Player Importance to the Team, Factoring in Backups

[hawkeyeguy69]

It is preseason and there are a lot of unknowns out there. Hopefully a large amount of guys emerge from various positions. Some areas have depth, like DBs. Other positions do not...

Who are your top 3-4 players in importance, when considering their backups?

I will give you your #1 player - CJB. I think we can all have that as a given. Who do you have for your next few cannot lose players?

 

[nu2u]

Blythe - OL anchor and leader.

Ott - Impact player, inexperienced rFr back-up.

Koehn - solid kicker, unknown subs.

 

[hawkeyeguy69]

I had Tevaun at #2. Backups? Forget that, who else is playing WR?!?

And Blythe at #3. Not deep this year on the OL. Hoping to have some surprises AND a healthy year...

Ott is a good one. We should have a decent DL, but I think Ott's motor will be hard, if not impossible to replace this year.

 

[nu2u]

The place kicker is often overlooked, no one talks about the kicker heading into the season but all of a sudden, there he is on the field at Iowa State with :05 on the clock lining up a 40 yard game winning FG.

PK success can literally be the difference between 2 or 3 more wins or losses in a season. Not to mention KO touchbacks and the importance of field position.

Mick Ellis has some game experience but not really tested. Don't know much about Miguel Recinos. We need Koehn to have a All-Big type season.

 

[icu81222]

CJB
Blythe
Either LT
Ott
Lomax
King


I think Tevaun Smith could be top 5 only because of who they replace him with. Hillyer is a good Hawk but zero explosiveness and KF wouldn't likely go with one of the new burners. At least until late in the year. If he were willing to throw one of them to the fire then TS isn't as hard a loss as others.

 

[Letsgohawks411]

Almost zero depth at most positions due to poor recruiting over the last several years.

 

[icu81222]

Almost zero depth at most positions due to poor recruiting over the last several years.

Not really, Debbie Downer.

The only place Iowa doesn't have much depth is at OL.

Yes, QB would be also but that isn't really due to poor recruiting so much as waiting too long to change QB's. I think there is a decent enough chance that Rudock is still here if he lost the job early last season instead of after the bowl game.

 

[MadDogC]

Not really, Debbie Downer.

The only place Iowa doesn't have much depth is at OL.

Yes, QB would be also but that isn't really due to poor recruiting so much as waiting too long to change QB's. I think there is a decent enough chance that Rudock is still here if he lost the job early last season instead of after the bowl game.

Lol sorry not my arguement here but we seem to lack depth everywhere but CB...

 

[icu81222]

Lol sorry not my arguement here but we seem to lack depth everywhere but CB...

Parker himself said cormerback they only feel comfortable that they are 3 guys deep. Running back they are stacked. Safety they are stacked. Receiver in my opinion they have enough guys that can play at a high level.

 

[Letsgohawks411]

This may be one of the teams with the least quality depth since Kirk has been here.

 

[hawkeyeguy69]

Parker himself said cormerback they only feel comfortable that they are 3 guys deep. Running back they are stacked. Safety they are stacked. Receiver in my opinion they have enough guys that can play at a high level.

Who besides Smith? I'd count Duzey, our only TE with more than 3 receptions, but he is a TE. And injured. Other than that we have nobody. Literally ...

We have pass dropping Vandeberg with 14 catches(which is more than I had believed). And route runner extraordinaire Hillyer's 11 catches. Sorry, these guys are very much unproven to be better than slightly below average players. I hope they prove me wrong! But they certainly have not done so yet..

Trust me, there is not one position on the team I wouldn't want more "hope" for our players. I just pray to Hayden we can have some guys emerge to help keep double teams off TS...

The CJB passing factor cannot be overlooked. His arm will get the ball there, But can our guys fight for, And catch, the ball...?


I am losing fingernails over this position, until proven wrong. Which had better come in September!

 

[Letsgohawks411]

We will have A LOT more trouble scoring than most people think. 5-7 at best.

 

[Hawk-A-Doodle-Doo]

It is preseason and there are a lot of unknowns out there. Hopefully a large amount of guys emerge from various positions. Some areas have depth, like DBs. Other positions do not...

Who are your top 3-4 players in importance, when considering their backups?

I will give you your #1 player - CJB. I think we can all have that as a given. Who do you have for your next few cannot lose players?

Ol' Doodle would put the entirety of the defensive tackle group in this category. They all lack something (age, experience, height, lead in their drawers, etc..) so we're going to need ALL of them to play like starters. That group more than any other will see rotational participation and will rely greatly on depth for overall productivity. As nice as it is to have some extra experience at LB and what looks on paper to be one of the better and more salty secondaries coming into a season that we've had in a while.....IDHO, it's the DTs who year-in and year-out are the (often under-appreciated) lynchpin of our overall defensive success.

 

[PHXIowaClub]

Only positions with proven depth are RB, TE, and DB

 

[PHXIowaClub]

If Iowa loses a CJB or Tevaun Smith or Drew Ott to injury, it could look ugly....even against the weak schedule

 

[hawkeyeguy69]

If Iowa loses a CJB or Tevaun Smith or Drew Ott to injury, it could look ugly....even against the weak schedule

I agree Phoenix. Especially if it happens before the month of October..... That said, the rumors from camp's beginning was that it started out without much of a hitch. That is rare for a Kirk Ferentz start to August. Translation to me - we are ahead of schedule and out of the gates strong. Unfortunately , that is my only hope at this moment...