Voice of the Hawkeyes Board

Yep...can't coach speed.

I think Iowa will be okay without a big bruiser this fall. With Vandy being an experienced senior I am expecting the offense to be wide open next fall.(That sounds crazy after reading it) They still have Brad Rogers who can handle some of the load. Then the next season they will possibly have Coe back who may fill that role also. This upcoming year is going to be a musical chairs type of year at the running back position. With the good speed guys we still have in the backfield combined with this class I can see the coaches utilizing these guys as receivers more so than in the past. If CJF can draw attention from the linebackers in coverage it should help outr backs get open on the edges and vice versa.

I kind of look at our threesome of JVB, Canzeri, and CJF, somewhat like the group of Drew Brees, Darren Sproles, and Jimmy Graham. Obviously our guys are far from those in talent but the general concept of what the saints do on offense could feasably work for the Hawks.

I think alot will depend how the oline works together during spring ball. Using our speed and misdirection will have to be a big part of the offense next year. I liked Coker but think some of our smaller quicker backs would have been better pass catching options out of the backfield. The main reason the coaches didn't sub someone for Coker in those situations(from a coaches mouth) was mainly because they did not want the opposition to key in on personel changes tied into playcalling. I.E. No other running backs got significant carries so when they would have been used out of the backfield the coaches thought it would be to obvious what they were doing. The drawback was that you had a less elusive player getting the ball in space. Apparently this was a highly debated topic between some of the staff. Some felt we weren't utilizing some of our talent very well. Plus injuries curbed the development of more depth.

I agree completely about the screen game, one of the things I always thought was with the consistently 280-310 lbs olineman we have that we would have a better screen and draw game. Lighter oline tend to get out and block in space better than the 330lbs maulers you see at OSU, and Wisky. Their footwork is often times better just because they are not carrying that extra 20-30 pounds.

If we are running a pro style offense I would like to see it actually run similar to a pro team LOL.

If you don't use one of those other guys, you have two alternatives - keep Coker on the field in those situations, or utilize a package without a running back. In both cases, the defense doesn't have to worry nearly as much about a screen.

My father and I often get into discussions about the hawks and he is the one who speaks to a couple of coaches every so often, I just happened to steal that little bit of insight from him LOL.

I agree about the down and distance tipping the hand so to speak, Plus I think there was just some general hesitency on the coaches part to take the risk with the less experienced player on the field. I guess I looked at it like this , if they weren't making much of an effort to get guys some carries and getting Coker a breather for running downs then why would they on the passing downs. I think in the end it all comes down to risk/reward and trust.

I understand not fully trusting some inexperienced guys to do the job when the lights come on. The coaches see them every day in practice and scrimmage situations, which I'm sure is where the lack of trust came from.