Perspective

[CP87]

Many aspects to be improved from yesterday's performance, but they did get an easy win, played lots of young/new players, and they will have lots of coaching points to stress this week.For those saying that the Hawks have proven they are not worthy of being ranked, or who assume that warts in game 1 means we are doomed for an underwhelming season, consider these other scores of ranked teams vs. non P5 opponents:

• #9 Tennessee beat Appalachian St. in OT
• #12 Mich St. beat Furman 28-13
• #13 TCU needed a 4th quarter surge to pull ahead of South Dakota St. 59-41
• #24 Oregon beat UC-Davis 53-28
• #25 Florida needed a 14-0 4th quarter to pull away from UMass 24-7

Looking at last year's final AP top 10, the following teams had underwhelming performances in week 1: Stanford, Michigan State, TCU, and Iowa.

Lots of season to be played, let's get a bit more data before throwing dirt on the season.

 

[PCHawk]

Letting a bad team march up and down the field is pretty normal for Iowa and really has no barring on how the season will play out. I think the biggest things to take away from the game is Anthony Nelson seems to be one of the missing pieces we needed. The kicking game seems to be a missing piece we needed. If Sheel is better than Smith and can get healthy (big if) our wide receivers may be a strength instead of a weakness. Wadley is by far the best running back we've had since Greene at least. He might actually be better.

 

[CP87]

Letting a bad team march up and down the field is pretty normal for Iowa and really has no barring on how the season will play out. I think the biggest things to take away from the game is Anthony Nelson seems to be one of the missing pieces we needed. The kicking game seems to be a missing piece we needed. If Sheel is better than Smith and can get healthy (big if) our wide receivers may be a strength instead of a weakness. Wadley is by far the best running back we've had since Greene at least. He might actually be better.

And Daniels is pretty darn good, too. Great 1/2 punch.

 

[trj]

I am not in panick mode other than the shots CJB took. He got beat up last year and it seems to be continuing. I am not some o-line guru so I don't know how pass protection gets better. Maybe it is the trade-off for his playmaking ability.

 

[PCHawk]

I am not in panick mode other than the shots CJB took. He got beat up last year and it seems to be continuing. I am not some o-line guru so I don't know how pass protection gets better. Maybe it is the trade-off for his playmaking ability.

Yea our pass protection is borderline terrible. Since last year it's been pretty much if they blitz, CJ gets hit.

 

[IAHAWK1982]

Iowa played it pretty plain on defense. Not sure if I ever saw a blitz or line stunt. No Raider scheme used. Played almost exclusively with 2 deep safeties, leaving only 7 in the box. And of course playing basically the whole game w/out Jewell was a set back also. I think they will play much better and aggressive versus Iowa State.

 

[DBAHawkFan]

Yep, teams have been blitzing us for years because

A: we can't protect it
B: our wr can't get open

 

[revkev73]

When Iowa has a bigger lead...be prepared to view some boring, clock running, less than stellar football...

 

[hawkinn3]

We will get better and we were pretty good. Running game is explosive which is great to see.

 

[dirtwrap]

I am definitely on the side of evaluation and not panic, as I would certainly believe the coaches are as well. We all know that we have some great parts on this team, but it is developing our weaknesses that is going to define how great we can be. So this is what I came away with:

1. Defensive ends: This is a question mark, and being since we are the most effective when we can get a pass rush with our base defense, then getting those guys up to speed and practice this is the utmost importance. We know our interior guys are good as well as Josey and Niemann, so the Nelsons have to catch up. The only way to do that is repetition against a different opponent in a real game. I think they did some good things yesterday and I am not worried about this position of weakness.

2. Linebacker: I think it is a blessing that Josey had to leave. We know he is good, he didnt need to get hurt, and we got a new guy in there that got extremely valuable reps that will pay dividends for us. He did some good things, and did some things he needs to learn from.

3. Mabin: Listen, this guy is not a stiff. He definitely got picked on yesterday and he will learn from that. He will learn from it I promise, and he has the physical tools to play this position. I would rather have our weaker opponents pick on him all day long, because it will only make him better against the better teams when we need him.

Our run defense was the problem yesterday, as they consistently got in 2nd and short situations. Josey will make the biggest impact here. Then the situation changes dramatically when a teams is consistently in 2nd and 8-10. Look for a lot of that Saturday.

My major concern coming away from this game was wide receiver, especially the slot. Other than Jerminic looking more confident and improved, I didn't seen anything there that I didn't already know. Its almost like Jerminic needs to play wide and Vandy in the slot, and limit McCarrons reps. I wasnt impressed with Riley and I would like to think we have some multiple options here beside him, but we didnt see them.

Teams will stack the box against us for sure, try to get us on throwing situations. This is where CJ's legs come in, but that leads to my other concern, it seems like this guys are playing too tight, thinking too much about not making mistakes and not getting hurt that I think it would be hard to flip that switch to urgency and recklessness when they need to. I am hoping our coaches are on top of this with a plan to keep these guys where they need to be for the entire season.

 

[vork22]

Look this defense was close to losing the Iowa State game last year and look what followed. That being said, our schedule is more difficult so we need to improve. Laying an egg yesterday might be good for them.

 

[HawkeyeDenis]

Iowa does a lot of bend don't break on defense and they will get better. Expect a nice defensive adjustment this week. One of the preseason concerns was the kicking game. Not a worry now.
There were a lot of good plays on the field. Just not enough strung together.

 

[Ickehawk]

I am not in panick mode other than the shots CJB took. He got beat up last year and it seems to be continuing. I am not some o-line guru so I don't know how pass protection gets better. Maybe it is the trade-off for his playmaking ability.

The big shot that he took was from line miscommunication on a outside 'twist', not from an inability to block by the O-line. Plus he held the ball too damn long. It was a 2 step drop which means the ball was supposed to come out in 2 seconds.
Another shot he took was from Wadley whiffing on a blitzer, which is why Wadley isn't in very often on pass plays. He needs to get a lot better on that front if he is going to play more.
On the flea flicker he took a little shot because he held the ball too long and we had 7 to block 8. So, I'm not sure what you guys are talking about. Also, saw that they were working a lot on TE blocking/chipping before releasing, which really helped in protection, but was delaying Kittle a little too much getting into his routes, whcih is why he wasn't targeted too often.

 

[trj]

The big shot that he took was from line miscommunication on a outside 'twist', not from an inability to block by the O-line. Plus he held the ball too damn long. It was a 2 step drop which means the ball was supposed to come out in 2 seconds.
Another shot he took was from Wadley whiffing on a blitzer, which is why Wadley isn't in very often on pass plays. He needs to get a lot better on that front if he is going to play more.
On the flea flicker he took a little shot because he held the ball too long and we had 7 to block 8. So, I'm not sure what you guys are talking about. Also, saw that they were working a lot on TE blocking/chipping before releasing, which really helped in protection, but was delaying Kittle a little too much getting into his routes, whcih is why he wasn't targeted too often.

That is what I was alluding to with the trade-off comment. That extra second or 2 he holds onto the football is sometimes the difference in making a play and not making a play.

Since about the Wisky game last year CJB has taken a lot of shots so I am not sure what you are watching. I am glad he is a tough dude who hasn't got happy feet.

 

[Ickehawk]

That is what I was alluding to with the trade-off comment. That extra second or 2 he holds onto the football is sometimes the difference in making a play and not making a play.

Since about the Wisky game last year CJB has taken a lot of shots so I am not sure what you are watching. I am glad he is a tough dude who hasn't got happy feet.

You're not understanding. If he takes a 7 step drop (as on most 'downfield' plays) he has 4 to 5 seconds by design for the routes to develop and get the ball out. That is what they are taught and that is about all ANY line can hold a pass rush. That play in question was a 2 step drop which means he trying to (by design) hit a guick slant, hitch, out, whatever (they never showed the routes on TV, it happened to fast) and has 2 seconds to get the ball out before someone gets to him (which they will really quickly since he is only 2 yds. behind the line of scrimmage) and if it's not 'there' he has to throw it away or tuck it. He did neither. HE CAN'T HOLD THE BALL AN EXTRA SECOND OR TWO ON THAT PLAY, IT'S NOT DESIGNED THAT WAY. I hope that helps, because I am not understanding what you are trying to say, and we are not talking about last year. It's a whole new year with 5 guys that have a year of experience playing as opposed to the Wisconsin game when we had the 2nd string LT (Croston) and a true freshman at LG (Daniels) who were inexperienced and Welsh at RT out of position and they really struggled with Wiskys stunts and LB speed. We knew before the year started last year that passpro was probably going to be a work in progress as we were starting 2 new OT's (Myers, Boettger). It's a different story this year as they are more experienced and in their 'best' positions. Any time the QB is hit or sacked people want to blame the line when sometimes it's the QB, the RB missing blitzes or great coverage or any combination there of. The O-line was the brightest part of the game in my opinion, of course they made some mistakes and can get better, but they played really well.

 

[Ickehawk]

I am definitely on the side of evaluation and not panic, as I would certainly believe the coaches are as well. We all know that we have some great parts on this team, but it is developing our weaknesses that is going to define how great we can be. So this is what I came away with:

1. Defensive ends: This is a question mark, and being since we are the most effective when we can get a pass rush with our base defense, then getting those guys up to speed and practice this is the utmost importance. We know our interior guys are good as well as Josey and Niemann, so the Nelsons have to catch up. The only way to do that is repetition against a different opponent in a real game. I think they did some good things yesterday and I am not worried about this position of weakness.

2. Linebacker: I think it is a blessing that Josey had to leave. We know he is good, he didnt need to get hurt, and we got a new guy in there that got extremely valuable reps that will pay dividends for us. He did some good things, and did some things he needs to learn from.

3. Mabin: Listen, this guy is not a stiff. He definitely got picked on yesterday and he will learn from that. He will learn from it I promise, and he has the physical tools to play this position. I would rather have our weaker opponents pick on him all day long, because it will only make him better against the better teams when we need him.

Our run defense was the problem yesterday, as they consistently got in 2nd and short situations. Josey will make the biggest impact here. Then the situation changes dramatically when a teams is consistently in 2nd and 8-10. Look for a lot of that Saturday.

My major concern coming away from this game was wide receiver, especially the slot. Other than Jerminic looking more confident and improved, I didn't seen anything there that I didn't already know. Its almost like Jerminic needs to play wide and Vandy in the slot, and limit McCarrons reps. I wasnt impressed with Riley and I would like to think we have some multiple options here beside him, but we didnt see them.

Teams will stack the box against us for sure, try to get us on throwing situations. This is where CJ's legs come in, but that leads to my other concern, it seems like this guys are playing too tight, thinking too much about not making mistakes and not getting hurt that I think it would be hard to flip that switch to urgency and recklessness when they need to. I am hoping our coaches are on top of this with a plan to keep these guys where they need to be for the entire season.

It looked like to me, that Iowa used this game to work on certain things. On D, firstly working on man coverage, because they seemed to play a lot more of it than usual. Secondly, on working on getting to the QB with a 4 man rush, as they didn't use their Raider Pkg., but then again, they didn't have them in a lot of 3rd and longs. Thirdly, just good ol gap discipline as they did very little in stunts etc...
On offense, they worked the 'pin and pull' quite a lot which they will probably run more often with Wadleys' speed. They apparently didn't want CJ to run at all even though he said he wasn't told not to, I don't believe him (company secrets?). They really worked on their wide receiver screens, probably experimenting with the best 'combinations' to run them with. They worked a lot on TE blocking in passpro before releasing. Probably trying to determine how much of a 'chip' they need to give to help the tackles and still be able to get into their route (part of the reason Kittle wasn't thrown to)..etc. It's a nice luxury when you can play a team and work on some questions that can't get answered in practice, without worrying 'too much' about losing. I think that is what we saw.

 

[trj]

You're not understanding. If he takes a 7 step drop (as on most 'downfield' plays) he has 4 to 5 seconds by design for the routes to develop and get the ball out. That is what they are taught and that is about all ANY line can hold a pass rush. That play in question was a 2 step drop which means he trying to (by design) hit a guick slant, hitch, out, whatever (they never showed the routes on TV, it happened to fast) and has 2 seconds to get the ball out before someone gets to him (which they will really quickly since he is only 2 yds. behind the line of scrimmage) and if it's not 'there' he has to throw it away or tuck it. He did neither. HE CAN'T HOLD THE BALL AN EXTRA SECOND OR TWO ON THAT PLAY, IT'S NOT DESIGNED THAT WAY. I hope that helps, because I am not understanding what you are trying to say, and we are not talking about last year. It's a whole new year with 5 guys that have a year of experience playing as opposed to the Wisconsin game when we had the 2nd string LT (Croston) and a true freshman at LG (Daniels) who were inexperienced and Welsh at RT out of position and they really struggled with Wiskys stunts and LB speed. We knew before the year started last year that passpro was probably going to be a work in progress as we were starting 2 new OT's (Myers, Boettger). It's a different story this year as they are more experienced and in their 'best' positions. Any time the QB is hit or sacked people want to blame the line when sometimes it's the QB, the RB missing blitzes or great coverage or any combination there of. The O-line was the brightest part of the game in my opinion, of course they made some mistakes and can get better, but they played really well.

True. This year is this year and last year is last year. We have to let this season play out that is fair. However, there is a pattern emerging from from last year and after 1 game this year it is still there. CJB is getting hit a lot whether it is him holding to the ball to long, miscommunication among the lineman, running backs whiffing on blocks. It doesn't change the fact he is getting hit waaay too much.

A month from now if you want to come back to this thread and say 'I told you so' I will gladly eat crow. I would love for you to be right that it is something that can be fixed by BigTen play.

 

[Ickehawk]

True. This year is this year and last year is last year. We have to let this season play out that is fair. However, there is a pattern emerging from from last year and after 1 game this year it is still there. CJB is getting hit a lot whether it is him holding to the ball to long, miscommunication among the lineman, running backs whiffing on blocks. It doesn't change the fact he is getting hit waaay too much.

A month from now if you want to come back to this thread and say 'I told you so' I will gladly eat crow. I would love for you to be right that it is something that can be fixed by BigTen play.

I don't like seeing him hit any more than the next guy, I'm just saying you just can't always blame the O-line and a lot of times (like the one play yesterday) CJ will hold out till the last second waiting for a certain route to develop or clear instead of checking down or throwing it away, which can lead to some 'better' plays, but also to him taking a lot of hits that aren't necessarily the O-lines fault. And we know CJ apparantly doesn't like to throw the ball away, as he almost NEVER does...........

 

[trj]

I know we disagree on CJB's value. Imo, with him 10 or 11 wins are very possible, without him, Iowa is looking at anywhere from 7-9 wins. He keeps getting up from these hits at the rate he is going at some point he isn't going to get up. On that flea flicker to Smith I was like I hope he gets up from that hit I really didn't focus on the catch til the replay.

I for one can hold off for the Nathan Stanley era to begin for another year.