Iron sharpens iron. This Dline should destroy some folks this year. Between the talent and their depth... I hope our corners play aggressive because QBs will be throwing it a count earlier than they will want to against us and if your doing that without blitzing you'll have their offense playing on their heels the whole time trying to adjust
Spring 2 Deeps
- Thread starter RobHowe
- Start date
AreWeThereYet
Well-Known Member
I'm not quite as nervous about the offensive line as before spring practice. The middle of the line will need a lot of work, but there are a large number of guys competing for those spots. Like many years we will be stronger on the edges than in the middle.
#1DieHardHawk
Well-Known Member
I think the coaches view ISM as a starter, but Kirk basically said in the presser that he wants to see him display a more mature approach. Not naming him a starter on the spring roster probably is meant as a motivational tool more than anything.
That said, by all accounts, Smith worked his tail off during the off-season, which certainly would have endeared him to the coaches, and so there is a reward factor there as well.
That said, by all accounts, Smith worked his tail off during the off-season, which certainly would have endeared him to the coaches, and so there is a reward factor there as well.
Motigerhawk
Well-Known Member
Like the roster.
AND we have a built in excise this year "We are young"
Looks like a season of either "What a great, young team. They are playing awesome. Great job, KF!"
OR
"This is a young team. We are building for next year. Great job, KF!"
AND
"KF sucks. This offense is sooooooo boring."
Good times ahead.
AND we have a built in excise this year "We are young"
Looks like a season of either "What a great, young team. They are playing awesome. Great job, KF!"
OR
"This is a young team. We are building for next year. Great job, KF!"
AND
"KF sucks. This offense is sooooooo boring."
Good times ahead.
deanvogs
Well-Known Member
What should we expect from our LB this year? At least now it is looking like a RS So, and two Jr, are going to replace the outgoing Sr. The last two times we graduated 3 outgoing Sr. LB, we replaced them with a bunch of Fr. At least this year we have kids that have been in the program now 3 years to come in and replace what we have lost. I have a feeling that our LB corps will be ok this year. Not the strength it has been with Jewell and Neimman the last couple years, but it won't be awful either.
It is probably not the best sign if a LB (or any other player) doesn't crack the line-up until they are a senior. On the plus side they have worked hard and persevered, but they probably have a fairly low ceiling, otherwise they would have gotten playing time sooner. Think hard-working and contributing Hawks like Quinton Alston or Cole Fischer.
Likewise, if you need to press someone into service right away, it probably does not speak well of the quality of the unit.
Hopefully with our emerging LBs, we are at a sweet spot. If the starters end up being Welch, Niemann, and Jones, those are 3 guys who will have earned starting status entering their 3rd year on campus.
As great as Jewell was, he didn't begin the season as a starter until his 3rd year on campus (started last 4 games of RS soph campaign). Elder Niemann started in his 2nd year on campus, and Bower (if we ignore being pressed into service by one of the thinnest LB crews of the KF era as a RS freshman) didn't earn his spot back until the start of his 4th year on campus.
None of that is guaranteeing the incoming LBs will be the equivalent of what we just graduated, but I agree that this is far different than replacing Morris/Kirksey/Hitchens with Alston/Spearman/Perry.
I think as Hawkeye fans we need to take a step back and realize we've been pretty spoiled by good LB play over the years. In just the past decade alone we have Angerer, Edds, Morris, Hitchens, Kirksey, Jewell, Fisher his SR year and Niemann, along with not great but dependable guys like Klinkenborg, Humpal, Hunter, Nielsen, Alston, and Bower.
The coaching staff has a pretty damn good track record with LBs, and while I'm not expecting the current group to be stars right away, there is a lot of talent and potential there to go along with good coaching.
The coaching staff has a pretty damn good track record with LBs, and while I'm not expecting the current group to be stars right away, there is a lot of talent and potential there to go along with good coaching.
Agreed, but that 2014 unit did have its share of struggles. Alston could stop the run, but he could not hold up in space like Iowa's all-conference level MLBs (Hodge, Angerer, Morris, Jewell). Spearman was lost, eventually getting replaced by walk-on RS freshman Jewell (he turned out okay). While Perry was listed as the LEO starter at the beginning of the season, walk-on RS freshman Bower ended up starting every game there. I can't remember what happened there.
But, a year later in 2015, LBs were a pretty salty unit again.
A little more info on Iowa LBs, and when the really good ones first got on the field.
Below I have listed the LBs during the KF era who have either made a 1st or 2nd all-conference team, or who have gotten drafted, and when they first started:
Of the 6 players on the current 2 deep, 4 will be entering their 3rd year this fall (Wade, Niemann, Jones, Welch), and 2 will be entering their 5th year (Hockaday, Mends).
Below I have listed the LBs during the KF era who have either made a 1st or 2nd all-conference team, or who have gotten drafted, and when they first started:
- Abdul Hodge (2x 1st-team All-B1G, drafted, began year as starter in 3rd year on campus)
- Chad Greenway (2x 1st-team All-B1G, drafted, began year as starter in 3rd year on campus)
- Grant Steen (2nd-team All-B1G, began year as starter in 3rd year on campus)
- Mike Humpal (drafted, began year as starter in 4th year on campus)
- AJ Edds (2nd-team All-B1G, drafted; began year as starter in 2nd year on campus)
- Pat Angerer (2nd-team and 1st-team All-B1G, drafted; began year as starter in 4th year on campus)
- Christian Kirksey (drafted; began year as starter in 2nd year on campus)
- Anthony Hitchens (drafted; began year as starter in 3rd year on campus)
- Josey Jewell (2x 2nd-team All-B1G, 1st-team All-B1G; began year as starter in 3rd year on campus)
- Ben Niemann (including because I project him to get drafted; began year as started in 2nd year on campus)
Of the 6 players on the current 2 deep, 4 will be entering their 3rd year this fall (Wade, Niemann, Jones, Welch), and 2 will be entering their 5th year (Hockaday, Mends).
#1DieHardHawk
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I would tend to agree with the premise. We have enough overall talent at LB to make it work, but I'm sure there will be bumps along the road.
I'm actually more concerned with the interior D-line. An injury here or there and it could get ugly real fast.
HawkeyeDenis
Well-Known Member
I can't remember a time when Iowa had two 320 pound tackles. If this line gels quickly this could be a great offensive year.
SamBrownlee48
Well-Known Member
Were Gallery and Porter both 320?
AreWeThereYet
Well-Known Member
One transition year at linebacker that fans tend to forget was 2006. Greenway, Hodge, and Miles were succeeded by Humpal, Klinkenborg, and Miles. Miles was a good holdover, but neither Humpal or Klinkenborg had much playing time. After that, it was dangerously thin. Bryan Gattas was junior transfer and Zach Gableman a senior walk-on. Aside from some freshman, I think that was it.
If memory serves me, linebackers weren't the problem on defense that year. The defensive backfield was decimated by the middle of the season and defensive end Kenny Iwebema was playing one armed after hurting his shoulder against Illinois (4th game).
Humpal, Kinkenborg, Edds, and Gattas were pretty good in 2007 despite Kinkenborg missing a number of games late due to concussion issues.
Who else do we have? Our receiving group is awful. All we heard last spring was how good Smith looked, and he caught what, 5 passes and fumbled 2 of them? Pretty bad if we are counting on him to produce as a starter this year. This offense will take a step back this year without Wadley, if that's even possible. He was the one playmaker we had that had to be accounted for every play, now we don't have that.
The offense will suck, thats a given. Especially with our one playmaker now gone. Along with the forever young excuse that is always used at Iowa, don't forget we are forever a developmental program as well. Both are just excuses for lousy recruiting, and having KF as our coach.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
For Kirk's philosophy to work, the offense must have short fields, via turnovers or kick returns. There is no margin for bonehead plays like the roughing the punter in last year's Purdue game , for example. They have never been built to consistently drive 70-80 yards and that's what killed us last year. Their inability to move the chains with Ed Hinkel, Marvin McNutt types gets exposed. Hell, they were usually bottled up even deeper than that because they had a below average punter AND punt returners who let the ball rolling another twenty yards. I'm sure someone has the stats, but if you look at our offenses in 2002, 2009, and 2015 I'll bet we had a ton of turnovers forced and ace special teams play
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
Receivers can make quantum leaps in their second year, particularly if the same QB returns. Of course we see it happen too often with other teams. There are aspects of the wideout's game that Kirk seems to value more than catching passes.
We do lose Wadley, but we're not completely devoid of playmakers. I would have to consider Noah Fant a playmaker. He didn't get double digit touchdown receptions by smoke and mirrors.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
I've seen the same complaints on these boards for years; can't recruit, can't get playmakers, won't play them when we have them, can't get receivers. There's some validity to these complaints, not quite as much as some posters think. But some. My big question is this. How does that explain Mo Brown, CJ Jones, Ed Hinkel and Clinton Solomon on one team. And the talent on the rest of that team, much of it from Florida. Had the same coach then. Did we rely on Bielema's recruiting that much. Did Kirk sour on recruiting certain players after the 2007 off field issues? Is Barta involved? I would like to see someone get the studs that Bret got back in 1999 and 2000. They blossomed into the nucleus of the 2002-2004 teams. And I agree with the previous post. Talking big in April is one thing. Doing it in October and November is another.
Another thing. For a coach who loves to play the field position game why can't we get off the field on third and long? Is he that afraid of a turnover deep in his own end? It seems like he would rather have his defense force one than risk his offense committing one. Fine, then force one. A good pash rush would help.
I've said this before. Sometimes I think that if Kirk were a basketball coach his favorite offensive play would be the shot clock violation. Because he would fear the live ball transition opportunity for the other team via a rebound. And hope that he could force one himself.
Our recruiting seems to be on the uptick. Let's see what happens. September 22 vs Wisconsin at Kinnick should tell us a lot. They could easily roll us. But we frequently rise to the occasion in those types of games.
Another thing. For a coach who loves to play the field position game why can't we get off the field on third and long? Is he that afraid of a turnover deep in his own end? It seems like he would rather have his defense force one than risk his offense committing one. Fine, then force one. A good pash rush would help.
I've said this before. Sometimes I think that if Kirk were a basketball coach his favorite offensive play would be the shot clock violation. Because he would fear the live ball transition opportunity for the other team via a rebound. And hope that he could force one himself.
Our recruiting seems to be on the uptick. Let's see what happens. September 22 vs Wisconsin at Kinnick should tell us a lot. They could easily roll us. But we frequently rise to the occasion in those types of games.
