Time for some player hype.

[WinOneThisCentury]

Our young tackles definitely have a ton of potential, but I think it's going to take awhile for the OL to smooth things out (seems like we say that every year...), so it's hard to see an individual player stand out consistently. Also, look for Cole Banwart to work his way into a starting position and be the guy the coaches single out for praise as the season progresses.

The breakout player on offense could very well be Groeneweg. The coaches obviously like him, and, apparently, the PR job is his to lose at this point. Plus, he knows the offense. I've got a feeling we'll be hearing that name quite a bit.

I don't think even most Iowa fans realize just how good Hooker is. He'll play at the next level. Think of a better version of Micah Hyde (at similar career points)...Yes, he's that good.

Until I hear Sean McDonough say "Amani Hooker" like he did in the Insight Bowl with "Micah Hyde" at the end of the interception return for a TD...I just can't say Hooker is as good. I can still hear McDonough say Micah Hyde in my head. All kidding aside...Hyde was a special special player, so for me it's a tough comparison. Hyde made some absolutely crazy plays and was a physical corner. The lateral from the late Tyler Sash against MSU comes to mind.

Hooker is on his way though.

 

[AreWeThereYet]

Not trying to hate on Smith at all, and I sincerely hope that he breaks out and dominates this season, but, as I've posted before, the one desirable "physical trait" that he lacks is suddenness.

Smith can jump, has decent top-end speed, and very good upper body strength to overcome press coverage, but, what separates elite receivers at this level is that twitchy suddenness that results in separation from the DB. Unfortunately, that's something that's almost impossible to train or teach. A great example is Antonio Brown. He's almost never the fastest or quickest WR on the field, but, nobody comes in and out of breaks like him. He's a master at snapping his body at the right time.

A good OC can cover up some of those deficiencies with scheme. The question is if BF falls in that category or not.

It wasn't my intention to start any sort of hate going either. He was a freshman. When the opportunities were there, he wasn't able to take advantage. If you can't produce pretty fast, the ball has to go to other people. That's the nature of the game. He'll get his chance to show his stuff a second time around. There's a number of other receivers coming along too, so there's a bit of a window of opportunity.

 

[AreWeThereYet]

Until I hear Sean McDonough say "Amani Hooker" like he did in the Insight Bowl with "Micah Hyde" at the end of the interception return for a TD...I just can't say Hooker is as good. I can still hear McDonough say Micah Hyde in my head. All kidding aside...Hyde was a special special player, so for me it's a tough comparison. Hyde made some absolutely crazy plays and was a physical corner. The lateral from the late Tyler Sash against MSU comes to mind.

Hooker is on his way though.

Go with the dual purpose chant; "Amani"... "Amani"..., rather than Hooker or Jones. Start chanting Hooker or Jones and people are going to start giggling.

 

[4thngoal]

Not trying to hate on Smith at all, and I sincerely hope that he breaks out and dominates this season, but, as I've posted before, the one desirable "physical trait" that he lacks is suddenness.

Smith can jump, has decent top-end speed, and very good upper body strength to overcome press coverage, but, what separates elite receivers at this level is that twitchy suddenness that results in separation from the DB. Unfortunately, that's something that's almost impossible to train or teach. A great example is Antonio Brown. He's almost never the fastest or quickest WR on the field, but, nobody comes in and out of breaks like him. He's a master at snapping his body at the right time.

A good OC can cover up some of those deficiencies with scheme. The question is if BF falls in that category or not.

You can teach it. It's many of the same drills those going against you do. Hips, getting your feet and legs to cut and turn. Are some naturally better at it? Sure, but that doesn't mean you can't teach it or get better at it. It's the same thing boxers work on, that side to side, footwork dance. But it all starts in the hips.

It wasn't my intention to start any sort of hate going either. He was a freshman. When the opportunities were there, he wasn't able to take advantage. If you can't produce pretty fast, the ball has to go to other people. That's the nature of the game. He'll get his chance to show his stuff a second time around. There's a number of other receivers coming along too, so there's a bit of a window of opportunity.

Yup, Tracy or anyone has the opportunity. They are going to play the best and it doesn't matter who it is.
You provide production, you play. As bad as our wr room has been in the past, it's the right thing, the only thing to do.

 

[#1DieHardHawk]

You can teach it. It's many of the same drills those going against you do. Hips, getting your feet and legs to cut and turn. Are some naturally better at it? Sure, but that doesn't mean you can't teach it or get better at it. It's the same thing boxers work on, that side to side, footwork dance. But it all starts in the hips.

Yup, Tracy or anyone has the opportunity. They are going to play the best and it doesn't matter who it is.
You provide production, you play. As bad as our wr room has been in the past, it's the right thing, the only thing to do.

You can overcome shortcomings with better technique, absolutely. You also can maximize what you have physically through intensive training, but the ratio of white "fast twitch" muscle fibers to red "slow twitch" fibers is pretty much set at birth. No matter how much you train, there is going to be a genetic ceiling, if you will, that can't be exceeded.

Smith may do very well through solid technique, coaching, and learning how to use his body and length - and I'm pulling for him to do so- but he'll never be a "twitchy" player. Again, that's not to imply that he won't be an effective player. After all, Larry Bird certainly wasn't a "twitchy" player, but that didn't stop him from being a top 5 or 6 basketball player of all-time.

 

[AreWeThereYet]

Added linebackers Jack Hockaday and Djimon Colbert to the "Will see plenty of action" list. I didn't have any linebacker depth listed. Colbert could come up through the ranks.

 

[#1DieHardHawk]

Added linebackers Jack Hockaday and Djimon Colbert to the "Will see plenty of action" list. I didn't have any linebacker depth listed. Colbert could come up through the ranks.

I think Colbert is a real wildcard. He's a solid tackler, and a natural if Iowa decides to use more of a hybrid position at some point. Very high ceiling with him.

 

[AreWeThereYet]

My guess at rotation for offensive line.

Render is your group leader. A lot is on his shoulders with how well things come together for the offensive line and the offense in general.

The up and coming talent to watch is Wirfs, Jackson, Banwart, and Kallenberger.

#1) C Keegan Render 6-4 307 Sr.
#2) RT Tristan Wirfs 6-5 320 So.
#3) LT Alaric Jackson 6-7 320 So.
#4) RG Levi Paulsen 6-5 305 Jr. Backup RT
#5) LG Ross Reynolds 6-4 295 Sr.
#6) LG Cole Banwart 6-4 296 So. ? Backup C
#7) RG Landon Paulsen 6-5 305 Jr.
#8) LT Jack Kallenberger 6-5 272 Jr.

Backups

OT Dalton Ferguson 6-4 308 Sr. According to the coaches, Ferguson has recovered from ACL surgery and could well be in the mix at OT this fall.

C 67 Levi Duwa 6-3 270 #Fr. is a year away.

 

[#1DieHardHawk]

My guess at rotation for offensive line.

Render is your group leader. A lot is on his shoulders with how well things come together for the offensive line and the offense in general.

The up and coming talent to watch is Wirfs, Jackson, Banwart, and Kallenberger.

#1) C Keegan Render 6-4 307 Sr.
#2) RT Tristan Wirfs 6-5 320 So.
#3) LT Alaric Jackson 6-7 320 So.
#4) RG Levi Paulsen 6-5 305 Jr. Backup RT
#5) LG Ross Reynolds 6-4 295 Sr.
#6) LG Cole Banwart 6-4 296 So. ? Backup C
#7) RG Landon Paulsen 6-5 305 Jr.
#8) LT Jack Kallenberger 6-5 272 Jr.

Backups

OT Dalton Ferguson 6-4 308 Sr. According to the coaches, Ferguson has recovered from ACL surgery and could well be in the mix at OT this fall.

C 67 Levi Duwa 6-3 270 #Fr. is a year away.

You're definitely much higher on Render than I am.

I'm sincerely hoping he proves me wrong, but, keeping it real, during game action, I see a player with limited athletic ability that gets overpowered at the point of attack. Maybe he improves this off-season. We'll see.

Watch for Kallenberger to be a fast riser. The only problem is that he's more of a tackle, and is stuck behind Wirfs and Jackson.

Don't be surprised if Banwart is a starter somewhere on the inside before the season is over.

 

[AreWeThereYet]

You're definitely much higher on Render than I am.

I'm sincerely hoping he proves me wrong, but, keeping it real, during game action, I see a player with limited athletic ability that gets overpowered at the point of attack. Maybe he improves this off-season. We'll see.

Watch for Kallenberger to be a fast riser. The only problem is that he's more of a tackle, and is stuck behind Wirfs and Jackson.

Don't be surprised if Banwart is a starter somewhere on the inside before the season is over.

I had a choice to make. Choose either pecking order or talent. Of course talent has a lot to do with pecking order but so does experience, maturity, knowing your position, and leadership. If I were going with talent alone I would be tempted to list Wirfs and Jackson ahead of Render.

I'm a little reluctant to put either Banwart or Kallenberger any higher until they see more of the field. I have a feeling they will get Banwart up to speed at guard as quickly as possible, in part because they need options at backup center. Kallenberger needs to keep meeting his weight targets.

 

[#1DieHardHawk]

I had a choice to make. Choose either pecking order or talent. Of course talent has a lot to do with pecking order but so does experience, maturity, knowing your position, and leadership. If I were going with talent alone I would be tempted to list Wirfs and Jackson ahead of Render.

I'm a little reluctant to put either Banwart or Kallenberger any higher until they see more of the field. I have a feeling they will get Banwart up to speed at guard as quickly as possible, in part because they need options at backup center. Kallenberger needs to keep meeting his weight targets.

I understand. My post has more to do with how things will shake out when it's all said and done, as opposed to where we stand going into the summer. Render has earned the right to start (and he'll be given a very long leash by the staff) but, unless he has made significant gains, I'm hoping someone steps up grabs a starting spot, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's Banwart. They could end up both starting, especially given Levi Paulsen's injury.

 

[Motigerhawk]

I think our DBs will surprise. Especially with how good our DL should be. The DBs will be the most underrated unit.

I think we will continue to see the trend towards passing to our TEs. i see Fant leading our receivers in receptions.

This team has some real potential. We should win 10. But if we continue to be ultra conservative on offense, that could expose our weaknesses at WR and LB and we could win 7 or 8 again.

 

[revkev73]

I would like to see all of our WRs on the top of the list...we can't compete with the better teams with "in the mud" passing competency and threats...

 

[Caddy]

Smith does seem to have the physical attributes, but so far it's been stone hands when in pressure situations. I'm too football stupid to tell you where the shortcomings are, or the extent of the problem.

What physical attributes does he have other than size? He has no speed, no hands.

 

[Caddy]

I think the offense has playmakers. I really believe that the Oline play and BFs playcalling will be what overwhelmingly dictates the level of success they have this year. I think they have 2 better than just good RBs along with 2 NFL tight ends and no less than 3 WRs that should be able to make plays. So to me replacing Daniels at center and Welsh are the biggest priorities..

Our offense HAD a playmaker, but he graduated. Wadley was it. Without him we would have done much worse on offense, if thats even possible. BF play calling isn't all of a sudden going to improve by leaps and bounds. He simply is in way over his head, and combine that with an offense that has very little talent outside of the tight ends, and you get the utter incompetence we have on offense.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

Our offense HAD a playmaker, but he graduated. Wadley was it. Without him we would have done much worse on offense, if thats even possible. BF play calling isn't all of a sudden going to improve by leaps and bounds. He simply is in way over his head, and combine that with an offense that has very little talent outside of the tight ends, and you get the utter incompetence we have on offense.

Agree to disagree. Yeah Wadley was a stud and he bailed Iowa out sometimes last year. But he wasn't the main reason Iowa destroyed OSU. From what little we've seen of Young and Kelly-Martin I really like what they bring. Easley should play his role well again. I think Smith will be a noticeable upgrade over what Vandeberg did last year. And we agree we have 2 great TEs to utilize. To me it's on the Oline and BF. I would think most playcallers would improve a ton between years 1 and 2 on the job. It all starts up front. The two young tackles need to dominate and the guys replacing Daniels and Welsh have to do well. That to me is where it'll start and stop

 

[AreWeThereYet]

I think I'm going to make some slight changes in the catagory labels.

The current catagories are:
Experienced Upper Classmen (key players)
Breakout Players
Solid Contributors
Will see plenty of action
Serious Question Marks

My changes:
Experienced Upper Classmen - Stays the same
Breakout Players becomes - Emerging Key Players
Solid Contributors becomes - Journeyman & Solid Role Players
Will see plenty of action - Stays the same
Serious Question Marks - Significant Question Marks