Key to the 2012 Season

[WinOneThisCentury]

No secret everyone is pointing to the Defensive front four to being the most serious issue for the Iowa Football team in 2012. Every major publication and review has pointed out the inexperience and challenges there.

I've seen the breakout player threads etc, and was really surprised that everyone wasn't pointing to players on the DL. If this is going to be a successful campaign they are going to need 2-3 guys to really come into their own and have breakout years.

My bets are on Carl Davis and Jaleel Johnson. I know the adage that that closer to the ball, the more difficult it is for a freshman to play, but from the tape I've seen on Johnson, his body looks to be ready made for the DL. The reason, he's got the size already and you can't coach that. He also, granted against HS lineman, was dominate in one on one drills in the tape I saw. His technique looked very impressive and natural...he stayed low and drove with this legs.

Carl Davis has had three years to develop now and it's his time. Rumor has it, the light has gone on for him, and he's shown tremendous commitment to further development and taking on the role of a leader. He has to play well.

With Bigach and Alvis, who says he's healthy, that's a pretty solid start to a DL if those two above show up like I think they can. If Cooper, Spears, and Trinca-Passat can also make progress...this could develop into a strength by mid season.

 

[cmhawks99]

No secret everyone is pointing to the Defensive front four to being the most serious issue for the Iowa Football team in 2012. Every major publication and review has pointed out the inexperience and challenges there.

I've seen the breakout player threads etc, and was really surprised that everyone wasn't pointing to players on the DL. If this is going to be a successful campaign they are going to need 2-3 guys to really come into their own and have breakout years.

My bets are on Carl Davis and Jaleel Johnson. I know the adage that that closer to the ball, the more difficult it is for a freshman to play, but from the tape I've seen on Johnson, his body looks to be ready made for the DL. The reason, he's got the size already and you can't coach that. He also, granted against HS lineman, was dominate in one on one drills in the tape I saw. His technique looked very impressive and natural...he stayed low and drove with this legs.

Carl Davis has had three years to develop now and it's his time. Rumor has it, the light has gone on for him, and he's shown tremendous commitment to further development and taking on the role of a leader. He has to play well.

With Bigach and Alvis, who says he's healthy, that's a pretty solid start to a DL if those two above show up like I think they can. If Cooper, Spears, and Trinca-Passat can also make progress...this could develop into a strength by mid season.

Yeah there does seem to be some positive comments out there attributed to Davis’ by some of his peers. So if you are hearing some other stuff that does sound good…as for Jaleel he is a potentially special player and I do think he has a shot, with some coaching and effort on his part….with that said I did watch him play in the high school championship game and he was mostly a non-factor. Now they didn’t run right at him that is for sure and both D’s in that game looked poor, but he didn’t make a ton of plays either…. I’m fairly excited about Trinca-Passat and the positive buzz we’ve heard about him and I’ve heard some good stuff about Spears as well. If Alvis is ready and Bigach plays like he did near the end of last season I see the DL being quite a bit better than projected and they well be athletic if nothing else.

 

[MoseSchrute]

I'd probably hope for more out of Cooper with the extra year than I would out of Johnson.

 

[Foval21]

I'd probably hope for more out of Cooper with the extra year than I would out of Johnson.

got to agree here...cooper will be important.

hopefully davis has figured out better technique and quickness off the ball because if he has those better he has all the other tools.

i would like to see 1 or 2 young d-ends get a shot as a speed rusher...spears or mcminn. someone that is a little undersized right now but can really fly to the qb in the obvious passing downs.

 

[SpecialKHawk]

Anything can happen but logical conclusions can be drawn based on years of play.

Injuries are not predictable but for fun let's go with the assumption that this is a quiet year on that front.

Bigach has paid his dues and will play his best ball.

Alvis... Liked how he was playing last season but he is coming back from a major injury. Does his play immediately pick up where he left off? I do not believe it will at first. Does he have a risk of re-injury?

Davis... The enigma... hope he will both play to his physical skills and stay healthy. How many meaningful snaps has he played - not many. Big IF in my book.

Jaleel Johnson, Cooper, Spears, McMinn, Trincat-Passeat, etc. Zero experience and very young. Dangerous at this level of football to be counting on true and RS freshman.

Question.... Name some past D-Lineman during KF's tenure who played a large portion of snaps and made a big impact as a true or RS freshman? I am not talking about mop-up duty or spelling a main-line starter for a series either. How about any other team in the B1G over this same time period? My guess is this list is very small.

I do think this group will get better across the season and next year it will be a program strength but for this year this is a lot to ask of so many young and/or experienced guys collectively.

I expect a lot of issues defensively because of this issue on the d-line. We are going to have to take more risks to compensate and good teams will take advantage.

 

[BigD]

I think the key to any success Iowa has this year will fall on the offense. Look for short controled passes and power running to try to eat the clock and keep our defense off the field. Look for more passes to the running backs and fullbacks coming out of the backfield.

If we find our linebackers are having to make most of the stops five yards into our secondary then we are in big trouble and we will have to hope our offense can out score our opponents in a wild scoring affair. Hopefully our newly converted defensive line coach can work his magic and make our defensive lines as successful as many of his offensive lines were. Is it September yet? Let's play some football!!!!

 

[aaronzuriel]

Like many years, 2012 totally comes down to turnovers... we gots to have a big to
small plus and that includes the offense NOT turning it over and scoring a bunch of points.

Iowa will not have a dominant defense this year. (young D-line).. 2013 and 2014 will be different stories.

A couple of special plays here and there (including special teams) Iowa can finish in double digits with wins.... on the other hand they win 7 and we all *****, whine, complain, cry, and call for wholesale change of players, coaches, the administration and the world has come to the end.

 

[HawkPhreek]

Front four in the past was the whole key it will be different this year, with the more aggressive approach. with Iowa having the five cup cakes up front and other teams not knowing exactly how to prepare for Iowa. Iowa wins nine this year.

 

[UweBlab]

I agree with BigD. For many years the defense has been on the field way to many minutes due to the ineffective offense, too many 3 plays and punt.

Now is the time for the offense to return the favor and control the clock. Now is the time to take the conservative caps off, take some risks, and score as many points as possible to keep a cushion as the defense learns and tries to control the other team best they can.

My picks for breakout players were the tight end position and the running backs. We have a potential star at TE and about 3 capable backups. USE THEM ALL! With the RB there is virtually no experience but we have 4 - 5 unknowns; USE ALL OF THEM,KF! FAKE IT UNTIL THEY MAKE IT! Odds are with us that at least one will breakout.

I agree we NEED a D lineman to breakout, but I don't think it will happen this year. Please prove me wrong, young men!

 

[DeanMarshall]

Front four in the past was the whole key it will be different this year, with the more aggressive approach. with Iowa having the five cup cakes up front and other teams not knowing exactly how to prepare for Iowa. Iowa wins nine this year.

Congrats HawkPhreek; Out of all the prognosticators, I think your suggestion, here, makes the most sense. Also, when Iowa is expected do little, often times they sneak up on a few teams.

 

[hawkfan1319]

I would say OC and how well our offense plays this year. We have no one at running back and a couple other question marks. Hopefully Davis can dial up some good adjustments.

 

[herkyattack]

Anything can happen but logical conclusions can be drawn based on years of play.

Injuries are not predictable but for fun let's go with the assumption that this is a quiet year on that front.

Bigach has paid his dues and will play his best ball.

Alvis... Liked how he was playing last season but he is coming back from a major injury. Does his play immediately pick up where he left off? I do not believe it will at first. Does he have a risk of re-injury?

Davis... The enigma... hope he will both play to his physical skills and stay healthy. How many meaningful snaps has he played - not many. Big IF in my book.

Jaleel Johnson, Cooper, Spears, McMinn, Trincat-Passeat, etc. Zero experience and very young. Dangerous at this level of football to be counting on true and RS freshman.

Question.... Name some past D-Lineman during KF's tenure who played a large portion of snaps and made a big impact as a true or RS freshman? I am not talking about mop-up duty or spelling a main-line starter for a series either. How about any other team in the B1G over this same time period? My guess is this list is very small.

I do think this group will get better across the season and next year it will be a program strength but for this year this is a lot to ask of so many young and/or experienced guys collectively.

I expect a lot of issues defensively because of this issue on the d-line. We are going to have to take more risks to compensate and good teams will take advantage.

I can think of Mitch King, Matt Kroul, and Brod Binns just off the top of my head, and I'm sure there are more. It is not that rare to see a freshman making big impacts on the line during Ferentz's tenure.

 

[Golfer]

I think the D line over performs. I think Iowa over performs. Just my gut instinct. Not much logic, but I'm excited about this season.

 

[Johnnyhawkeye]

I can think of Mitch King, Matt Kroul, and Brod Binns just off the top of my head, and I'm sure there are more. It is not that rare to see a freshman making big impacts on the line during Ferentz's tenure.

I am adding Clayborn and Ballard to this list. We played all of the mentioned players early and reaped the benefits for years to come. Let's do it again.

 

[uihawk82]

I am adding Clayborn and Ballard to this list. We played all of the mentioned players early and reaped the benefits for years to come. Let's do it again.

Yes, Ballard had signigicant time as a freshman/RS Frosh, more snaps and meaningful plays than clayborn. but both of those guys were making some big plays their first year of action.

 

[Hawksel]

Having a dominant DL makes everything easier. Iowa will almost certainly not have a dominant DL next season.

That said, I think people miss how good the back seven projects to be next season. If the DL can manage to do its job and not get manhandled, Iowa could have a pretty decent defense next year-- think some of those Wisconsin defenses of recent years where they've been just OK and have survived on the dominance of their offense. If Vandenberg can be efficient, limit turnovers and Iowa can control the ball, I think they can be better than a lot of people think.

That's a lot of Ifs though

The nice thing is if they can finish with a 8 or 9 win year I really like the talent of the team moving forward.

 

[Hawksel]

I am adding Clayborn and Ballard to this list. We played all of the mentioned players early and reaped the benefits for years to come. Let's do it again.

Note that the higher recruiting-rated players performed better, sooner. This just shows that while recruiting rankings are a decent predictor of how good a player will be, they are an even better predictor of how quickly that player will be able to help a team.

Doesn't guarantee anything, of course. But historically Iowa has had to build its defensive lines from scratch over a period of years, converting smaller players from other positions into high performing DTs (King, Kroul, Klug, Babineaux, Roth, Kampman). It's only relatively recently that they've recruited players who actually were highly ranked and had the size to play as DTs and DEs coming in right away (Clayborn, Ballard, Davis, and especially these most recent recruits.)

I'm hopeful this will also help in the future, as this long develop strategy really can derail a team for years if players don't pan out for whatever reason.

 

[thejumper5]

I think momentum will be a huge factor this year. The schedules sets up for the Hawkeyes to build really positive momentum the first six weeks, and they need to capitalize. If Septembers sees the line units can gel, a RB or 2 stepping up, and a couple early dominant wins, the team could overachieve and win 9+ games. If September sees the line units falter, RB by bad committee, and a couple of frustrating losses, the team could spiral down and lose 6 games.

 

[big10fan]

I think momentum will be a huge factor this year. The schedules sets up for the Hawkeyes to build really positive momentum the first six weeks, and they need to capitalize. If Septembers sees the line units can gel, a RB or 2 stepping up, and a couple early dominant wins, the team could overachieve and win 9+ games. If September sees the line units falter, RB by bad committee, and a couple of frustrating losses, the team could spiral down and lose 6 games.

i think you're 100% correct. but i think the ceiling is lower than that. 9 at best case scenario.

 

[Eda]

I think the d-line will be adequate at worst, to above average, and possibly a strength as the year progresses. They showed a lot of growth last year and some guys have real motors (Bigach & Alvis) and will make plays. They did a pretty decent job of contain last year, but will need to provide that push more regularly. The back 7 should be fantastic and hopefully will create a lot of turnovers.
I'm jonesing for some football! The DVR's from last season aren't cutting it anymore.