How Iowa's new-look offense draws inspiration from Green Bay Packers: 'We're running the Shanahan system'
The 2024 season is one of big, exciting changes in the Big Ten. The conference will add a western wing this summer, with USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington growing the number of schools in the league to 18. Everywhere I go -- around family, friends, or strangers who find out what I do for a living -- I get asked how excited I am about the changes.I tell them the truth. I'm not as excited about the additions as I am intrigued by them. It will be interesting to see how the additions shift the landscape of the league, but even that's limited because I'm fairly confident they won't be the last additions in the near future.
The one thing that excites me -- but nobody ever asks about it-- is the new-look Iowa offense.
Yes, I'm a man of unique tastes. The Big Ten has four new teams? Cool. Ohio State is acquiring an incredible amount of talent this offseason that could set the Buckeyes up for years? Neat.
But have you heard that Iowa's going to be running far more pre-snap motion? That's change! That's exciting! When it comes to the changes supposedly coming to Iowa City, I'm trying to maintain an "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude. But the more I read and hear, the more I buy into the idea that it's actually happening.
Take this column from the Des Moines Register's Chad Leistikow about former Iowa running back and current running backs coach Ladell Betts. Of note, Iowa's staff and new offensive coordinator Tim Lester visited the Green Bay Packers, where Lester previously served as a senior analyst. The emphasis is mine:
What's that? Iowa will be running the Packers' system? The Shanahan system? Does that include pre-snap motion?
"The bread and butter of it is the run game. It all centers around the run game," Betts told the Register. "But I think the biggest takeaway is how much consternation can we give the defense? How off-balance can we keep the defense? There's going to be a lot of motions. A lot of shifts. A lot of pre-snap changes with the alignments."
I appreciate Betts saying "consternation." It's a good word that needs to be used more often, much like pre-snap motion for the Iowa offense. My problems with Iowa's offenses weren't strictly related to the style of play. I have no problem with multiple tight end sets and smashmouth football. My problem was how easy the Hawkeyes made things on opponents. They lined up and ran the play.
Hearing that the Hawkeyes plan to use more pre-snap motion was a jolt to the system. Motion before the snap is not some newfangled discovery. It's a basic concept teams have used for a long time to force a defense to declare itself and make life easier for the quarterback. How infrequently did Iowa use motion last season? According to TruMedia, only 22.9% of the time; it ranked No. 12 in the Big Ten and No. 112 nationally.
| TEAM | PLAYS WITH PRE-SNAP MOTION | NATIONAL RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 59.7% | 2nd |
| Ohio State | 41.9% | 32nd |
| Minnesota | 40.6% | 40th |
| Northwestern | 39.0% | 47th |
| Illinois | 38.1% | 51st |
| Nebraska | 36.3% | 63rd |
| Penn State | 33.9% | 74th |
| Indiana | 33.6% | 75th |
| Purdue | 33.5% | 76th |
| Michigan State | 27.3% | 99th |
| Wisconsin | 27.3% | 100th |
| Iowa | 22.9% | 112th |
| Maryland | 20.8% | 119th |
| Rutgers | 19.5% | 122nd |
Compare that number to Michigan, another offense that played "smashmouth" complementary football on offense. The Wolverines used pre-snap motion 59.7% of the time. That was the second-highest rate in the country, behind only Florida.
The point is not that motion fixes an offense; however, it can make life easier for an offense, confuse a defense, and (as Michigan so excellently showed us last year) it can be run by a team looking to maul you more than run past you.
Maybe, just maybe, Iowa will do it, too.
