Running Back Depth

[homerHAWKeye777]

Homer, could it also be that Rogers doesn't have the make-up to play tailback? I mean this isn't USC where guys like Havili are at fullback. I just keep thinking that this is another case where Iowa fans get themselves all excited about the
prospect of something that is not at all based in actual observable experience. See Jeff Brinson.

CAARHawk -

I'm not talking up Rogers at RB either. However, even if he's more of a FB, that doesn't mean that he's going to be worse than Paki at carrying the ball. The coaches are on record saying that they thought highly enough of him that they legitimately considered giving him a shot at playing time last year. It wasn't that long ago when the coaches used to have guys like Allen, Cervantes, and Mickens toting the rock some. All I was saying is that Rogers is capable of handling SOME reps if needed.

As for Jeff Brinson, we simply don't have any point of reference to know how good or bad he was. He battled an ankle injury all of last season and consequently we never really got a flavor of what he could do. Because of his injury, he saw himself being a SO along with a bunch of talented guys who were in his same class. Obviously he left Dodge because he didn't anticipate that he'd be able to get many touches at Iowa ... it was as simple as that.

Anyhow, I recommend that you don't forget that Iowa managed to fare alright on the ground for several years with Sims and Young being our primary experienced depth at RB. This year really isn't a whole lot different.

If we see a repeat of 2004 or 2009 ... then I'll certainly be worried. However, on the other hand, both of those seasons turned out okay for the Hawks ... didn't they?

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

Some of you are absolutely pathetic re your panic. One of the top 3 RB's misses a few practices and a true frosh breaks his collarbone and is likely going to RS, and you're beginning to crap yourselves. This coaching staff won games w/ 5th stringer Sam Brownlee carrying the ball (God bless him). Paki could run circles around Brownlee and hit the hole twice as fast and hard, and he's likely the 3rd best option right now (A-Rob, Rogers, Paki, DeAndre Johnson for the current depth chart). If Sam Brownlee was serviceable, Paki's a GD All-American. And while nothing is guaranteed, this team shouldn't need too much from it's RB's to beat EIU, after which Hampton is back and I think the #1 RB the rest of the season. And people need to chill the F out re Wegher. When coaches start moving players, then it's time to get slightly concerned, but until then, relax. There's 3 and 1/2 wks until the first game and some of you are already losing your composure.

amen

It's reassuring to know that Rogers is at FB and pushing for playing time. Leppert is pretty good and is experienced ... so that means that Rogers is probably pretty good. As long as Rogers remains at FB, I'm not going to worry.

Folks should remind themselves that the coaches know what's going on A LOT better than we do. So we should take our queues from their personnel decisions.

 

[DexterMorgan]

Some of you are absolutely pathetic re your panic. One of the top 3 RB's misses a few practices and a true frosh breaks his collarbone and is likely going to RS, and you're beginning to crap yourselves. This coaching staff won games w/ 5th stringer Sam Brownlee carrying the ball (God bless him). Paki could run circles around Brownlee and hit the hole twice as fast and hard, and he's likely the 3rd best option right now (A-Rob, Rogers, Paki, DeAndre Johnson for the current depth chart). If Sam Brownlee was serviceable, Paki's a GD All-American. And while nothing is guaranteed, this team shouldn't need too much from it's RB's to beat EIU, after which Hampton is back and I think the #1 RB the rest of the season. And people need to chill the F out re Wegher. When coaches start moving players, then it's time to get slightly concerned, but until then, relax. There's 3 and 1/2 wks until the first game and some of you are already losing your composure.

I don't think anyone is hitting the panic button just yet. although it is definitely becoming a concern. god forbid Hampton or Robinson go down for any extended period of time we might have a situation on our hands. Not saying we couldn't overcome it but what once was our strength would become one of our greatest weaknesses.

 

[FabFew]

Some of you are absolutely pathetic re your panic. One of the top 3 RB's misses a few practices and a true frosh breaks his collarbone and is likely going to RS, and you're beginning to crap yourselves. This coaching staff won games w/ 5th stringer Sam Brownlee carrying the ball (God bless him). Paki could run circles around Brownlee and hit the hole twice as fast and hard, and he's likely the 3rd best option right now (A-Rob, Rogers, Paki, DeAndre Johnson for the current depth chart). If Sam Brownlee was serviceable, Paki's a GD All-American. And while nothing is guaranteed, this team shouldn't need too much from it's RB's to beat EIU, after which Hampton is back and I think the #1 RB the rest of the season. And people need to chill the F out re Wegher. When coaches start moving players, then it's time to get slightly concerned, but until then, relax. There's 3 and 1/2 wks until the first game and some of you are already losing your composure.

I cannot believe all this concern either quite frankly Seattle. Everybody needs to stay the course with the depth we still do have. We didn't go from having tons of RB depth to none because Wegher is out for a brief period and Coke machine broke a bone and was going to RS for damn near sure anyway....Geez we will still be solid at RB. Let's worry about getting the OL up to speed early in the season that is WAY more concerning even still at this point..

 

[CAARHawk]

My choice would be for 10-12 carries for ARob, 15-18 for Hampton, 2-3 for Chaney, and 2-4 for the fullback out of a one back set.

 

[briney11]

I just have this gut feeling that Hampton is going to come back against isu and drop 175 and 3 tds on them.

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

My choice would be for 10-12 carries for ARob, 15-18 for Hampton, 2-3 for Chaney, and 2-4 for the fullback out of a one back set.

Given Iowa's "new" OL ... I anticipate that we'll be leaning a bit more on the pass. Every word I have heard previously suggests that Iowa's pass blocking is decent. I'm not certain that the same can yet be said about our run blocking.

I like the distribution of touches that you made up, however, the distribution should really be dependent on the looks that the opposing D give us. If the opposing D crashes the inside run ... ONLY THEN do you worry about getting Chaney reps with the end-around. As for giving rushing touches to the FB ... we'd only see that situationally too. Given current trends, we'd most likely give FBs touches on 2nd and really long and/or 3rd and long situations. On occasion, we give FB touches on 3rd and short ... however, usually we prefer to either give the ball to the RB or opt for the QB sneak.

I think that we'll see Stanzi continue to flash the threat of the run-option when he's outside of the pocket. Thus, I think that Stanzi will probably be good for a few positive rushing touches per game.

 

[IATrainMaster101]

With capeable ball carriers at Fullback, good pass protection and an efficient passing game I would love to see a few FB Draws (ala the Hayden Fry) this season when things are going well through the air.

 

[CAARHawk]

Well, I also think some of those fullback touches can be short passes. I just think they work better out of the one back sense. It also keeps the defense honest. As for Chaney, I think you have to run that motion and potential reverse at least five times a game. That will freeze the safeties and open up other players.

 

[trj]

Given Iowa's "new" OL ... I anticipate that we'll be leaning a bit more on the pass. Every word I have heard previously suggests that Iowa's pass blocking is decent. I'm not certain that the same can yet be said about our run blocking.

I like the distribution of touches that you made up, however, the distribution should really be dependent on the looks that the opposing D give us. If the opposing D crashes the inside run ... ONLY THEN do you worry about getting Chaney reps with the end-around. As for giving rushing touches to the FB ... we'd only see that situationally too. Given current trends, we'd most likely give FBs touches on 2nd and really long and/or 3rd and long situations. On occasion, we give FB touches on 3rd and short ... however, usually we prefer to either give the ball to the RB or opt for the QB sneak.

I think that we'll see Stanzi continue to flash the threat of the run-option when he's outside of the pocket. Thus, I think that Stanzi will probably be good for a few positive rushing touches per game.

I'm not sure about this, yes, Stanzi throws a nice ball on the move, but tucking it and runnin, makes me cringe on a lot of fronts.

Stanzi is not the most graceful guy in the world when it comes to running the football. I remember Kyle McCann wasn't exactly graceful running the QB draw, but yet it was effective. That was specifically designed for running between the tackles. What you are suggesting I don't think will work unless there is miles of open space around him.

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

I'm not sure about this, yes, Stanzi throws a nice ball on the move, but tucking it and runnin, makes me cringe on a lot of fronts.

Stanzi is not the most graceful guy in the world when it comes to running the football. I remember Kyle McCann wasn't exactly graceful running the QB draw, but yet it was effective. That was specifically designed for running between the tackles. What you are suggesting I don't think will work unless there is miles of open space around him.

Stanzi may not appear to be terribly graceful, however he has better speed than people think. Remember how he outran GT's uber-athletic DE to the side of the field in order to get a pretty important first down?

Anyhow, I'm not saying that Stanzi needs to pick up a ton of yards. However, if the option is between throwing into traffic, throwing the ball away, or running the ball with open real-estate in front of you ... then I think that he should opt to run it a bit more often. Of course, I'm not saying that he should risk taking the sort of hit that could injure him ... however, there doesn't need to be a lot of realestate for him to still gain positive yards and help us to keep the chains moving.

You gotta remember ... it's about controlling the ball, controlling the clock, and just keeping the chains moving. If our O can do that, we'll have plenty of chances to score ... and our D and punting game will be able to take care of the rest.

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

Well, I also think some of those fullback touches can be short passes. I just think they work better out of the one back sense. It also keeps the defense honest. As for Chaney, I think you have to run that motion and potential reverse at least five times a game. That will freeze the safeties and open up other players.

Absolutely! Morse has vastly underrated ball-skills and athleticism. He can run ... and he can get downfield in a hurry after he catches the rock too.

 

[NewMexHawk]

KF and the Wildcat....talk about the opposite ends of the spectrum. I don't think we will see Iowa and the wildcat anytime soon...

 

[tm3308]

I'm not sure about this, yes, Stanzi throws a nice ball on the move, but tucking it and runnin, makes me cringe on a lot of fronts.

Stanzi is not the most graceful guy in the world when it comes to running the football. I remember Kyle McCann wasn't exactly graceful running the QB draw, but yet it was effective. That was specifically designed for running between the tackles. What you are suggesting I don't think will work unless there is miles of open space around him.

Stanzi isn't un-graceful (not that he's Reggie Bush, he's just not Peyton Manning) as a runner, IMO. What he's awkward at is SLIDING. He's not particularly good at that. But he doesn't usually run unless there IS a lot of open space in front of him, or when he sees a hole (like he did on the play at PSU when he yanked the ball out of A-Rob's hands to go the other direction, as the original play was going to be stuffed).

 

[tweeterhawk]

KF and the Wildcat....talk about the opposite ends of the spectrum. I don't think we will see Iowa and the wildcat anytime soon...

Which makes this perfect -- no one would suspect it. Heck, it might even merit another SI cover; we know what those have meant for the program.

 

[DP5555]

Quote:
Originally Posted by SeattleHawkeye
Some of you are absolutely pathetic re your panic. One of the top 3 RB's misses a few practices and a true frosh breaks his collarbone and is likely going to RS, and you're beginning to crap yourselves. This coaching staff won games w/ 5th stringer Sam Brownlee carrying the ball (God bless him). Paki could run circles around Brownlee and hit the hole twice as fast and hard, and he's likely the 3rd best option right now (A-Rob, Rogers, Paki, DeAndre Johnson for the current depth chart). If Sam Brownlee was serviceable, Paki's a GD All-American. And while nothing is guaranteed, this team shouldn't need too much from it's RB's to beat EIU, after which Hampton is back and I think the #1 RB the rest of the season. And people need to chill the F out re Wegher. When coaches start moving players, then it's time to get slightly concerned, but until then, relax. There's 3 and 1/2 wks until the first game and some of you are already losing your composure.


Thank you Seattle. What do you mean you don't think anyone is in panic mode yet Dexter? Just look at how much attention this is getting... it's ridiculous. One of my buddies called me freaking out about the Wegher situation. I told him he needs to relax and look at what our coaching staff has been able to do in several murky situations regarding RB's and depth. Heck look at the situation we were in a year ago at this time. We didn't have ONE single proven RB and all we knew was that 2 freshmen were going to get the majority of the carries. How did that turn out for us?

As Hawk fans, when we hear one of the players is not at practice for "personal" reasons that should be all we need to know. I get tired of hearing people complain about not knowing what's going on. Frankly it's none of our business, and if there is one position we can afford to lose someone at it's RB. Of course it would sting a little because he has the potential to change a game on a single play but the situation is far from desperate. IMO Hampton is the best horse in the stable anyways, and ARob is very dependable. IF our o-line is doing their job our RB's will be fine.

 

[tm3308]

Quote:
Originally Posted by SeattleHawkeye
Some of you are absolutely pathetic re your panic. One of the top 3 RB's misses a few practices and a true frosh breaks his collarbone and is likely going to RS, and you're beginning to crap yourselves. This coaching staff won games w/ 5th stringer Sam Brownlee carrying the ball (God bless him). Paki could run circles around Brownlee and hit the hole twice as fast and hard, and he's likely the 3rd best option right now (A-Rob, Rogers, Paki, DeAndre Johnson for the current depth chart). If Sam Brownlee was serviceable, Paki's a GD All-American. And while nothing is guaranteed, this team shouldn't need too much from it's RB's to beat EIU, after which Hampton is back and I think the #1 RB the rest of the season. And people need to chill the F out re Wegher. When coaches start moving players, then it's time to get slightly concerned, but until then, relax. There's 3 and 1/2 wks until the first game and some of you are already losing your composure.


Thank you Seattle. What do you mean you don't think anyone is in panic mode yet Dexter? Just look at how much attention this is getting... it's ridiculous. One of my buddies called me freaking out about the Wegher situation. I told him he needs to relax and look at what our coaching staff has been able to do in several murky situations regarding RB's and depth. Heck look at the situation we were in a year ago at this time. We didn't have ONE single proven RB and all we knew was that 2 freshmen were going to get the majority of the carries. How did that turn out for us?

As Hawk fans, when we hear one of the players is not at practice for "personal" reasons that should be all we need to know. I get tired of hearing people complain about not knowing what's going on. Frankly it's none of our business, and if there is one position we can afford to lose someone at it's RB. Of course it would sting a little because he has the potential to change a game on a single play but the situation is far from desperate. IMO Hampton is the best horse in the stable anyways, and ARob is very dependable. IF our o-line is doing their job our RB's will be fine.

With the liklihood of injury being much higher for a running back than for any other skill position player, running back is quite possibly the LAST place you want to take a hit. It's just like in baseball when they say you can never have too much pitching. Personally, I think cornerback, maybe even WR is where we could best afford a loss. Those spots are pretty darn deep, and they don't get injured as often as a RB would.

 

[DexterMorgan]

Quote:
Originally Posted by SeattleHawkeye
Some of you are absolutely pathetic re your panic. One of the top 3 RB's misses a few practices and a true frosh breaks his collarbone and is likely going to RS, and you're beginning to crap yourselves. This coaching staff won games w/ 5th stringer Sam Brownlee carrying the ball (God bless him). Paki could run circles around Brownlee and hit the hole twice as fast and hard, and he's likely the 3rd best option right now (A-Rob, Rogers, Paki, DeAndre Johnson for the current depth chart). If Sam Brownlee was serviceable, Paki's a GD All-American. And while nothing is guaranteed, this team shouldn't need too much from it's RB's to beat EIU, after which Hampton is back and I think the #1 RB the rest of the season. And people need to chill the F out re Wegher. When coaches start moving players, then it's time to get slightly concerned, but until then, relax. There's 3 and 1/2 wks until the first game and some of you are already losing your composure.


Thank you Seattle. What do you mean you don't think anyone is in panic mode yet Dexter? Just look at how much attention this is getting... it's ridiculous. One of my buddies called me freaking out about the Wegher situation. I told him he needs to relax and look at what our coaching staff has been able to do in several murky situations regarding RB's and depth. Heck look at the situation we were in a year ago at this time. We didn't have ONE single proven RB and all we knew was that 2 freshmen were going to get the majority of the carries. How did that turn out for us?

Just because this is getting a lot of mention doesn't mean people are in panic. Wegher is a high profile guy and any news regarding him will bring a lot of buzz. I think everyone would be fine with us having Jewel and Arob as our 2 tailbacks. But our margin for error (being injury) has become very very slim at a position where injuries are very likely. I don't think having some questions about how the RB position will shape up is unreasonable or necessarily panic driven, it's real. I had Wegher as our 3rd best tailback going into this year so really I don't see it as a huge loss in anything but depth, when the Wegher news came out at least we still had Coker in our back pocket, now with no Coker down depth is an issue whether people want to admit it or not.

EDIT: This all assuming Wegher will sit the entire season, which i'm not 100% convinced of yet.