homerHAWKeye777
Well-Known Member
Here's a question that really gets my attention ... when was the last time that Iowa was LOADED at BOTH the skill positions and on the OL?
- The Hawks looked like they COULD have been pretty loaded at the skill spots in '10 ... however, injuries and attrition killed us at RB and the OL still had to feature 3 new starters ... and that number technically could be upped to 4 because Reiff was entering just his first year as a regular starter at LT.
Otherwise, Iowa had a great QB, a very nice collection of WRs, and a good buch of TEs. All the same, through the first two-thirds of the season, Iowa's O was pretty darn potent!
- The Hawks looked like they COULD have been pretty loaded all around in '09. We returned Ricky, we had an absolutely tremendous group of TEs, and the WRs were promising. Most importantly, prior to pre-season camp, it looked like we were going to see a "best-ever" group on the OL. Furthermore, following the spring, it wasn't yet obvious that Hampton was going to miss the '09 season. Thus, the '09 O looked like it COULD HAVE been an exceptional group.
What happened? Hampton was lost for the season and THREE of Iowa's top guys on the OL ... three whom are all now in the NFL (Bulaga, Calloway, and Vandervelde) ... were dinged up. A direct consequence of this fact is that the lack of personnel continuity on the OL stalled its gelling process. Furthermore, we were stuck playing 2 freshman at RB ... both of whom played valiantly for us ... but also both of whom played awfully green.
- In '08, the Iowa OL was pretty set ... and obviously Greene proved to be a complete stud. Furthermore, Stanzi clearly had moxy. An underrated component of our success in '08 was that our TE play was absolutely terrific. I don't think that I could say enough superlatives about Myers play that year. Furthermore, when adequately healthy, Moeaki played well too. Also, Reisner played well for a young guy.
The problem with the '08 O was that while Stanzi had moxy ... he was also plenty green. Furthermore, Iowa's WR play was still pretty darn inconsistent. Of course, I don't hold that against them ... the group, as a whole, was still pretty young and inexperienced.
- Forget about '07 ... we were as young and inexperienced as I can ever remember on O. I just felt bad for Young and Sims.
- In '06 we had a great QB, very good RBs, and what should have been a great group of TEs. One problem was that we lost some significant leadership on the OL ... and then to add insult to injury ... both Eubanks and Richardson went down to injury. Another significant problem was that our WRs were either inconsistent, inexperienced, or both.
.... and the list of years goes on.
Apart from the '09 season where we were only loaded "on paper," the only other year where the O appeared to be loaded across the board was in '02.
Now, lets fast-forward to the '11 O ....
QB - exceptionally promising (although folks could rightly question how "proven" Vandenberg is)
RB - exceptionally promising (although folks could question the experience of our depth)
TE - exceptionally promising (although folks could question the experience of our depth)
WR - exceptionally promising (although folks could question the experience of our depth)
OL - exceptionally promising
Is it just me ... or does Iowa's O not appear to be have an exceptionally high ceiling?
I've already acknowledged questions and/or critiques that many fans might make concerning our '11 O. However, I urge those same individuals to ask themselves the following:
1. Could folks have predicted that Brad Banks would have had the sort of season he ended up having in '02?
2. We knew that CJ Jones was money ... however, who would have predicted that Mo Brown and Ed Hinkel would have been as good as they were in '02? And, mind you, Hinkel was listed as a starter ... and he was just a FR!
3. Who can name our depth behind Dallas Clark at TE in '02? We were obviously very good at TE that year ... but could any fan state with great conviction that we were a strong 3-deep?
4. Did you know that Coker received more collegiate touches in '10 than EITHER Russell or Lewis prior to the '02 season? Did you know that Jermelle Lewis's first collegiate carries were during the '02 season?
The point of the above questions is that Iowa's '02 O had to answer all the same questions that the '11 O has to answer. And, with the benefit of hindsight ... the '02 O answered those questions with resounding affirmatives! We saw guys who had generated buzz end up emerging as big storylines for the team that year.
Provided that the '11 Iowa O can remain adequately healthy, I'm willing to make a few predictions concerning the "emerging stories" that we're probably hear in the near future:
- Vandenberg is going to live up to the hype. His performance against tOSU was no fluke.
- Keenan Davis is going to exploit all the attention that opposing Ds will give McNutt ... and he's going to make a HUGE splash!
- Coker will continue to be Coker ... and maintain his pretty impressive average of 5.5 yards per carry. In fact, I would be surprised if he had a higher average in '11 because he'll be running behind a more experienced OL and he'll be running with a lower pad level too.
- We'll have a 2nd RB emerge who will complement Coker. My guess is that the #2 RB (at the end of the season) will still average in the ball-park of 5 yards per carry.
- Herman will have a very solid SR campaign. Furthermore, Herman and CJ Fed will combine for around 60 catches and provide. This duo will provide an excellent mismatch against opposing LBs in coverage!
- If our Hawkeye prayers go answered ... the OL remains sufficiently healthy to live up to their own high expectations!
I know, I know, I know ... I'm a Hawkeye homer (or thater, a homer Hawkeye) ... however, does anybody else see what I see here. If the O develops as they should ... and if the O remains healthy ... does ANYBODY see ANY gaping holes in the O? I don't ...
- The Hawks looked like they COULD have been pretty loaded at the skill spots in '10 ... however, injuries and attrition killed us at RB and the OL still had to feature 3 new starters ... and that number technically could be upped to 4 because Reiff was entering just his first year as a regular starter at LT.
Otherwise, Iowa had a great QB, a very nice collection of WRs, and a good buch of TEs. All the same, through the first two-thirds of the season, Iowa's O was pretty darn potent!
- The Hawks looked like they COULD have been pretty loaded all around in '09. We returned Ricky, we had an absolutely tremendous group of TEs, and the WRs were promising. Most importantly, prior to pre-season camp, it looked like we were going to see a "best-ever" group on the OL. Furthermore, following the spring, it wasn't yet obvious that Hampton was going to miss the '09 season. Thus, the '09 O looked like it COULD HAVE been an exceptional group.
What happened? Hampton was lost for the season and THREE of Iowa's top guys on the OL ... three whom are all now in the NFL (Bulaga, Calloway, and Vandervelde) ... were dinged up. A direct consequence of this fact is that the lack of personnel continuity on the OL stalled its gelling process. Furthermore, we were stuck playing 2 freshman at RB ... both of whom played valiantly for us ... but also both of whom played awfully green.
- In '08, the Iowa OL was pretty set ... and obviously Greene proved to be a complete stud. Furthermore, Stanzi clearly had moxy. An underrated component of our success in '08 was that our TE play was absolutely terrific. I don't think that I could say enough superlatives about Myers play that year. Furthermore, when adequately healthy, Moeaki played well too. Also, Reisner played well for a young guy.
The problem with the '08 O was that while Stanzi had moxy ... he was also plenty green. Furthermore, Iowa's WR play was still pretty darn inconsistent. Of course, I don't hold that against them ... the group, as a whole, was still pretty young and inexperienced.
- Forget about '07 ... we were as young and inexperienced as I can ever remember on O. I just felt bad for Young and Sims.
- In '06 we had a great QB, very good RBs, and what should have been a great group of TEs. One problem was that we lost some significant leadership on the OL ... and then to add insult to injury ... both Eubanks and Richardson went down to injury. Another significant problem was that our WRs were either inconsistent, inexperienced, or both.
.... and the list of years goes on.
Apart from the '09 season where we were only loaded "on paper," the only other year where the O appeared to be loaded across the board was in '02.
Now, lets fast-forward to the '11 O ....
QB - exceptionally promising (although folks could rightly question how "proven" Vandenberg is)
RB - exceptionally promising (although folks could question the experience of our depth)
TE - exceptionally promising (although folks could question the experience of our depth)
WR - exceptionally promising (although folks could question the experience of our depth)
OL - exceptionally promising
Is it just me ... or does Iowa's O not appear to be have an exceptionally high ceiling?
I've already acknowledged questions and/or critiques that many fans might make concerning our '11 O. However, I urge those same individuals to ask themselves the following:
1. Could folks have predicted that Brad Banks would have had the sort of season he ended up having in '02?
2. We knew that CJ Jones was money ... however, who would have predicted that Mo Brown and Ed Hinkel would have been as good as they were in '02? And, mind you, Hinkel was listed as a starter ... and he was just a FR!
3. Who can name our depth behind Dallas Clark at TE in '02? We were obviously very good at TE that year ... but could any fan state with great conviction that we were a strong 3-deep?
4. Did you know that Coker received more collegiate touches in '10 than EITHER Russell or Lewis prior to the '02 season? Did you know that Jermelle Lewis's first collegiate carries were during the '02 season?
The point of the above questions is that Iowa's '02 O had to answer all the same questions that the '11 O has to answer. And, with the benefit of hindsight ... the '02 O answered those questions with resounding affirmatives! We saw guys who had generated buzz end up emerging as big storylines for the team that year.
Provided that the '11 Iowa O can remain adequately healthy, I'm willing to make a few predictions concerning the "emerging stories" that we're probably hear in the near future:
- Vandenberg is going to live up to the hype. His performance against tOSU was no fluke.
- Keenan Davis is going to exploit all the attention that opposing Ds will give McNutt ... and he's going to make a HUGE splash!
- Coker will continue to be Coker ... and maintain his pretty impressive average of 5.5 yards per carry. In fact, I would be surprised if he had a higher average in '11 because he'll be running behind a more experienced OL and he'll be running with a lower pad level too.
- We'll have a 2nd RB emerge who will complement Coker. My guess is that the #2 RB (at the end of the season) will still average in the ball-park of 5 yards per carry.
- Herman will have a very solid SR campaign. Furthermore, Herman and CJ Fed will combine for around 60 catches and provide. This duo will provide an excellent mismatch against opposing LBs in coverage!
- If our Hawkeye prayers go answered ... the OL remains sufficiently healthy to live up to their own high expectations!
I know, I know, I know ... I'm a Hawkeye homer (or thater, a homer Hawkeye) ... however, does anybody else see what I see here. If the O develops as they should ... and if the O remains healthy ... does ANYBODY see ANY gaping holes in the O? I don't ...
