Here's a link to the video of Greg Davis and I typed up what he had to say as well.
https://iowa.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1795290
Q: Any injuries to report?
DAVIS: There are bumps and bruises, but Kirk will report on anything regarding injuries.
Q: What about the offensive line at this point?
DAVIS: We are still playing around a little bit with some combinations. Thru tomorrow we are still evaluating and deciding on what is best and who is ready and not ready. We have made no decisions on redshirting or anything like that. On the offensive line, Cole Croston is bouncing around to both tackles. Then on the interior, you have the two guards in Sean (Welsh) and Jordan (Walsh), and you have James Daniels and Eric Simmons. Those guys are all working in there. Simmons is also working some at center.
Q: What did you learn Friday night during the scrimmage?
DAVIS: We were much more efficient on Friday night during the scrimmage than we were for the first scrimmage, which was what you would hope and expect after a few more practices. I thought we did a nice job throwing and catching the ball on Friday night. We had officials out there and we have very few procedures and those sort of things, which is always nice. We had a couple that we need to eliminate, but I think we left the field on Friday night feeling that we were closer to where we want to be for the opener.
Q: How important is it to get Adam Cox and Macon Plewa back at fullback?
DAVIS: It is very important because it allows us to play various forms of 21 and both of them have remained healthy to this point in camp and they are both really good players. With Duzey not with us right now, it allows us to play football the way want to without having the three tight ends all play a bunch.
Q: Are there any wrinkles to the offense this year? Maybe something to allow you to take advantage of Beathard’s arm more?
DAVIS: Yeah, I think the answer to that is yes. We had a situation today where we maxed everybody up and let VandeBerg work one on one in a tough situation backed up and C.J. made a great throw and it was a huge play. We will be able to do some things in that regard. What we do with personnel depends on who stays out there and all of that. We like to play with tight ends, but the two fullbacks have allowed us to run more of what we want to run.
Q: How have Boone Myers and Ike Boettger responded to being challenged a bit and to their struggles at the open practice?
DAVIS: My son, who had coached for 25 years, called me on Thursday night before the scrimmage. He didn’t say hi dad or anything like that, or how’s mom, he said tell me about the tackles. That was his first question and I said, hey, it doesn’t even look like spring. They have really worked hard and they are having a really good camp. He called me Saturday night and I said, well we need to talk.
They have both responded. There is a process that you go thru. There’s no question that there’s going to be some bumps in the road. There’s also no question that both of them are going to be really good players.
Q: Are you moving either of them around and experimenting with Boettger at left tackle of Cole Croston with the first team?
DAVIS: We are moving Ike around a bit. He can swing to both sides and Cole can swing to both sides. We are leaving Boone at left tackle right now.
Q: Where are you getting explosive plays from right now? Who is making it happen for you?
DAVIS: It kind of depends. George Kittle has had several explosive plays during the course of camp. Tevaun, VandeBerg, it just kind of depends on what is happening. I think we have an opportunity to be more explosive. I think C.J. looks for that a little longer and because of that I think we will naturally have more explosive plays.
Q: Are you pleased with the rushing attack right now?
DAVIS: You are never pleased until you play a game with the rushing attack because so much of what we do is thud. You look up and you run the ball inside and you think you made four or five and the manager says you made two. Until you are actually tackling and out there it hard to tell because a lot of rushing it built up over the course of a ball game. With the backs that I have been around, early in the first quarter they are making three or four, and then in the second quarter it picks up. As the game goes on, you start wearing them down and they break off more. We are not where we want to be, but I think we are much further along than we were on Saturday.
Q: As a college football coach, that has to drive you crazy because you are going from 0 to 60 in a week?
DAVIS: It does, but it’s like the first time we put goal line in and actually scrimmaged it live. We all left the field offensively disappointed in what our goal line looked like. Then we got in and experience tells me it always looks like that the first time you do it. Then we had another rack of it about three days later and we had a chance to watch it and talk about pad level and all that and it looked entirely different. Since we don’t have preseason games, those are the things we try to get on the grass to get better at.
Q: If you were the President of college football, would you say one preseason game or something like that?
DAVIS: With everything that happens in Iowa, I am not sure I want to go to any caucuses here. (laugh) I think it would be exciting to do one of two things. If there was a spring game at the end of spring, whether it was a game or a scrimmage, just so you got to play somebody different. I don’t see that happening in the fall because it’s 12 games at that point. Any time you can play anyone other than those you know it’s more fun.
Q: Does James Daniels have a chance to help you this year?
DAVIS: Again, I think Kirk is going to talk about all the freshmen, but he is a guy that deserves conversation about. Being here last spring has really helped him understand the speed of the game. He is just more comfortable than some of the other guys.
Q: With your quarterbacks, is one of them emerging as your third team guy?
DAVIS: No, not really. We will continue to evaluate that as we go and see. We have made no decisions in terms of redshirting. We travel all of our quarterbacks to ball games just so they have the experience of traveling.
Q: So right now is Boone Myers still first team?
DAVIS: Yes, absolutely.
Q: Is Ike Boettger first team right tackle?
DAVIS: Yes.
Q: And Cole Croston is rotating as a backup?
DAVIS: Yes.
Q: With C.J. and his legs, you haven’t been turning him loose in practice. Do you feel that when the lights go on that he will be ready there?
DAVIS: I think he will be able to do some things with his legs. We blow the whistle dead when someone gets around him, but I think he will naturally do some things with his legs that will be exciting. Don’t mistake what I am saying, we are not all of the sudden going to run him 25 times a game. That is not going to happen. But, I think there will be more quarterback draws and things like that and I think he will naturally leave the pocket and do some things that will give us opportunities to stay on the field.
https://iowa.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1795290
Q: Any injuries to report?
DAVIS: There are bumps and bruises, but Kirk will report on anything regarding injuries.
Q: What about the offensive line at this point?
DAVIS: We are still playing around a little bit with some combinations. Thru tomorrow we are still evaluating and deciding on what is best and who is ready and not ready. We have made no decisions on redshirting or anything like that. On the offensive line, Cole Croston is bouncing around to both tackles. Then on the interior, you have the two guards in Sean (Welsh) and Jordan (Walsh), and you have James Daniels and Eric Simmons. Those guys are all working in there. Simmons is also working some at center.
Q: What did you learn Friday night during the scrimmage?
DAVIS: We were much more efficient on Friday night during the scrimmage than we were for the first scrimmage, which was what you would hope and expect after a few more practices. I thought we did a nice job throwing and catching the ball on Friday night. We had officials out there and we have very few procedures and those sort of things, which is always nice. We had a couple that we need to eliminate, but I think we left the field on Friday night feeling that we were closer to where we want to be for the opener.
Q: How important is it to get Adam Cox and Macon Plewa back at fullback?
DAVIS: It is very important because it allows us to play various forms of 21 and both of them have remained healthy to this point in camp and they are both really good players. With Duzey not with us right now, it allows us to play football the way want to without having the three tight ends all play a bunch.
Q: Are there any wrinkles to the offense this year? Maybe something to allow you to take advantage of Beathard’s arm more?
DAVIS: Yeah, I think the answer to that is yes. We had a situation today where we maxed everybody up and let VandeBerg work one on one in a tough situation backed up and C.J. made a great throw and it was a huge play. We will be able to do some things in that regard. What we do with personnel depends on who stays out there and all of that. We like to play with tight ends, but the two fullbacks have allowed us to run more of what we want to run.
Q: How have Boone Myers and Ike Boettger responded to being challenged a bit and to their struggles at the open practice?
DAVIS: My son, who had coached for 25 years, called me on Thursday night before the scrimmage. He didn’t say hi dad or anything like that, or how’s mom, he said tell me about the tackles. That was his first question and I said, hey, it doesn’t even look like spring. They have really worked hard and they are having a really good camp. He called me Saturday night and I said, well we need to talk.
They have both responded. There is a process that you go thru. There’s no question that there’s going to be some bumps in the road. There’s also no question that both of them are going to be really good players.
Q: Are you moving either of them around and experimenting with Boettger at left tackle of Cole Croston with the first team?
DAVIS: We are moving Ike around a bit. He can swing to both sides and Cole can swing to both sides. We are leaving Boone at left tackle right now.
Q: Where are you getting explosive plays from right now? Who is making it happen for you?
DAVIS: It kind of depends. George Kittle has had several explosive plays during the course of camp. Tevaun, VandeBerg, it just kind of depends on what is happening. I think we have an opportunity to be more explosive. I think C.J. looks for that a little longer and because of that I think we will naturally have more explosive plays.
Q: Are you pleased with the rushing attack right now?
DAVIS: You are never pleased until you play a game with the rushing attack because so much of what we do is thud. You look up and you run the ball inside and you think you made four or five and the manager says you made two. Until you are actually tackling and out there it hard to tell because a lot of rushing it built up over the course of a ball game. With the backs that I have been around, early in the first quarter they are making three or four, and then in the second quarter it picks up. As the game goes on, you start wearing them down and they break off more. We are not where we want to be, but I think we are much further along than we were on Saturday.
Q: As a college football coach, that has to drive you crazy because you are going from 0 to 60 in a week?
DAVIS: It does, but it’s like the first time we put goal line in and actually scrimmaged it live. We all left the field offensively disappointed in what our goal line looked like. Then we got in and experience tells me it always looks like that the first time you do it. Then we had another rack of it about three days later and we had a chance to watch it and talk about pad level and all that and it looked entirely different. Since we don’t have preseason games, those are the things we try to get on the grass to get better at.
Q: If you were the President of college football, would you say one preseason game or something like that?
DAVIS: With everything that happens in Iowa, I am not sure I want to go to any caucuses here. (laugh) I think it would be exciting to do one of two things. If there was a spring game at the end of spring, whether it was a game or a scrimmage, just so you got to play somebody different. I don’t see that happening in the fall because it’s 12 games at that point. Any time you can play anyone other than those you know it’s more fun.
Q: Does James Daniels have a chance to help you this year?
DAVIS: Again, I think Kirk is going to talk about all the freshmen, but he is a guy that deserves conversation about. Being here last spring has really helped him understand the speed of the game. He is just more comfortable than some of the other guys.
Q: With your quarterbacks, is one of them emerging as your third team guy?
DAVIS: No, not really. We will continue to evaluate that as we go and see. We have made no decisions in terms of redshirting. We travel all of our quarterbacks to ball games just so they have the experience of traveling.
Q: So right now is Boone Myers still first team?
DAVIS: Yes, absolutely.
Q: Is Ike Boettger first team right tackle?
DAVIS: Yes.
Q: And Cole Croston is rotating as a backup?
DAVIS: Yes.
Q: With C.J. and his legs, you haven’t been turning him loose in practice. Do you feel that when the lights go on that he will be ready there?
DAVIS: I think he will be able to do some things with his legs. We blow the whistle dead when someone gets around him, but I think he will naturally do some things with his legs that will be exciting. Don’t mistake what I am saying, we are not all of the sudden going to run him 25 times a game. That is not going to happen. But, I think there will be more quarterback draws and things like that and I think he will naturally leave the pocket and do some things that will give us opportunities to stay on the field.
