Position by Position Look Ahead

CJSHawk

CJSHawk

Well-Known Member
This kind of thread seems to be popular this time of year so I'll take a crack at it!

QB- I'm a Rudock fan. Considering his lack of experience and arm strength his performance this year exceeded my expectations, and he'll only get better. Like many of you, I'm also intrigued by CJB's arm talent, but it's clearly Rudock's job to lose.

RB- I think we'll start the year with Weisman, Canzeri, and Daniels. Obviously the coaching staff wants Daniels in the mix or they wouldn't have burnt his redshirt. We need to find a role for Bullock as he has the talent to help this team, but not as a 15-20 carry B1G back. I think Hill is looking at a position switch(safety?) or a transfer.

WR- KMM, Smith, and Hillyer return, but we desperately need more big plays from this position. I hope there's an emphasis this offseason on getting Powell more involved. Tevaun Smith flashed at the end of the year as a possible gamebreaker, and hopefully that continues. We redshirted a large group of WRs this year and maybe one of those guys can contribute!

TE- With Hamilton, Duzey, HKC, and Kittle we should be good to go. All four need to take the next step as blockers!

OL- Most people believe the starting OL next year will be Scherff, Donnal, Blythe, Walsh, and Ward. We don't know much about Ward other than he was highly recruited out of the Chicagoland area. This group has the potential to be real, real good!! We'll need to develop depth here.

DL- I'm excited to watch the rotation of LTP, Davis, Cooper, and Johnson. This group has the potential to be very disruptive next year. I've heard good things about Nathan Bazata too!!!

DE- Let's face it. DE play at Iowa the pass few years has been a concern. While I think we play the run fairly well, we lack players at this position that can consistently get after the QB. It looks like we're in on a couple junior college DEs so the coaches seem to recognize this as well. This positions needs a major talent upgrade!!

LB- Year in and year out Iowa doesn't recruit well enough to lose talent like Kirksey, Hitchens, and Morris and not feel it. LB is THE major area of concern for next year as we don't know much, if anything, about their replacements.

DB- Desmond King was a revelation this year, and we be Iowa's next great DB. Lomax will most likely be the other corner as Draper proved in the MSU game that he isn't any good. I sure hope Fleming takes the next step as a player this offseason as this position doesn't seem very deep right now. Like DE safety play has been a concern the past few years. We'll need guys like Law, Gair, and Lile to step up!!

Coaching Staff- Once and for all Ferentz and Davis need to come to an understanding as to what our offensive identity is going to be. While the offense was much better this year, you can still see through playcalling that they're not quite on the same page. If the offense struggles this year it's time to say goodbye to Greg Davis! I love the aggressive defense Phil Parker has installed. Norm Parker was great, but I'm happy to see we're no longer content with letting teams pick up apart between the twenties. I also think it's fair to say Reese Morgan has officially washed the stench of Coach Kaz from our DL. And next year is a big year for Bobby Kennedy as our WRs need to become playmakers opposing defensive coordinators need to worry about. That hasn't been the case since McNutt and DJK!! And obviously Levar Woods and Jim Reid have their hands full at LB!

Overall the offense seems to have the potential to be good. They could be very good if they develop more big play capabilities. Historically Ferentz coached teams are offensively challenged so I'm cautiously optimistic.

With the exception of Defensive Tackle this defense will have a lot of questions to be answered. "Can we pressure the QB?" and "How far will the drop-off in LB play be?" are just a few. This group will be a work in progress!!
 
Only thing I'd add is some of the depth at WR. McCarron could see a few more snaps next year and looked good when he was playing. Meerkat never dropped a pass, and the word is he has the best hands on the team.
 
I think there are a few knowns at LB. Alston and Perry have gotten some time over the past two years...and have been stalwarts on special teams. I think both these players were playing behind all B10 linebackers, so it's had to say they aren't ready. The coaches are obviously high on Spearman too and he got his feet wet as a pass rushing DE. He may outgrow the LB position though as he's got the frame to be a nightmare for offenses at DE. Let's see how much he grows in the offseason. He may be 245 pounds by Fall with Doyle doing his thing. We could move Alston outside and Spearman inside.

The one constant is that Lavar and Jim Reid made a huge contribution this year. Our LB's were so much better (I know the DL was much better too), and the LB's really attacked the line of scrimmage on running plays and got to the QB in blitz packages. They know the Spring is critical in getting these guys ready to play. I think this group, after some early season growing pains, becomes really solid. We just aren't deep, and that concerns me most. We can't afford injuries.
 
Oh, and it's alot easier to be a "work in progress" when you DL could be dominate. This covers up alot of mistakes in the LB's and secondary against lesser competition.
 
My early guess on the starters:

QB - Rudock
RB- Weisman/Canzeri
FB - Cox
TE - Hamilton/Duzey
WR-KMM, Smith
LT - Schreff
LG - Donnal
C - Blythe
RG - Walsh
RT - Ward
DE - Ott, Spearman
DT - Davis, LTP
LB - Alston, Perry, Fischer
CB - King, Lomax
SS - Powdermilk
FS - Johnny Soybean
KR - Powell
PR - KMM (would love to see Powell here as well)
 
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WinOneThisCentury said:
I think there are a few knowns at LB. Alston and Perry have gotten some time over the past two years...and have been stalwarts on special teams. I think both these players were playing behind all B10 linebackers, so it's had to say they aren't ready. The coaches are obviously high on Spearman too and he got his feet wet as a pass rushing DE. He may outgrow the LB position though as he's got the frame to be a nightmare for offenses at DE. Let's see how much he grows in the offseason. He may be 245 pounds by Fall with Doyle doing his thing. We could move Alston outside and Spearman inside.

The one constant is that Lavar and Jim Reid made a huge contribution this year. Our LB's were so much better (I know the DL was much better too), and the LB's really attacked the line of scrimmage on running plays and got to the QB in blitz packages. They know the Spring is critical in getting these guys ready to play. I think this group, after some early season growing pains, becomes really solid. We just aren't deep, and that concerns me most. We can't afford injuries.
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If Spearman gets bigger, I'd expect him to move full-time to the blindside pass rushing DE. He'd be perfect there if he gets to 245+.

I do feel comfortable with Morgan, Reid, and Woods coaching up the front 7 and Phil Parker handling the DBs. That's a damn fine defensive coaching staff.
 
No one has mentioned Faith. I think he takes big steps forward next year. Also think john Kenny and Ruben Lyle step up.
 
Fullbacks - Cox & Plewa are sophmores and both will be back next year. These two were great this year. Not much credit, but key players in Iowa's offense. Fun to watch them blow-up linemen/linebackers leading the way thru holes and several big gain pass plays too. Solid fullback play allows Iowa to utilize their tight ends in the passing game. This position will be a strength for the next couple years.
 
CJSHawk said:
I agree, but "pretty good" is not the same as "dominant"!
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Sure, but a dominant defense is more than the sum of its parts. If you have good players playing their position well, you can have a dominant defense. Ott does his job well. Davis and LTP both do their job very well. All we need is a guy who create QB pressure from the blindside DE to make the group a dominant group. There are a few guys who could have that potential, including Spearman, Meier, or Faith.

Against the run this year, the DL was pretty dominant working with Ott, Davis, LTP, and Whitey Hustle. I think they can be even better next year if they can replace Whitey Hustle with a real pass rusher.
 
I don't understand why people keep assuming Powell would be some dynamite kick returner. He didnt return kicks at Juco, and he won't return kicks here. It takes more than just speed to be a good returner. Canzeri would be the favorite to return kicks next year, IMO.
 
"I don't understand why people keep assuming Powell would be some dynamite kick returner. He didnt return kicks at Juco, and he won't return kicks here. It takes more than just speed to be a good returner. Canzeri would be the favorite to return kicks next year, IMO."

I agree, Canzeri would be my choice to return kicks too. Powell is blazing fast, but at least for now, he's maybe 160lbs. I think he'd get crushed and I haven't seen enough of him to know whether he's sure handed. A good off season with Doyle and I think next year his speed will be more of a weapon.
 
Wadley and Parker- the 2 FR RB worked a ton on punt and kick returns this year. I am told the coaches really like Watley a lot. has some wiggle and he is fast.
 
SamBrownlee48 said:
Sure, but a dominant defense is more than the sum of its parts. If you have good players playing their position well, you can have a dominant defense. Ott does his job well. Davis and LTP both do their job very well. All we need is a guy who create QB pressure from the blindside DE to make the group a dominant group. There are a few guys who could have that potential, including Spearman, Meier, or Faith.

Against the run this year, the DL was pretty dominant working with Ott, Davis, LTP, and Whitey Hustle. I think they can be even better next year if they can replace Whitey Hustle with a real pass rusher.
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Let's hope at least one of the JC defensive ends commits because I doubt the coaching staff would go the JC route for this position if they felt a legitimate pass rusher was already on the roster. Is it safe to assume the coaches feel Faith needs a lot more work? He's relatively new to football isn't he?
 
Nate Meier is closer to being a full time defensive end as far as size and experience. Mike Hardy is also coming back. Wouldn't the coaching keep Spearman fleet enough to be the third linebacker where he may be needed more? He would be effective on the LB blitz in addition to being a great tackler.
 
Hawknick said:
Nate Meier is closer to being a full time defensive end as far as size and experience. Mike Hardy is also coming back. Wouldn't the coaching keep Spearman fleet enough to be the third linebacker where he may be needed more? He would be effective on the LB blitz in addition to being a great tackler.
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Based on the bowl practice photos I've seen he's still practicing at LB.
 
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