Time to scrap the shotgun for the rest of the season

[SpiderRico]

Of the 14 sacks that opponents have against us, I think about all but 3 of them have been when CJ has been in the shotgun.

It's time to take the hammer to the "Break Glass Only in Emergencies" cabinet in the football complex where KOK's old playbook resides and start copying over all the play-action passes, all the waggles, all the rollouts, all the "move-the-pocket" passes that are in there and start using them. Because it's apparent to most any observer that between Croston's lack of quickness and footwork and CJ's lack of ability to sense the rush that having him sit back there as a statue in shotgun ain't gonna work.

 

[kicker22]

I'm trying very hard to understand why CJ isn't seeing the blitz...as often as he's getting sacked he has to know its coming.

 

[BlackNGoldFan]

Partially it's because we never do anything different out of the shotgun. When teams see us in that formation they know there is never a threat of a run, it's a guaranteed pass and generally a slow developing play. They can pin their ears back an come after us.

 

[83Hawk]

I'm trying very hard to understand why CJ isn't seeing the blitz...as often as he's getting sacked he has to know its coming.

Why should teams blitz when they can get sacks without blitzing?

 

[HaydenHawk56]

Remember when Kirk called the "shotgun a gimmick play."

 

[Seth53]

Good point by the OP. However, I think CJ if better when he rolls out. He has the speed to escape issues. It's when he sits in the pocket and it immediately collapses, he gets himself into trouble.

 

[trj]

I'm trying very hard to understand why CJ isn't seeing the blitz...as often as he's getting sacked he has to know its coming.

In CJ's defense it seems like it is coming from everywhere. Off the edge, through the A gap, not only are both tackles struggling with pass protection it is the o-line in general. There seems to be a lack of communication among the o-line i am not sure if that is a James Daniels problem or a combination of both Daniels/CJ just not recognizing fast enough where the blitz is coming from.

 

[uihawk82]

Very interesting OP. My son and I were talking last nite about Greg Davis not having an offensive identi

Of the 14 sacks that opponents have against us, I think about all but 3 of them have been when CJ has been in the shotgun.

It's time to take the hammer to the "Break Glass Only in Emergencies" cabinet in the football complex where KOK's old playbook resides and start copying over all the play-action passes, all the waggles, all the rollouts, all the "move-the-pocket" passes that are in there and start using them. Because it's apparent to most any observer that between Croston's lack of quickness and footwork and CJ's lack of ability to sense the rush that having him sit back there as a statue in shotgun ain't gonna work.

Very interesting OP. My son and I were talking about how G Davis seems to have no identity with this offense, almost like he is up there with a board game spinner with 30 plays on it and he flicks the spinner and where it lands that is the play call.

My son and I discussed being under center the whole game and really focusing on the run 60%+ a game with more counters and reverse action and play action out from under center. We tried one deep pass out of under center play action last week just like in the Big CG and it worked great to J Smith.

CJ had great pocket awareness last year but I still think he is holding the ball trying to make a play because he sees the offense as not as explosive as last year. We just need to try to get in 2nd and medium and 3rd and short because that is what NDSU and jNW did to our defense.

 

[Caddy]

There's nobody to throw to.. Pay attention to our receivers, they are the worst group in FBS, and I'm not kidding. They're brutally slow, and they can't run routes. Teams are getting pressure without blitzing. Wait until they do blitz. We haven't even played a decent team yet, or a decent defense. Nebraska had over 600 yards at Northwestern, Armstrong had almost 400 alone. We had what? 265. Hey we have the best Oline in the nation though, what a joke.

 

[DJL]

I'll wait for someone to come in and start saying lol, and I have no idea what I'm talking about, lol soon, but many have said that Iowa's offense is too complicated for young wide receivers. Maybe we need more, "go to the trash can and turn right". CJ isn't going to get any time. The receivers obviously can't get separation under the current structure. So something needs to change.

With that said, when Iowa scores 31 they should win. The defense is a dumpster fire right now. We need better safety and linebacker play. I admit it must be difficult to play linebacker when the backs are clearing the los untouched. The defensive line has been soft up the middle and we have a poor pass rush. So basically everything, except King is pretty good, and Jewell makes some nice plays from time to time.

 

[kicker22]

I'll wait for someone to come in and start saying lol, and I have no idea what I'm talking about, lol soon, but many have said that Iowa's offense is too complicated for young wide receivers. Maybe we need more, "go to the trash can and turn right". CJ isn't going to get any time. The receivers obviously can't get separation under the current structure. So something needs to change.

With that said, when Iowa scores 31 they should win. The defense is a dumpster fire right now. We need better safety and linebacker play. I admit it must be difficult to play linebacker when the backs are clearing the los untouched. The defensive line has been soft up the middle and we have a poor pass rush. So basically everything, except King is pretty good, and Jewell makes some nice plays from time to time.

Interesting that the offense I the younger guys to pick up when it seems so vanilla watching it. I always thought it was an inability to block that kept the younger receivers on the bench.

 

[SpiderRico]

Interesting that the offense I the younger guys to pick up when it seems so vanilla watching it. I always thought it was an inability to block that kept the younger receivers on the bench.

The difficulty doesn't come from the "scheme", the difficulty in our offense comes from the fact that Greg Davis' passing game offense revolves around "read and react". In other words, for each passing play, each receiver has options for their route based on how they are reading the defense that is being played on that particular play. So both QB and receiver need to be aware of the defense that is being run and the route that will be run as a result. This type of passing game is pretty common in the NFL, but I think it's a recipe for failure in college, which is why not many college programs run this.

 

[kicker22]

The difficulty doesn't come from the "scheme", the difficulty in our offense comes from the fact that Greg Davis' passing game offense revolves around "read and react". In other words, for each passing play, each receiver has options for their route based on how they are reading the defense that is being played on that particular play. So both QB and receiver need to be aware of the defense that is being run and the route that will be run as a result. This type of passing game is pretty common in the NFL, but I think it's a recipe for failure in college, which is why not many college programs run this.

So would this read and react mentality be simple to replace and revert to running predetermined routes? The way we seem to struggle in the passing game, maybe we'd have better results if we simplified it so that everyone was on the same page. Just seems like we could possibly benefit by not having to think so much out there and just get the ball and the receiver into the same spot.

 

[SpiderRico]

So would this read and react mentality be simple to replace and revert to running predetermined routes? The way we seem to struggle in the passing game, maybe we'd have better results if we simplified it so that everyone was on the same page. Just seems like we could possibly benefit by not having to think so much out there and just get the ball and the receiver into the same spot.

That's been my issue since GD arrived. For years under KF, the philosophy as it related to our defense was to "keep it simple" so that our players could play fast and not think as much. But we've taken the opposite philosophy it seems with our offense since GD took over and it's killing us. Just go back to route trees and let's let our players play instead of thinking so much!

 

[thetrza]

I thought the shotgun was ideal for quick passes, the screen game, and that one trips formation where the read is super fast.

 

[kicker22]

That's been my issue since GD arrived. For years under KF, the philosophy as it related to our defense was to "keep it simple" so that our players could play fast and not think as much. But we've taken the opposite philosophy it seems with our offense since GD took over and it's killing us. Just go back to route trees and let's let our players play instead of thinking so much!

I actually love the "bend don't break" mentality of limiting the big plays, but IMO that doesn't work well with an ultraconservative offense. I'd love to see it paired up with an offense that looks for the big plays and attacks down field. I just don't think its as good a fit when most games are decided on the final few possessions.

 

[homes]

Partially it's because we never do anything different out of the shotgun. When teams see us in that formation they know there is never a threat of a run, it's a guaranteed pass and generally a slow developing play. They can pin their ears back an come after us.

The predictability of Iowa's offense has been, is, and no doubt, will be Iowa's MO. The question I've had, in the past, in the present, and likely in the future is - Why? When you're Alabama or Ohio State, you can afford to be predictable (even though OSU isn't under Meyer), because you have superior talent to your opponent. But, Iowa doesn't have that luxury. It doesn't mean they have to go crazy, but for Iowa, offensive formations aren't tendencies, they are roadmaps. Joe Iowa Fan shouldn't be able to know what's coming based on the offensive set, but he does. We saw a peek of unpredictability last year with CJB running the offense, and I think most of us thought we'd see more of that this year, but they've seemed to turtle back again.

 

[uihawk82]

So would this read and react mentality be simple to replace and revert to running predetermined routes? The way we seem to struggle in the passing game, maybe we'd have better results if we simplified it so that everyone was on the same page. Just seems like we could possibly benefit by not having to think so much out there and just get the ball and the receiver into the same spot.

BINGO.

Quick curls and slants, quick sit down routes in open areas. West Coast type stuff and then throw deep a few times a game with a double move.

 

[HawkeyeFan57]

Question: Why can't CJ take 2 steps back further than currently. If he has the arm we think he has, this would give him an extra 1/2 to 1 second to find a receiver, and be easier for him to see the pressure coming. Draw back would be that it would limit his ability to run with the ball.

 

[docholihawk]

I don't think CJ lacks pocket presence. His struggles come directly from KF telling him not to run or he'll get hurt and that hurts the team and the always better to take a sack rather than risk an interception. Kirk is so afraid of taking risks that he coaches fear football. Never take a risk on offense for fear of the big turnover and bend but don't break defense for fear of giving up a big play. Fear coaching strips the confidence of players and then they give up the big play anyway. Players are so concerned that they have to be where Kirk wants them it takes away their natural instincts.