Starting MLB next week?
- Thread starter Wasnt-drunk-didnt-troll
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I'm looking for Hockaday to step in, stay healthy and be this year's Cole Fisher.
I am not sure who this hockiday feller is, but Jones was so painfully out of position on numerous occasions that I dont think the coaches could feel differently.
This is what I expect. I thought he looked solid. Also impressed by Welch, and Nick Niemann already looks like his brother out there. I’m cautiously optimistic about this group of linebackers.
Welch missed quite a few tackles. He made same good plays as well and led in tackles. Overall, inconsistent but he will improve over the year I am sure. I am hoping could end up as a major bright spot by the seasons end.
I’ve been waiting for Jack for a long time...being behind Josey and not being healthy have kept him off the field imho... I recollect him stepping in for Josey during his suspension and looking pretty solid...I think he will be a guy that looks better when they are in game action....but time will tell.
Jones looked lost when he was out there. Not sure if that was nerves or just inability to perform on the field. Hockaday looked much better. Welch and Niemann looked like gamers out there most of the day. Just remember that these guys are all inexperienced when it comes to real-time action and will improve immensely as the year goes on.
I think you have to go Hockaday for next week. He’s safer. ISU is going to spread Iowa out and make LBS play in space. Gap discipline and eye discipline are going to be paramount. And ISU has enough juice on offense to make us pay for being out of position. Based on that one quarter, I don’t trust Jones is going to be where he is supposed to be.
Hockaday looks OK. He may be the better matchup against ISU, but I think Jones may be the better player against Wiscy and other power teams. Only 1game in, so hopefully improvements will be made. Perhaps Welch will end up back inside and Colbert will be on the outside. I am hopeful Jones will learn from the film and be the guy. It was not all Jones on the inside zone runs, our DTs got beat a few times too(Lattimore will help).
I'm big on Welch. I think he will be a strong LB for us the next 2 yrs. I'm completely off the Amani Jones train. I think things are shaping up for Hockaday to have a solid and much needed contribution this year.
I wish we would have worked Nieman at the middle. I think he’s our best LB and has the talent to be impactful there. Then we would slide Wade at LEO. Might be something to consider in the offseason.
Is this too harsh? Scott used to work at the Gazette, then Land of 10; now he is with the Athletic.
Scott DochtermanVerified account@ScottDochterman 6h6 hours ago
In watching the LBs, Nick Niemann is a keeper. Played like his older brother. Welch got better as the game went on. MLB has some major issues. Jones had no idea where he was going. Hockaday wasn't as bad, but missed some tackles. Might be worth a revamp.
Scott DochtermanVerified account@ScottDochterman 6h6 hours ago
In watching the LBs, Nick Niemann is a keeper. Played like his older brother. Welch got better as the game went on. MLB has some major issues. Jones had no idea where he was going. Hockaday wasn't as bad, but missed some tackles. Might be worth a revamp.
I felt uncomfortable just watching his discomfort.
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anon_i8nzeu2gbf0ba
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Folks seem to be OK with replacing the starting MLB after only one game, so why the reluctance by so many to replace the starting WR? There will never be any greater motivation for an athlete than to be benched and for the next guy to get a chance to win the job. And I think that's true of every position, not just MLB.
Whether its at the MIKE LB spot or at the SE WR spot ... don't you think that the coaches need to see a sampling of data at both spots in order to find the guy who proves to be the "right fit?"
From my vantage, even Iowa's projected 1st round draft pick TE was quite underwhelming given expectations. Should we cast Fant aside too?
How many WRs did we observe tearing things up against NIU? Do many or any of us have any notion for the causation of the poor performance of our passing game vs NIU? It strikes me that the Hawks were purposely using a vanilla game-plan on O (which makes sense, given that it is the first game of the season) ... so that would make things a little easier for the opposing D to defend. Also, the timing seemed off ... and part of that could have been because Stanley may have been anticipating the pass-rush a little bit too much ... and that could have impacted the quality of some of the throws. And, finally, yes ... we had WRs and TEs who made mistakes too.
As the season progresses ... I anticipate that we'll be continuing to see Amani Jones as an important contributor for us. Furthermore, some of the WRs who've been maligned by fans will likely develop into contributors for us too. Hopefully we have other guys who prove to be suitable "next men in" ... because I'm not claiming that any guy "deserves" to own a starting spot. Ultimately, guys need to produce on the field ... and they know and understand that too. However, I AM surprised at how quickly some of our fans are are stamping these kids as "failures." Does this not seem the slightest bit premature to you?
Last time I checked, not long ago folks were claiming about how the Paulsen brothers were effectively "has-beens." Aren't those claims rather laughable given how both Levi and Landan were positive contributors in the NIU game? It turns out ... those who thought that Levi was a "lost cause" because he was beat out by Banwart .... it turned out that Banwart was actually pretty darn solid. From what I had seen, Banwart might just have graded out the best of ANY of the O-linemen the other day. All the same ... I think that Levi will continue to prove himself as a guy who helps supply us with rock-solid depth!
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We definitely need to shore up LB play. Many plays where the middle of the field was wide open. You can bet ISU will hit us right up the middle. At least we have a game under our belts.
it will be interesting to see what the 2 deeps look like this week
man, when i watched the replay, NIU was really picking on the MLB and Jones got pulled in the 1st quarter as a result
will we be seeing a lot of this moving forward?
#48 and #49 celebrating a play
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man, when i watched the replay, NIU was really picking on the MLB and Jones got pulled in the 1st quarter as a result
will we be seeing a lot of this moving forward?
#48 and #49 celebrating a play
CLICK ON IMAGE FOR A LARGER VIEW
I could see this happening as well. With his background, NN probably knows this defense better then anyone, and could make sideline to sideline plays.
It wasn't all on Jones. The scheme that Iowa employed put him in a really tough spot. Iowa had 5 guys in the box a lot of times vs 6 for NIU. That boils down to a numbers game and Jones had not a chance. NIU should of never passed the ball once while Iowa was playing this way. It for sure worked on the scoreboard and NIU helped out a whole bunch by trying to pass the ball.....but very unimpressed the way Iowa was playing it.
Niemann made at least a couple of good plays and more consistently was in better position than the rest of the group. I would keep him outside, he's the best cover lb they've got.
I don't know who is the answer in the middle.
The idea of going with 3 safeties is intriguing.
I don't know who is the answer in the middle.
The idea of going with 3 safeties is intriguing.
I thought the same thing. They did a close up on him at one point as he was getting set and trying to coordinate the D. He definitely looked frazzled and an "oh shit" expression.
I felt bad because I know he was doing his best and trying so hard. Its like he was using a Dixie cup to bail out the Titanic.
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anon_i8nzeu2gbf0ba
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I can appreciate that point, and many others have made it, but it sounds more like an excuse than a reason. Of the multitude of examples available, let's take just one: Appalachian State. Playing their season-opener at highly-ranked Penn State, the boys from Appalachian State played the home team to a 60-minute tie, only to lose in OT. Now think about it a minute: It's Appalachian State! They go into Happy Valley to open the season against mighty PSU and play them dead even. Only the advent of OT allows PSU to come away with a win.
In contrast, Iowa opens at home against a MAC team and makes just about every mistake in the book and leads by an embarrassing 3-0 at the half.
Some people might wonder how Appalachian State--again, just one of many, many examples--can go into Penn State and play so well while Iowa can't get out of its own way in Iowa City. Dropped passes, key penalties, a blocked punt, poor route running by the WRs, bad timing on passes....
So bottom line: why does Iowa always have first-game jitters and play poorly while little guys like Appalachian State seem to manage just fine?
The Mike sets the defensive alignment. As bad as Jones was during the play he was worse pre-snap.
Probably the best thing Hockaday did was get the line and Mike and Will positions set before the snap. DL play went up significantly with him calling the defense.
Probably the best thing Hockaday did was get the line and Mike and Will positions set before the snap. DL play went up significantly with him calling the defense.
Exactly. If anything give him his reps the following week vs UNI to get his job back.
The other thing is I really wanted Jones to be our guy as a potential difference maker. He runs and hits like a ton of bricks which was evidenced by a massive 4th quarter tackle. Instinctually he’s clearly not there yet, but I hope he’s able to bounce back.
Hopefully it was the nerves of playing live for Jones. The coaches really have put some time in on him last spring and this fall from all accounts I have heard or read. They must believe in him somewhat...
The film room and coaching will help him out a lot. He better put his thinking cap on.
Hockaday will be the starter for at least the next few games. If not the season. Glad he is finally healthy. For his sake hope he can stay that way!
The play from Jones didn’t surprise me one bit. I’ve seen two separate videos where he himself admitted to being lost and still learning.
It is what it is. Watch the first quarter. It was not good. Running right into gaps where d-linemen who already had made a pile there. His last play was when he vacated his zone in pass coverage to run at something toward the sideline. QB threw is right where he had left to receiver standing with no one within 10 yards. Hockaday did fine but is limited athletically. He was where he was supposed to be. I don't know how that will play against Iowa State and Montgomery. Have to be gap-sound against the zone read handoff or they will just keep doing it all day. My guess is the staff is considering all options, including Welch in the middle and Colbert at WLB, or Niemann in the middle and Wade outside. Or just playing Hockaday in the middle. Things are different in games than practice, so it's likely there will be some further shuffling as guys either earn more time or get less based on how they play.
I don't think it's the last we will see of Jones, but others will now have to mess up/get hurt for him to get another shot as a starter. It happened to Gervase last year, got benched against ISU and due to injury was starting again later in the year and was much better.
Bingo we have a winner. The game against NIU was almost a carbon copy of the game against Wyoming last year. Offense couldn't get out of its way, but defense strangled Wyoming for easy win. It's why Iowa can play lights out against OSU on offense as a 20-point underdog or whatever they were. You are playing with house money when no one expects you to win. Team can take every chance in the book because no one expects you to win anyway. Good things start happening and all of a sudden it's a game.
Be happy, take the win. Iowa was 9 or 10-point favorite against NIU. Hawks won by 26 and had room for improvement.
Conversly you might wonder if PSU played even more poorly then Iowa, allowing App State to be in the game?
