PSU GameFilm: Linebacker Evaluations

JonDMiller

Publisher/Founder
by HawkeyeGameFilm

It was a rough day for the LB corp as they tried slow down the PSU run game. All day their DL was struggling to protect them and eat up blockers, and the results were 231 rushing yard at 5.0YPC. The LBs make their fair share of mistakes but a lot of their problems were symptoms of a struggling a DL. This is a relatively undersized LB corp and they need to have better protection from the guys up front if they’re going to have success stopping the run.

As your leaders go, so goes your team. When Tyler Nielsen missed what should have been an INT and a shot at a return for TD you could almost sense it was going to set the tone for the whole game. Especially in road games where the crowd is a factor it’s important to have a good start. A big play there by Nielsen likely changes the complexion of the game. Nielsen is still clearly dealing with some injury issues and appeared to add a neck issue to the list of injuries he’s dealing with. He was relieved by Tom Donatell several times in the game and Donatell didn’t really have many chances to make plays. Any way you stack it, Iowa needs better play from their LEO spot.

Morris had some struggles taking on full-backs in the seam and it’s a very difficult thing to master. In the hole you have very little room to maneuver and a 240-pound full-back is barreling full steam at you. Morris got full on feet flying in the air cut several times and big gains were the result. About the only thing he could have done in those situations was attack the full-back outside-in, closer to the LOS, and try to clog up the hole. Even after getting cut Morris would pop back up very quickly and try to make a tackle. Love the effort he plays with but he will need to be more effective against the run in coming weeks.

Kirksey had a bit of an up and down day out there. Showed good instincts most of the time in the run game but had issues dealing with blockers who were consistently getting to him at the second level. He was effective when he was allowed to run free, but being undersized makes it tough for him to win in tight spaces. His effectiveness as a blitzer is becoming an asset for this defense, especially when trying to get off the field on 3rd downs. With the lack of pressure the DL is getting it might be something Iowa uses more and more often.

Nielsen
-1 Great job jumping the route in the flat but he just didn't finish it. He actually deflected this ball right into the Penn St guys hands. Not sure if the sun got into his eyes or what here. He had both hands on this ball and it should have been at worst a 3rd down stop and could have been a pick 6. S1
-1 Losses the edge here as he attacks the fullback inside out on the simple lead play. He takes himself out of the play and Redd simply cuts outside and runs for an easy 10 yards. S1

Overall: -2

Morris
-1 Played the running play too close to the line and couldn’t find the ball. Back ends up blowing by him 2 gaps over. S1
+1 Very nice job reading route here as he came down and attacked the shallow cross and forced an in-completion. Nice read here. S2
+1 Nice job being physical with the WR inside here and takes away the primary target on the goal-line play. S2
-1 Overruns the play here and the back goes right by him in the hole. Needs to find the ball a little quicker here. S5
-1 Very slow read here as he lets the pulling guard get into him in the seam. Gets sealed and the play goes for 20. S6
+1 Nice job fighting off blockers and making the play on the screen. Would have been a TD had he not disrupted the play and tripped up Redd. S6
-1 Needs to stack up the cut block in the hole. Gets cut in the hole here and didn’t take the outside lane way and the back pops outside him for an easy big gainer. S7
+1 Great penetration here shuts down the 3rd and short carry. Nice attacking defense here. S8
-1 Morris sealed off by the FB inside again here. Needs to do a better job than this. S9

Overall: -1

Kirksey
-1 Picked a gap and didn’t read the play here. Needs to see the ball before attacking. S1
+1 Blitz by Kirksey causes poor throw here. Utterly blind luck deflection ends up a completion but a nicely timed blitz. S1
-1 Poor awareness in coverage here as the crosser gets into his zone and doesn’t see him until he flies by him with the ball. Needs better route recognition and needs to peek routes in adjacent zones. S3
+1 Very nice job of tackling the ball here as he forces a fumble. Doesn’t end up a turn over, but a pretty nice job here by Kirksey to get the ball out. S4
+1 Nice job forcing the issue here as he penetrated the backfield and drew a holding call on the run play. S7

Overall: +1

Donatell
Overall: Push
 
Where's the coaching? These guys are exhibiting poor technique. I thought that teaching fundamentals and sound technique was the calling card of this staff.
 
Where's the coaching? These guys are exhibiting poor technique. I thought that teaching fundamentals and sound technique was the calling card of this staff.

As Gamefilm points out, a lot of the problems are directly related to the d-line's inability to protect the lbs from o-linemen. The Bears run the cover 2 tampa defense and it is the same deal. Urlacher and Briggs are all pro,and they are struggling with a mediocre d-tackle crew in front of them.

My question to Gamefilm is this: Is Morris really playing out of position inside? He is an excellent coverage lb,it seems to me,but his lack of sheer size and strength do not scream middle lb. Would he be better suited at Nielsens spot,and is that where he will have the best shot at the next level? Now, I know that Angerer is shorter,but thicker and has flourished at middle lb with the Colts,so maybe it is just a maturation process physically,and better dtackles in front of him.
 
I do think a mistake was made by the coaches here. With a struggling Tyler Nielsen I am not sure why Morris wasn't move to LEO earlier in the year and Bruce Davis given more of a shot a middle. Morris isn't capable of filling the gaps in the run game against a team like PSU.

I was also wondering why Hitchens wasn't inserted at LEO with Nielsen banged up. They did that against ISU earlier in the year. Donatell is not part of the future at linebacker especially against a team with a power running game.
 
Maybe the best LB core in terms of physical skills Kirk has ever had but one of the worst in terms of technique and execution. They are the anti Klinkenborg, Humpal, and Miles crew all of whom who weren't great athletes but played great in the system and were sure tacklers.
 
As Gamefilm points out, a lot of the problems are directly related to the d-line's inability to protect the lbs from o-linemen. The Bears run the cover 2 tampa defense and it is the same deal. Urlacher and Briggs are all pro,and they are struggling with a mediocre d-tackle crew in front of them.

My question to Gamefilm is this: Is Morris really playing out of position inside? He is an excellent coverage lb,it seems to me,but his lack of sheer size and strength do not scream middle lb. Would he be better suited at Nielsens spot,and is that where he will have the best shot at the next level? Now, I know that Angerer is shorter,but thicker and has flourished at middle lb with the Colts,so maybe it is just a maturation process physically,and better dtackles in front of him.

who ya gonna put in the middle? I hope Morris is bigger than the roster says (6'2" 215) cause that is small. I was hoping about 235-240. I think he'll be fine at the Middle when he matures size wise, which maybe he already is and he would definitely benefit from better DL play. That's the biggest thing holding this D back right now (obviously). I really think that Hitchens, Kirksey and Morris are good LBs and hope they continue to get bigger and better.
 
My question to Gamefilm is this: Is Morris really playing out of position inside? He is an excellent coverage lb,it seems to me,but his lack of sheer size and strength do not scream middle lb. Would he be better suited at Nielsens spot,and is that where he will have the best shot at the next level? Now, I know that Angerer is shorter,but thicker and has flourished at middle lb with the Colts,so maybe it is just a maturation process physically,and better dtackles in front of him.

Not sure I'd say he's out of position in the middle, but he's definitely undersized right now. He's listed at 6'2 227 and having stood next to him a few times it seems fairly accurate. Keep in mind Morris is only a sophomore and probably will add 5+ lbs of solid mass in the off-season. At his size, ideally he'd be on the outside and have to worry less about wading through traffic all the time but he's more than serviceable in the middle with his instincts and aggressiveness. He'll continue to grow into the position both mentally and physically. Not to mention he's a very good leader for that defense and does a good job adjusting alignments and such.

Also for the record Angerer had tremendous power in his upper body. He pushed 26 reps @225 on the bench(weighing 235lbs) at the combine despite Iowa's lack of emphasis on that particular lift. Makes me think a lot of it was natural power & strength. I doubt Morris is in that category at this point. He's got time to grow yet though. Not sure what spot I'd project Morris as an NFL LB prospect at this point. He's too young to put a label on yet. Does remind me a bit of Greg Jones from MSU though.
 
For the second week in a row, GameFilm has been waaaaayyyyyy too generous to our defensive captain. Neilson got blown off the line of scrimmage constantly and also was handled five yards off the LOS by a single RB a number of times. Really seems one of those instances where the coaches are rewarding him for being a good soldier at the detriment to the team.

I agree that it seems Morris should be moved outside. He is most effective in pass coverage and blitzing. But yunno, LEO might not be his spot, but rather WILL. We could also use Jake getting up to speed at QB and pushing freaking Derby onto the other side of the ball.

Finally, hopefully Poggi can have an Angerer like turnaround and start contributing next year.
 
For the second week in a row, GameFilm has been waaaaayyyyyy too generous to our defensive captain. Neilson got blown off the line of scrimmage constantly and also was handled five yards off the LOS by a single RB a number of times. Really seems one of those instances where the coaches are rewarding him for being a good soldier at the detriment to the team.

I agree that it seems Morris should be moved outside. He is most effective in pass coverage and blitzing. But yunno, LEO might not be his spot, but rather WILL. We could also use Jake getting up to speed at QB and pushing freaking Derby onto the other side of the ball.

Finally, hopefully Poggi can have an Angerer like turnaround and start contributing next year.


So you are saying that Gamefilm is not holding Tyler Nielsen to the same standard as the other lbers? That he is fudging his analysis? I suspect that he reviews every single play by all the lbers and grades them with standard criteria. Yet you seem to think he is cutting Tyler some slack..why would he do that? You are basically questioning Gamefilms professionalism...why would you do that?
 
So you are saying that Gamefilm is not holding Tyler Nielsen to the same standard as the other lbers? That he is fudging his analysis? I suspect that he reviews every single play by all the lbers and grades them with standard criteria. Yet you seem to think he is cutting Tyler some slack..why would he do that? You are basically questioning Gamefilms professionalism...why would you do that?

I don't think it's so much questioning my professionalism. If I am reading it right he's alluding to the fact Nielsen hasn't been getting much done. He's missed some plays to be sure and those are what I hit him -1 for, but he's been MIA on many plays where you might have expected a captain to be making a play. On the film he looks to be mostly just trying to defend his gap/responsibility and isn't running around trying to make plays. So it's not so much what he IS doing as what he ISN'T doing. Hard to quantify that kind of thing.
 
This is mostly what I meant. Except I would also say he has really failed to disengage this season. These might be instances where he is in the right place, but just letting the blocker occupy him. Hence, it could register as a neutral situation.

Think the issue is that I have focused on him in particular and have just been stunned at how ineffective he has been.
 
Maybe the neck injury is having lingering effects. maybe not physical but mental because he was an animal last year before the injury.
 

Latest posts

Top