Maybe 6 or 7 TR FR to play: The guessing game

[homerHAWKeye777]

First off, here are the "for sures:"

CJ Fiedorowicz - will see positional action
Morris - mainly special teams with clean-up duty positional action
Kirksey - mainly special teams (maybe some clean-up duty positional action too)
Meyer - Kick-off duty


And the rest? Your guess is (maybe) as good as mine ....

GUESS ONE:

Tanner Miller - We NEED more depth at safety. Tanner is a guy who could help us out in that capacity.

Carl Davis - We're really top heavy on the DL, it's within the realm of reason that he could earn some minutes if he continued to progress well through camp and through the fall.

Kevonte Martin-Manley - We're top heavy at WR too. Thus, if we can find opportunities to get him on the field and up to game speed ... it would help him that much more for when 2011 rolls around.


I know, I know ... not a whole lot of creativity there. It pretty much just reiterates some of Marc Morehouse's suspicions too.

 

[SLarew]

I would add Hitchens and Lowery to the list. Mostly because I think one of the DBs will play this year. Just not sure which one.
I would guess Hitchens or Miller simply because safety depth less than at CB but if Prater doesnt heal, more injuries could give Lowery playing time.

 

[rodg12]

Don't see why we'd play KMM. Save the year.

DJK
McNutt
Davis
Sandeman
Chaney
Nordmann
Cotton

 

[J10Hawk]

Don't see why we'd play KMM. Save the year.

DJK
McNutt
Davis
Sandeman
Chaney
Nordmann
Cotton

this is why we need K-Mart this year....
DJK-Senior
Sandeman-Senior
Nordmann-Senior
Chaney-Senior

Experience will be huge for next year.

 

[rodg12]

this is why we need K-Mart this year....
DJK-Senior
Sandeman-Senior
Nordmann-Senior
Chaney-Senior

Experience will be huge for next year.

Experience doing what? He won't play over those top 5. Plus, he's not even slated to be a starter next year. We have McNutt and Davis for those spots. The little experience he'd get (if any) is not worth wasting a year of his eligibility. After the way we used Davis last year, I can't see how anyone would advocate doing something smaller (i.e. even less PT than Davis got) for KMM.

 

[hawkfarmer]

Experience doing what? He won't play over those top 5. Plus, he's not even slated to be a starter next year. We have McNutt and Davis for those spots. The little experience he'd get (if any) is not worth wasting a year of his eligibility. After the way we used Davis last year, I can't see how anyone would advocate doing something smaller (i.e. even less PT than Davis got) for KMM.

Game experience. We aren't going to stop playing if we get ahead by 21 points. It's still game experience. Also, how many times in a game do you see only 2 receivers that catch a ball? He will get PT next year, so why not help him out this year and let him play some. McNutt will be a senior next year and Davis a junior. Why not get him some experience so he can play more next year, and be very ready as a junior. Do you think Davis would be as ready as he supposedly is this year if he hadn't played last year, even though he only had 6 catches?

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

Experience doing what? He won't play over those top 5. Plus, he's not even slated to be a starter next year. We have McNutt and Davis for those spots. The little experience he'd get (if any) is not worth wasting a year of his eligibility. After the way we used Davis last year, I can't see how anyone would advocate doing something smaller (i.e. even less PT than Davis got) for KMM.

LOL! Did you ever follow any of Michigan football? Did you even watch how many reps Keenan Davis saw ... even though the ball wasn't thrown to him?

It's Soup's MO to play the young guys mostly in a blocking capacity ... where they're a secondary passing option AT BEST. It would have been a SHOCK if Keenan had seen more balls thrown his way last year.

Anyhow, contrary to your assertion, Keenan actually saw a good bit of action ... and it helped give him the experience needed for him to get acclimated to the speed of the game on the college level. By most accounts, both through reputable posters and from articles quoting Davis himself ... he's poised to play a MUCH bigger role in 2010. Without question, his experience in '09 helped to prepare him for the bigger role that he'll play in 2010.

Lastly, I agree that the WR corps is pretty deep AND I can see things going either way. However, if there ends up being a vibe that the Iowa O can come out strong early on in the season ... it's likely that young guys could end up seeing plenty of quality action. If that ends up being the case, then it could serve as a great opportunity to give Martin-Manley some quality game experience.

Besides, with the Iowa passing game being a bit of a strength, it's likely that Iowa will use plenty of 3 WR sets ... and perhaps even 4 WR sets. In that case, we could possibly dig deep into our WR depth to man the spots.

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

I would add Hitchens and Lowery to the list. Mostly because I think one of the DBs will play this year. Just not sure which one.
I would guess Hitchens or Miller simply because safety depth less than at CB but if Prater doesnt heal, more injuries could give Lowery playing time.

Yeah ... I definitely think that Hitchens and Lowery could potentially be in the picture too.

 

[bucksnducks]

Wasn't Michael Meyers the killer in Halloween??? That would be a cool t-shirt idea! Back to topic. I am looking forward to watching CJ.

 

[rodg12]

Game experience. We aren't going to stop playing if we get ahead by 21 points. It's still game experience. Also, how many times in a game do you see only 2 receivers that catch a ball? He will get PT next year, so why not help him out this year and let him play some. McNutt will be a senior next year and Davis a junior. Why not get him some experience so he can play more next year, and be very ready as a junior. Do you think Davis would be as ready as he supposedly is this year if he hadn't played last year, even though he only had 6 catches?

Yeah, I do. I seem to remember DJK doing just fine as a RS Freshman.

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

Yeah, I do. I seem to remember DJK doing just fine as a RS Freshman.

The Iowa coaches originally had no intention of having DJK seeing as much action as he originally saw. However, we were so terribly thin ... something had to give.

If you rewatch the '07 season, remind me how good DJK was at helping protect his QB with running hot-routes and what not? How many blown routes did he run?

Yeah, DJK did alright ... but not all that great. Cleveland was, by far, the most refined WR we had on the squad that year. And, even then, he dropped the ball more than most of us would have liked. Of course, it's not like Jake was throwing him the best balls either.

 

[rodg12]

LOL! Did you ever follow any of Michigan football? Did you even watch how many reps Keenan Davis saw ... even though the ball wasn't thrown to him?

It's Soup's MO to play the young guys mostly in a blocking capacity ... where they're a secondary passing option AT BEST. It would have been a SHOCK if Keenan had seen more balls thrown his way last year.

Anyhow, contrary to your assertion, Keenan actually saw a good bit of action ... and it helped give him the experience needed for him to get acclimated to the speed of the game on the college level. By most accounts, both through reputable posters and from articles quoting Davis himself ... he's poised to play a MUCH bigger role in 2010. Without question, his experience in '09 helped to prepare him for the bigger role that he'll play in 2010.

Lastly, I agree that the WR corps is pretty deep AND I can see things going either way. However, if there ends up being a vibe that the Iowa O can come out strong early on in the season ... it's likely that young guys could end up seeing plenty of quality action. If that ends up being the case, then it could serve as a great opportunity to give Martin-Manley some quality game experience.

Besides, with the Iowa passing game being a bit of a strength, it's likely that Iowa will use plenty of 3 WR sets ... and perhaps even 4 WR sets. In that case, we could possibly dig deep into our WR depth to man the spots.

I shouldn't have brought up Keenan. I don't want to turn this into a discussion of his development because it's really comparing apples and oranges. KMM will see nowhere near the PT that Keenan did last year. He has 5 guys in front of him. Conservatively.

4 WR sets? C'mon now. We both know that's not happening on a KF coached team unless we revert back to the RB-depth hades that was 2004.

 

[rodg12]

The Iowa coaches originally had no intention of having DJK seeing as much action as he originally saw. However, we were so terribly thin ... something had to give.

If you rewatch the '07 season, remind me how good DJK was at helping protect his QB with running hot-routes and what not? How many blown routes did he run?

Yeah, DJK did alright ... but not all that great. Cleveland was, by far, the most refined WR we had on the squad that year. And, even then, he dropped the ball more than most of us would have liked. Of course, it's not like Jake was throwing him the best balls either.

You really think KMM is going to get enough game action to improve on his hot route running? And that it will be enough of an improvement to give up 1 year of his eligibility? I say no on both accounts.

 

[Hawk4Life25]

KMM would benefit from the year of experience....while limited it would help for next year.

Kennan benefited from last year....while the stats may not prove it. He's been quoted as saying that playing last year...everything was moving so fast....this year he feels as though the game has slowed down and he feels like he doesn't have to thnk as much.

I think the following Fresh play this year:
CJ
Morris
Kirksey
Meyer
Lowery-Could be pressed into action depending on the severity of Prater's injury.
KMM

I don't think any of the DL recruit play....unless the injury bug bites the starters then they could pull the RS off Carl Davis.

Tanner Miller could play but I think it depends on how the coaches feel about the guys behind Sash and Greenwood.

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

You really think KMM is going to get enough game action to improve on his hot route running? And that it will be enough of an improvement to give up 1 year of his eligibility? I say no on both accounts.

The bigger key would be whether he sees enough game action to get aclimated to the speed of the game. That is arguably the biggest obstacle for him to overcome. It is potentially better for him to get acquainted with it when ridiculous expectations aren't already heaped upon him.

Thus, I think that one of your original concerns is, by far, the most reasonable one. Will he see enough action?

I frankly believe that Keenan Davis managed to see enough game action ... however, just as you rightly pointed out, he benefitted from having less depth ahead of him. Furthermore, he also benefitted from the fact that DJK and Sandeman were nursing early hammy issues AND that Chaney ended up getting injured.

Just as you correctly pointed out, KMM has A LOT more depth ahead of him currently. However, I think that the key factor that could end up helping him see enough game action is that I really believe that Iowa will enjoy more blowout victories in 2010. Keenan Davis wasn't a beneficiary of many blowouts in '09. In contrast, I think that Iowa could be balanced enough on BOTH sides of the ball ... that that could end up leading to more decent margin victories. And, the offshoot of that is that the young guys will likely have more opportunities to see game action.

 

[Billso]

When I attended Iowa, "top heavy" brought some different images to mind.

Good times. Mazel tov.

 

[tm3308]

Yeah, I do. I seem to remember DJK doing just fine as a RS Freshman.

That was before Soup got here, and as was mentioned, he likes to get the young guys out there primarily as blockers, and second/tertiary receivers. I can see KMM getting on the field some for the sake of getting acclimated to the speed of the game. I have little problem with that. Should definitely help avoid some of the "freshman mistakes" when we need him to step up (running the wrong route, etc.) in 2011.

 

[hawkeye2188]

The reason KMM is getting mentioned is because of his big play ability. Like others have said if he doesnt redshirt and Iowa manages to be up by 21 or more he would see action. I didnt like the idea last year that Keenan didnt redshirt but it definitly wasnt a wasted year. He at least got experience of game speed and how physical CBs are in the B10.

 

[SLarew]

I think if KMM does play, he will be used as kickoff returner in addition to WR. Of course, since Iowa defense not likely to allow many TDs, there wont be much action there either.
People seem to feel he is big play threat and other than DJKs return against OSU, Iowa has not done that well in returning kickoffs.

 

[MidnightBlueSix]

I'm of two minds when it comes to playing true freshmen. Logically, I don't think it makes any sense unless they're needed on the two-deeps. If not, I usually would say to redshirt a kid. However, in the interviews that KD and the coaches have given, they say that the experience gained even just by getting onto the field and not even making a play is invaluable. Getting a feel for the pace of the game has to be useful for these young players. The second thing is, as a RS FR, you don't see the same number of reps and especialyl reps with the starting QB as you would without the RS. Imagine a scenario where one of our top 3 can't play for a week. Necessarily, the other guys on the depth chart would get extra reps in practice that week.

As has also been mentioned, KMM would likely see some time when the starters are out for garbage time. Yes, he's stuck behind 4 or 5 other receivers but of them 4 are seniors. What would make more sense, getting KMM, KD, CJF, and JV on the field to play together as a QB/WR unit or putting in Chaney, Nordmann, and JV? JV won't be throwing to either of those two guys next year, he'll be throwing at KMM, KD, and CJF. I would think it would do wonders if they could play between 6 and 8 complete quarters together this year.