What role will Oliver Martin play this year
- Thread starter Bryzzo
- Start date
Martin will contribute in an essential and pivotal way this fall. He is an elite receiver. If not injured last season should have been starting all year!
The bolded are 2 key points that seem to escape so many fans. And they are so apparent to anyone with average powers of observation. Regarding the first, in all sports and positions, some much more than others, the mental aspects (decision-making, play under pressure,....) are a significant component of performance. Games are not the same as practice.
As ISM stated in a recent interview - no current Iowa WR has put up 10 TD receptions in a season nor has any guys had a 1000+ yard season. Nobody has "arrived" ... so hopefully everybody is working to get better ... and working so that they're ready to contribute to the 2020 team.
I do know this ... during Ferentz's long tenure as coach, the 2019 season was the first ever where we had 4 WRs get 400+ yards receiving. So this is the most returning production we've ever had at WR ... and things get even more interesting when you consider what Jones and Martin are capable of doing too.
Our WR core will be such a threat that Goodson could accumulate incredible statistics, given our OL is much improved.
Our play-action and running game out of the shotgun should be effective as defenses won't know which stud skill player is going to get the ball. I'm psyched.
From a possible injury standpoint, all I remember from last fall is that Blair noted he suffered a shoulder injury at some point in camp that was feared long-term. However, the prognosis came out better than expected and he played early and caught a TD pass. Maybe it flared up later on in the year or something different? Not sure...
I think about 4 other receivers flared up later in the year, actually....
Yeah, I'm really curious how Brian will call things ... and how he will utilize the field. The working philosophy that underlies O'Keefe's O (that is the foundation of what Brian is implementing) - is to force the opposing D to defend the whole field. That helps the QB and OC to identify weak points ... and then exploit them to move the ball. Obviously, Iowa's running game helps to open up the play-action game - and that is where we hit most of our "big plays" in the passing game.
If there is a "problem" with a passing game that forces the D to defend the whole field - it's that the D is typically well-spaced ... and that leaves fewer open patches in the field to exploit big plays in the running game.
I've written this several times in the past - but if there was a positive about how Greg Davis utilized the field - it forced opposing Ds to pay extra attention to the edges of the field. An immediate consequence of this is that Iowa broke more big runs on the inside zone than I recall ever seeing before in the Ferentz-era. When the opposition is bunched in some areas - it leaves vacated space in others ... and that is where opportunities can be had.
Rick sixes happened with plenty of frequency in '09 ... even without Greg's help!
Well, Oliver better hurry up. He's only got two years of eligibility left, and Nico has three.
Nico has mostly just been playing the slot. I think Oliver is capable of playing a few of our WR spots. Irrespective of how many snaps he sees this year - I think that if he improves (like the others) ... then he has a chance to be a pretty darn important contributor for the O in 2021 (if not sooner).
You're right, that's why Kirk and Brian are going to make sure OM sees a "fair amount" of action in 2020, but not too much. After all, we don't want him making All B1G 1st/2nd Team this year, and then jump into the 2021 NFL Draft, do we?
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Oliver is the Michael Morgan of Iowa football. Morgan was a great basketball player but not as good as Roy Marble, Bj Armstrong, Kevin Gamble, Bill Jones or Jeff Moe.
Timing is something we can’t control. Oliver is behind some great receivers.
Timing is something we can’t control. Oliver is behind some great receivers.
I'll be very curious to see how Petras has developed. Without question, he'll be surrounded by enough weapons - that's he's being placed in a great position to succeed. I'm very curious to see if his outstanding high school production also ends up translating to the field at the college level too.
Many of the WRs have been stating that Petras doesn't quite put as much "zip" on his throws - and I wonder if that will make them easier to catch? The WRs are saying that his accuracy is comparable to Stanley ... but I don't quite know what to make of that.
However, if Petras can have a mind-set that is a little more like a Beathard or a Stanzi ... then he might be a little better at flushing bad plays. However, I would love if he's able to convert on 3rd and longs like Stanley.
Many of the WRs have been stating that Petras doesn't quite put as much "zip" on his throws - and I wonder if that will make them easier to catch? The WRs are saying that his accuracy is comparable to Stanley ... but I don't quite know what to make of that.
However, if Petras can have a mind-set that is a little more like a Beathard or a Stanzi ... then he might be a little better at flushing bad plays. However, I would love if he's able to convert on 3rd and longs like Stanley.
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