Over-recruited at DE

HawkleberryFinn

HawkleberryFinn

Well-Known Member
We have a log-jam at DE and less strength at DT. With Simon and Golston waiting in the wings and AJE a second-stringer, it's pretty obvious we should have used more scholarships for tackles. Matt Nelson and Golston will fill in as makeshift tackles, but aren't really built for that. We could use one more good plugger-type. Too bad Daviyon has to sit out. Noah Shannon has the size. Is he ready?
 
HawkleberryFinn said:
We have a log-jam at DE and less strength at DT. With Simon and Golston waiting in the wings and AJE a second-stringer, it's pretty obvious we should have used more scholarships for tackles. Matt Nelson and Golston will fill in as makeshift tackles, but aren't really built for that. We could use one more good plugger-type. Too bad Daviyon has to sit out. Noah Shannon has the size. Is he ready?
Click to expand...
Myself and others were mentioning this 2 years ago.
 
Tall DTs can also get hands up. We got no issues here. As long as Brady doesn't take any more Ubers. With the 4 game rule some of the newbies will be tossed in at times to get thrown around a bit.
 
If if if we stay healthy Nelson and Lattimore should do fine with the lions share of the inside reps. I think Lattimore is goin to have a breakout year. Even if we do play with smaller DTs rotating in how many teams are we going to play that will just try and power it down our throats? Wisconsin for sure but beyond that most everyone else is trying to go more modern and air it out and run on the edges anyway... DEs that can 'hold the edge' are more important nowadays than the old fashioned NT run stuffer of days gone past... I for one think what the Iowa staff has done recruiting this way is actually ahead of the curve.. Be that on accident or intentional that's probably up for debate..
 
HawkleberryFinn said:
We have a log-jam at DE and less strength at DT. With Simon and Golston waiting in the wings and AJE a second-stringer, it's pretty obvious we should have used more scholarships for tackles. Matt Nelson and Golston will fill in as makeshift tackles, but aren't really built for that. We could use one more good plugger-type. Too bad Daviyon has to sit out. Noah Shannon has the size. Is he ready?
Click to expand...


Ya we are a little light at the position, but the staff has targeted plenty of DT's they just haven't been able to land many over the last few years. I think we got kids that can play the position, but ya they probably won't be as disruptive as a Carl Davis.
 
HawkleberryFinn said:
Not really. Iowa's best d-lines had true tackles.
Click to expand...
Nah. For every Colin Cole, Carl Davis, and Jaleel Johnson, there's been a couple Kings, Krouls, Klugs, Luebkes, and Daniels, LTPs, etc. None of those guys were huge coming in. Hell, Babineaux and Ballard were converted DEs who moved inside because they were needed there. Our starters are huge this year compared to some years, and I would not be surprised if the depth surprises people as well, especially since we might see some 3 DE looks in passing situations this year. Nelson, Nelson, Hesse, and AJE on 3rd and long would be ideal.
 
SamBrownlee48 said:
Nah. For every Colin Cole, Carl Davis, and Jaleel Johnson, there's been a couple Kings, Krouls, Klugs, Luebkes, and Daniels, LTPs, etc. None of those guys were huge coming in. Hell, Babineaux and Ballard were converted DEs who moved inside because they were needed there. Our starters are huge this year compared to some years, and I would not be surprised if the depth surprises people as well, especially since we might see some 3 DE looks in passing situations this year. Nelson, Nelson, Hesse, and AJE on 3rd and long would be ideal.
Click to expand...
Didn't Babineaux actually come in as a fullback, and play there a little in 2000? Then redshirt and come back as a defensive lineman?

Matt Roth came in as a linebacker, bulked up from 245 to about 270, and moved to defensive end.

Robert Gallery, of course, was one of several players who came in as a tight end and moved to offensive tackle.

All three had lengthy NFL careers at different positions than they originally played when they came to Iowa. So did Dallas Clark, who originally came to Iowa as a linebacker.
 
Last edited:
What they lack on the defensive line is a good 1-technique tackle that can take up blockers and be a presence in the middle. Lattimore is probably the closest thing they have right now, but I'm not sure he is a 1-technique guy. Lattimore may compare better with Kroul or LTP. Taking up blockers isn't a flashy role that gets you a lot of attention from fans, but it slows down opposing running games and frees up other linemen or linebackers to penetrate. It's nice if you can get a big 1-technique guy paired up with a quick 3-technique guy at tackle.

I'm not sure Iowa really recruited too many defensive ends. I think they just had decent luck with their developmental guys and ended up with excellent depth at end. Don't count on it staying that way for too many years.
 
AreWeThereYet said:
What they lack on the defensive line is a good 1-technique tackle that can take up blockers and be a presence in the middle. Lattimore is probably the closest thing they have right now, but I'm not sure he is a 1-technique guy. Lattimore may compare better with Kroul or LTP. Taking up blockers isn't a flashy role that gets you a lot of attention from fans, but it slows down opposing running games and frees up other linemen or linebackers to penetrate. It's nice if you can get a big 1-technique guy paired up with a quick 3-technique guy at tackle.
Click to expand...
Funnily enough, it's seemed recently as though we have more success putting smaller guys as space-eaters and letting big men wreak havoc. LTP and Bazata were both the 1-techniques in their times because they usually had a big but unusually athletic big man (Davis and Jaleel) working opposite them.
 
Honestly, I think we will be fine at DT as long as we stay healthy, especially Nelson and Lattimore. That is the most important group for injuries, other than Stanley. As another poster mentioned...Wisconsin is the only team that may be able to take advantage of the size issue. I'm not sure how anyone is going to stop Wisky's running game...Taylor is probably the best back in the country with size and speed...and his offensive line is huge and experienced. That doesn't set up well for any defensive team. I hate to say it...but we are going to have to put up 35 to beat Wisconsin. I just don't see a low scoring game.
 
The fact of the matter is that we have recently recruited true ready to play DTs. They are both a year away...Nixon and Shannon. The other player that is coming is Juan Harris. Mark my words, he'll be a Hawk soon. He may be a Boilermaker, Wolverine, Buckeye, and Gopher at some point too..but he's going to get his shot in Iowa City eventually.
 
Just to clarify, a "1-technique" defensive tackle is a one-gap lineman, not a tackle designed to eat up blockers. That applies more to 0-technique (nose guard in a 3-4) or 5-technique (ends in a 3-4). In a 4-3, the tackles are in the 1 and 3 positions. Traditionally, those tackles are "one-gappers" that penetrate and are more disruptive.

Iowa's defense is a bit of an odd-ball. It runs a 4-3 cover-4 scheme, but doesn't scheme the traditional responsibilities (not always a good thing). Even though the tackles play in the 1 and 3 gaps, Iowa generally asks the tackles to eat up blockers to allow the linebackers to fill the gaps. The staff also tend to recruit and play ends that are stouter but not as athletic as one would expect in a 4-3 scheme. The end result is that you keep everything in front of you, but, at the same time, you're essentially eliminating one playmaker (the extra LB in a 3-4 scheme). That puts more pressure on the safeties to play the run, which, in turn, puts more pressure on the corners to cover deep. That is why most teams attack our defense with short routes to the flat. Those zones are going to be open since the corners have to play off.

When Iowa has poor defenses, it's almost always due to having a combination of tackles that are not disruptive, and ends that are not explosive. You need one or the other. When we have good, experienced LBs, a lot of those issues can be "covered up," but, when we don't, the line gets exposed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Share this page

Top