy that is a terrible fit for a one dimensional drop back quarterback.... There ya have it.
Jim’s & Joe’s or X’s & O’s?
- Thread starter JonDMiller
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HawkeyeMHA
Well-Known Member
We have players starting that are actually a year or two away from starting if we had the level if talent we've had on our good teams. There have been coaching issues but nothing that replaces a Dallas, a bob, a AC, a bans, a Roth, a gallery, etc. I don't think Sabin wins with this team.
racerhawk
Well-Known Member
Maybe one glimmer of hope is that some of these guys had to start too early in their careers, and will be a bit more prepared when they get a little older. That's not much to be hopeful about, but it's something.
HawkeyeMHA
Well-Known Member
I look back at our good players and they usually made an impact pretty quickly in the program. I could see a couple of our young people being good players down the road but not a lot. Cautiously hopeful
Both, but scheme more so. We would be bowl eligible with this roster in last years scheme. Lack of shots down field has hurt tremendously. I am not sold that with better talent this scheme would work. It needs expectational talent for it to work with any consistency. There is a reason Texas hadn't had much of a run game for a long time.
KnightHawk9
Well-Known Member
It seems like most of the people in this thread are saying talent, but I'm mostly blaming it on coaching this year. Take a look at JVB. He was on a trajectory to have a pretty great year, and they have made him the worst QB in the B1G. If you think JVB is just throwing underneath because he feels like it or isn't good enough to do otherwise, you're crazy. The way he does it so consistently makes it obvious that he is being coached to make those decisions.
doclee, above, pointed out another thing that I've noticed: Penn State. They lost their best WR and RB and took a pretty inept QB from last year to put together a pretty good offense. There's no reason Iowa couldn't have done the same thing.
doclee, above, pointed out another thing that I've noticed: Penn State. They lost their best WR and RB and took a pretty inept QB from last year to put together a pretty good offense. There's no reason Iowa couldn't have done the same thing.
The reason that Penn St survived and thrived is their talent. Regardless of their defections they still had the talent to get it done. You have to have the horses, period. How many Iowa starters on either side of the ball would start this year at other B1G schools? Not a lot. Taking shots down the field. Who are we going to take these shots with. There were routes where we sent guys downfield, problem is they are not talented aka fast enough to get the separation necessary to beat somebody. Bottom line these players are NOT the caliber of athlete to win. If you want to put it on recruiting you can. But that's another discussion.
Part of the X's & O's is figuring out what your Jim's & Joe's do best. When GD was brought in a lot of people said he was a guy that "scratched where it itched". I haven't seen this. When I break down and look at the talent level and what each player does best I don't see him doing the same. I see an OC that wants the players to fit his system, but hasn't adapted the system to fit them and look to recruit to his system as the years go.
OL - though they aren't as great as past years it is mainly because of injury as Brandon Scherff looks to be the next up and comer along with a lot of talent and depth. Not to mention Ferentz who is a great leader at the C position.
TE - as much talent at one spot as is had on this Iowa team. I just can't seem to figure out why there aren't any of these guys split or in the slot some just to create matchups. I think we could use our TEs like Stanford did under Harbaugh (and has continued). My other complaint is why no jump balls to a guy like CJF in the redzone where he has a complete advantage.
RB - I have come to the conclusion that this spot is better with a power back than a speed back and ideally a combo of the two (look at the success of Weismann, Coker - power backs, and then look at the huge success of Greene and what Hampton could do - combo backs). To me Bullock is a solid back up, Weismann should get a look here but Hill will be the guy with the combo. Garmon and Canzeri are scat backs that need to be used like a Percy Harvin and in the slot and sometimes in the backfield.
WR - There is some horizontal receiver types but those guys aren't ready (for example Smith). The closest we have is Cotton (right now). The rest of the receivers are better at the intermediate to long routes because they are long striders. They create separation from precise routes and time. Especially the best receiver on the team in Davis and even KMM. Because our receivers aren't very good at making tacklers miss and they aren't going downfield the CBs and LBs let them run a short route without any backpedal and when the ball is released they just go in for the hit rather than breaking down expecting them to break a tackle (ie Wes Welker like).
QB - JVB is talented but he lacks some things that would make him great. I see in JVB an indictment against some coaches in HS. When they have an exceptional arm just put them in shotgun and let them sling it but don't focus on teaching the fundamentals of the position. In consequence he has poor footwork (in shotgun and under-center). He actually had better footwork with KOK at the helm of the offense. I see a QB that is pressing and reverting to bad habits from HS and in HS he got away with it...not so much in the B1G.
Say what you want about KOK but I feel he played to his players' strengths better than GD does.
Defense is struggling more from attrition on the DL but I feel that we again could scheme to help this.
DL - we are rotating 8 guys and still getting no pressure. This is scary...at least we can see the development of Cooper and Ott and hope that the redshirts can supply better push and depth next year.
LB - this is the lightning rod on defense. Morris, Hitchens, and Kirksey are the best LBs on the team. But they are playing with guys all over them. It is hard to look your best when you are continually shedding 2 and 3 blockers. Kirksey is the best of the 3 and Hitchens is actually #3 in my book. He is continually taking bad routes. To me these guys need to be blitzing and stemming more. We need pressure because the DBs can't cover for the amount of time they have to right now.
DB - this has been a sad group from the ball hawks we have tended to see on the defensive backfield. Lowery has talent but looks lost at times. Hyde is solid but he isn't great. Miller looks scared to come up against the run and doesn't seem to cover as much of the field this year. Law looks like he wants to be a LB and forgets that sometimes the other team passes.
To me you have to show some exotic blitzes to make up for the shortcomings. Safety and CB and LB blitzes from angles we haven't shown before and times we don't usually show. Anything to get a pass rush. Plus the DL must occupy blockers to the LBs can get back to playing at a normal depth instead of so close to the line as it is stopping them from flowing to the outside and exposing our CBs for the poor tacklers they are.
Again...it is a combo of Jim's & Joe's and the X's & O's...but more the X's & O's as coaches should tailor things to their players to get the most out of them.
OL - though they aren't as great as past years it is mainly because of injury as Brandon Scherff looks to be the next up and comer along with a lot of talent and depth. Not to mention Ferentz who is a great leader at the C position.
TE - as much talent at one spot as is had on this Iowa team. I just can't seem to figure out why there aren't any of these guys split or in the slot some just to create matchups. I think we could use our TEs like Stanford did under Harbaugh (and has continued). My other complaint is why no jump balls to a guy like CJF in the redzone where he has a complete advantage.
RB - I have come to the conclusion that this spot is better with a power back than a speed back and ideally a combo of the two (look at the success of Weismann, Coker - power backs, and then look at the huge success of Greene and what Hampton could do - combo backs). To me Bullock is a solid back up, Weismann should get a look here but Hill will be the guy with the combo. Garmon and Canzeri are scat backs that need to be used like a Percy Harvin and in the slot and sometimes in the backfield.
WR - There is some horizontal receiver types but those guys aren't ready (for example Smith). The closest we have is Cotton (right now). The rest of the receivers are better at the intermediate to long routes because they are long striders. They create separation from precise routes and time. Especially the best receiver on the team in Davis and even KMM. Because our receivers aren't very good at making tacklers miss and they aren't going downfield the CBs and LBs let them run a short route without any backpedal and when the ball is released they just go in for the hit rather than breaking down expecting them to break a tackle (ie Wes Welker like).
QB - JVB is talented but he lacks some things that would make him great. I see in JVB an indictment against some coaches in HS. When they have an exceptional arm just put them in shotgun and let them sling it but don't focus on teaching the fundamentals of the position. In consequence he has poor footwork (in shotgun and under-center). He actually had better footwork with KOK at the helm of the offense. I see a QB that is pressing and reverting to bad habits from HS and in HS he got away with it...not so much in the B1G.
Say what you want about KOK but I feel he played to his players' strengths better than GD does.
Defense is struggling more from attrition on the DL but I feel that we again could scheme to help this.
DL - we are rotating 8 guys and still getting no pressure. This is scary...at least we can see the development of Cooper and Ott and hope that the redshirts can supply better push and depth next year.
LB - this is the lightning rod on defense. Morris, Hitchens, and Kirksey are the best LBs on the team. But they are playing with guys all over them. It is hard to look your best when you are continually shedding 2 and 3 blockers. Kirksey is the best of the 3 and Hitchens is actually #3 in my book. He is continually taking bad routes. To me these guys need to be blitzing and stemming more. We need pressure because the DBs can't cover for the amount of time they have to right now.
DB - this has been a sad group from the ball hawks we have tended to see on the defensive backfield. Lowery has talent but looks lost at times. Hyde is solid but he isn't great. Miller looks scared to come up against the run and doesn't seem to cover as much of the field this year. Law looks like he wants to be a LB and forgets that sometimes the other team passes.
To me you have to show some exotic blitzes to make up for the shortcomings. Safety and CB and LB blitzes from angles we haven't shown before and times we don't usually show. Anything to get a pass rush. Plus the DL must occupy blockers to the LBs can get back to playing at a normal depth instead of so close to the line as it is stopping them from flowing to the outside and exposing our CBs for the poor tacklers they are.
Again...it is a combo of Jim's & Joe's and the X's & O's...but more the X's & O's as coaches should tailor things to their players to get the most out of them.
