Oliver Martin

[westender]

And yes I would try something different at punt return. Too many fair catches and letting the ball go. If one thing needs to change, that is it. Maybe try Martin there.

 

[ssckelley]

I wouldn't assume anything with OM, perhaps the receivers ahead of him are just better.

 

[HawkGold]

Martin is probably another lazy player hurting the system like Fant. Not really all that usable.

 

[Fryowa]

Be patient. Trust Oliver and his coaches. .

Thanks, John Wayne. America needs more of your comforting fireside chats.

 

[Jonrn]

What has OM done to show he worthy of taking Nico's reps?

What has OM done to show he worthy of taking Nico's reps?

Nothing, but what has nico done to prove he should be starting? He’s been okay, but he’s not as good as Easley was last year in the slot.

Martin should be getting more looks. I mean he had 12 catches and more looks last year and Michigan certainly had better WRs then Iowa does.

 

[Jonrn]

the reason you care about martin is he can play more than one wr position. and that forces opponents to spend time game planning. if martin can line up at the x, y or z in the same formation, then that forces the opponent to game plan for three different outcomes of that formation, not to mention game planning that formation if martin isn't in the lineup for that formation. that's my example #1. he's versatile.

Right now we have ISM, B.Smith, Nico and Tracey who are playing well. need to clean things up but they're playing well. you add in martin and now you've got a situation where you can overwhelm a defense. if iowa wanted to, they could go 5 wide with legit receivers. so, there are plenty of valid reasons in wanting to get martin involved.

personally, i think there has been a fair amount of sand-bagging with martin for the UM game. but we'll see. another interesting point is that jestin jacobs hasn't played a single snap yet. anyone wonder if he's being held out of games, to this point, so that he can be on the field for UM, WUs and PSU and then, depending on how the season turns out, either vs kNU or the B1G game?

I like the sand bagging idea. However I just don’t think that’s in the Ferentz football DNA. With any luck they are hopefully holding some plays and offensive looks back. Hopefully some QB running plays. Stanley running for 5-6 yards on 3 and 1 has just been delightful

 

[NikeHawk21]

Nothing, but what has nico done to prove he should be starting? He’s been okay, but he’s not as good as Easley was last year in the slot.

Martin should be getting more looks. I mean he had 12 catches and more looks last year and Michigan certainly had better WRs then Iowa does.

Nico splits time in the slot with Tracy, so it’s hard to compare him to Easley. In our only close game this year Nico led the team in catches and I believe had at least three catches that resulted in first downs.

 

[ArvadaHawk]

I agree it’s good to have even more weapons and I think Martin will get there.

On Jestin Jacobs no he’s simply not ready yet. He came in at like 198 pounds or something like that. He put on a lot of weight quickly and sometimes that’s hard to do. Think he hurt his shoulder in the spring as well. Not every highly rated recruit is ready right away. He probably needs a year with Doyle, the concern for him is all the experience Niemann and Colbert have in front of him.

i'm not saying you're not right, cuz i am sure you are. but, there is no reason, if healthy, to not play any FR his 4 games, if they are the caliber of JJ. i'm only saying that perhaps he's being held out for our top 4 opponents instead of having his 4 games be up already. JJ is such a unique athlete for iowa, that to me, it just makes sense. but i could be wrong. but i'd be disappointed if JJ doesn't get his 4 games.

 

[ArvadaHawk]

I like the sand bagging idea. However I just don’t think that’s in the Ferentz football DNA. With any luck they are hopefully holding some plays and offensive looks back. Hopefully some QB running plays. Stanley running for 5-6 yards on 3 and 1 has just been delightful

i've spent the past decade + being critical of kirks offensive scheme. this is the first start to a season where kirk has allowed an actual change to many standards. at least, that's how i perceive it and that is why i pulled the old sand bagging out. we shall see.

 

[NikeHawk21]

i'm not saying you're not right, cuz i am sure you are. but, there is no reason, if healthy, to not play any FR his 4 games, if they are the caliber of JJ. i'm only saying that perhaps he's being held out for our top 4 opponents instead of having his 4 games be up already. JJ is such a unique athlete for iowa, that to me, it just makes sense. but i could be wrong. but i'd be disappointed if JJ doesn't get his 4 games.

He’s not listed on the two deeps and in any discussion about the linebacking core he’s never been mentioned in the top 6 guys. This is the danger of getting caught up in recruiting rankings.

 

[94HawkMA]

At one point he was in the game and a swing pass was thrown to the outside. Coming from the outside near the ball, Oliver's assignment was to block the LB or some defender running from the inside-out, and he missed the block completely...and the defender proceeded to make it toward the sideline and make the tackle on the WR. Unfortunate. I still think he's got better hands than #3 Tracy, and Tracy dropped another perfectly thrown slant route on Sat. Tracy did make an acrobatic catch on a pass that should have been intercepted, and did make a flashy run after a catch...but gotta find a way to get Oliver in the game. How about as punt returner?? Cannot be worse than Ragaini, who has just been terrible. His inability to catch punts -- and the coach's refusal to put 2 punt returners back to return punts -- has probably cost Iowa 75 yds of field position in 4 games. Put Oliver and Ragaini back there, if you must.

Putting 2 punt returners back is the most important point in this thread. It's too easy to punt around one guy and lose 15+ yards as he watches the ball bounce down the field. I would defer to the coaches as to who those two guys are, but we need 2 guys back there.

 

[SpiderRico]

Jesus H Christ, this is fucking stupid.

If he was performing in practice, he'd play more, period.

For those that have played on an actual football team, we all know that the quickest way to lose a team is to play guys that suck in practice. There is no better meritocracy in all the world than football.

 

[westender]

I wouldn't mind seeing him back fielding punts and see what he can do if they won't put #6 back there for punt returns.

 

[eledmonster]

I’d like to see Martin returning punts and getting ragaini’s reps. Nico has been okay, but hasn’t really blown me away.

I'd like to see them think outside of the box on punt returns. Samson Evans was very good at this in HS, might be his only path to playing time.

 

[ChosenChildren]

Martin would be playing a ton if we had the injuries at wide receiver that we have suffered in the defensive backfield this season. Iowa has been very fortunate so far in keeping the top 4 wideouts injury free (knock on wood).

Martin must keep working. He is talented and his day will come, perhaps sooner than anyone thinks.

I trust this coaching staff.

 

[ChosenChildren]

Pardon my French, but who gives a F what the deal is with Oliver Martin? We have 5 receivers over 100 yds, one with over 250, and 7 receiving TDs this year.

You want to mess with that to “see if it works?”

The “doghouse?”

Since when did having 4 receivers ahead of you on the depth chart qualify as “the doghouse?” Some of you Oliver Martin groupie gangers need to fabricate a better reason for the cause of your outrage. Use your brains; if you’re going to create a conspiracy theory at least make it interesting.

There's that F word again

 

[GoHawks24]

I'd like to see them think outside of the box on punt returns. Samson Evans was very good at this in HS, might be his only path to playing time.

Umm, pretty sure that Samson Evans isn't with the Hawkeye football program any longer. Pretty sure he transferred out right before Fall camp.

 

[Jonrn]

Jesus H Christ, this is fucking stupid.

If he was performing in practice, he'd play more, period.

For those that have played on an actual football team, we all know that the quickest way to lose a team is to play guys that suck in practice. There is no better meritocracy in all the world than football.

I do believe Kirk plays the best players, I’m not the conspiracy guy believing a heisman trophy winner is hiding at 3rd string QB. However you can’t tell me there isn’t someone/anyone on that team who can field punts better than ragaini. I’d even likely see someone like stone. He’s an outstanding athlete and has a very Hugh football IQ which is a must.

 

[Jonrn]

Martin would be playing a ton if we had the injuries at wide receiver that we have suffered in the defensive backfield this season. Iowa has been very fortunate so far in keeping the top 4 wideouts injury free (knock on wood).

Martin must keep working. He is talented and his day will come, perhaps sooner than anyone thinks.

I trust this coaching staff.

At some point this year a WR will get banged up. It’s a given.

 

[ArvadaHawk]

He’s not listed on the two deeps and in any discussion about the linebacking core he’s never been mentioned in the top 6 guys. This is the danger of getting caught up in recruiting rankings.

i didn't say anything about recruiting rankings. why i did was believed what i saw on video. having said that, my point is that it would be a mistake to not given this kid his 4 games. hell, we put in two backup fb's against MTSU but not a kid that OSU literally pulled all the stops out in order to sway him away from Iowa to OSU? and i am not even saying i disagree to not playing him up to this point. what i am saying is that he needs to play his 4 games and why not use him against our 4 toughest opponents? there is no rule that defines which 4 games. this kid is a super athlete so why not let him get his reps against the 4 most athletic teams we face? why not have a situational package for this kid against UM that he could have been studying UM game film for the past couple weeks to get ready? same with PSU and WUs and maybe even kNU.