2025 Coaches Clinic Notes and Observations - New Update on Special Teams

[Hwkfn1]

Speaking of Duo:

 

[pistachio1999]

Speaking of Duo:

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Yeah their LB picked the wrong gap. How does it work against good teams?

 

[BurgHawk87]

Speaking of Duo:

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How the F is this some ground breaking new thing? A double team by a different name? Have I lost my mind?

 

[pistachio1999]

How the F is this some ground breaking new thing? A double team by a different name? Have I lost my mind?

New and improved! MArketing department says so.

 

[cecilB]

I was again fortunate enough to attend the Iowa FB Coaches Clinic last weekend.

As always, a first-class football experience where every detail is attended to. Kirk is the ultimate pro and makes sure he does his best to ensure that every detail within FB operation in and out of season is attended to meticulously. Everyone is in line with his thinking.

I started with my absolute favorite position coach. Kelvin Bell. What a tremendous football guy! He is all football and all about his guys. He covered the basics and details on alignment, blow delivery and gap discipline, and really got into a groove in his delivery. At one point a junior person tried to tell him to hurry things up and KB shot back that he was prepared to be there all night. LOL. He kept pushing forward, and not to soon after Nieman came in to say it’s time to eat. KB shot back that his guys are hungry for some d-line coaching! He’s just a great football guy.

After we quickly ate it was time for the main event for the evening. Tim Lester and QBs. Lester was running behind due to 1-1 chats, so Tyler Barnes stepped in. Barnes fielded questions on $ and NIL, and his message was that if a prospect has an early ask about $ then they are polite and take him off the list. It’s not a good fit. There is a time and place to talk about NIL, but not early in the dating process. He started talking about Iowa guys and the euphoria in the locker room when Lester walked in. Barnes asked him what he thought about the Nebraska game post-game celebration. Lester shot back, “I don’t know about you, but I wanted to off myself. What did we have? Six first downs? Jesus.” Lester knows what he wants and how it should look. It certainly wasn’t there last year. He has high expectations of himself in delivering the offense he knows he can. He was missing a lot of pieces last year. He’s like Kirk in that he is a pro-level coach who is working at the college level. He is so fundamental when he talks about QB success: good feet which leads to throwing accurately and on time. Same with WRs: get open quickly and be ready for the ball. Lester is very high on Ruggiero – he will cover the same responsibilities that Tim did when at Green Bay; Tim has it outlined for him as it is a change from the OC role he held at Wake Forest.

After Tim, it was time for Phil. What I thought was interesting was that he started by taking time to go through stats and metrics from 2024. Much like he did during the bye week last season. I love me some PP, and I think he knows that his defense underperformed to the standard last year and it’s not his best strength to explain the why behind it. Sometime sh*t just happens; no reason to extrapolate. Phil had position coaches speak, and of course at one point he noticed that KB wasn’t there. “Where’s KB?!” Wallace said he was still preaching DL. Phil shook his head and rolled his eye. Great lighthearted moment. So Nieman stepped up and went through each player on the DL and didn’t miss a beat. Right on point. Wallace was next up and went through LBs. Very sharp and detailed. He is in lock step with Phil and Kirk. Seth is tough, fair, driven and has high expectations all around. Phil wrapped it up with the secondary, and he spoke more broadly in terms of the Iowa Defense way in strong tackling and not letting anything behind you.

I was again fortunate enough to attend the Iowa FB Coaches Clinic last weekend.

As always, a first-class football experience where every detail is attended to. Kirk is the ultimate pro and makes sure he does his best to ensure that every detail within FB operation in and out of season is attended to meticulously. Everyone is in line with his thinking.

I started with my absolute favorite position coach. Kelvin Bell. What a tremendous football guy! He is all football and all about his guys. He covered the basics and details on alignment, blow delivery and gap discipline, and really got into a groove in his delivery. At one point a junior person tried to tell him to hurry things up and KB shot back that he was prepared to be there all night. LOL. He kept pushing forward, and not to soon after Nieman came in to say it’s time to eat. KB shot back that his guys are hungry for some d-line coaching! He’s just a great football guy.

After we quickly ate it was time for the main event for the evening. Tim Lester and QBs. Lester was running behind due to 1-1 chats, so Tyler Barnes stepped in. Barnes fielded questions on $ and NIL, and his message was that if a prospect has an early ask about $ then they are polite and take him off the list. It’s not a good fit. There is a time and place to talk about NIL, but not early in the dating process. He started talking about Iowa guys and the euphoria in the locker room when Lester walked in. Barnes asked him what he thought about the Nebraska game post-game celebration. Lester shot back, “I don’t know about you, but I wanted to off myself. What did we have? Six first downs? Jesus.” Lester knows what he wants and how it should look. It certainly wasn’t there last year. He has high expectations of himself in delivering the offense he knows he can. He was missing a lot of pieces last year. He’s like Kirk in that he is a pro-level coach who is working at the college level. He is so fundamental when he talks about QB success: good feet which leads to throwing accurately and on time. Same with WRs: get open quickly and be ready for the ball. Lester is very high on Ruggiero – he will cover the same responsibilities that Tim did when at Green Bay; Tim has it outlined for him as it is a change from the OC role he held at Wake Forest.

After Tim, it was time for Phil. What I thought was interesting was that he started by taking time to go through stats and metrics from 2024. Much like he did during the bye week last season. I love me some PP, and I think he knows that his defense underperformed to the standard last year and it’s not his best strength to explain the why behind it. Sometime sh*t just happens; no reason to extrapolate. Phil had position coaches speak, and of course at one point he noticed that KB wasn’t there. “Where’s KB?!” Wallace said he was still preaching DL. Phil shook his head and rolled his eye. Great lighthearted moment. So Nieman stepped up and went through each player on the DL and didn’t miss a beat. Right on point. Wallace was next up and went through LBs. Very sharp and detailed. He is in lock step with Phil and Kirk. Seth is tough, fair, driven and has high expectations all around. Phil wrapped it up with the secondary, and he spoke more broadly in terms of the Iowa Defense way in strong tackling and not letting anything behind you.

Every detail, meticulous…and Zbell runs over and Lester is late 😂

Yes, it is a well run organization, but …

 

[pistachio1999]

Any gum change up for the old HC?

 

[Aethelstan]

Yeah their LB picked the wrong gap. How does it work against good teams?

That is the point. The Mike backer will always be wrong. If he had filled the A gap, the guard would have come off the double team and blocked him and the back would have bounced it. If the TE and/or the H back had won their blocks the back would have still had a nice gain. It still boils down to offensive linemen winning their matchups.

 

[pistachio1999]

That is the point. The Mike backer will always be wrong. If he had filled the A gap, the guard would have come off the double team and blocked him and the back would have bounced it. If the TE and/or the H back had won their blocks the back would have still had a nice gain. It still boils down to offensive linemen winning their matchups.

Well hell then it is just indefensible and we will be 15 - 0

 

[obfuscating]

Looking forward to having our always great Defense and now get to see an offense develop that can actually let the defense play free.

 

[BHoppy]

I just want some long drives to give the defense some rest and not play as many downs.

 

[Zooropa_NCR]

That’s kinda my concern tho not having that big play.

Iowa offense seems to play the way the Iowa defense wants to force offenses to play

Without that big play Iowa ends up with 13 play drives that don’t cross midfield

 

[pistachio1999]

That’s kinda my concern tho not having that big play.

Iowa offense seems to play the way the Iowa defense wants to force offenses to play

Without that big play Iowa ends up with 13 play drives that don’t cross midfield

13 play drives though. Kirk says "schwing!"

 

[desihawk]

13 play drives though. Kirk says "schwing!"

and why not. 5 such drives backstopped by a good defense we are only down 10-6 late in the 4th with the possibility of busting a swing pass for a 65 yard td.

 

[pistachio1999]

and why not. 5 such drives backstopped by a good defense we are only down 10-6 late in the 4th with the possibility of busting a swing pass for a 65 yard td.

Oh I like long drives and eat the clock. Drives modern day kids nuts though.

 

[aflachawk]

That was great, thanks !

I will second this

 

[bobchawk]

That’s kinda my concern tho not having that big play.

Iowa offense seems to play the way the Iowa defense wants to force offenses to play

Without that big play Iowa ends up with 13 play drives that don’t cross midfield

and we are not able to sustain long drives at this time ---No other than Earl Bruce at Ohio State said this same thing after playing against Hayden--we just wanted them ot have ot go 80 yds ot score everytime and I liked our chances.

more things change........