Defensive Line

[trj]

Will they be able to generate a pass rush? somebody capable of getting 8- 10 sacks this year? Penetration, can someone rack up decent TFL numbers? Maybe this is too much to ask for, can this d-line do enough to keep our linebackers clean so they can make plays?

 

[HawkeyeMHA]

My sleepers on the d line this year are McMinn (he has put weight on his 6-7 frame and looks the part now) and hardy. im telling ya...

 

[hawkeyebob62]

Yes I get it. It was pointed out to me in another thread I have brain damage in the form of Asperger's. One benefit of such a thing is numbers and details. That is why I love watching sports so much, almost every person at every position has a "tell" and that is what upsets me so bad about the DB's. I know our style is to play it safe, but for heavens sake when you see that same tell 100 times, you have to recognize it and play the ball, or you should be able to anyway. My wife hates it when I call a play before it happens. Some of it comes from when I played when I was young, but most comes from me watching every little thing. It is a chess game and the object is to know what they are going to do next and to hide what you are doing. If you can do that well enough a D3 team could beat a D1. Simple as that. Over the years we have not been good at hiding what we were going to do on O. I agree with BF, we need to be able to run even if they know we are going to, but that is a gross understatement.

While the "need to be able to run" is a staple of Iowa football, part of what opened some running room for Shonn Greene, Jewel Hampton, ARob, Wegher, et. al., was the "ability" to go downfield once Stanzi became the starter at QB. While JC would throw downfield, it was woeful 90% of the time.

Stanzi could throw deep, accurately (for the most part) and had an excellent pump-fake. Once teams have to "account" for the passing game in our system, the run game gets more room. When you add mobile QBs like Banks or Tate (and even Stanzi and Nate Chandler had good enough mobility), it can even make up for poor rushing performances.

EDIT: This post was supposed to be in an entirely different threat. NO idea how it ended up here?!