Offensive Strategy

W

WinOneThisCentury

Well-Known Member
Now that MVB is hurt and likely done for the year, do we have three TE's that can play at the same time? Remember OSU a few years ago...that was a great game plan. We used three TEs and we moved the ball all over them. If Wisnewski was healthy, I say let's go with the beef package. Granted, we don't have three the quality of Coble, Duzey, and Kittle, but I think with the OL we have, it becomes pretty formidable.
 
Interesting thought. I think some 2 tight end packages where they split them out wide sometimes on a linebacker would be interesting.
 
Usually Iowa has a couple of capable tight ends, but at the moment they are really only one deep at TE. Pekar hasn't done anything to stand out yet. I've heard nice things about Fant but he probably needs another year in the program. I wonder if something as boring or inglorious as a two tight end package is holding the offense back a little especially since a WR not name Vandeburg has not emerged yet.
 
IMO we have good QBs - the starter has proven himself and his back-ups were highly rated by at least one service.

RBs - again I like what we have. Daniels is thunder - Wadley is lightning - and Mitchell is thuntning

WRs - not sure - lots of potential. Someone needs to step up. Scheel? Nash? Young? McCarron? Falconer? Smith? I kinda hope Falconer shows something simply because of his name.

O-line? Okay Brian Ferentz - if you ever wanna be promoted, now is the time to work some magic.

TE's - as usual loaded. Kittle is proven. Pekar is a legacy, gotta luv those. Wojohowitz was a Dowling 4 star, right? Apparently Fant has created a buzz. We're good at TE.

Special teams. Well we know the punter has all league potential. But that's not offense so why did I bring that up?

Kicker, we need to find out what we have. Wait, he is 100% on FGs. And he is 100% on XPs. AND HIS NAME IS DUNCAN. Okay, that's more like it, feelin good.

Gentlemen, we can rebuild this. We have the technology. We have the tools. We have the parts. We have the money. We have the capability to build the world's first Bionic team. The U of IA Hawkirks will be that team. Better than before. Faster than before. Stronger than before.
 
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The problem with tight ends replacing VB is that none of them are Vernon Davis (not tremendous speedsters). The problem with Thunder and Lightning is that they aren't in at the same time and therefore the defense can narrow down what they want to do.

The offense may be very offensive to watch. Last year Fitz wasn't ready for Wadley's speed, but there was speed over the top to spread them out. NW rarely has a full stable of players. Concerned KF won't try and expose their weakness. Last year was just a plain general smoking with lot's of tools. This year not so much.

Kind of makes me think Nebby is over rated.
 
Not thinking too much but what if we mixed in some 3 TE sets. That would improve the blocking on the outside and could also be used to open up the possibly of getting Wadley and Mitchell involved more in the passing game out of the back field as the defense would most likely have to mix up their personnel to compensate for the extra TE's. I like the thought of either back in space with a LB on them.
 
HawkGold said:
The problem with tight ends replacing VB is that none of them are Vernon Davis (not tremendous speedsters). The problem with Thunder and Lightning is that they aren't in at the same time and therefore the defense can narrow down what they want to do.

The offense may be very offensive to watch. Last year Fitz wasn't ready for Wadley's speed, but there was speed over the top to spread them out. NW rarely has a full stable of players. Concerned KF won't try and expose their weakness. Last year was just a plain general smoking with lot's of tools. This year not so much.

Kind of makes me think Nebby is over rated.
Click to expand...

Wadley had 15 rushes for 106 yards with a 26 yard TD against NW and Fitz in 2014.
 
Robowe said:
Wadley had 15 rushes for 106 yards with a 26 yard TD against NW and Fitz in 2014.
Click to expand...

Fitz is a little slow when it comes to game prep and scouting opponents lol.

Hopefully he still has little insight into who Wadley is and how to stop him.
 
Or Wadley is just a really good RB who is underused.

It would be nice if we could get creative and have all of our talent on the field at one time. Wadley,Daniels, even Parker when he's healthy enough. Give defenses something to figure out.

Instead we'll line a FB behind CJ and run the jet sweep with Parker. No one sees it coming!!
 
Sorry, but we simply have no talent at receiver. We will have no running game without the ability to throw the ball, and we have nobody that can get open. Smith runs some of the worst routes ever seen, and has suspect hands. Sad thing is he is our best athlete at receiver. Scheel is nonexistent. McCarron? Doesn't belong on the field. Gonna be a long season.
 
HawkGold said:
The problem with tight ends replacing VB is that none of them are Vernon Davis (not tremendous speedsters). The problem with Thunder and Lightning is that they aren't in at the same time and therefore the defense can narrow down what they want to do.

The offense may be very offensive to watch. Last year Fitz wasn't ready for Wadley's speed, but there was speed over the top to spread them out. NW rarely has a full stable of players. Concerned KF won't try and expose their weakness. Last year was just a plain general smoking with lot's of tools. This year not so much.

Kind of makes me think Nebby is over rated.
Click to expand...

I think Kittle is above average speed for a TE.
 
Caddy said:
Sorry, but we simply have no talent at receiver. We will have no running game without the ability to throw the ball, and we have nobody that can get open. Smith runs some of the worst routes ever seen, and has suspect hands. Sad thing is he is our best athlete at receiver. Scheel is nonexistent. McCarron? Doesn't belong on the field. Gonna be a long season.
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Geez, get away from the cliff dude! lol. :eek:
 
Robowe said:
Wadley had 15 rushes for 106 yards with a 26 yard TD against NW and Fitz in 2014.
Click to expand...

Forgot about that, but Iowa also had 262 yards passing. Don't recall Wadley getting many carries in the first half....Then again, the memory is going.....
 
DBAHawkFan said:
Or Wadley is just a really good RB who is underused.

It would be nice if we could get creative and have all of our talent on the field at one time. Wadley,Daniels, even Parker when he's healthy enough. Give defenses something to figure out.

Instead we'll line a FB behind CJ and run the jet sweep with Parker. No one sees it coming!!
Click to expand...

So how do you suggest they do this? Wing-T? Teams at major-college or pro-level rarely use multi-back formations with misdirection because defenses don't read ball-action, they read the blocking. Thus, if you send Daniels one way, and you give Wadley the ball and send him the other way, the whole D goes with Wadley and you have just wasted a body in Daniels. You are much better off using that body as an extra blocker (FB or TE) or to spread out the defense (WR).

The only ways that the multiple ball-carrying threat works are...
  • A true read-option attack, where either back could potentially have the ball and blocking does not give anything away
  • If the backfield misdirection is so unexpected and startling that the D gets stunned into following the action and forgets to read their keys (this is why the Wildcat was temporarily effective, and became ineffective once it had been seen enough)
I don't see Iowa completely changing philosophy and going to a read-option attack, so the first one is out.

The second route might have some promise in the short-term (for a few games). How about Wadley takes the snap, Parker/Scheel/Smith comes flying by on the fly motion (sometimes gets the ball, sometimes doesn't), and then Daniels heads up the middle with Wadley heading out the backside, reading the D for give or keep? I guarantee you no one who has coached against Ferentz would expect it. However, you are also taking one of your best players (CJB) off the field. What say you, who is ready for the Wadcat formation?
 
Why not run Wadley in a jet sweep? How about Wadley or Parker in a bubble screen?

And having Daniels or Mitchell back there to run the ball out of these formations to keep the defenses honest. I'm not a coach, and I'm not trying to play PS4 football, but Iowa doesn't do a very good job of managing it's talent.

Parker in the game, jet sweep

Mitchell in the game, most likely a pass.
 
DBAHawkFan said:
Why not run Wadley in a jet sweep? How about Wadley or Parker in a bubble screen?

And having Daniels or Mitchell back there to run the ball out of these formations to keep the defenses honest. I'm not a coach, and I'm not trying to play PS4 football, but Iowa doesn't do a very good job of managing it's talent.

Parker in the game, jet sweep

Mitchell in the game, most likely a pass.
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Of course they pass when Mitchell is in, he is their 3rd down back. They don't pass because he's in there, he's in there because they are going to pass.

As for the Parker example and your other ideas, good points. I agree that offensive creativity has never been Ferentz's strong suit. Seriously though, who wants some Wadcat? Somebody tell me I'm clever.
 
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