The Need For Speed?

K

KatoZenti

Well-Known Member
A devoted Hawkeye fan that watched the 2014 Outback Bowl against LSU wishing the outcome would have been better for the Hawkeyes.

It's very obvious that speed needs to be addressed in future recruiting years if not this year with players still undecided. WR is a glaring position where speed is lacking. Damond Powell is the only true speedster we've got & will lose him after next season. Jordan Cotton showed speed, but lose him to graduation this year. Do we have any other Hawkeyes on the roster that could present a deep threat? The only ones I can think of are WR Tevaun Smith and RB Jordan Canzeri. I'm guessing RB's Jonathan Parker and Akrum Wadley are ones, too.

I'm hoping for more speed with this team for the 2014 season and hope that any of the recruits coming on board have it.
 
Kato, I think there is "some" speed on this team, on offense, and you pointed to them. The "problem" is that the history of our HC is to be very deliberate with who is allowed to see the field. I don't think KF has ever had the thought: "well, he's fast and good and even though he is a freshman, I think we should find a way to get him on the field because we NEED SPEED." KF typically has a line of succession approach to playing time. If you were a fast WR (keep in mind that speed at the WR position helps to make that player 'elite' at that position) and you're faced with going to Iowa and most likely redshirting, then have try to work your way into playing time for an offense that is a pass second offense with a "we'd better not risk too many long passes", philosophy, what would your decision be?
 
ArvadaHawk said:
Kato, I think there is "some" speed on this team, on offense, and you pointed to them. The "problem" is that the history of our HC is to be very deliberate with who is allowed to see the field. I don't think KF has ever had the thought: "well, he's fast and good and even though he is a freshman, I think we should find a way to get him on the field because we NEED SPEED." KF typically has a line of succession approach to playing time. If you were a fast WR (keep in mind that speed at the WR position helps to make that player 'elite' at that position) and you're faced with going to Iowa and most likely redshirting, then have try to work your way into playing time for an offense that is a pass second offense with a "we'd better not risk too many long passes", philosophy, what would your decision be?
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Matt Vandenberg played as a greyshirt, powell was used some in his first year under kf, daniels did not redshirt and saw some time. I'm just saying. I think we would play the younger talent when it presents itself. You don't think there is a defensive back on the team that is an upper classmen, Desmond King started as a true freshman. It has to be a combo of speed and knowledge of the game. It doesn't help to be fast and out of position 50 percent of the time. Then we would all be complaining about that. At receiver, where you really want the speed, it can be tricky. Powell is super fast. He doesn't seem to run routes very well, and has a rough time with contact. When he does burn a guy on a fly route, it has been under thrown nearly every time. His fly route in the bowl game was a td with a longer throw. Gruden said their DB was step for step with powell. Not true. He slowed up on the last 1/3 of his route. If you want faster wr's you need a QB with a cannon. Tim Dwight was super fast. Matt Sherman under threw him 95% of the time. It does no good to be fast if you have to reach behind you, or come back to make a play on the ball.
 
If you want speed you can find it. If you want size you can find it. If you want speed and size ........well, now you better be good at competing with the best in recruiting.

As the earlier poster stated, we've been trying to improve our overall team speed forever. What we want and what we're capable of attracting are often two different things.
 
22hawkeyes. I get that Vandenberg and Powell played. But they only played a handful of plays. But we can use Powell to highlight my position. Against LSU, Powell completely burned his man and was 2 steps behind him and wide open for a TD. Rudock way under threw the ball and it was almost picked. We never tried that play again. My comments are directed, specifically, on the offensive side of the ball where KF seems to think of the offense as a necessary evil and isn't willing to take very many chances. Powell has burned every corner his run the fly route against, but we only tried that pattern maybe a half dozen times all season. Not utilizing Powells speed is wasting opportunities. I'm saying that young kids see this and it factors into going to Iowa or not.
 
ArvadaHawk said:
Kato, I think there is "some" speed on this team, on offense, and you pointed to them. The "problem" is that the history of our HC is to be very deliberate with who is allowed to see the field. I don't think KF has ever had the thought: "well, he's fast and good and even though he is a freshman, I think we should find a way to get him on the field because we NEED SPEED." KF typically has a line of succession approach to playing time. If you were a fast WR (keep in mind that speed at the WR position helps to make that player 'elite' at that position) and you're faced with going to Iowa and most likely redshirting, then have try to work your way into playing time for an offense that is a pass second offense with a "we'd better not risk too many long passes", philosophy, what would your decision be?
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This pretty well sums up our recruiting problems. It's not because we are Iowa, it's because the coach is KF.
 
Iowa threw long a lot in the Stanzi era. But you are probably right, “1st”. Iowa would be awesome in recruiting if Iowa would just fire Ferentz.
 
kmurp said:
Iowa threw long a lot in the Stanzi era. But you are probably right, “1st”. Iowa would be awesome in recruiting if Iowa would just fire Ferentz.
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kmurph, what I recall during the Stanzi era is that (because Stanzi didn't have a huge arm) we attempted many, many more mid-range throws, as that what Stanzi's wheelhouse, as far as arm strength and accuracy goes. We had tight ends that that could stretch the seam (we do now also, but don't throw that route much either.) Now, DJK and McNutt did have some long bombs, but those were way to few and far between AND neither of those two had the high end speed that Powell has. Powell on the deep fly route was sorely under untilized.

Why do you think Fry was able to get speedster wide receivers? Because he believed in heaving it down field way, way, WAY more often than KF does. Now, Drew Tates no healthy running backs season was an anomaly.
 
ArvadaHawk said:
kmurph, what I recall during the Stanzi era is that (because Stanzi didn't have a huge arm) we attempted many, many more mid-range throws, as that what Stanzi's wheelhouse, as far as arm strength and accuracy goes. We had tight ends that that could stretch the seam (we do now also, but don't throw that route much either.) Now, DJK and McNutt did have some long bombs, but those were way to few and far between AND neither of those two had the high end speed that Powell has. Powell on the deep fly route was sorely under untilized.

Why do you think Fry was able to get speedster wide receivers? Because he believed in heaving it down field way, way, WAY more often than KF does. Now, Drew Tates no healthy running backs season was an anomaly.
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There is not a single WR from the Fry Era as Powell, aside from Tim Dwight...oh, wait...define "fast", "faster" and "fastest".

How quick can the guy get to top speed? How long can he maintain it? Is his speed worth a crap once the first contact is made?

On paper, Shonn Greene isn't/wasn't as fast as Ronnie Harmon or Sedrick Shaw. Of those three, who would be your first choice? Paul Chaney had speed. And how often did we complain about Shumpert's hands until mid-season, although he also is plenty fast? Speed is but a facet of a player's make-up. A fast receiver who can only get open by running a fly is as worthless as an OL who can only pass-block or a DB who covers well but can't tackle.

And Stanzi did throw long. It was most effective off PA and pump fakes (Stanzi did that as well or better than any QB in the JHF/KF Era).

Basically, at IOWA, the PA works when the run game is legit. But IF there is no vertical threat (Jake Christensen cough cough), the run game gets smothered.

Rudock may not have the quintessential arm, but he doesn't "lack" arm strength. An underthrown ball isn't necessarily an indicator of lack of strength, it can also be an indicator of lack of "touch". And when it comes to "touch", CJB lacked there most of his appearances.

The best part is that BOTH JR and CJB have two or more years remaining.
 
JR's trouble with the deep ball has a lot to do with timing. The fly route to powell in the bowl game was a good example. JR wouldn't need to throw it 8 yards further if he threw it a half a second sooner. The separation was there earlier in the route. This was the huge difference with stanzi. Timing. Not sure if JR needed to see the separation before he launched it or what? Maybe in year 2 he can find his trusted targets, and have confidence that the route will develop as planned. This always seems to be the issue with our speedier receivers. Matt sherman under threw Tim Dwight constantly. Hopefully this is a point of emphasis in JR's growth at QB.
 
22hawkeyes said:
JR's trouble with the deep ball has a lot to do with timing. The fly route to powell in the bowl game was a good example. JR wouldn't need to throw it 8 yards further if he threw it a half a second sooner. The separation was there earlier in the route. This was the huge difference with stanzi. Timing. Not sure if JR needed to see the separation before he launched it or what? Maybe in year 2 he can find his trusted targets, and have confidence that the route will develop as planned. This always seems to be the issue with our speedier receivers. Matt sherman under threw Tim Dwight constantly. Hopefully this is a point of emphasis in JR's growth at QB.
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Good point on the timing. Add the experience level of the receivers, too.

Brad Banks was bailed out numerous times by CJ Jones and M Brown making great adjustments on passes that were NOT on the mark. Ditto Tate with Solomon and Hinkel.

Several times our receivers appeared to just run a route, with no thought to adjusting to the play as it unfolded, i.e., if JR was flushed from pocket or ball was slightly off.
 
Running consistent routes and quickness out the breaks are as important as raw speed. We often round off breaks and change of direction is not quick enough to cause separation. Yes, you need a deep threat, but give me an every down receiver with hands who can also run block and get off the jam at the line of scrimmage.

Powell gives us speed. We need better receivers.
 
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