So Castro is our 10th, 11th best Defender…

[cmhawks99]

Right…?! Not even counting Roberts who was AWESOME early or Jacobs who we know is a stud!! Or Harris (hurt early) or even Waggoner who is underrated, Schulte..?? An admitted stud!!

The point is I’m watching clear back to the Rutgers game & my Lord Almighty he was making plays everywhere! Clear back then…

Here’s a kid that has actually got passed over & all of a sudden after sticking with his team, he was ready and has a shot to have a really great last couple years!!

 

[SWIowahawks]

I remember laughing at the post game press conference from Kirk. He said “I’ve gotta be careful how I say this but he hadn’t really shown that type of stuff in practice.” In a sense that’s what he said.

It was funny at the time because he kept saying how Petras was better than Padilla in practice.

 

[yrunvs]

Castro likes to lay the wood. His high school film is a man amongst boys football clinic.

 

[cmhawks99]

Castro likes to lay the wood. His high school film is a man amongst boys football clinic.

If not mistaken (not going to look) he came in with Dane Belton, possibly a year behind and both looked like future superstars and Beltons in the NFL and here is this kid looking like a superstar.

and even only then it was because of injuries he made it to the field this year…

The point is, back to the defensive theme of this team and this board and many of the last 20 threads probably…

This defense keeps replacing players with future NFL players, it’s pretty damn remarkable!!

 

[ItsAllBallBearingsNowadays]

I remember laughing at the post game press conference from Kirk. He said “I’ve gotta be careful how I say this but he hadn’t really shown that type of stuff in practice.” In a sense that’s what he said.

It was funny at the time because he kept saying how Petras was better than Padilla in practice.

Imagine that Kirk, Some guys perform better when the lights are on.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

I'm a fan of Castro ... but he also got burnt several times earlier in the season in coverage.

The good news ... he's improving.

 

[The Deplorable Sleeping Dog]

X/Castro will be a murderous hitting pair next season. One of them will get a targeting penalty at least once.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Here’s a kid that has actually got passed over & all of a sudden after sticking with his team, he was ready and has a shot to have a really great last couple years!!

In 2020, it seemed as though initially Bracy had gotten a jump on Castro. However, as Phil reported, Castro made strides in the spring of '21. Consequently, back then, he climbed the ladder ... and jumped ahead of Bracy as one of our top back-up safeties. Of course, back in '21, we were pretty deep at safety ... having the likes of Koerner, Merriweather, Belton, Schulte, and Williams.

Of course, Castro played pretty solidly on special teams ... and continued to build trust.

Now he's making the most of his opportunities. Kudos to him.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

X/Castro will be a murderous hitting pair next season. One of them will get a targeting penalty at least once.

It will be interesting to track the development of Entringer. Kid is an athlete ... with a chip on his shoulder too. Phil often has good luck with guys like that.

 

[Greenway4Prez]

The evaluation and development on that side of the ball….my goodness.

 

[ShonnDeereGreene]

The evaluation and development on that side of the ball….my goodness.

I don’t think you can understate the culture as well. The individual components/players are critically important, but the culture and expectations just keep the bar high. Sort of a “you think you hit hard, watch this!” They all raise the bar for each other. Love it!

 

[mthawkeyes]

Everyone on that side of the ball does his job, and expects and trusts everyone else to do their job. It's a machine that's greater than the sum of its parts, and there are some very good parts.

 

[SI_NYC]

Imagine that Kirk, Some guys perform better when the lights are on.

Castro is a pretty physical player which more or less he isn’t allowed to be in practice. It’s not all that surprising what Kirk stated because Castro really never lays the wood in practice.

 

[DodgerHawki]

I'm a fan of Castro ... but he also got burnt several times earlier in the season in coverage.

The good news ... he's improving.

Iowa is doing a good job of mixing and matching on defense with the injuries. Castro is playing Cash, but on obvious passing downs (2nd and 3rd and long) against Purdue they took him off the field and put TJ Hall in. Castro is a good player, but has struggled playing in space/covering faster guys. Great example of playing to the strengths of the players who are available. In an ideal world, Jermari Harris and/or Roberts are healthy, or both, and Dejean is playing Cash full time. But injuries happen, and Iowa is adapting.

Castro will need to play well against Wisconsin. They make everyone on defense play blocks and tackle.

 

[ItsAllBallBearingsNowadays]

I'm a fan of Castro ... but he also got burnt several times earlier in the season in coverage.

The good news ... he's improving.

I don’t recall him getting burnt really at all this season but I admittedly didn’t watch the Illinois game. He “gave up” a TD to OSU on a perfectly thrown pass. And I do recall him being behind a receiver on a drag route but I wouldn’t classify that as being burnt.

The secondary in general has played excellent. Moss is probably the only guy that I’d point to that has underperformed relative to my expectations.

 

[BBHawk]

I remember laughing at the post game press conference from Kirk. He said “I’ve gotta be careful how I say this but he hadn’t really shown that type of stuff in practice.” In a sense that’s what he said.

It was funny at the time because he kept saying how Petras was better than Padilla in practice.

Which post game? Wasn't the Purdue one.

 

[SWIowahawks]

Which post game? Wasn't the Purdue one.

After Rutgers when Castro came in and forced that fumble for a TD.

 

[bojihawk44]

Imagine that Kirk, Some guys perform better when the lights are on.

I always laugh at this. You play the guys who practice better, period. If you're trotting guys out there based on "potential" or "ceiling", you're probably a really shitty coach. Kirk is 100% right in his approach to this.

 

[Slappy Pappy]

I always laugh at this. You play the guys who practice better, period. If you're trotting guys out there based on "potential" or "ceiling", you're probably a really shitty coach. Kirk is 100% right in his approach to this.

But if they aren't performing as well in games as they do in practice, you got to pull them. They do this for every other position but QB. People ask about Petras being terrible in games, and the Ferentzs say "But you should see how good he is (while wearing the red jersey) in practice!" That's the issue, and they deserve to be called out on it.

 

[BBHawk]

After Rutgers when Castro came in and forced that fumble for a TD.

Kirk didn't say what you quoted, but he did say that Castro seems to really turn it on in the games. He was very complimentary to Sebastian, and went out of his way to not be negative.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

But if they aren't performing as well in games as they do in practice, you got to pull them. They do this for every other position but QB. People ask about Petras being terrible in games, and the Ferentzs say "But you should see how good he is (while wearing the red jersey) in practice!" That's the issue, and they deserve to be called out on it.

You do the best with the personnel you have.

Part of the deal with practice-action vs game-action is that it is hard to simulate an opponent that is actively trying to both disguise their intentions ... all while still trying to out play you. Furthermore, during game week ... the scout team is still manned by young guys and/or lower-teamers. That makes the simulation even "iffier."

Anyhow, Phil and Kirk aren't dumb ... this side of the limitation of practice is well understood by BOTH guys. Where Phil and Kirk would both take issue ... is that guys shouldn't practice differently than they'd play in games. They still should have the same laser-focus attention to detail AND high-level of intensity. It's all about how you go about your business. If you don't approach practice with that same high bar ... you don't improve at the same rate ... nor do the guys around you improve at that same rate.

Iowa is built on the premise of being a developmental team. You don't set a precedent where you let guys squander reps.

The casual fan's admiration for the gamer is just a fool chasing the wrong metric. Even a perceived "gamer" can still approach things the "right way" in practice ... that doesn't undermine his ability to implement his improvisational skills.

College football is littered with gamers who were, for all intents and purposes, glorified arm-punters.

 

[pistachio1999]

But if they aren't performing as well in games as they do in practice, you got to pull them. They do this for every other position but QB. People ask about Petras being terrible in games, and the Ferentzs say "But you should see how good he is (while wearing the red jersey) in practice!" That's the issue, and they deserve to be called out on it.

Our OL had to be getting severely abused in practice against our defense also. It was probably worse than what we saw in the first 5 games or so.

 

[SWIowahawks]

Kirk didn't say what you quoted, but he did say that Castro seems to really turn it on in the games. He was very complimentary to Sebastian, and went out of his way to not be negative.

I didn’t say he was mean about it. But he certainly mentioned how he was a different player in games.

 

[ichawk24]

But if they aren't performing as well in games as they do in practice, you got to pull them. They do this for every other position but QB. People ask about Petras being terrible in games, and the Ferentzs say "But you should see how good he is (while wearing the red jersey) in practice!" That's the issue, and they deserve to be called out on it.

Petras is the best QB in practice, and the best QB in games. Padilla's game stats are even worse than Petras.

Petras can be bad and still be the best QB on the roster, and be the guy we should play. I don't know why so many fans can't grasp that simple reality.

 

[cmhawks99]

In 2020, it seemed as though initially Bracy had gotten a jump on Castro. However, as Phil reported, Castro made strides in the spring of '21. Consequently, back then, he climbed the ladder ... and jumped ahead of Bracy as one of our top back-up safeties. Of course, back in '21, we were pretty deep at safety ... having the likes of Koerner, Merriweather, Belton, Schulte, and Williams.

Of course, Castro played pretty solidly on special teams ... and continued to build trust.

Now he's making the most of his opportunities. Kudos to him.

Great point in Bracy…. another kid that as you like to say had some early buzz but has stuck with his team and still contributes!

 

[owenhawk]

I always laugh at this. You play the guys who practice better, period. If you're trotting guys out there based on "potential" or "ceiling", you're probably a really shitty coach. Kirk is 100% right in his approach to this.

Exactly, the playing on "potential" is the reason why a lot of programs with higher recruiting rankings struggle to win as much as programs like Iow and Wisconsin that do such a good job of developing these players over time.

That doesn't mean you NEVER play guys with high potential but sometimes the "lesser" recruited guy or athlete might just be farther along, understands their assignments better, etc. and the higher potential guy needs time to learn and get acclimated.

It's why Iowa has had such success as a developmental program and putting way more guys in the NFL than their recruiting rankings would suggest they would.

 

[cmhawks99]

Imagine that Kirk, Some guys perform better when the lights are on.

Good point, that’s why all the good teams regularly set their starters to see if the kid behind them “might” be better in the spot light?!

 

[cmhawks99]

I don’t recall him getting burnt really at all this season but I admittedly didn’t watch the Illinois game. He “gave up” a TD to OSU on a perfectly thrown pass. And I do recall him being behind a receiver on a drag route but I wouldn’t classify that as being burnt.

The secondary in general has played excellent. Moss is probably the only guy that I’d point to that has underperformed relative to my expectations.

On the Moss thing, I get why you’ve said that and I’m not really even surprised, but in reality they don’t throw towards him all that often and for the most part he is so good and got so many accolades I think we’re expecting him to be making more splash plays. But in reality he’s done pretty damn good. Got caught peeking in the backfield a couple times and had to hold to get caught back up but he’s the real deal !

 

[oldhawk56]

I always laugh at this. You play the guys who practice better, period. If you're trotting guys out there based on "potential" or "ceiling", you're probably a really shitty coach. Kirk is 100% right in his approach to this.

Is that how we got the offensive line we start now? Or a true freshman running back that looks like a superstar in the making? 🤔
KF has some history here w being loyal to a fault.
That said I doubt there is a program in the country that consistently does more with "less" especially on the defensive side. The Parkers have brought in diamonds in the rough and produced stars.

 

[bojihawk44]

Is that how we got the offensive line we start now? Or a true freshman running back that looks like a superstar in the making? 🤔
KF has some history here w being loyal to a fault.
That said I doubt there is a program in the country that consistently does more with "less" especially on the defensive side. The Parkers have brought in diamonds in the rough and produced stars.

Things are fluid and evolve throughout the year. That's why you're never starting the same 22 at the end of the year as you were at the beginning.

 

[cmhawks99]

Is that how we got the offensive line we start now? Or a true freshman running back that looks like a superstar in the making? 🤔
KF has some history here w being loyal to a fault.
That said I doubt there is a program in the country that consistently does more with "less" especially on the defensive side. The Parkers have brought in diamonds in the rough and produced stars.

I doubt there is a program in the country that doesn’t have fans who think their coaches consistently play the wrong guys.

It’s just part of the deal!

 

[BBHawk]

Is that how we got the offensive line we start now? Or a true freshman running back that looks like a superstar in the making? 🤔
KF has some history here w being loyal to a fault.
That said I doubt there is a program in the country that consistently does more with "less" especially on the defensive side. The Parkers have brought in diamonds in the rough and produced stars.

KF isn't doing what he's been doing for 20+ years at Iowa because he makes bad decisions. You can say what you want but he is a man of his word and he gets things done. His record and the number of kids his staff puts in the League are proof that he knows what he is doing.

 

[ichawk24]

If Kirk doesn't make a change at a position, he is being loyal to a fault.

If Kirk does make a change at a position, we've been starting the wrong guy because coaches dumb.

Can't win.

 

[BigOHawk]

Great point in Bracy…. another kid that as you like to say had some early buzz but has stuck with his team and still contributes!

Is Craddeith still playing on ST? That kid has really stuck with the program as a 4 star safety out of HS.

 

[cmhawks99]

Is Craddeith still playing on ST? That kid has really stuck with the program as a 4 star safety out of HS.

Yes, great teammate

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

Is Craddeith still playing on ST? That kid has really stuck with the program as a 4 star safety out of HS.

Sounds like a good teammate (from what little I know) ... hasn't logged any plays this season.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

All our injuries at corner have likely forced Jamison Heinz up ... and he's seeing a lot of ST-action. For similar reasons, TJ Hall has seen ST action in every game - along with some positional action (primarily against PU and clean-up duty).

Bracy redshirted last year ... but he's back "online" this year.

Obviously, X has been given the nod right away - building trust through ST-action.

Also, as others noted ... Rexroth had earned pre-season praise and has seen action through 7 games this season (ST action mostly, I would guess).

In addition to all those guys, we have all our normal DBs able to contribute on ST too.

Consequently, there just aren't enough spots to give out to allow for folks to get game-action.

 

[oldhawk56]

KF isn't doing what he's been doing for 20+ years at Iowa because he makes bad decisions. You can say what you want but he is a man of his word and he gets things done. His record and the number of kids his staff puts in the League are proof that he knows what he is doing.

Read my post again. All of it this time.

 

[BBHawk]

Read my post again. All of it this time.

Read the whole thing several times, it's not very long and mostly sings the praises of the defense. Either you didn't write what you meant or you worded it very poorly.

 

[oldhawk56]

Read the whole thing several times, it's not very long and mostly sings the praises of the defense. Either you didn't write what you meant or you worded it very

Read the whole thing several times, it's not very long and mostly sings the praises of the defense. Either you didn't write what you meant or you worded it very poorly.

Looks like you are just looking for something to be butt hurt about.
Have at it. Kirk is what he is.