When Iowa State has the ball-
They run one of those quircky semi no huddle offenses where they come to the line look at the defense and then get the call from the sideline. Normally this is a different type of offense for the Iowa defense to face, but they faced a similar offense last week in Tennessee Tech and didn’t seem to have much problem with it. The Iowa State offense starts and ends with quarterback Steele Jantz. He single handedly brought them back from the jaws of defeat last week but you could also argue that his poor decision making in the first half put them in a hole. He leads the team in rushing with 80 yards on 20 carries, something that I am sure the ISU coaches don’t want to see is their quarterback taking 20 carries. Besides Jantz the Cyclones will deploy a three headed attack out of the backfield. Jeff Woody is a Southeast Polk alum and is used more in short yardage situations. Shontrelle Johnson is a shifty back that Iowa State wasn’t able to get the ball much to last week, but he is the home run threat out of the backfield. James White is the third member of their backfied and like Johnson, he is a small shifty back that they love to get out into the open field against defenders. In the passing attack Jantz looks for Aaron Horne a lot, who was a junior college teammate of Steele’s. Horne had 7 catches last week and will operate primarily out of the slot. Josh Lenz is their big play reciever averaging 19 yards per catch this season after averaging 12 last year. A player who has had all the hype since he arrived on campus is Darius Reynolds, who in his senior year has yet to deliver on the hype. He has grabbed 41 balls over his four year career and was involved last week in some costly personal foul penalties. Iowa actually matches up pretty well against the Cyclones defensively as they have upgraded their athletecism in the back seven from last season.
When Iowa has the ball-
Iowa State hasn’t had a quality defense in years and this year could be their best in recent memory. That being said, this defense still isn’t very good. Their defensive line still has problems creating pressure on opposing quarterbacks and that causes the defensive backs to have to cover even longer. The ISU defense gave up close to 400 yards of offense to an offense that doesn’t have near the weapons that Iowa will have on the field on Saturday. The Cyclone linebackers are very good and it would be intersting to see what they could do if they had a quality defensive line so that they could be free to run and make plays. Iowa’s offensive line should be able to dominate the line of scrimmage and if they do that, the game won’t be close.
Notes-
Iowa is 6-2 in the last 8 games of this series
Iowa State only has 1 TD against Iowa in the last 18 quarters and that was against the 2nd string last year
Marvin McNutt only needs three receiving TD’s to tie the Iowa all time record
Iowa hasn’t allowed a punt return TD in 8 years
The Hawkeyes haven’t allowed a 200 yard individual rusher in 11 years
Tale of the Tape:
Iowa ISU
Record 1-0, 0-0 1-0, 0-0
Scoring 34 20
Scoring Defense 7 19
Rushing 148 141
Passing 246 187
Total Offense 396 328
Rushing Defense 140 204
Passing Defense 156 181
Total Defense 296 385
Punt Returns 0 3.7
Kick Returns 30.5 19.6
Turnovers +1 -3
Hawkstop’s Predictions:
Score
Iowa – 31
ISU – 10
Iowa continues their dominance in the turnover category, forcing 3
Vandenberg finishes with 250+ yards and three scores
Coker has a nice rebound game with 70+ and 1 TD
McNutt has a great game with 125+ 2 TD
Davis catches 5 balls for 60+ yards
Martin Manley has a catch for 50+ yards
James Morris has 10+ tackles
Steele Jantz doesn’t finish the game
Iowa defense has 4 sacks
Jordan Bernstein records a forced fumble and 5 tackles
Friday, September 9, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Tennessee Tech Predictions Recap
Hawkstop’s Predictions/Actuals:
Good Prediction
Okay Prediction
What was I thinking?
Score
Iowa – 42 34
TT – 7 7
Iowa continues their dominance in the turnover category, forcing 3 2 forced turnovers
Vandenberg finishes with 170+ yards and three scores 219 yards 2 TD, 1 rushing
Coker has a monster game with 175+ and 2 scores 41 yards , 0 TD
McNutt has a very pedestrian game with 50+ and 1 TD 140 yards, 2 TD
Martin-Manley bursts onto the scene with 100+ yards a 1 TD 0 catches
We see the jailbreak screen for the first time in years McNutt scored his second touchdown on the jailbreak
Christian Kirksey has an INT and fumble recovery to go with 6+ tackles 0 INT, 0 Fumb Rec, 10 Tackles
Good Prediction
Okay Prediction
What was I thinking?
Score
Iowa – 42 34
TT – 7 7
Iowa continues their dominance in the turnover category, forcing 3 2 forced turnovers
Vandenberg finishes with 170+ yards and three scores 219 yards 2 TD, 1 rushing
Coker has a monster game with 175+ and 2 scores 41 yards , 0 TD
McNutt has a very pedestrian game with 50+ and 1 TD 140 yards, 2 TD
Martin-Manley bursts onto the scene with 100+ yards a 1 TD 0 catches
We see the jailbreak screen for the first time in years McNutt scored his second touchdown on the jailbreak
Christian Kirksey has an INT and fumble recovery to go with 6+ tackles 0 INT, 0 Fumb Rec, 10 Tackles
Friday, September 2, 2011
Tennesse Tech Expectations and Predictions
When Tennessee Tech has the ball-
Last season they were about as balanced an offensive team as you can get, averaging 157.4 and 157.5 yards per game rushing and passing respectively. Their offensive philosophy is similar to that of Oregon’s, if you run more plays you can score more points. That being said, this will be a great test for Iowa’s defense, who has historically had problems with high tempo type offenses. Returning for the Golden Eagles is quarterback, Tre Lamb #9, a dual threat quarterback that only stands at 5’9”. His favorite target will be Tim Benford #3, who will probably leave Tech as the record holder of almost all their career receiving records. They will use a rotation in the backfield and put them in motion to try and use their speed to gain the edge. Their offensive line is average, but are solid at the kind of offense they run, rarely are they asked to pass block for more than a three to five step drop. The stronger side of the line is the left side which includes Scott Schweitzer, an all Ohio Vally Conference preseason selection. Make no doubt about it, this offense will test the Iowa defense stamina later in the game.
When Iowa has the ball-
The Golden Eagles will deploy a defense on Saturday that is ill-fitted to defend a Big Ten offense. Their defensive ends tip the scales at 230 and 240 and gave up nearly 200 yards rushing per game last season. Look for them to stack the box to try and stop the potent Iowa running attack, leaving them susceptible to the play action pass game. Their linebackers are on the small side as well with the inside backer at 210 and one of the outside at 215. As is with most underdogs, look for Tennessee Tech to take some chances defensively in a game where they really have nothing to lose. If they watch the game film from two years ago they will see that Vandenberg had trouble reading the Minnesota blitz and try to confuse the first year starter.
Hawkstop’s Predictions:
Score
Iowa – 42
TT – 7
Iowa continues their dominance in the turnover category, forcing 3
Vandenberg finishes with 170+ yards and three scores
Coker has a monster game with 175+ and 2 scores
McNutt has a very pedestrian game with 50+ and 1 TD
Martin-Manley bursts onto the scene with 100+ yards a 1 TD
We see the jailbreak screen for the first time in years
Christian Kirksey has an INT and fumble recovery to go with 6+ tackles
Last season they were about as balanced an offensive team as you can get, averaging 157.4 and 157.5 yards per game rushing and passing respectively. Their offensive philosophy is similar to that of Oregon’s, if you run more plays you can score more points. That being said, this will be a great test for Iowa’s defense, who has historically had problems with high tempo type offenses. Returning for the Golden Eagles is quarterback, Tre Lamb #9, a dual threat quarterback that only stands at 5’9”. His favorite target will be Tim Benford #3, who will probably leave Tech as the record holder of almost all their career receiving records. They will use a rotation in the backfield and put them in motion to try and use their speed to gain the edge. Their offensive line is average, but are solid at the kind of offense they run, rarely are they asked to pass block for more than a three to five step drop. The stronger side of the line is the left side which includes Scott Schweitzer, an all Ohio Vally Conference preseason selection. Make no doubt about it, this offense will test the Iowa defense stamina later in the game.
When Iowa has the ball-
The Golden Eagles will deploy a defense on Saturday that is ill-fitted to defend a Big Ten offense. Their defensive ends tip the scales at 230 and 240 and gave up nearly 200 yards rushing per game last season. Look for them to stack the box to try and stop the potent Iowa running attack, leaving them susceptible to the play action pass game. Their linebackers are on the small side as well with the inside backer at 210 and one of the outside at 215. As is with most underdogs, look for Tennessee Tech to take some chances defensively in a game where they really have nothing to lose. If they watch the game film from two years ago they will see that Vandenberg had trouble reading the Minnesota blitz and try to confuse the first year starter.
Hawkstop’s Predictions:
Score
Iowa – 42
TT – 7
Iowa continues their dominance in the turnover category, forcing 3
Vandenberg finishes with 170+ yards and three scores
Coker has a monster game with 175+ and 2 scores
McNutt has a very pedestrian game with 50+ and 1 TD
Martin-Manley bursts onto the scene with 100+ yards a 1 TD
We see the jailbreak screen for the first time in years
Christian Kirksey has an INT and fumble recovery to go with 6+ tackles
Big Ten Predictions
Legends:
Nebraska 10-2, 6-2
Iowa 9-3, 5-3
Michigan 8-4, 4-4
MSU 7-5, 4-4
Northwestern 7-5, 4-4
Minnesota 4-8, 1-7
Leaders:
Wisconsin 10-2, 6-2
Ohio St. 8-4, 5-3
Penn St. 8-4, 5-3
Illinois 7-5, 4-4
Indiana 4-8, 2-6
Purdue 4-8, 1-7
Champion:
Wisconsin
Nebraska 10-2, 6-2
Iowa 9-3, 5-3
Michigan 8-4, 4-4
MSU 7-5, 4-4
Northwestern 7-5, 4-4
Minnesota 4-8, 1-7
Leaders:
Wisconsin 10-2, 6-2
Ohio St. 8-4, 5-3
Penn St. 8-4, 5-3
Illinois 7-5, 4-4
Indiana 4-8, 2-6
Purdue 4-8, 1-7
Champion:
Wisconsin
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Tennessee Tech vs Iowa News and Notes
Tennessee Tech is coached by Watson Brown who’s brother is Texas head coach Mack Brown
Jordan Bernstein was singled out by Coach Ferentz as the most impressive performer in fall camp. Look for him to play in the nickel package as well as return kicks.
Carl Davis is out of Saturday’s game, could leave the door open for Darian Cooper to find the field.
Micah Hyde will return punts, could be electrifying.
A.J. Derby is alone as the backup quarterback
Tennessee Tech returns 21 starters, by far the most of any team that Iowa will play this season
Last season Tennessee Tech lost to Arkansas and TCU by a combined 106-10
In only 7 games last season, Marcus Coker tallied the 4th highest freshman total at Iowa
86% of senior starters at iowa have either been drafted or signed FA deals over the last 12 years
Iowa has only allowed a single individual 100 yard rusher each season for the last three years
Iowa has not lost a game by more than 7 points in 39 games
Iowa is 12th in the nation in Graduation Success Rate among Division 1 schools
Tale of the Tape
Iowa TN Tech
Record 8-5, 4-4 5-6, 4-4
Scoring 28.9 24
Scoring Defense 17 28.8
Rushing 148.4 157.4
Passing 234.5 157.5
Total Offense 382.9 314.8
Rushing Defense 101.5 193.9
Passing Defense 230.5 184.9
Total Defense 332.1 378.8
Punt Returns 8.2 15.5
Kick Returns 25.3 15.5
Turnovers +1 +.5
Jordan Bernstein was singled out by Coach Ferentz as the most impressive performer in fall camp. Look for him to play in the nickel package as well as return kicks.
Carl Davis is out of Saturday’s game, could leave the door open for Darian Cooper to find the field.
Micah Hyde will return punts, could be electrifying.
A.J. Derby is alone as the backup quarterback
Tennessee Tech returns 21 starters, by far the most of any team that Iowa will play this season
Last season Tennessee Tech lost to Arkansas and TCU by a combined 106-10
In only 7 games last season, Marcus Coker tallied the 4th highest freshman total at Iowa
86% of senior starters at iowa have either been drafted or signed FA deals over the last 12 years
Iowa has only allowed a single individual 100 yard rusher each season for the last three years
Iowa has not lost a game by more than 7 points in 39 games
Iowa is 12th in the nation in Graduation Success Rate among Division 1 schools
Tale of the Tape
Iowa TN Tech
Record 8-5, 4-4 5-6, 4-4
Scoring 28.9 24
Scoring Defense 17 28.8
Rushing 148.4 157.4
Passing 234.5 157.5
Total Offense 382.9 314.8
Rushing Defense 101.5 193.9
Passing Defense 230.5 184.9
Total Defense 332.1 378.8
Punt Returns 8.2 15.5
Kick Returns 25.3 15.5
Turnovers +1 +.5
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
5 freshman to watch
Up until a couple of years ago, I had as good a chance of playing as any first year player at Iowa. Playing first year players wasn’t something that Kirk Ferentz wanted to do and he tried to avoid it at all costs. The last couple of years he has begun to play more and more true freshman, mostly on special teams. Below is a list of five that could make an immediate impact this season.
5. Darian Cooper – DL - #97 Cooper arrives to the Iowa campus at the right time as Iowa graduated three defensive lineman from last years team. Cooper has the size, 6-2, 280 to not get pushed around against most collegiate lineman. Since Iowa doesn’t run a complicated defensive scheme, he should be able to step right in and contribute. He had a chance to be ranked higher than 5, but a transcript issue kept him from camp for the first week and Coach Ferentz announced today that he has been battling injury.
4. Jordan Canzeri – RB - #33 Canzeri didn’t have much fanfare when he committed to Iowa, who beat out the powerhouses of Villanova and UCONN for his services. He put up huge numbers in high school, toting the ball 222 times for 2048 yards and 34 touchdowns as a senior. Jordan has incredible speed, but his lateral quickness might be his biggest asset. Canzeri is small in stature, only 185 pounds, but he should be a great change of pace back to Marcus Coker’s bruising style.
3. Ray Hamilton – TE - #82 Iowa has always used multiple tight ends under Ferentz and their depth at the position would lead one to believe they will do that again this year. Although Hamilton would probably be listed as #4 on the depth chart, I think that he has shown enough in fall camp to garner some reps as well as some time on special teams. If there is an injury to one of the three ahead of him, he could easily move up and contribute right away.
2. Torrey Campbell – CB - #22 There are a couple of defensive backs that could play as true freshman, from the limited pictures and exposure Campbell has seen significant reps. B.J. Lowery’s injury means that Campbell moves up the depth chart. He will most certainly get some reps on special teams and that is a position where a young player can make a name for himself, see Sean Consodine.
1. Mika’ll McCall – RB - #25 A lack of depth makes it almost a necessity that Iowa uses a freshman to spell Coker. Previously I talked about Canzeri being a change of pace back, McCall is more of a clone of Coker, at 6-0 215 pounds he has the size and skill set to get 10-12 carries a game and allow Coker to keep fresh legs for later in the season. McCall showed in the kids day scrimmage the ability to make one cut and go, which is a necessity in the zone blocking scheme that Iowa runs.
5. Darian Cooper – DL - #97 Cooper arrives to the Iowa campus at the right time as Iowa graduated three defensive lineman from last years team. Cooper has the size, 6-2, 280 to not get pushed around against most collegiate lineman. Since Iowa doesn’t run a complicated defensive scheme, he should be able to step right in and contribute. He had a chance to be ranked higher than 5, but a transcript issue kept him from camp for the first week and Coach Ferentz announced today that he has been battling injury.
4. Jordan Canzeri – RB - #33 Canzeri didn’t have much fanfare when he committed to Iowa, who beat out the powerhouses of Villanova and UCONN for his services. He put up huge numbers in high school, toting the ball 222 times for 2048 yards and 34 touchdowns as a senior. Jordan has incredible speed, but his lateral quickness might be his biggest asset. Canzeri is small in stature, only 185 pounds, but he should be a great change of pace back to Marcus Coker’s bruising style.
3. Ray Hamilton – TE - #82 Iowa has always used multiple tight ends under Ferentz and their depth at the position would lead one to believe they will do that again this year. Although Hamilton would probably be listed as #4 on the depth chart, I think that he has shown enough in fall camp to garner some reps as well as some time on special teams. If there is an injury to one of the three ahead of him, he could easily move up and contribute right away.
2. Torrey Campbell – CB - #22 There are a couple of defensive backs that could play as true freshman, from the limited pictures and exposure Campbell has seen significant reps. B.J. Lowery’s injury means that Campbell moves up the depth chart. He will most certainly get some reps on special teams and that is a position where a young player can make a name for himself, see Sean Consodine.
1. Mika’ll McCall – RB - #25 A lack of depth makes it almost a necessity that Iowa uses a freshman to spell Coker. Previously I talked about Canzeri being a change of pace back, McCall is more of a clone of Coker, at 6-0 215 pounds he has the size and skill set to get 10-12 carries a game and allow Coker to keep fresh legs for later in the season. McCall showed in the kids day scrimmage the ability to make one cut and go, which is a necessity in the zone blocking scheme that Iowa runs.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Special Teams Outlook
Something that has become a staple at Iowa underneath Kirk Ferentz is good special teams. While they don’t make the flashy plays that get them on Sportscenter, they play solid and really become a weapon field position wise.
Punter-
Gone is one of Iowa’s all-time best, Ryan Donahue, who had been the starting punter for the last four years. While his average wasn’t the best, his ability to pin the opposing team inside their own twenty helped the Iowa defense become what they are. Attempting to replace Donahue will be Eric Guthrie, a senior who has been in Ryans shadow waiting for his turn to kick for the Hawkeyes. Guthrie is a guy who is solid, but won’t get mistaken for Donahue. Behind Donahue was thought to be Johnny Mullings, who came to Iowa as a You Tube star; however it was recently revealed that Mullings won’t join the team until school has started. One could assume that that means Mullings won’t see the field, but this could also serve as motivation to hone his craft. If Mullings isn’t the backup look for backup quarterback John Weinke to serve as the backup punter. Don’t get too concerned however, as Weinke averaged more than 40 yards per punt in high school.
Kicker-
Some college teams don’t have a kicker with any collegiate experience; Iowa on the other hand has two. Trent Mossbrucker was the incumbant last year, but his inconsistancy lead to Mike Meyer getting a shot, once Meyer won the job, he didn’t let it go. This season Meyer is the incumbant, but don’t rule out Mossbrucker yet, if he can get right between the ears, he still has the talent to be a Big Ten kicker. Add to the mix, a walk-on freshman, Marshall Koehn, who has a big leg and could be the kickoff specialist.
Long Snapper-
A name that most Hawkeye fans won’t remember is Andrew Schultz, the fact that you may not know who he is means that he did his job as the long snapper. It’s a position that only gets mentioned when they do something wrong. Schultz was good enough to get invited to an NFL training camp and replacing him will be Casey Kreiter. If Casey can keep his name out of the announcer’s mouth, it will be a success.
Punter-
Gone is one of Iowa’s all-time best, Ryan Donahue, who had been the starting punter for the last four years. While his average wasn’t the best, his ability to pin the opposing team inside their own twenty helped the Iowa defense become what they are. Attempting to replace Donahue will be Eric Guthrie, a senior who has been in Ryans shadow waiting for his turn to kick for the Hawkeyes. Guthrie is a guy who is solid, but won’t get mistaken for Donahue. Behind Donahue was thought to be Johnny Mullings, who came to Iowa as a You Tube star; however it was recently revealed that Mullings won’t join the team until school has started. One could assume that that means Mullings won’t see the field, but this could also serve as motivation to hone his craft. If Mullings isn’t the backup look for backup quarterback John Weinke to serve as the backup punter. Don’t get too concerned however, as Weinke averaged more than 40 yards per punt in high school.
Kicker-
Some college teams don’t have a kicker with any collegiate experience; Iowa on the other hand has two. Trent Mossbrucker was the incumbant last year, but his inconsistancy lead to Mike Meyer getting a shot, once Meyer won the job, he didn’t let it go. This season Meyer is the incumbant, but don’t rule out Mossbrucker yet, if he can get right between the ears, he still has the talent to be a Big Ten kicker. Add to the mix, a walk-on freshman, Marshall Koehn, who has a big leg and could be the kickoff specialist.
Long Snapper-
A name that most Hawkeye fans won’t remember is Andrew Schultz, the fact that you may not know who he is means that he did his job as the long snapper. It’s a position that only gets mentioned when they do something wrong. Schultz was good enough to get invited to an NFL training camp and replacing him will be Casey Kreiter. If Casey can keep his name out of the announcer’s mouth, it will be a success.
Defensive Back Preview
Much like the defensive line, the Hawkeye defensive backfield graduated a wealth of experience. Gone are both safties, Tyler Sash and Brett Greenwood. Sash left Iowa as its all time interception return yardage leader and Greenwood left after being a four year starter.
Safety
As noted above, both safties have graduated, which is never good and I am sure that if defensive coordinator Norm Parker he would rather lose cornerbacks than safties. In the two deep cover that Iowa runs, the safties are very important in lining up the defense and being disciplined as the last line of defense. What the Iowa coaches do as good as any coaches in the country is to get their best players on the field. That is what you are seeing this year with Micah Hyde (6-1, 185) moving from cornerback to free safety. Micah showed a nose for the ball grabbing 4 interceptions last year and returning two of them for touchdowns. Opposite Hyde at strong safety will be a position that won’t be decided till game week. Senior Jordan Bernstein (5-11, 205), junior Colin Sleeper (6-2, 200), and sophomore Tanner Miller (6-2, 200) will all be competing for playing time. Bernstein arrived on campus five years ago as a highly taughted recruit, but has been plauged by injuries. Miller played last year as a true freshman and was able to hold his own. Sleeper is the wild card here, he’s a guy that is very athletic, last year he played Denard Robinson for the scout team. Whichever one of these guys wins the job will be pushed all season for playing time by the two that aren’t starting.
Cornerback
Shaun Prater (5-11, 180) decided to return to campus after toying with the idea of leaving early to the NFL. The senior is returning after a first team all-Big Ten selection last season and is an All-American candidate. There isn’t much else to say about Prater, he is one of the better cover corners that Iowa has had under Kirk Ferentz and will see his numbers fall this season as opposing teams won’t target receivers on his side as much. Opposite Prater will be Greg Castillo (5-11, 182); the junior had 11 tackles last season in spot duty and looks to become the full time starter this season. Behind the starting corners will be B.J. Lowery (5-11, 185) who has made some impressive plays in open practices the last two seasons. Behind these three will be some young guys, Jordan Lomax (5-10, 185), Gavin Smith (5-10, 175), and Torrey Campbell (5-11, 183) will all be looking to find their way onto the field through backup roles and special teams.
Nickel package –
When Iowa goes to the Nickel package this season look for them to bring in an extra safety and move Micah Hyde down to play over the slot receiver, having three quality cover guys in this package should be a huge benefit for the Iowa defense.
Safety
As noted above, both safties have graduated, which is never good and I am sure that if defensive coordinator Norm Parker he would rather lose cornerbacks than safties. In the two deep cover that Iowa runs, the safties are very important in lining up the defense and being disciplined as the last line of defense. What the Iowa coaches do as good as any coaches in the country is to get their best players on the field. That is what you are seeing this year with Micah Hyde (6-1, 185) moving from cornerback to free safety. Micah showed a nose for the ball grabbing 4 interceptions last year and returning two of them for touchdowns. Opposite Hyde at strong safety will be a position that won’t be decided till game week. Senior Jordan Bernstein (5-11, 205), junior Colin Sleeper (6-2, 200), and sophomore Tanner Miller (6-2, 200) will all be competing for playing time. Bernstein arrived on campus five years ago as a highly taughted recruit, but has been plauged by injuries. Miller played last year as a true freshman and was able to hold his own. Sleeper is the wild card here, he’s a guy that is very athletic, last year he played Denard Robinson for the scout team. Whichever one of these guys wins the job will be pushed all season for playing time by the two that aren’t starting.
Cornerback
Shaun Prater (5-11, 180) decided to return to campus after toying with the idea of leaving early to the NFL. The senior is returning after a first team all-Big Ten selection last season and is an All-American candidate. There isn’t much else to say about Prater, he is one of the better cover corners that Iowa has had under Kirk Ferentz and will see his numbers fall this season as opposing teams won’t target receivers on his side as much. Opposite Prater will be Greg Castillo (5-11, 182); the junior had 11 tackles last season in spot duty and looks to become the full time starter this season. Behind the starting corners will be B.J. Lowery (5-11, 185) who has made some impressive plays in open practices the last two seasons. Behind these three will be some young guys, Jordan Lomax (5-10, 185), Gavin Smith (5-10, 175), and Torrey Campbell (5-11, 183) will all be looking to find their way onto the field through backup roles and special teams.
Nickel package –
When Iowa goes to the Nickel package this season look for them to bring in an extra safety and move Micah Hyde down to play over the slot receiver, having three quality cover guys in this package should be a huge benefit for the Iowa defense.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
View from the Water tower: An aerial view of the Hawkeyes and Big Ten Football
Get to know the newest Hawkeyes:
1 PK Marshall Koehn
5 QB Kyle Anderson
7 DB Brandon Boerm
15 QB Jake Rudock
21 DB Nico Law
22 DB Torrey Campbell
25 RB Mika'il McCall
27 DB Jordan Lomax
32 RB Damon Bullock
33 RB Jordan Canzeri
33 FB Adam Cox
36 LB Macon Plewa
39 DB Travis Perry
42 DB Cole Fisher
48 DB John Lowdermilk
49 LB Melvin Spears
52 LB Quinton Alston
55 LB Marcus Collins
63 OL Austin Blythe
65 OL Jordan Walsh
73 OL Jared Kracke
75 DL Dean Tsopanides
80 TE Henry Krieger-Coble
82 TE Ray Hamilton
84 WR Jacob Hillyer
87 TE Jake Duzey
89 WR Marcus Grant
94 DE Riley McMinn
95 DE John Raymon
97 DL Darian Cooper
1 PK Marshall Koehn
5 QB Kyle Anderson
7 DB Brandon Boerm
15 QB Jake Rudock
21 DB Nico Law
22 DB Torrey Campbell
25 RB Mika'il McCall
27 DB Jordan Lomax
32 RB Damon Bullock
33 RB Jordan Canzeri
33 FB Adam Cox
36 LB Macon Plewa
39 DB Travis Perry
42 DB Cole Fisher
48 DB John Lowdermilk
49 LB Melvin Spears
52 LB Quinton Alston
55 LB Marcus Collins
63 OL Austin Blythe
65 OL Jordan Walsh
73 OL Jared Kracke
75 DL Dean Tsopanides
80 TE Henry Krieger-Coble
82 TE Ray Hamilton
84 WR Jacob Hillyer
87 TE Jake Duzey
89 WR Marcus Grant
94 DE Riley McMinn
95 DE John Raymon
97 DL Darian Cooper
View from the Water tower: An aerial view of the Hawkeyes and Big Ten Football
Quick Slants
Since Big Ten media days, there have been several items of note to come from the Iowa football program. Here are a few of them:
Dan Heir will be red-shirting. Heir figured to be in the two deeps until he was involved in a one car accident. The injuries we suffered were enough to sideline him for the entire season to give him time to recover. Once he is back next year he will be punished for receiving an OWI as a result of the accident. With Iowa losing at least two offensive lineman and possibly three, he will add some much needed depth.
Donovan Johnson will be attending a junior college. This is something that had been rumored since the end of last season, but Donovan has said that his intention is to return to Iowa after he gets his academics in order.
A lack of star power will cause the defensive line to rotate and get an advantage from being more fresh than the offensive line.
Notes from practice photos:
Brandon Sherff has been starting at guard
Christian Kirksey and Anthony Hitchens have been splitting time at OLB
Jordan Walsh and Austin Blythe have Big Ten ready bodies
Nico Law will contribute in some capacity this season
Carl Davis has been running with the 1st team defense
No sign of LeBron Daniel in the photo galleries
View practice galleries at www.hawkeyesports.com
Former Hawkeye news:
Brandon Wegher will be playing at Iowa Western Community College
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/sports/football/college/article_cf2e454f-1101-54f0-b94b-e1bdb00dc99a.html
Jeff Brinson sees his career cut short
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-ucf-football-practice-begins-0804-20110803,0,2143070.story
Monday, August 8, 2011
Pre Fall Linebacker Outlook
Much like the defensive line, the linebacker corps at Iowa will consist of a lot of new names and faces this fall. Last season saw the linebackers decimated by injury, the plus side with so many injuries to upper classmen was that a lot of young players saw significant playing time. Much like the other units on the defensive side of the ball, linebacker has been a position that Iowa has been able to replenish year after year without losing too much, production wise.
Middle Linebacker-
James Morris (6-2, 215) returns for his sophomore season after producing more as a freshman than anyone not names Morris thought he would. Morris stepped in to the starting role after injuries left the Iowa coaches with little option but to burn his redshirt. To say that he made the best of his opportunity is an understatement. In the short time as the starter, Morris proved to have a knack for finding the ball and making plays when he got there. Behind Morris will be Senior Bruce Davis (6-0, 232), a player that has been in the Iowa system for four years and hasn’t seemed to be able to avoid the injury bug in his time on campus.
Weakside linebacker-
Gone will be three year starter Jeremiah Hunter and in his place will be a trio of sophomores vying for the starting role. Christian Kirksey (6-2, 215), Anthony Hitchens (6-1, 215), and Shane DiBona (6-2, 230) look to be the front runners to replace Hunter. Kirksey is a player who learned the ropes as a special teams player last year, Hitchens is a converted defensive back and DiBona saw action last year at linebacker when Hunter was injured. Whoever comes out of this pre-season battle will have to be on their game as the two that don’t start will be looking to earn playing time all season. This could be a position that sees a rotation based on what type of offense they are playing, DiBona seems to be a little stronger against the run while the other two seem to be better in pass coverage.
Strongside linebacker-
Returning from a broken neck will be senior Tyler Nielsen (6-4, 235), who is looking to turn in a solid senior season. While the starting job is essentially his to lose, sophomore Dakota Getz (6-4, 235) will be nipping at his heels to find his way to the field.
The best thing about this unit is their versatility, both weakside and strongside linebackers can be interchanged. With the young depth that this unit has, don’t be surprised if you see more 3-4 defense this season.
Middle Linebacker-
James Morris (6-2, 215) returns for his sophomore season after producing more as a freshman than anyone not names Morris thought he would. Morris stepped in to the starting role after injuries left the Iowa coaches with little option but to burn his redshirt. To say that he made the best of his opportunity is an understatement. In the short time as the starter, Morris proved to have a knack for finding the ball and making plays when he got there. Behind Morris will be Senior Bruce Davis (6-0, 232), a player that has been in the Iowa system for four years and hasn’t seemed to be able to avoid the injury bug in his time on campus.
Weakside linebacker-
Gone will be three year starter Jeremiah Hunter and in his place will be a trio of sophomores vying for the starting role. Christian Kirksey (6-2, 215), Anthony Hitchens (6-1, 215), and Shane DiBona (6-2, 230) look to be the front runners to replace Hunter. Kirksey is a player who learned the ropes as a special teams player last year, Hitchens is a converted defensive back and DiBona saw action last year at linebacker when Hunter was injured. Whoever comes out of this pre-season battle will have to be on their game as the two that don’t start will be looking to earn playing time all season. This could be a position that sees a rotation based on what type of offense they are playing, DiBona seems to be a little stronger against the run while the other two seem to be better in pass coverage.
Strongside linebacker-
Returning from a broken neck will be senior Tyler Nielsen (6-4, 235), who is looking to turn in a solid senior season. While the starting job is essentially his to lose, sophomore Dakota Getz (6-4, 235) will be nipping at his heels to find his way to the field.
The best thing about this unit is their versatility, both weakside and strongside linebackers can be interchanged. With the young depth that this unit has, don’t be surprised if you see more 3-4 defense this season.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Pre-summer defensive line outlook
Recently the fact has been circulating on the message boards that no college team has more defensive lineman in the NFL than Iowa does. To me that is an astounding fact given that Iowa runs the kind of defense that they want the lineman to plug holes and allow the linebackers to flow and make plays. What it has a lot to do with is the fact that Iowa has great coaches and when a player leaves Iowa he is fundamentally sound and knows how to play the game the right way.
The three starters that the Hawkeyes lost from a season ago amassed an astounding 483 combined tackles, 90 tackles for loss, 42.5 sacks, and 38 quarterback hurries. Bottom line is that the players that left from last year’s team produced when they were on the field. Gone is Adrian Clayborn, Karl Klug, and Christian Ballard, who were all drafted into the NFL.
In a lot of ways, the 2011 defensive line will resemble the 2005 one that had to replace Matt Roth, Jonathan Babineaux, Tyler Luebke, and Derreck Robinson. Most of those players were unknown, but turned out to be Kenny Iwebema, Bryan Mattison, Matt Kroul, and Mitch King, who have all cashed NFL paychecks. Point being, just because you don’t recognize their name now, doesn’t mean they won’t be great players.
Defensive End-
It is never a good thing when you lose one and half starters (I consider Ballard ½ because he started at DE half the time last year) and it’s no different for Iowa. Returning for Iowa will be Broderick Binns (6-2, 261), who by all accounts had a down year after a promising sophomore campaign. As a sophomore he accumulated 58 tackles and 6 sacks, while last season he only tallied 36 tackles and no sacks. With this being his last season, it is put up or shut up time for a player that has shown flashes of great play over his career.
Looking to break into the starting lineup opposite of Binns will be LeBron Daniel (6-2, 250), the Ohio native will be going into his final season in a Hawkeye uniform looking to make the most of his chance to finally start.
Behind Daniel is more unproven players in senior Joe Forgy (6-4, 260), junior Joe Gaglione (6-47, 250), sophomores Dominic Alvis (6-4, 250) and Scott Covert (6-2, 240) , and redshirt freshman Mike Hardy (6-5, 270). Of these players Alvis has been singled out by defensive coordinator Norm Parker as a player he thinks will make an impact. Along with Dominic I think Mike Hardy could make an impact in his redshirt season.
Defensive Tackle-
Returning as the full time starter for Iowa will be Mike Daniels (6-1, 280), or Diesel, as his teammates call him. Daniels is a guy who burst onto the scene last year and instantly won the affection of the Iowa fans with his high motor and energetic celebrations. Mike started in 8 games last season and accounted for 40 tackles and 4 sacks.
The starting position next to Mike will be up for grabs in the fall, Thomas Nardo (6-3, 270) and Carl Davis (6-5, 310) figure to be the front runners. Nardo is a veteran looking for his chance to make an impact while Davis will be a redshirt freshman who is maybe the biggest defensive tackle Iowa has had in several years. This could be a situation where Nardo will get the start to begin the season, but I fully expect Davis to be in the starting lineup before the end of the season.
Behind the three other defensive tackles will be junior Steve Bigach (6-3, 272) and red-shirt freshman Louis Trinca-Pasat (6-3, 250) and Donavan Johnson (6-3, 265). Don’t be surprised if the redshirt is also burned on incoming freshman Darian Cooper (6-1, 290). The high touted high school teammate of Marcus Coker chose Iowa over the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State. Cooper, like Carl Davis is coming to Iowa with a Big Ten ready body and could contribute in his first season on campus.
The three starters that the Hawkeyes lost from a season ago amassed an astounding 483 combined tackles, 90 tackles for loss, 42.5 sacks, and 38 quarterback hurries. Bottom line is that the players that left from last year’s team produced when they were on the field. Gone is Adrian Clayborn, Karl Klug, and Christian Ballard, who were all drafted into the NFL.
In a lot of ways, the 2011 defensive line will resemble the 2005 one that had to replace Matt Roth, Jonathan Babineaux, Tyler Luebke, and Derreck Robinson. Most of those players were unknown, but turned out to be Kenny Iwebema, Bryan Mattison, Matt Kroul, and Mitch King, who have all cashed NFL paychecks. Point being, just because you don’t recognize their name now, doesn’t mean they won’t be great players.
Defensive End-
It is never a good thing when you lose one and half starters (I consider Ballard ½ because he started at DE half the time last year) and it’s no different for Iowa. Returning for Iowa will be Broderick Binns (6-2, 261), who by all accounts had a down year after a promising sophomore campaign. As a sophomore he accumulated 58 tackles and 6 sacks, while last season he only tallied 36 tackles and no sacks. With this being his last season, it is put up or shut up time for a player that has shown flashes of great play over his career.
Looking to break into the starting lineup opposite of Binns will be LeBron Daniel (6-2, 250), the Ohio native will be going into his final season in a Hawkeye uniform looking to make the most of his chance to finally start.
Behind Daniel is more unproven players in senior Joe Forgy (6-4, 260), junior Joe Gaglione (6-47, 250), sophomores Dominic Alvis (6-4, 250) and Scott Covert (6-2, 240) , and redshirt freshman Mike Hardy (6-5, 270). Of these players Alvis has been singled out by defensive coordinator Norm Parker as a player he thinks will make an impact. Along with Dominic I think Mike Hardy could make an impact in his redshirt season.
Defensive Tackle-
Returning as the full time starter for Iowa will be Mike Daniels (6-1, 280), or Diesel, as his teammates call him. Daniels is a guy who burst onto the scene last year and instantly won the affection of the Iowa fans with his high motor and energetic celebrations. Mike started in 8 games last season and accounted for 40 tackles and 4 sacks.
The starting position next to Mike will be up for grabs in the fall, Thomas Nardo (6-3, 270) and Carl Davis (6-5, 310) figure to be the front runners. Nardo is a veteran looking for his chance to make an impact while Davis will be a redshirt freshman who is maybe the biggest defensive tackle Iowa has had in several years. This could be a situation where Nardo will get the start to begin the season, but I fully expect Davis to be in the starting lineup before the end of the season.
Behind the three other defensive tackles will be junior Steve Bigach (6-3, 272) and red-shirt freshman Louis Trinca-Pasat (6-3, 250) and Donavan Johnson (6-3, 265). Don’t be surprised if the redshirt is also burned on incoming freshman Darian Cooper (6-1, 290). The high touted high school teammate of Marcus Coker chose Iowa over the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State. Cooper, like Carl Davis is coming to Iowa with a Big Ten ready body and could contribute in his first season on campus.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Pre-Summer Offensive Line Outlook
Pre Summer Offensive Line Outlook
Something that has become a staple in the Ferentz era is quality offensive line play. Even in years where the offensive line isn’t supposed to be good in the end they still end up being a solid unit. Junior Riley Reiff will anchor a unit that boasts 58 career starts. Reiff has started 23 career games already, all in the last two years. The All-American candidate is one of the best in the Big Ten and the NCAA and will have a big decision after the season on whether he comes back for his senior season or not. Joining Riley as the other tackle will be Markus Zusevics, who started every game last season. He is overshadowed by Reiff, but Zus, as he is known as, is another in a long list of solid offensive tackles at Iowa. Joining Reiff and Zusevics as a starter of every game last season is James Ferentz. Let’s be honest, James was born and breed to be a center in this offense. He has learned the ropes from both his dad and his older brother, Brian. From the time that he was born he has been learning the zone blocking scheme and going into his junior season, he has proven that he knows it very well. In the zone blocking scheme the center is the most important position because he makes the line calls and essentially tells every other offensive lineman who he is blocking on that play. Joining the three incumbents will be guards Adam Gettis and Nolan MacMillan, who between them have 9 career starts. Last season both Gettis and MacMillan were hampered by injuries and look to regain their starting spots now that they are healthy. While those two will be the front runners for the guard positions, don’t sleep on Brandon Scherff making his way into the starting lineup. Along with Scherff, the other backups looking for playing time will be tackles Andrew Donnal and Brett Van Sloten, guards Woody Orne and Drew Clark, and center Conor Boffeli. Junior college transfer Dan Heiar would have figured into the mix of offensive lineman; however he is still recovering from a car accident this spring and may or may not be back with the team. If in fall camp Iowa can get a top five and stick with that unit for the majority of the season they will be one of the best units in the Big Ten as well as the nation.
Something that has become a staple in the Ferentz era is quality offensive line play. Even in years where the offensive line isn’t supposed to be good in the end they still end up being a solid unit. Junior Riley Reiff will anchor a unit that boasts 58 career starts. Reiff has started 23 career games already, all in the last two years. The All-American candidate is one of the best in the Big Ten and the NCAA and will have a big decision after the season on whether he comes back for his senior season or not. Joining Riley as the other tackle will be Markus Zusevics, who started every game last season. He is overshadowed by Reiff, but Zus, as he is known as, is another in a long list of solid offensive tackles at Iowa. Joining Reiff and Zusevics as a starter of every game last season is James Ferentz. Let’s be honest, James was born and breed to be a center in this offense. He has learned the ropes from both his dad and his older brother, Brian. From the time that he was born he has been learning the zone blocking scheme and going into his junior season, he has proven that he knows it very well. In the zone blocking scheme the center is the most important position because he makes the line calls and essentially tells every other offensive lineman who he is blocking on that play. Joining the three incumbents will be guards Adam Gettis and Nolan MacMillan, who between them have 9 career starts. Last season both Gettis and MacMillan were hampered by injuries and look to regain their starting spots now that they are healthy. While those two will be the front runners for the guard positions, don’t sleep on Brandon Scherff making his way into the starting lineup. Along with Scherff, the other backups looking for playing time will be tackles Andrew Donnal and Brett Van Sloten, guards Woody Orne and Drew Clark, and center Conor Boffeli. Junior college transfer Dan Heiar would have figured into the mix of offensive lineman; however he is still recovering from a car accident this spring and may or may not be back with the team. If in fall camp Iowa can get a top five and stick with that unit for the majority of the season they will be one of the best units in the Big Ten as well as the nation.
Monday, June 27, 2011
View from the Water tower: An aerial view of the Hawkeyes and Big Ten Football
Records are made to be broken-
Last year we saw both the career receptions record and the career receiving yards records fall. Taking a quick look at the stats for some current Hawks, here are the ones I think could be in jeopardy career wise over the next couple years.
Career receiving touchdowns – Current record is 21 - Marvin McNutt has 16
This record should fall this season barring an injury to Marvin, which will make all three major career receiving records broken in a two year span.
Career rushing yards – Current record is 4,156 – Marcus Coker has 622
It seems like he is a long ways away from that record, but if he stays for all four years and is injury free he would have to average 1,178 yards per season. Longshot yes, but if he has the kind of season we all hope he does this year, he could get a lot closer to this record. Over the last five years Iowa has averaged 455 rushing attempts a year, take away the 50 carries by the quarterback and you have roughly 400 carries to be had. Depending on how the young running backs come around could determine how close Marcus gets. If he gets 200 carries a season he would need to average 5.9 yards per carry, if he gets 225 carries he would need to average 5.2 yards per carry. Note that last year he averaged 5.5 yards per carry.
Career tackles – Current record is 492 – James Morris has 70
Again this number seems unattainable, but Morris has shown a knack for finding the ball and an offseason of weight gain and film study will only help him. In games that he started, he averaged 7 tackles a game as an undersized true freshman. Over the next three years he would have to average 11 stops per game, so not a slam dunk, but attainable. For a reference, Pat Angerer averaged 10.3 tackles per game as a senior.
Wilson to Wisconsin –
The Big Ten landscape changed today when Russell Wilson decided to transfer to Wisconsin after graduating from NC State. A NCAA rule that allows a player that has graduated from one university to transfer to a new division 1 school and play right away if his previous school does not offer his intended graduate degree will allow Russell to be eligible this fall. This news coupled with the suspensions and turmoil going on at Ohio State makes Wisconsin the front runner for both the Leaders division and a dark horse national champion pick. What we don’t know is how he will fit into the scheme that Wisconsin uses, last season he averaged over 40 passing attempts per game and was the team’s best running threat. At Wisconsin he will only pass it 20-25 times a game and be asked to hand the ball off. Another thing that is often overlooked is familiarity with his teammates, in his three years at NC State his top two receivers were the same all three years and the top four receivers were the same the last two, his best with the Wolfpack. Coming into Wisconsin he will have to get acclimated to a new offense, teammates, coaching staff, school, conference, and weather. Russell is a great talent, however time will tell if he will be a good fit with the Badgers or not.
Last year we saw both the career receptions record and the career receiving yards records fall. Taking a quick look at the stats for some current Hawks, here are the ones I think could be in jeopardy career wise over the next couple years.
Career receiving touchdowns – Current record is 21 - Marvin McNutt has 16
This record should fall this season barring an injury to Marvin, which will make all three major career receiving records broken in a two year span.
Career rushing yards – Current record is 4,156 – Marcus Coker has 622
It seems like he is a long ways away from that record, but if he stays for all four years and is injury free he would have to average 1,178 yards per season. Longshot yes, but if he has the kind of season we all hope he does this year, he could get a lot closer to this record. Over the last five years Iowa has averaged 455 rushing attempts a year, take away the 50 carries by the quarterback and you have roughly 400 carries to be had. Depending on how the young running backs come around could determine how close Marcus gets. If he gets 200 carries a season he would need to average 5.9 yards per carry, if he gets 225 carries he would need to average 5.2 yards per carry. Note that last year he averaged 5.5 yards per carry.
Career tackles – Current record is 492 – James Morris has 70
Again this number seems unattainable, but Morris has shown a knack for finding the ball and an offseason of weight gain and film study will only help him. In games that he started, he averaged 7 tackles a game as an undersized true freshman. Over the next three years he would have to average 11 stops per game, so not a slam dunk, but attainable. For a reference, Pat Angerer averaged 10.3 tackles per game as a senior.
Wilson to Wisconsin –
The Big Ten landscape changed today when Russell Wilson decided to transfer to Wisconsin after graduating from NC State. A NCAA rule that allows a player that has graduated from one university to transfer to a new division 1 school and play right away if his previous school does not offer his intended graduate degree will allow Russell to be eligible this fall. This news coupled with the suspensions and turmoil going on at Ohio State makes Wisconsin the front runner for both the Leaders division and a dark horse national champion pick. What we don’t know is how he will fit into the scheme that Wisconsin uses, last season he averaged over 40 passing attempts per game and was the team’s best running threat. At Wisconsin he will only pass it 20-25 times a game and be asked to hand the ball off. Another thing that is often overlooked is familiarity with his teammates, in his three years at NC State his top two receivers were the same all three years and the top four receivers were the same the last two, his best with the Wolfpack. Coming into Wisconsin he will have to get acclimated to a new offense, teammates, coaching staff, school, conference, and weather. Russell is a great talent, however time will tell if he will be a good fit with the Badgers or not.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Pre-Summer Pass Catchers Outlook
Wide Receiver-
Gone is the receiver that re-wrote the Iowa record books. Derell Johnson-Koulianos has exhausted his eligibility with the Iowa Hawkeyes, but he left his mark on the football program both positively and negatively. Looking to step into the spotlight will be Marvin McNutt and Keenan Davis, who are widely regarded as the top two receivers going into summer workouts. McNutt has gone from third string quarterback to receiver flirting with his own records. He led the Hawkeye team in receptions and yards last season even though he is still learning the position. He has proven to be a threat in the red zone with his ability to position his body against the defender and then out jump anyone. Look for Marvin to have a monster year as the #1 receiver. If McNutt garners double teams, it will open things up for Davis, a junior who came to Iowa via Cedar Rapids Washington. He has seen action each of his first two seasons on the field, albeit in limited time spelling DJK and McNutt. In his short career he has grabbed 15 balls. Look for Davis to flourish in the #2 role and relieve some of the increased pressure that McNutt will surely see. With the top two receiver slots penciled in, the battle for the backup roles and the time at slot receiver will be intense. The top contenders are Jordan Cotton, Don Shumpert, Kevonte Martin-Manley, Blake Haluska, and Steven Staggs. Cotton arrived on campus with much fanfare, but has yet to make any impact. This spring Shumpert was praised by the coaching staff and made some impressive catches in the spring game. Early this spring DJK made waves with his tweet that Martin-Manley would break all of his records, pretty high praise for a guy who has yet to see the field. Haluska and Staggs are both Iowa born players and could get their shot this year. Don’t expect any contributors form the incoming freshman Marcus Grant. In my opinion it will be a four man rotation between McNutt, Davis, KMM, and Shumpert with Cotton, Staggs, and Haluska contributing on special teams and vying their time.
Tight Ends
For a lot of teams in the nation the tight end is either a glorified offensive lineman or another wide receiver. At Iowa they are both and even in the middle of the field you might find Iowa in a two tight end formation. Typically what you find is that Iowa has one tight end that is the better blocker and one that is a better pass catcher. Last year Brad Herman was the blocker and Allen Reisner was the route runner. Resiner has graduated and whether or not Herman moves over to the pass catcher or stays as the blocker remains to be seen. In his career Herman has grabbed 10 passes, nine of which were last season and six of those were in two games. He did however average 17 yards per catch last year, which is remarkably high for a tight end. Joining Herman as a primary tight end will probably be C.J. Fiedorowicz, who saw action last year as a true freshman. After an offseason in the weight room, C.J. could become the main tight end. He has yet to make his first career reception, but gained valuable time as the third tight end last season. Following the first two will be Zach Derby and Austin Vier. Derby will be a Junior and Vier a redshirt freshman and will be battling for that #3 TE spot. Derby has the obvious upper hand seeing’s how Vier is a year removed from being a high school quarterback. Joining this foursome this summer will be incoming freshman Jake Duzey, Ray Hamilton, and Henry Krieger-Coble all of whom were considered in the top 50 tight ends of last season’s recruiting class. If any of them play it will probably be Hamilton, who appears to be the most ready. Duzey is on the smaller side and don’t rule out a position change for Kreiger-Coble, who was a very good linebacker in high school.
Gone is the receiver that re-wrote the Iowa record books. Derell Johnson-Koulianos has exhausted his eligibility with the Iowa Hawkeyes, but he left his mark on the football program both positively and negatively. Looking to step into the spotlight will be Marvin McNutt and Keenan Davis, who are widely regarded as the top two receivers going into summer workouts. McNutt has gone from third string quarterback to receiver flirting with his own records. He led the Hawkeye team in receptions and yards last season even though he is still learning the position. He has proven to be a threat in the red zone with his ability to position his body against the defender and then out jump anyone. Look for Marvin to have a monster year as the #1 receiver. If McNutt garners double teams, it will open things up for Davis, a junior who came to Iowa via Cedar Rapids Washington. He has seen action each of his first two seasons on the field, albeit in limited time spelling DJK and McNutt. In his short career he has grabbed 15 balls. Look for Davis to flourish in the #2 role and relieve some of the increased pressure that McNutt will surely see. With the top two receiver slots penciled in, the battle for the backup roles and the time at slot receiver will be intense. The top contenders are Jordan Cotton, Don Shumpert, Kevonte Martin-Manley, Blake Haluska, and Steven Staggs. Cotton arrived on campus with much fanfare, but has yet to make any impact. This spring Shumpert was praised by the coaching staff and made some impressive catches in the spring game. Early this spring DJK made waves with his tweet that Martin-Manley would break all of his records, pretty high praise for a guy who has yet to see the field. Haluska and Staggs are both Iowa born players and could get their shot this year. Don’t expect any contributors form the incoming freshman Marcus Grant. In my opinion it will be a four man rotation between McNutt, Davis, KMM, and Shumpert with Cotton, Staggs, and Haluska contributing on special teams and vying their time.
Tight Ends
For a lot of teams in the nation the tight end is either a glorified offensive lineman or another wide receiver. At Iowa they are both and even in the middle of the field you might find Iowa in a two tight end formation. Typically what you find is that Iowa has one tight end that is the better blocker and one that is a better pass catcher. Last year Brad Herman was the blocker and Allen Reisner was the route runner. Resiner has graduated and whether or not Herman moves over to the pass catcher or stays as the blocker remains to be seen. In his career Herman has grabbed 10 passes, nine of which were last season and six of those were in two games. He did however average 17 yards per catch last year, which is remarkably high for a tight end. Joining Herman as a primary tight end will probably be C.J. Fiedorowicz, who saw action last year as a true freshman. After an offseason in the weight room, C.J. could become the main tight end. He has yet to make his first career reception, but gained valuable time as the third tight end last season. Following the first two will be Zach Derby and Austin Vier. Derby will be a Junior and Vier a redshirt freshman and will be battling for that #3 TE spot. Derby has the obvious upper hand seeing’s how Vier is a year removed from being a high school quarterback. Joining this foursome this summer will be incoming freshman Jake Duzey, Ray Hamilton, and Henry Krieger-Coble all of whom were considered in the top 50 tight ends of last season’s recruiting class. If any of them play it will probably be Hamilton, who appears to be the most ready. Duzey is on the smaller side and don’t rule out a position change for Kreiger-Coble, who was a very good linebacker in high school.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Pre-Summer Offensive Backfield Outlook
Spring practice is over, the spring semester of classes is over, and it is now Chris Doyle time. Summer workouts have started and incoming freshman have started to arrive to prepare for their first year of collegiate football. Today I will take a look at what Iowa’s offense will look like this fall.
Quarterback-
When you graduate one of the best quarterbacks in your schools recent history, you can expect a drop-off in play. Ricky Stanzi graduated after being the starter for 2+ years and the heir apparent is James Vandenberg. Two years ago we got a glimpse of what James could do when he almost led the team to a victory at Ohio State with a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line. In his first career start Vandenberg gave Iowa fans hope for the future, however the following week against Minnesota James again looked like a freshman only completing 46% of his passes and seeming lost recognizing the blitz. On the bright side, Vandenberg in my opinion throws a better ball than Stanzi, he has more velocity and can fit the ball into spots that Ricky couldn’t. The things that he has to work on most this summer would be making the touch pass, something that the Iowa offense relies on. Vandenberg’s backup is going to be a toss-up, coming out of spring it was a co-backup in A.J. Derby and John Weinke. Neither of the backups has ever seen snaps as collegiate players and are still virtually unknown. Both came to Iowa with plenty of accolades, albeit in different areas, Weinke being more of a drop back passer and Derby as run/pass threat. Who wins this battle is a pretty big deal, if Weinke wins, you could see Derby move positions or at least get some time at special teams, where he could put his athletic ability to work. If Derby wins out, you could see Weinke transfer to get some playing time. Incoming freshman Jake Rudock comes to Iowa from Florida, where he led his team to the state title. Barring a bevy of injuries he will be the scout team quarterback during his redshirt season.
Running Back-
Remember last season at this time when we were all trying to figure out how the carries would get divvied out with the three experienced running backs Iowa had coming back? All three of them are no longer with the team and a true freshman, Marcus Coker, set an Iowa bowl record for rushing yards in the Insight Bowl. Coker will be the #1 back going into the season without a doubt, but even that should be worrisome. We have yet to see how durable he is; he missed part of fall camp last year with a broken collar bone and who knows if he will be able to carry the ball 250+ times like Iowa likes their running backs to do. What he did show last year is knowledge of the one-cut Iowa offense and the ability to get upfield quickly and eliminate negative plays. For a true freshman he also showed an above average ability to block in the passing game and in limited attempts the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. As far as the backup running back goes it will be determined in the fall. On campus now you have walk-on Jason White, who has one career carry and redshirt freshman De’Andre Johnson and Marcus Binns. Johnson was the talk of the message boards last season after performing quite well at the kid’s day open practice. He was coming off of an ACL injury his senior season of high school and used his red-shirt last season. He averaged 6.7 yards per carry as a sophomore and junior in high school before missing his senior season. He is the kind of player that could come in and be a change of pace back for Iowa. Binns is the brother of defensive end Broderick Binns and was also a talented high school player, rushing for over 2,800 yards in three years. Coming this fall as freshman will be Jordan Canzeri, Damon Bullock, and Mika’il McCall. Of these three look for McCall to have the best shot at playing as a true freshman, but it will all depend on whether or not the coaches feel they can trust the player to hold onto the ball and be able to block. We have seen in the past that Coach Ferentz will keep a player off the field if he doesn’t think they can do anything asked of them.
Fullback-
This is a position that has for the most part disappeared in the spread offense fad that is spreading across the college football landscape. At Iowa it is nothing more than a glorified offensive guard. You will be asked to block and block some more and maybe get a handful of carries over the course of the season. Iowa graduated last season’s starter, Brett Morse, and last year’s backup, Brad Rodgers, hasn’t medically been cleared to resume football activities. Rodgers is a converted running back and has seemed to be a team player, moving to the unrecognized role of fullback. He has the ability to run the ball from the fullback position and that is something Iowa hasn’t seen in quite some time. If Rodgers can’t go this season, look for one of the following guys to move into that position: Jacob Reisen, Scott Covert, Matt Myers, or Mark Weisman. Reisen is a converted linebacker, but in high school he scored touchdowns on 20% of his carries, so he is experienced with the ball in his hands.
Quarterback-
When you graduate one of the best quarterbacks in your schools recent history, you can expect a drop-off in play. Ricky Stanzi graduated after being the starter for 2+ years and the heir apparent is James Vandenberg. Two years ago we got a glimpse of what James could do when he almost led the team to a victory at Ohio State with a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line. In his first career start Vandenberg gave Iowa fans hope for the future, however the following week against Minnesota James again looked like a freshman only completing 46% of his passes and seeming lost recognizing the blitz. On the bright side, Vandenberg in my opinion throws a better ball than Stanzi, he has more velocity and can fit the ball into spots that Ricky couldn’t. The things that he has to work on most this summer would be making the touch pass, something that the Iowa offense relies on. Vandenberg’s backup is going to be a toss-up, coming out of spring it was a co-backup in A.J. Derby and John Weinke. Neither of the backups has ever seen snaps as collegiate players and are still virtually unknown. Both came to Iowa with plenty of accolades, albeit in different areas, Weinke being more of a drop back passer and Derby as run/pass threat. Who wins this battle is a pretty big deal, if Weinke wins, you could see Derby move positions or at least get some time at special teams, where he could put his athletic ability to work. If Derby wins out, you could see Weinke transfer to get some playing time. Incoming freshman Jake Rudock comes to Iowa from Florida, where he led his team to the state title. Barring a bevy of injuries he will be the scout team quarterback during his redshirt season.
Running Back-
Remember last season at this time when we were all trying to figure out how the carries would get divvied out with the three experienced running backs Iowa had coming back? All three of them are no longer with the team and a true freshman, Marcus Coker, set an Iowa bowl record for rushing yards in the Insight Bowl. Coker will be the #1 back going into the season without a doubt, but even that should be worrisome. We have yet to see how durable he is; he missed part of fall camp last year with a broken collar bone and who knows if he will be able to carry the ball 250+ times like Iowa likes their running backs to do. What he did show last year is knowledge of the one-cut Iowa offense and the ability to get upfield quickly and eliminate negative plays. For a true freshman he also showed an above average ability to block in the passing game and in limited attempts the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. As far as the backup running back goes it will be determined in the fall. On campus now you have walk-on Jason White, who has one career carry and redshirt freshman De’Andre Johnson and Marcus Binns. Johnson was the talk of the message boards last season after performing quite well at the kid’s day open practice. He was coming off of an ACL injury his senior season of high school and used his red-shirt last season. He averaged 6.7 yards per carry as a sophomore and junior in high school before missing his senior season. He is the kind of player that could come in and be a change of pace back for Iowa. Binns is the brother of defensive end Broderick Binns and was also a talented high school player, rushing for over 2,800 yards in three years. Coming this fall as freshman will be Jordan Canzeri, Damon Bullock, and Mika’il McCall. Of these three look for McCall to have the best shot at playing as a true freshman, but it will all depend on whether or not the coaches feel they can trust the player to hold onto the ball and be able to block. We have seen in the past that Coach Ferentz will keep a player off the field if he doesn’t think they can do anything asked of them.
Fullback-
This is a position that has for the most part disappeared in the spread offense fad that is spreading across the college football landscape. At Iowa it is nothing more than a glorified offensive guard. You will be asked to block and block some more and maybe get a handful of carries over the course of the season. Iowa graduated last season’s starter, Brett Morse, and last year’s backup, Brad Rodgers, hasn’t medically been cleared to resume football activities. Rodgers is a converted running back and has seemed to be a team player, moving to the unrecognized role of fullback. He has the ability to run the ball from the fullback position and that is something Iowa hasn’t seen in quite some time. If Rodgers can’t go this season, look for one of the following guys to move into that position: Jacob Reisen, Scott Covert, Matt Myers, or Mark Weisman. Reisen is a converted linebacker, but in high school he scored touchdowns on 20% of his carries, so he is experienced with the ball in his hands.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
View from the Watertower, an aerial view of the Hawkeyes
The Big Ten coaches meetings are underway this week in Chicago and surprisingly there have been several news stories about the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Adam Robinson is no longer a Hawkeye. Now this isn’t really news since he hasn’t been with the team since his December suspension. However this week head coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed that Adam will not be a member of the football team again and will be transferring. With the lack of proven running back depth, many fans were hoping that Adam would right the ship and be welcomed back on the team. Look for Adam to surface at the D2 level, most likely UNI, where he would still have two years to play. More information can be found here:
http://hawkcentral.com/2011/05/17/mother_says_ex_rb_adam_robinson_will_transfer/
Brad Rodgers still isn’t working out. In preparation for the bowl game last year it was discovered that RB Brad Rodgers has a heart condition and he has not worked out since that time. This week Ferentz confirmed that they are optimistic that Brad will be able to resume football activities sometime this summer and be ready for the season to start. This could be a big deal for Iowa as Brad is the only fullback on the roster to have any experience and the fact that he could carry the ball as well as block would give Iowa something they haven’t had since Jason Allen.
Hawks under the knife. Jim Poggi, who was one of the 13 that suffered from rhabdomyolysis, has had two off-season shoulder surgeries and could be looking at a medical red shirt this season. Poggi red shirted last season in his first season with the Hawks. Receiver Marvin McNutt and Tanner Miller are both on track to resume football activities this summer after having shoulder surgeries in the off season.
Night game. Kirk Ferentz hinted that he believes that Iowa will only have one night game this fall. Speculation has been rampant that it will be October 15, when Northwestern visits Kinnick Stadium. With the Wildcats recent domination of Iowa, it could be a very big game for Iowa. You can read about this stories here:
http://thegazette.com/2011/05/18/rogers-still-waiting-and-a-boatload-of-other-notes/
Making the grade. Ferentz confirmed today that prize 2011 recruit, RB Rodney Coe, has not qualified for admission yet. Apparently he needs to raise his ACT/SAT score and Ferentz seemed optimistic that this would happen. If he doesn’t get the score needed, hopefully Iowa will help get him into a prep school or JUCO and keep tabs on him.
Adam Robinson is no longer a Hawkeye. Now this isn’t really news since he hasn’t been with the team since his December suspension. However this week head coach Kirk Ferentz confirmed that Adam will not be a member of the football team again and will be transferring. With the lack of proven running back depth, many fans were hoping that Adam would right the ship and be welcomed back on the team. Look for Adam to surface at the D2 level, most likely UNI, where he would still have two years to play. More information can be found here:
http://hawkcentral.com/2011/05/17/mother_says_ex_rb_adam_robinson_will_transfer/
Brad Rodgers still isn’t working out. In preparation for the bowl game last year it was discovered that RB Brad Rodgers has a heart condition and he has not worked out since that time. This week Ferentz confirmed that they are optimistic that Brad will be able to resume football activities sometime this summer and be ready for the season to start. This could be a big deal for Iowa as Brad is the only fullback on the roster to have any experience and the fact that he could carry the ball as well as block would give Iowa something they haven’t had since Jason Allen.
Hawks under the knife. Jim Poggi, who was one of the 13 that suffered from rhabdomyolysis, has had two off-season shoulder surgeries and could be looking at a medical red shirt this season. Poggi red shirted last season in his first season with the Hawks. Receiver Marvin McNutt and Tanner Miller are both on track to resume football activities this summer after having shoulder surgeries in the off season.
Night game. Kirk Ferentz hinted that he believes that Iowa will only have one night game this fall. Speculation has been rampant that it will be October 15, when Northwestern visits Kinnick Stadium. With the Wildcats recent domination of Iowa, it could be a very big game for Iowa. You can read about this stories here:
http://thegazette.com/2011/05/18/rogers-still-waiting-and-a-boatload-of-other-notes/
Making the grade. Ferentz confirmed today that prize 2011 recruit, RB Rodney Coe, has not qualified for admission yet. Apparently he needs to raise his ACT/SAT score and Ferentz seemed optimistic that this would happen. If he doesn’t get the score needed, hopefully Iowa will help get him into a prep school or JUCO and keep tabs on him.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Draft Recap
The NFL draft has come and gone and for the second straight year Iowa led the Big Ten in players drafted and third nationally with 12 players drafted over the last two years. Here are the players that were drafted and where they went:
Adrian Clayborn
Tampa Bay
#20 - Round 1
This was about the perfect spot for Clayborn to be drafted and team to play for. Did he lose money by coming back for his senior year, probably, but he is also going to a team much closer to winning rather than going to one that isn't very close. He was one of two defensive ends selected by Tampa Bay and should have an oppertunity to step in and start from day one. Pairing Clayborn with fellow rookie in Da'Quan Bowers at the ends with second year defensive tackle Gerald McCoy will give the Bucs a young and talanted front.
Christian Ballard
Minnesota
#106 - Round 4
Ballard made a huge personal and financial mistake by testing positive for marijuana at the combine, dropping him from a probably second round selection to the fourth. However he was drafted into a great position in Minnesota. They have a great defense already and the head coach, Leslie Frasher is the former defensive coordinator. They have two aging defensive tackles and one of them is suspended for the first four games, leaving the door open for Christian to step in and play immediatley.
Ricky Stanzi
Kansas City
#135 - Round 5
Stanzi to the Chiefs makes a lot of sense...I just thought it'd happen earlier. KC's general manager is Scott Pioli who is a friend of Coach Ferentz. He is also the man who drafted Tom Brady (just another Stanzi-Brady similarity). Stanzi will be in a good position in KC learning the system behind Matt Cassel.
Karl Klug
Tennessee
#142 - Round 5
This was a surprising pick to me. Klug is somewhat undersized for the defensive line so I didn't expect him to go this high. Tennessee, though, was kind of desperate on defense and looking for some versatile players. They also had a lot of success with another former undersized defensive lineman from Iowa in Jarred Clauss.
Julian Vandervelde
Philadelphia
#162 - Round 5
This was another kind of surprising pick. Vandervelde was always a good player, but never blew me away. He is known for being smart though, and I think learning zone blocking from Ferentz at Iowa boosted his draftability greatly. The Eagles took 3 O-linemen in the draft (all 3 are likely interior guys too), so there will plenty of competition for Vandervelde. In a pinch he could also slide over to play center and provide depth that way.
Tyler Sash
New York
#198 - Round 6
Sash really fell in the draft and the Giants walked away with a motivated player. I thought he'd go around the 4th round or so, but he finally had his named called in the 6th. It looks like the Giants will be running the Tampa 2 on defense, so Sash should be a good fit. They have three safties on the roster already, but Sash should be able to step in either safety position and play special teams immediatly.
Free Agents-
Ryan Donahue
Allen Reisner
Jermiah Hunter
Jeff Tarpinian
DJK
Brett Greenwood
Adrian Clayborn
Tampa Bay
#20 - Round 1
This was about the perfect spot for Clayborn to be drafted and team to play for. Did he lose money by coming back for his senior year, probably, but he is also going to a team much closer to winning rather than going to one that isn't very close. He was one of two defensive ends selected by Tampa Bay and should have an oppertunity to step in and start from day one. Pairing Clayborn with fellow rookie in Da'Quan Bowers at the ends with second year defensive tackle Gerald McCoy will give the Bucs a young and talanted front.
Christian Ballard
Minnesota
#106 - Round 4
Ballard made a huge personal and financial mistake by testing positive for marijuana at the combine, dropping him from a probably second round selection to the fourth. However he was drafted into a great position in Minnesota. They have a great defense already and the head coach, Leslie Frasher is the former defensive coordinator. They have two aging defensive tackles and one of them is suspended for the first four games, leaving the door open for Christian to step in and play immediatley.
Ricky Stanzi
Kansas City
#135 - Round 5
Stanzi to the Chiefs makes a lot of sense...I just thought it'd happen earlier. KC's general manager is Scott Pioli who is a friend of Coach Ferentz. He is also the man who drafted Tom Brady (just another Stanzi-Brady similarity). Stanzi will be in a good position in KC learning the system behind Matt Cassel.
Karl Klug
Tennessee
#142 - Round 5
This was a surprising pick to me. Klug is somewhat undersized for the defensive line so I didn't expect him to go this high. Tennessee, though, was kind of desperate on defense and looking for some versatile players. They also had a lot of success with another former undersized defensive lineman from Iowa in Jarred Clauss.
Julian Vandervelde
Philadelphia
#162 - Round 5
This was another kind of surprising pick. Vandervelde was always a good player, but never blew me away. He is known for being smart though, and I think learning zone blocking from Ferentz at Iowa boosted his draftability greatly. The Eagles took 3 O-linemen in the draft (all 3 are likely interior guys too), so there will plenty of competition for Vandervelde. In a pinch he could also slide over to play center and provide depth that way.
Tyler Sash
New York
#198 - Round 6
Sash really fell in the draft and the Giants walked away with a motivated player. I thought he'd go around the 4th round or so, but he finally had his named called in the 6th. It looks like the Giants will be running the Tampa 2 on defense, so Sash should be a good fit. They have three safties on the roster already, but Sash should be able to step in either safety position and play special teams immediatly.
Free Agents-
Ryan Donahue
Allen Reisner
Jermiah Hunter
Jeff Tarpinian
DJK
Brett Greenwood
Early Schedule Look
The 2011 schedule is out and here is an early look at it:
9/3 – Tennessee Tech
9/10 - @ Iowa State
9/17 – Pittsburgh
9/24 – Louisiana Monroe
10/1 – BYE
10/8 - @ Penn State
10/15 – Northwestern
10/22 – Indiana
10/29 - @ Minnesota
11/5 – Michigan
11/12 – Michigan State
11/19 - @ Purdue
11/26 - @ Nebraska
Key Non-Conference Game-
While the annual Iowa State game is huge for the fans and players from the state, I think that the Pittsburgh game is bigger this year. First off, with all the lumps that the Big Ten has taken in BCS bowls the last several years, the conference as a whole needs to win all the out of conference games against fellow BCS conference teams. Three years ago, Iowa let the game at Pittsburgh slip through their fingertips, they need to redeem themselves for that game. And the last reason this game is bigger than the Iowa State game is exposure and recruiting. This will be one of two games that Iowa will play against teams from the east coast. Iowa has a history of great players from the area and getting some extra exposure certainly helps their chances.
Key Stretch-
There are several key stretches for this Iowa squad, but the most important stretch would be the first two Big Ten clashes of the season, at Penn State and hosting Northwestern. Now you may wonder why these two teams when Iowa has a trip to Nebraska and home games against both Michigan schools, and the reason is that those games don’t mean a thing if they can’t get through these two games. Of late, Iowa has been able to handle Penn State, but this will be the first visit to Happy Valley for many of players on this young Hawkeye team. If they can go into an environment like that and win, it could mean great things for the rest of the season. After their visit to Happy Valley, the Hawkeyes will entertain the Northwestern Wildcats, a team that is quickly becoming their Achilles heel. The Wildcats have beaten the Hawks five of the last 6 games even though they have been decided underdogs in all of those games. This season looks to have the same pre-game prognostication and the Hawks need to right the ship and get back to winning the games they are supposed to win.
Trap Game-
The Hawkeyes play host to both Michigan teams in Legends division matchups and end the season play at Nebraska, which could decide the Legends division. In between the Michigan State and Nebraska game is a trip to Lafayette to play Purdue. Iowa will undoubtedly be licking their wounds after two inter division games and possibly looking forward to the trip to play big red. Purdue is a team that has been down of late, but has shown signs of life under coach Danny Hope. It will be senior day at Ross-Ade Stadium and the Boilermakers could be in the hunt for bowl eligibility.
9/3 – Tennessee Tech
9/10 - @ Iowa State
9/17 – Pittsburgh
9/24 – Louisiana Monroe
10/1 – BYE
10/8 - @ Penn State
10/15 – Northwestern
10/22 – Indiana
10/29 - @ Minnesota
11/5 – Michigan
11/12 – Michigan State
11/19 - @ Purdue
11/26 - @ Nebraska
Key Non-Conference Game-
While the annual Iowa State game is huge for the fans and players from the state, I think that the Pittsburgh game is bigger this year. First off, with all the lumps that the Big Ten has taken in BCS bowls the last several years, the conference as a whole needs to win all the out of conference games against fellow BCS conference teams. Three years ago, Iowa let the game at Pittsburgh slip through their fingertips, they need to redeem themselves for that game. And the last reason this game is bigger than the Iowa State game is exposure and recruiting. This will be one of two games that Iowa will play against teams from the east coast. Iowa has a history of great players from the area and getting some extra exposure certainly helps their chances.
Key Stretch-
There are several key stretches for this Iowa squad, but the most important stretch would be the first two Big Ten clashes of the season, at Penn State and hosting Northwestern. Now you may wonder why these two teams when Iowa has a trip to Nebraska and home games against both Michigan schools, and the reason is that those games don’t mean a thing if they can’t get through these two games. Of late, Iowa has been able to handle Penn State, but this will be the first visit to Happy Valley for many of players on this young Hawkeye team. If they can go into an environment like that and win, it could mean great things for the rest of the season. After their visit to Happy Valley, the Hawkeyes will entertain the Northwestern Wildcats, a team that is quickly becoming their Achilles heel. The Wildcats have beaten the Hawks five of the last 6 games even though they have been decided underdogs in all of those games. This season looks to have the same pre-game prognostication and the Hawks need to right the ship and get back to winning the games they are supposed to win.
Trap Game-
The Hawkeyes play host to both Michigan teams in Legends division matchups and end the season play at Nebraska, which could decide the Legends division. In between the Michigan State and Nebraska game is a trip to Lafayette to play Purdue. Iowa will undoubtedly be licking their wounds after two inter division games and possibly looking forward to the trip to play big red. Purdue is a team that has been down of late, but has shown signs of life under coach Danny Hope. It will be senior day at Ross-Ade Stadium and the Boilermakers could be in the hunt for bowl eligibility.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Hawks in the draft
Once again several Hawkeyes will her their name called over the weekend at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Here is a quick run-down of where I think they will go in the draft and the ideal situation for that player.
Adrian Clayborn – late first round – possible suitors: Giants, Buccaneers, Eagles, Saints, or Falcons – A true 4-3 defensive end will find a home and be a reliable contributor for years to come
Christian Ballard – late second/early third – can play a 3-4 defensive end or 4-3 tackle/end - His versatility is what is the most intriguing part of Christian’s game, he can play multiple positions in either defense.
Ricky Stanzi – late third/early fourth – experts waver on where he will go and how productive he will be. I would compare him to Matt Schaub, smart player that will be a backup for a few years, but shine when he gets his chance
Tyler Sash – Fourth – Measurables won’t get him drafted, but a nose for the ball and what is between his ears will. Plays like a strong safety, but thinks like a free safety, will be able to play either at the next level
Ryan Donahue – Fifth – Much like Iowa did, some team will draft him and not worry about punting for years to come
Jeremiah Hunter – Sixth – A guy who started at OLB for three seasons at Iowa, never did anything flashy, but was never out of position either. Probably a backup and special teams player at the next level.
Karl Klug – Sixth – Maybe got the most out of his talent, has a motor that NFL teams love. I would liken him to Jared Clauss, keeps his pad level low and will be a 4-3 tackle.
Allen Reisner – Sixth – With more and more teams running two tight end sets, he will find a place to play, he blocks and makes all the catches.
Derrell Johnson-Koulianos – Seventh – doesn’t have ideal NFL wide receiver size or speed, but runs crisp routes and can contribute on special teams. Probably a fifth rounder without the character questions.
Brett Greenwood & Julian Vandervelde – FA’s - Brett and Julian have outside chances of getting drafted, but it is highly unlikely.
Adrian Clayborn – late first round – possible suitors: Giants, Buccaneers, Eagles, Saints, or Falcons – A true 4-3 defensive end will find a home and be a reliable contributor for years to come
Christian Ballard – late second/early third – can play a 3-4 defensive end or 4-3 tackle/end - His versatility is what is the most intriguing part of Christian’s game, he can play multiple positions in either defense.
Ricky Stanzi – late third/early fourth – experts waver on where he will go and how productive he will be. I would compare him to Matt Schaub, smart player that will be a backup for a few years, but shine when he gets his chance
Tyler Sash – Fourth – Measurables won’t get him drafted, but a nose for the ball and what is between his ears will. Plays like a strong safety, but thinks like a free safety, will be able to play either at the next level
Ryan Donahue – Fifth – Much like Iowa did, some team will draft him and not worry about punting for years to come
Jeremiah Hunter – Sixth – A guy who started at OLB for three seasons at Iowa, never did anything flashy, but was never out of position either. Probably a backup and special teams player at the next level.
Karl Klug – Sixth – Maybe got the most out of his talent, has a motor that NFL teams love. I would liken him to Jared Clauss, keeps his pad level low and will be a 4-3 tackle.
Allen Reisner – Sixth – With more and more teams running two tight end sets, he will find a place to play, he blocks and makes all the catches.
Derrell Johnson-Koulianos – Seventh – doesn’t have ideal NFL wide receiver size or speed, but runs crisp routes and can contribute on special teams. Probably a fifth rounder without the character questions.
Brett Greenwood & Julian Vandervelde – FA’s - Brett and Julian have outside chances of getting drafted, but it is highly unlikely.
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