Offseason, so I feel this ? "allowed"

[hawkeyebob62]

I read the posts about our losses to injury, transfer, early graduation, etc., so I posit this to you all:

In 2009...after Stanzi goes down to injury against NW...would it have made much difference (in your opinion) if Shonn Greene were still with the Hawks? Could he have been the difference against NW and OSU?

 

[rodg12]

I feel we would have definitely beaten NW with Greene in the fold. Don't think it would have made a difference against OSU.

 

[iloveyoularrystation]

No. We lost to northwestern after he went down in that game because the whole team was shell shocked, and we certainly didn't lose to ohio state last year because of quarterback play. Neither the running back situation nore quarterback situation cost us either of those games after stanzi went out.

 

[HawkeyeMike23]

No. We lost to northwestern after he went down in that game because the whole team was shell shocked, and we certainly didn't lose to ohio state last year because of quarterback play. Neither the running back situation nore quarterback situation cost us either of those games after stanzi went out.

Really? You don't think having the leading rusher in the country, who rushed for over 100 yards in every game the previous year, who had two huge playoffs game as a rookie in the NFL would have been an improvment over a hobbled Robinson and no Wegher? With Greene we win both of those games.

 

[imported_ankle23]

We go undefeated with Greene still in the mix last year.

 

[whawk]

With Greene there would have been higher expectations. So we would have finished 8-5, roughly.

But really, I think we take NW but still lose to OSU. With NW, we had to rely on an unprepared quarterback and inexperienced running backs. I think with Greene we could have at least had some offense past the injury.

 

[DDHawkeye]

We go undefeated with Greene still in the mix last year.

YUP! I agree 100%.

 

[tm3308]

I'm tempted to agree with whawk. Greene would have meant higher expectations.

Oh, who am I kidding? With a healthy Greene, we go 12-0 last year, and don't have nearly as many close calls.

 

[hawkfan340]

I'm tempted to agree with whawk. Greene would have meant higher expectations.

Oh, who am I kidding? With a healthy Greene, we go 13-0 last year, and don't have nearly as many close calls.

Fixed it for you. Why not?

 

[tm3308]

Fixed it for you. Why not?

That's a true story. Greene was a man among boys, just unstoppable.

 

[Foval21]

I think we win more games, and we have less close games...Think the thing that Greene really helps is less Interceptions by Stanzi considering the 9/10/11 man boxes trying to stop Greene.

 

[Clark]

Quite frankly, Iowa isn't runnng a playaction rollout in that situation if they have Greene. There is little doubt in my mnd that Iowa beats NW with Greene. The entire gameplan would have changed vs OSU with a healthy Stanzi and Greene but it's not like Iowa couldn't win that game.

 

[PawkHawk1]

Quite frankly, Iowa isn't runnng a playaction rollout in that situation if they have Greene. There is little doubt in my mnd that Iowa beats NW with Greene. The entire gameplan would have changed vs OSU with a healthy Stanzi and Greene but it's not like Iowa couldn't win that game.

This.

 

[HawkinGoferLand]

YUP! I agree 100%.

We go undefeated with Greene still in the mix last year.

My thoughts as well. Greene was, well, a little green in 2008 being away from FB for over a year. 2009 would have been a monster year!

 

[hawkeyebob62]

Good responses, thanks!

I went hot and cold with it. I think SG definitely would have made a difference in the "close" games like UNI, Wisconsin, even Indiana. I think Stanzi would definitely NOT have thrown as many INTs with the loaded boxes SG would have faced.

Still, the NW game may have been vastly different. Can't decide on OSU. Their D is definitely talented enough to "key" on a Shonn Greene without sacrificing their pass D. Not so sure with NW. And with SG available in 2009, maybe JVB would have seen more action and been better prepared against NW, as well as having SG to relieve the pressure.

 

[Sirhouseman]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't BW bust a TD run that was called back on a phantom holding penalty? That would have been the difference in that game. I have to believe that SG would have had been more than enough for Iowa to win that game without Stanzi. OSU, who knows...