Since they donate a ridiculous amount of money to the University, The Big Ten Network was granted entrance into Fort Kinnick to witness a practice yesterday the 25th. The Hawks were full pads and it was very interesting to see some of the drills that they do. Here is a rundown of what I saw at every position that was interesting:
QB- Stanzi is the manzi as they say and he looks to have put on some muscle since last year. In watching Rick's practice, you can easily tell that he is carrying himself differently and I have heard several times that he has become a leader on the team. He is seeing more of the field and has an overall better grasp of the offense then he did last year. The backup reps were split between Wienke and Vandenberg. Neither on stood out over the other one, they both throw a nice ball and have the potential to be good, but neither one probably knows the offense very well as they were both running the scout team a year ago. Speaking of scout team, the only other QB on the roster is Wyatt Suess, a walk-on that comes to the Hawks from Cedar Rapids.
RB- In my opinion this is the one position that scares me. Going into the spring we knew that Greene was gone, but had high hopes for Hampton. Now, a knee injury, and a tweak (whatever that means) later we are down to the second string. All fall long last year we kept hearing that Jeff Brinson would have split time at #2 with Hampton if it hadn't been for an illness in camp. However he hasn't made the anticipated strides from year one to year two and didn't get any reps of live action that I saw yesterday. I saw him warming up, but beyond that he was non-existent. That worries me a lot as Paki O'Meara and Adam Robinson took the bulk of the carries with the first team. Neither one of them is a "game changer," but both can be serviceable. Paki has more experience, but Robinson seems to have more talent, so you could see a committee to start the season. The other running back that saw reps was freshman Brandon Wegher, but a year with Doyle could help him as he looked a little on the small side.
TE- This Iowa team, not unlike almost all of Ferentz' teams have two solid tight ends in Moeaki and Reisner. There has never been a question of whether Tony has the skills, it has just been a matter of him staying healthy. He made a couple nice catches at practice yesterday and at times looks like the 6th OL in there. Reisner looks to be more of the H-back type of TE, and is a much better pass catcher than a blocker. Behind them JD Griggs was taking reps with the 2's along with Peterson.
WR- In my opinion this is the deepest wide receiver corps in the Ferentz era. They return Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Trey Stross, Paul Chaney, and Colin Sandeman with experience and add to that group converted QB Marvin McNutt and freshman Keenan Davis and you will have guys who don't get the playing time the probably deserve. Looked like McNutt and Stross were starting, but DJK didn't go because of an undisclosed injury. Chaney saw a lot of reps out of the slot and it looks like there is a conchies effort to use him as a weapon. Stross, if healthy, adds experience and is still waiting on his "moment." Davis looks and plays the part, however depth could see him getting less reps than he would have a year ago.
OL- One word, deep. The offensive line, which is one of Iowa's specialties is deep this year. They return five players with starting experience, anchored by tackles Bulaga and Calloway. Calloway will sit the first game, giving some backups some much needed playing time. At the guards yesterday were Adam Gettis and Dan Doering. Much like Stross, Doering is still waiting to live up to his potential. At center was a combination of Eubanks and Koeppel. Dace Richardson was taking reps at right tackle in anticipation of Calloway being out. Julian Vandevelde is a player that when he gets back from injury figures to be pushing for a starting spot somewhere along the line. Riley Reiff, Haganman, Ferentz, Kuempel, and MacMillan were running with the 2's. For the first couple of games you could see upwards of 10 guys getting reps until they find the best 5.
DL- If you lose two players with the experience of King and Kroul, you aren't supposed to be better, but this year's defensive line could be just that. Look for Iowa to line up with Clayborn and Binns on the ends and Klug and Ballard inside. Clayborn is just a man child and will only make himself and Bulaga better by the two future NFL players going against each other every day. Binns has been singled out several times by Ferentz since last season and is too good to keep off the field and might be Iowa's best pass rusher since Matt Roth. Ballard's athleticism inside reminds me of Jonathon Babineaux. Klug received Big Ten Player of the week honors last year in a backup role, so he has the skills and a motor to match. Lebron Daniel and Travis Meade will backup the tackles and Huntermark and Daniels backing up the ends.
LB- The trio of linebackers are probably the second best unit in the big ten behind Penn St., but that is nothing to sneeze about. Angerer is a tackling machine and plays a throw back kind of middle linebacker. Edds is a former TE that can run like a deer and is a three year starter. Hunter from ever thing I heard was in a race for his starting job with Jeff Tarpanian, but seems to have planted himself as the #1. So long as the defensive tackles do their job of keeping offensive lineman off of the LB's these guys will shine. The backups were Tarpanian at the will, Bruce Davis and Troy Johnson at the mike, and Tyler Nielsen at the leo. Did see in one drill where Iowa took a DL out and put Tarpanian in as almost a rover in the middle of the field behind the LB's.
DB- If Jordan Bernstein hadn't broken his ankle I would have went on a limb and said that this was the best defensive backfield of the Ferentz era. After he broke his ankle it is still good. Spievey will lock down one corner and cut the field down by a third. Shaun Prater will be the other corner, but is suspended for two games. That leaves the door open for William Lowe, Greg Castillo, or freshman Micah Hyde to step in and play early. The safeties will once again be Brett Greenwood and Tyler Sash, while neither is flashy, they epitomise an Iowa Hawkeye in that they just get the job done and don't make mistakes, guys that Norm Parker loves. The backups are Lowe, Castillo and Hyde at corner with David Cato and Jack Swanson at safety. Cato in my opinion could be a special teams leader this year, he likes to hit and has the same build as a former Hawk now playing safety for the Colts.
Spec- Donahue isn't going to get the most yards, but he hangs them high and gets very few return yards. Daniel Murray looks to have locked down the kicker job and you might see Mossbrucker take his redshirt and have three years to start after Murray is gone.
On a side not it was sad to see Jamie Murphy wearing a red jersey and will have a very limited role with the team on the field this year due to the effects of too many concussions. The Irish Car Bomb as he was appropriately nicknamed was one of my favorite Hawks to watch on special teams.
Check back this weekend for a preview of the Iowa vs UNI game.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Weekend of News
So usually the holiday weekend brings nothing much in the way of Hawkeye news, but this year was anything but. Jewell Hampton, who projected to be Iowa' opening game starter at tailback is reported to have injured his knee on Friday. The official diagnosis is not in yet, but rumors are rampant that it is a ligament tear and that he is done for the year. While this is bad news, I don't think we will have 2004 redux when Sam Brownlee led the team in rushing, for a couple reasons.
1. IF and I say if this is a season ender for Jewell, the good news is that he still has his red shirt year, so you don't have to worry about asking the NCAA for a medical red shirt, which can sometimes be tricky.
2. The injury occurs early enough that Iowa can plan around it, imagine if this had happened in late August? And if it is the dreaded ACL, then Jewell should have plenty of time for surgery and rehab and be 100% for fall ball 2010, or sooner if his rehab goes well.
3. Jeff Brinson isn't bad at all. Going in to last season it was said that both Jewell and Jeff were pretty equal in the abilities to help Iowa as freshman, I can't remember what gave Jewell the edge, but had Shonn Greene not exploded onto the scene we might have seen two true freshman running backs for Iowa last year play. Jeff is a player that coming out of high school spurred a last ditch all hands on deck recruiting effort from in-state power Florida State, to remain committed to play for the Hawks. Make no doubt about it, he has the talent to play in the big ten and be successful.
4. Brandon Wegher is already on campus and should be ready to contribute right away. Did the coaches want to have to use him as much as they probably will have to? No, but he has the skills to be effective with the ball in his hands and if he can pick up the blocking responsibilities, then he could see significant minutes this year.
5. What were we saying last year at this time? "Who is going to run the ball for us this year?" We knew that Shonn Greene was coming back, but nobody thought that he would have the kind of season that he did.
I am not saying that we are going to catch lightning in a bottle again, but I don't think we will go back to 2004 were we completely changed the playbook with our 5th string tailback either.
The other big news from the weekend was the Jacody Coleman had left the program to move closer to home in Texas. While he wasn't projected to start this year, he has started in the past and you hate to lose a guy that brought the kind of intensity that Jacody brought to the team. He will most likely be replaced by Bruce Davis from Ohio, who was that state's defensive MVP his senior year.
1. IF and I say if this is a season ender for Jewell, the good news is that he still has his red shirt year, so you don't have to worry about asking the NCAA for a medical red shirt, which can sometimes be tricky.
2. The injury occurs early enough that Iowa can plan around it, imagine if this had happened in late August? And if it is the dreaded ACL, then Jewell should have plenty of time for surgery and rehab and be 100% for fall ball 2010, or sooner if his rehab goes well.
3. Jeff Brinson isn't bad at all. Going in to last season it was said that both Jewell and Jeff were pretty equal in the abilities to help Iowa as freshman, I can't remember what gave Jewell the edge, but had Shonn Greene not exploded onto the scene we might have seen two true freshman running backs for Iowa last year play. Jeff is a player that coming out of high school spurred a last ditch all hands on deck recruiting effort from in-state power Florida State, to remain committed to play for the Hawks. Make no doubt about it, he has the talent to play in the big ten and be successful.
4. Brandon Wegher is already on campus and should be ready to contribute right away. Did the coaches want to have to use him as much as they probably will have to? No, but he has the skills to be effective with the ball in his hands and if he can pick up the blocking responsibilities, then he could see significant minutes this year.
5. What were we saying last year at this time? "Who is going to run the ball for us this year?" We knew that Shonn Greene was coming back, but nobody thought that he would have the kind of season that he did.
I am not saying that we are going to catch lightning in a bottle again, but I don't think we will go back to 2004 were we completely changed the playbook with our 5th string tailback either.
The other big news from the weekend was the Jacody Coleman had left the program to move closer to home in Texas. While he wasn't projected to start this year, he has started in the past and you hate to lose a guy that brought the kind of intensity that Jacody brought to the team. He will most likely be replaced by Bruce Davis from Ohio, who was that state's defensive MVP his senior year.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wish List
So as the summer nears its midway point, I thought that I would add my two cents into the recruiting picture. Recruits are busy making summer camps and some are nearing their decisions, here is what I would say is my top 5 list of recruits/positions that are still in need for Iowa:
1. Seantrel Henderson - OT - If Chris Doyle is not praying every night for this guy to commit, then we have issues. Henderson is a player that has the body, 6-8 300 lbs, and the athleticism, he has a basketball offer from Marquette, to step in as a true freshman and start on almost any team in the nation. One can only hope that he looks at the recent history of OL that the Hawks have put in the NFL and decides to play for Iowa. Although he will get a lot of pressure to stay close to home and play for the home state Gophers, Iowa already has two players from his high school on the roster in Broderick Binns and Rafeal Eubanks.
2. C.J. Fiedorowicz - TE - Coming out of Illinois, CJ reminds many people of another great high school TE to come out of the state in Tony Moeaki. CJ is the total package, along with having great hands and route running skills he can block with the best of them. With Iowa's recent history of sending TE's to the NFL, and the fact that their two starting TE's will be gone in two years, they figure to have a good shot of landing CJ's services.
3. QB - Sean Robinson, Hutson Mason, or AJ Derby - With not having a QB in the last two recruiting classes, Iowa may look at bringing in two with this class. Robinson is out of Illinois and seems to be more of a dual threat QB, rushing for over 1,000 yards last season. He has the prototypical QB size, standing 6'4" and 210 lbs. Mason is more of a traditional pocket QB and threw for over 3,700 yards and 31 TD's last season. He is from Georgia, but grew up in IL and is family friends with current Hawkeye Brad Herman. Iowa was his first offer and that means quite a bit to a lot of players. Derby is the wild card here, the Iowa City product plays QB in high school, but that could be more of a product of his athleticism and wanting to have the ball in his hands on every play. Several recruiting services have him projected at TE or LB at the college level, and Iowa has a track record of bringing in players at one position and turning them into stars at another. His recruiting is tough because if he wants to stay at QB, Iowa's current system isn't the best fit for his skills, he is of the same mold of Tim Tebow at Florida. But in a state like Iowa, you need to lock down the borders when it comes to the top recruits, which Iowa has been able to do in past years.
4. RB - Andre Dawson, James White, and Joe Randle - Iowa has a very good stable of running backs on campus already, but you can never have too many, see Iowa 2004. Dawson, 6'1" 200 lbs, is the local product from Cedar Rapids and grew up a Hawkeye fan, so you would assume that after watching Shonn Greene rip through the Big Ten he could see himself doing the same thing. I see him ending up about the same size as Greene and is the same type of runner from what I hear, very strong and powerful. White is out of Florida and a little bit smaller in size, 5'11" 190, doesn't have the high school production, but is a legit player at a high level in Florida. Randle is out of Kansas and is a newcomer to being thought of as an Iowa recruit. He had a great sophomore season, 1,700 yards 22 TD, but saw his production fall to 800 yards and 15 TD's his junior year. Any two of these players would be great additions to the Iowa backfield.
5. WR - Matt Milton - Up until last season, Iowa didn't have much luck in recruiting WR's with good size. This season they are among the leaders for Matt Milton, a 6'6" 200 lb receiver from IL. As a junior he grabbed 40 balls for just short of 800 yards and 9 TD's. The Iowa staff has had pretty good luck the last couple years and you have to think that that is directly a result of Coach Campbell coming on board. The facts don't lie, he has put several receivers into the National Football League and Milton brings the size and athleticism to be the next.
1. Seantrel Henderson - OT - If Chris Doyle is not praying every night for this guy to commit, then we have issues. Henderson is a player that has the body, 6-8 300 lbs, and the athleticism, he has a basketball offer from Marquette, to step in as a true freshman and start on almost any team in the nation. One can only hope that he looks at the recent history of OL that the Hawks have put in the NFL and decides to play for Iowa. Although he will get a lot of pressure to stay close to home and play for the home state Gophers, Iowa already has two players from his high school on the roster in Broderick Binns and Rafeal Eubanks.
2. C.J. Fiedorowicz - TE - Coming out of Illinois, CJ reminds many people of another great high school TE to come out of the state in Tony Moeaki. CJ is the total package, along with having great hands and route running skills he can block with the best of them. With Iowa's recent history of sending TE's to the NFL, and the fact that their two starting TE's will be gone in two years, they figure to have a good shot of landing CJ's services.
3. QB - Sean Robinson, Hutson Mason, or AJ Derby - With not having a QB in the last two recruiting classes, Iowa may look at bringing in two with this class. Robinson is out of Illinois and seems to be more of a dual threat QB, rushing for over 1,000 yards last season. He has the prototypical QB size, standing 6'4" and 210 lbs. Mason is more of a traditional pocket QB and threw for over 3,700 yards and 31 TD's last season. He is from Georgia, but grew up in IL and is family friends with current Hawkeye Brad Herman. Iowa was his first offer and that means quite a bit to a lot of players. Derby is the wild card here, the Iowa City product plays QB in high school, but that could be more of a product of his athleticism and wanting to have the ball in his hands on every play. Several recruiting services have him projected at TE or LB at the college level, and Iowa has a track record of bringing in players at one position and turning them into stars at another. His recruiting is tough because if he wants to stay at QB, Iowa's current system isn't the best fit for his skills, he is of the same mold of Tim Tebow at Florida. But in a state like Iowa, you need to lock down the borders when it comes to the top recruits, which Iowa has been able to do in past years.
4. RB - Andre Dawson, James White, and Joe Randle - Iowa has a very good stable of running backs on campus already, but you can never have too many, see Iowa 2004. Dawson, 6'1" 200 lbs, is the local product from Cedar Rapids and grew up a Hawkeye fan, so you would assume that after watching Shonn Greene rip through the Big Ten he could see himself doing the same thing. I see him ending up about the same size as Greene and is the same type of runner from what I hear, very strong and powerful. White is out of Florida and a little bit smaller in size, 5'11" 190, doesn't have the high school production, but is a legit player at a high level in Florida. Randle is out of Kansas and is a newcomer to being thought of as an Iowa recruit. He had a great sophomore season, 1,700 yards 22 TD, but saw his production fall to 800 yards and 15 TD's his junior year. Any two of these players would be great additions to the Iowa backfield.
5. WR - Matt Milton - Up until last season, Iowa didn't have much luck in recruiting WR's with good size. This season they are among the leaders for Matt Milton, a 6'6" 200 lb receiver from IL. As a junior he grabbed 40 balls for just short of 800 yards and 9 TD's. The Iowa staff has had pretty good luck the last couple years and you have to think that that is directly a result of Coach Campbell coming on board. The facts don't lie, he has put several receivers into the National Football League and Milton brings the size and athleticism to be the next.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Line Backers
Turning our attention to the strength of the Hawkeyes, the defense, starting with the LB's. The Hawks return all three starters from last year, a trio that amassed 246 tackles, 16 for a loss, and 7 interceptions. They are paced by MLB Pat Angerer, the Bettendorf product essentially came out of no where to anchor the middle of the Iowa defense. Pat had very injury plagued three seasons at Iowa before bursting on the scene and earning 2nd team All Big Team last season. Pat has a knack for finding the ball and was second in the Big Ten with 5 INT's last season. He was one of 42 players to be named to the Lott watch list for 2009. Starting at the Leo linebacker position will be A.J. Edds for the third straight year, while his 2008 numbers were down from 2007, I don't think there is an Iowa fan alive that wouldn't tell you that he was equally as productive. AJ will be one of the two seniors that are projected as starters for the 2009 squad. Jeremiah Hunter has the inside edge on repeating as the starting will linebacker next season. Jeremiah came to Iowa as a heralded recruit out of PA and until last season hadn't seen the field much. With Jeff Tarpanian going down with an injury in the preseason he stepped in and performed brilliantly. The thing that really stands out about the linebacker corps is that the rarely seem to be out of position. While they won't win any beauty contests, they play fundamentally sound and in Norm Parker's defense, that is all that is needed. Backing up those three will be Jeff Tarpanian at the will, who will push Hunter for playing time, however if Tarpanian can't stay healthy it will be a one horse race. Tyler Nielsen will back up Edds at the leo and the one downfall of having a three year starter ahead of him is that he has had very little playing time so far in Iowa City. Nielsen has played a lot of special teams and will probably do the same for this season. At middle linebacker is the only backup spot that is up for grabs, Jacody Coleman is supposedly red shirting and won't be available unless Angerer gets injured. Look for Bruce Davis to be the #2, he is a sophomore out of Glenville high school in Ohio. He was another diamond in the rough player that the Hawks snuck out of Ohio. Overall the LB corps the Hawks will put on the field in 2009 will be one the top two in the Big Ten and top ten in the nation. This is a position where Iowa has some depth and could weather an injury or two if they have to.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
