Notebook: Wadley in Slot, Injury Update, More

[Tate4Heisman]

And CJ really misses TSmith.

 

[RobHowe]

And CJ really misses TSmith.

True. And it's not like we've had a lot of WRs come through here and then make an NFL roster.

 

[Tate4Heisman]

For a school that doesn't produce many good receivers, Smith was pretty underappreciated. Him and Vandeberg were as good as a duo as Iowa has had in a long time.

 

[hawkfan2679]

I could be wrong, but it seems to me that I watch other teams make throws to wide receivers who may not have a lot of separation, but a 50/50 ball is thrown, anyway, often with positive results. Are we just too conservative on our pass attempts or am I missing something. No expert, just a thought...

I don't remember when exactly, but sometime after CJB became the starter he was interviewed and his answer (paraphrasing heavily here) was that it wasn't always bad to punt, and that when he saw 1 on 1 coverage he didn't always need to take a shot. That's where Iowa's offense differs from almost everyone else's...1 on 1 matchups are where you make your hay in the passing game. They aren't opportunities to go into a shell and be ok with punting.

I tried Googling to find that article/interview but to no avail...

Is it our route tree? I thought I heard somewhere Davis said the routes are based on what the defense is doing. Meaning, the receivers have the freedom to run whatever route they want. I don't think our receivers are slow, but with a little creativity where they're not thinking "what route am I going to run?" Maybe if they knew ahead of time their route, they'll play faster. Plus, if at any given time CJ could be throwing them the ball, maybe that would make them give maximum effort and not take plays off?

Tevaun Smith was the most talented wind sprint runner we ever had; a guy who was criminally underused and despite never being more than a 2nd option at Iowa, found his way onto an NFL roster. But that's neither here nor there...

I think the route tree doesn't give the receivers carte blanche to do what they want. There is a base concept for the play and I think they need to make an adjustment based on the coverage/look they get. Press coverage or off? MOFO or MOFC? Man coverage or zone? Inside, outside, or over the top leverage? At this level, there are some throws CJB has to make as or before the receivers are making their breaks, so if they are not on the same page for whatever reason, bad things can happen.

 

[HawkeyeWalker]

True. And it's not like we've had a lot of WRs come through here and then make an NFL roster.

I said all last year Smith should have been targeted way more. he had the goods.

 

[seepig]

I mentioned this in another thread, since Brian Ferentz worked with Bill O'Brien in New England, I remember when Bill brought Penn State to Kinnick in 2012, thinking this is what our offense should look like.

They throttled us 38-14 and we scored 14 in the 4th quarter. Penn State had 504 yards of offense.

Is it our route tree? I thought I heard somewhere Davis said the routes are based on what the defense is doing. Meaning, the receivers have the freedom to run whatever route they want. I don't think our receivers are slow, but with a little creativity where they're not thinking "what route am I going to run?" Maybe if they knew ahead of time their route, they'll play faster. Plus, if at any given time CJ could be throwing them the ball, maybe that would make them give maximum effort and not take plays off?

I like your thinking and given our talent and/or experience, or lack thereof, at WR perhaps we shouldn't let them run whatever they want because it aint working if you haven't noticed GD. It's like telling a kindergartner I've put math problems up all over the room now you go figure out how to solve them on your own. It's not going to happen obviouosly.