O-line verdict?
- Thread starter DesMoinesHawki
- Start date
WinOneThisCentury
Well-Known Member
I think my concerns with the o-line focus on being able handle the big DT or NG. You have to be able to stop penetration for the stretch to be effective. In the pass blocking drills, Ballard pushed Koppel back like he was on skates a few times. You get an athletic 320 pound tackle (see Alabama) and I think we may have some problems.
Honestly, if KF says Gettis is the man right now, that is huge. From what I saw in the videos, Zuse, Reiff, and Vandevelde looked really solid in pass protection. Throw Gettis in there from KF's comments and the only concern is center. The other thing that struck me is that this group is very athletic. These guys can move. My guess is the stretch is going to work to the wide side of the field and they are going to force the DL and linebackers really wide and allow the RB to have some serious cutback lanes.
Honestly, if KF says Gettis is the man right now, that is huge. From what I saw in the videos, Zuse, Reiff, and Vandevelde looked really solid in pass protection. Throw Gettis in there from KF's comments and the only concern is center. The other thing that struck me is that this group is very athletic. These guys can move. My guess is the stretch is going to work to the wide side of the field and they are going to force the DL and linebackers really wide and allow the RB to have some serious cutback lanes.
My guess right now is that we will have a very similar year as last year offensively. We will keep most games close. Much like Arkansas State last year, when the coaches get it in their head that they are better than a team they will beat their head against the wall trying to run. Last year with the inexperienced running back situation and injuries to the oline we just couldn't sustain drives to run the ball down the field. This year the oline I doubt will be consistent enough to prevent mutliple negative plays to keep drives from stalling.
The good news is stanzi and the WRs look better this year than at the start of last year. DJK, rightly or wrongly, was in the doghouse and wasn't given the opportunity to make plays early on last year. That doesn't appear to be the case this year.
One thing I am beginning to wonder from watching the practice is whether the coaches are making a similar mistake at center that they made with Brian Ferentz in 2003 and Eubanks in 2007. In 2003 BF should not have been playing, we didn't become a good offense until he was hurt. Not to say he didn't become a decent player but their were better options that year. Eubanks also really struggled that year. I really can't believe that Koeppel is our best option. We simply need more size at that position.
The good news is stanzi and the WRs look better this year than at the start of last year. DJK, rightly or wrongly, was in the doghouse and wasn't given the opportunity to make plays early on last year. That doesn't appear to be the case this year.
One thing I am beginning to wonder from watching the practice is whether the coaches are making a similar mistake at center that they made with Brian Ferentz in 2003 and Eubanks in 2007. In 2003 BF should not have been playing, we didn't become a good offense until he was hurt. Not to say he didn't become a decent player but their were better options that year. Eubanks also really struggled that year. I really can't believe that Koeppel is our best option. We simply need more size at that position.
PJHawk
Well-Known Member
If not for a torn ACL Rob Bruggeman would have been the starting center in '07 so there was no better option than to play Eubanks that year.
homerHAWKeye777
Well-Known Member
Wow! It's one thing to hold an opinion ... it's quite another when the supporting evidence is fiction. Complete revisionist history.
Of course Iowa's O struggled in '03. We had to contend with a revamped OL (for the most part), a co-starting RB who got injured early, and a QB who was in his first year starting. It's ridiculous that you'd expect the O to come out sharp. Quite frankly, Iowa's O didn't really "get good" in the '03 season until the bowl game against Florida! Thus, any other Hawk fan could ask the very valid question ... how much better could the Iowa O have become had BF not gotten injured!?
And, as for the Arkansas State game, McNutt himself is on record stating the the PLAYERS relaxed too much after we built the early lead. He was probably only speaking for the O ... however, if you rewatch the game, the level of execution on O clearly went down after our fast start. That ISN'T the fault of the play-calling on O. In fact, Iowa was threatening to score and truly put a finishing nail in the coffin right before Stanzi threw the pick-six. That turnover reinvigorated AState and to their credit they played really hard, with a lot of heart, and made a lot of plays in the 4th quarter in order to make it a close game. My guess is that that game taught the Iowa players on O that they really had to keep the foot on the gas.
