Random thoughts after watching the film

iowahawkeyes89

iowahawkeyes89

Well-Known Member
Lebron Daniel was very disruptive, but just couldn't get his hands around the QB. He was in position several times.

I'm sure part of that was the horrible conditions, part of it just being rusty. But nothing that isn't fixable.

Alvis was in position several times as well.

Tobin really struggled on OL, but other than that I thought the OL was solid.

Zach Derby dropped a TD pass that was right in his hands, no excuse for that.

Matt Meyers (fullback) looked like a RS freshman playing his first game at FB...(meaning bad)

I feel a lot better about this team after re-watching the game though, a lot of good things and a few bad, but mostly fixable things.
 
The D-line didn't look real athletic when they got into the backfield. That was a big disappointment to me. I thought they looked slow when they got into the backfield. Should have had several big sacks.

This was such a weird game its almost impossible to project anything. I wasn't real thrilled with the run game - it didn't feel like we could pound it down the field. Things really changed when McCall went down. Coker looked very tentative when he returned to the game. Losing McCall was devastating just because of our history with running backs. Makes me angry that another promising young player is lost for the season.
 
The thing that worries me about Coker is he was running scared. He needs to snap the F out of it or it could be a long season. Or maybe Vandenberg gets to throw it 40 times a game Steele Jantz style
 
I spent two hours on the air with Podolak and some comments off air. He is not worried about Coker in the least. Coker has been nicked up this fall and not taken any hits. It looked like a guy who forgot what being tackled was like and after fumbles he was just wrapping and being real conservative.
 
JonDMiller said:
I spent two hours on the air with Podolak and some comments off air. He is not worried about Coker in the least. Coker has been nicked up this fall and not taken any hits. It looked like a guy who forgot what being tackled was like and after fumbles he was just wrapping and being real conservative.
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Jon, how dare you give Podolak's comments. I know wth I'm talking about. If Eddie said that I am no longer worried. Let's hope the legend is right!!!!
 
hwks1 said:
The D-line didn't look real athletic when they got into the backfield. That was a big disappointment to me. I thought they looked slow when they got into the backfield. Should have had several big sacks.

This was such a weird game its almost impossible to project anything. I wasn't real thrilled with the run game - it didn't feel like we could pound it down the field. Things really changed when McCall went down. Coker looked very tentative when he returned to the game. Losing McCall was devastating just because of our history with running backs. Makes me angry that another promising young player is lost for the season.
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i thought just the opposite about our dl - i thought several times they looked athletic and fast. a little too eager on some of those sack opportunities, so they got over ran instead of breaking down first and taking the tackle.
 
imported_ankle23 said:
i thought just the opposite about our dl - i thought several times they looked athletic and fast. a little too eager on some of those sack opportunities, so they got over ran instead of breaking down first and taking the tackle.
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This


I thought Daniel and Daniels looked very quick, I was pretty impressed with Lebron Daniels speed off the edge. Like I said, he just needs to tune up his tackling.

It was wet out there too
 
imported_ankle23 said:
i thought just the opposite about our dl - i thought several times they looked athletic and fast. a little too eager on some of those sack opportunities, so they got over ran instead of breaking down first and taking the tackle.
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Yes, me too. Thought our DL played really, really well for the most part.
 
JonDMiller said:
I spent two hours on the air with Podolak and some comments off air. He is not worried about Coker in the least. Coker has been nicked up this fall and not taken any hits. It looked like a guy who forgot what being tackled was like and after fumbles he was just wrapping and being real conservative.
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I never buy this line of thought.
Coker has been playing football for what, 10yrs, you're either prone to fumble or you're not at this point.
Can he improve? Sure, we better hope he does, but chalking this up as "forgetting what being tackled was like" is likely a way of reconciling it in his mind.

I think a more realistic look at it is that Coker is a good player, runs a little high, plays TO contact & is probably going to have similar games to this in the future. He'll also have many, many very productive games.
 
You guys have a player in LB #44 Morris i think his name is. Quick first step, he impressed me. Thought the DL looked gassed at times (the drive before the half). Sucks you lost Mcall i dont think he would have came out the game had he not got hurt.
 
good insights- thanks all for this thread-
and to Wreckonize- ya man, we all know Morris is the shzt- and he is only a sophomore
 
I would agree with Jon, between the weather (Could not have been wetter) and lack of contact this fall, I think we will see a totally different player next week. Not worried about our running backs at all as long as we can keep everyone else healthy.
 
I agree with the majority on the D-Line. From the last few minutes of the 1st quarter on, the Tennessee Tech QB was running for his life every single throwing play. I thought the line got a tremendous amount of pressure basically the whole time they were in there. The run defense left some to be desired, however.
 
herkyattack said:
I agree with the majority on the D-Line. From the last few minutes of the 1st quarter on, the Tennessee Tech QB was running for his life every single throwing play. I thought the line got a tremendous amount of pressure basically the whole time they were in there. The run defense left some to be desired, however.
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agreed. they'll need to brush up on the run D. but, playing the clowns next week should help to shore that up.
 
treychase said:
I never buy this line of thought.
Coker has been playing football for what, 10yrs, you're either prone to fumble or you're not at this point.
Can he improve? Sure, we better hope he does, but chalking this up as "forgetting what being tackled was like" is likely a way of reconciling it in his mind.

I think a more realistic look at it is that Coker is a good player, runs a little high, plays TO contact & is probably going to have similar games to this in the future. He'll also have many, many very productive games.
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So far, I believe almost all of Coker's fumbles have come in poor weather (Minnesota, two today). It happens.
 
hwks1 said:
Losing McCall was devastating just because of our history with running backs. Makes me angry that another promising young player is lost for the season.
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This times 100. We all hope he can fight his way back, but look at how things turned out for the rest of them. This is why it is so sickening.
 
I have a couple quick thoughts after watching the replay......

First let me say, I don't anticipate spending much time here this week...I don't care for ISU week, I don't want to read all the rhetoric or posturing and they will play better this week I'd guess. My only thoughts on that is this....

I did not think coming in (after a lot of reading and pondering) that ISU was overly talented or more so than UNI to be precise. As I said they'll likely play better, but as Homer will note I'm convinced Jantz will throw a lot of picks this year, all year. Their WR's are not dynamic and from what I heard listening to it a little, they are still drop prone. UNI was strong up front but very exploitable through the air....

As for Iowa I watched thru mid 3rd quarter tonight and I must have seen a different game than some. I'm a positive sort, but high strung and nervous by nature. With that said I was mad about that late TD, but this team was fast & athletic from the front to the back on D!!!
Prater high pointed the ball better than ever...

Castillo our new favorite (whipping boy) was more physical and stuck on his man like glue. I heard on the radio while appraising a car, someone on D (Morris...??) told Podalak his technique and hip swivel is so good, he is ALWAYS stuck on his man...

I didn't notice Sleeper much (that's probably good) and Hyde was flowing all over the Mid field and will be sensational back there.....

Bernstein was a man possessed and looked like a guy ready to show big for his Sr year and get a shot at the NFL....

Up until I quit watching tonight, we only had ONE WR running free that I saw and that was clearly a blown assignment, otherwise we contested everything even with our very explosive Lbers.

Daniel is better than I hoped, quick and good flow to the ball. Daniels and Binns are very disruptive and motivated and Nardo was very disruptive and got great push. Avis looked extremely fast chasing the QB to the edge on one play in particular...And Forgy was certainly game.

All in all the Dline was throwing people around and although TT isn't "good" per se, with 21 starters coming back we sure blew up both their lines....

The Lbers were terrific...Where do I start...Morris is an All-American waiting to happen. Nielsen is big, fast and completely healed and Kirksey was every where and brought the wood. Those our the only ones I noticed so far, though I know Hitchens played.

On offense....it was wet, miserable and yes Coker WAS tentative when he came back out. All the same it was obvious why and he'll be fine. The one fumble he got low and quite frankly put his arm down to brace the fall and let go of the ball, purely mental. Johnson well be better than Okay, but he looks like a guy that hasn't played live in a long time. Wait and see, as his instincts come back, hell improve every game and every carry.

Man is McNutt bigger and faster or what. Clearly he worked his arse of all off-season. His arms are bigger and he is soooooo smooth. Davis did a great job of going after that ball and I was very pleased with him and man do we have a lot of very good TE's. Herman will play in the NFL!! On the McNutt note this whole entire team looks very physically fit!!! Shockingly so!!
　
Our O-line was very impressive and again that team returned 21 starters. On a blocking note, the down field and edge blocking in space by our linemen AND skill guys was sensational for a first game. Heck it was very good period.

As far as the game goes, the score, sloppiness, mistakes, etc....I'm a junky, I refresh the score page whenever I'm in front of a computer and when I got home tonite I watched parts of probably 8 games, maybe more.....this was the norm for most of the top tier teams and we played a ton of kids, Frosh in particular in bucket time.

Incidentally TT ran 73 plays, if you thought our DL was gassed, I think not too bad really.

Finally Vandy was very poised and threw great balls, even in a torrential down pour. He is the real deal and if it weren't for the rain, fumbles and a few drops, wow are we looking at one of our best early season performances. This is college football anymore and remember, KF could have scored a couple more TDs if he'd so desired. You think Okie St was subbing liberally late, etc....at the start of the 4th quarter Brandon Weeden was still throwing Td passes. By mid 3rd quarter Derby was playing for us....

I expect we will play good next week and ISU coming back in that game well help with coaching this week immeasurably! It doesnt need to be said though that talent doesnt really mean that much anymore, but we will be focused and motivated I anticipate.

Just the thoughts of a huge college and Iowa football fan...sorry for the length, Good night!

Chad

PS...I wanted to add that this team is and will be the most explosive one I think we have fielded on D and O both.

PPS...The only thing that really bothered me was Kick coverage and Kick offs, though I'd guess that will be solved by less rain for the most part, because when we got it deep we covered it well. Meyer looked really good. That first FG was big time in these conditions and he didn't waver all game.
 
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