Game Day is upon us as the Hawks get the season kicked off tomorrow afternoon vs Northern Illinois. I can't wait for the game so excited to see what the team will look like this season. Northern Illinois will not be an easy task for the team but I believe the media is giving NIU a little bit too much credit. Now looking at this game it should be an interesting game and the elements of the heat should give Iowa a major advantage. During this blog I'm going to be breaking down a few keys and give everyone a little idea of what to expect from the Huskies and the Hawkeyes tomorrow.
First for Northern Illinois they are known for their offense which returns a number of players at key positions but most importantly Jordan Lynch. He is a QB that has some Heisman hype this season and is a very good all around quarterback who can run and pass. He will run the quarterback read a lot during the game last year if you remember he had a 70 plus yard TD Run. He is the guy we have to bottle up and slow down to win this game vs the Huskies. Lynch can keep a team in the game by himself if he is given too much space to operate. NIU's running back Akeem Daniels will not play with a foot injury so that will hurt the Huskies offense as he was a real threat for them to solidify that QB read. The problem without him is Iowa can focus in on Jordan Lynch. At Wide Receiver NIU lost a couple of veteran players in Perez Ashford and Martel Moore but they do return the speedster Tommy Lee Lewis. This is what the offense will look like a lot of Jordan Lynch trying to create something.
Defensively NIU lost a lot of players on the defense from last season especially in the front 7 of the defense. Last year if you remember NIU's defensive line used there speed to wreak havoc on Vandenberg. A number of those guys are gone but I would expect to see similar players at the end positions that have speed and pass rushing ability. NIU was very aggressive last season sacking Iowa 4 times. The game last season was a 20 to 19 Iowa Victory. Just a small preview for you on NIU's defense so lets get straight to the keys to the game.
Keys to an Iowa Victory on Defense
Bottle up Jordan Lynch make him uncomfortable and hit him.
Make sure to wrap up tackles we saw a lot of missed tackles last season
Read your keys with a QB that can run and pass you can't get beat on a playaction
The Defensive ends have to stay at home don't get sucked in and let Lynch make a play
Keys to an Iowa Victory on Offense
Ease Jake Ruddock into the game it is his first game action let him get his feet wet a little.
Run Weisman run let Mark get going and really tire out a team with less depth I want 150 yards rushing total.
Explosive plays we need to see at least 6 to 10 plays 15 plus yard runs and 20 plus yard passes.
Get playmakers involved Damond Powell, Tevaun Smith, Jordan Canzeri get them involved in the offense.
The last key I see is get the TE's involved in the game early and often.
Keys to an NIU Victory on Offense
Get Tommy Lee Lewis in space and let him make plays
Let Jordan Lynch do what he does
They must have a runningback have a productive game so Iowa can't focus in on Lynch
Keys to an NIU Victory on Defense
Force Jake Ruddock into mistakes with pressure
Slow down Iowa's running game stacking 8 and 9 in the box.
Must wrap up Iowa's playmakers
Prediction Iowa 31 NIU 14
I like Iowa a lot in this game I see an improved team and I think NIU will be surprised by the no huddle offense that Iowa will employ. I also think depth will be a major factor in this game and Iowa will pull away in the 4th quarter. I have seen a number of media people struggling with this game but simply I don't believe NIU is as good as last year or Iowa as bad. Last year we escaped with a win over NIU and don't forget they do have a new head coach as Dave Doren left the team. I see a close game for a while with Iowa pulling away at the end my star of the game on offense is Tevaun Smith who will catch a long TD Pass and on defense Carl Davis shows the muscle he showed all camp and spring to dominate the line of scrimmage. So now the only thing left to do is play the game I can't wait to get down to Kinnick tomorrow should be a lot of fun as I have the Hawkeyes moving to 1-0. I will have a review of the game in my next blog thanks for reading.
Go Hawks.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Iowa Defense thoughts from kids day.
It is game week we finally made it to week one of the College Football season. Iowa opens up against Northern Illinois on Saturday at 2:30 in Kinnick Stadium. As you know from reading my offense thoughts from kids day I was planning a defensive blog too. This blog will be all about the Hawks defense so lets jump right in with the positives from the kids day scrimmage.
The most critical question for this defense is can they generate a pass rush from the defensive line position, they just weren't very good last season at getting to the quarterback. Here is the good news I saw a lot of defensive lineman getting penetration into the backfield and pressuring the QB. Now looking at the defensive lineman as a unit I'm very excited about the potential. They have a lot of young guys and veteran guys that look ready to make a big leap forward. The guy that has been generating the most buzz is Carl Davis at 6 ft 5 310 pounds he has been dominant on the line and looks to make a huge step forward this season. We return LTP who played a lot and pretty well last season, Dominic Alvis is back again this year and will start at defensive end hopefully being his second year since the ACL injury he will look a lot quicker this year. Also returning on the defensive line is Darian Cooper who seemed to be playing well near the end of last season. Other players returning our Drew Ott, Riley McMinn, Mike Hardy, and Nate Meier finally has a position at defensive end. A number of young guys look ready to emerge like Jaleel Johnson who is listed as the second string defensive tackle after Davis, Faith Ekakitie is another guy that red shirted and moved to defensive end he is a guy that could make an impact for the Hawks this season.
As you know the team that controls the line of scrimmage usually wins the game and with the rotation we have of 8 or 9 guys that can be productive, this defensive line could take a huge step forward this season. For Iowa to do some damage this year in the Big Ten the defensive line has to generate more of pass rush with so many teams that just throw the ball out of shot gun. Also during the BTN practice they said Iowa was thinking about using linebackers like Quinton Alston as pass rushing specialist so that could be interesting to see if Meier, Alston and possibly a freshman like Reggie Spearman line up at defensive end. The Good news about the defensive line is they look to have improved a lot since last season
The most experienced group we have is at linebacker we return all 3 starters from last years team. The linebackers looked like they had a little trouble getting off blocks and making plays even though all 3 were top 10 in tackles in the conference. With an improved defensive line it should only make Morris, Hitchens and Kirksey's job that much easier. This is the group that could be really special this season they can all run especially Kirksey who sometimes looks like a defensive back with his size and speed. I expect all of these guys to have very good senior seasons making a lot more plays in the backfield or near the line of scrimmage. The front 7 of this defense looks to have a lot of potential to be very good if they can stay relatively healthy and play to their potential. Some of the other linebackers who are back include Quinton Alston, Travis Perry, Marcus Collins, Cole Fisher, while adding some new guys to the mix in red shirt Freshman Laron Taylor and true Freshman Josey Jewell, Reggie Spearmen and John Kenny. I don't expect the true Freshmen to play and Spearmen is listed as a linebacker but his future looks to be at defensive end so if we do have trouble generating a pass rush don't be surprised if you see him on passing downs rushing the QB. As always a number of guys that play linebacker usually get a chance to play on the special teams units which is an important role on this team. Looking at these young guys the future is bright but with 3 starting linebackers and other more experienced guys I wouldn't expect to see the younger guys in on defense.
The position that looked the best on Saturday was the secondary they were dominant at times. B. J. Lowery will be the next Iowa defensive back drafted into the NFL he looks to be the shut down corner for this team very physical and athletic. The offense could barely get anything completed on his side. On the other side was Jordan Lomax who looked really good again a physical corner that can run and make plays. The other corners that played Gavin Smith, and Sean Draper were in a lot. At the nickle corner look for Reece Flemming to be the main guy and Gavin Smith and Sean Draper playing too. I expect to see Draper play a lot as he played last season Smith didn't have his best day as he got beat a number of times. Overall though the corner position looks like a strength we still have to see Lomax prove it in a game but I'm excited about his potential. The younger corners coming in are Malik Rucker, and Desmond King who could see some action this year. Solomon Warfield is another true Freshman that could be a Safety or a Corner. The other Corner that looks to have serious potential is Greg Maybin the former Wide Receiver just has the look of a potentially great corner standing at 6 ft 2 he is big and physical. I think we will see him emerge more later in the year or next year. The Corner backs as a whole look to be very good if Lomax can fill in at the other corner opposite Lowery we could be a very difficult team to pass on.
At Safety we return Tanner Miller who had a rough season last year but looked really good on Saturday. He is locked in at the starting Free Safety position at Strong Safety there was a battle during camp between Nico Law and John Lowdermilk but Lowdermilk seems to have wrapped up that spot. He didn't play a whole lot last season but he got his feet wet on special teams. Looks like a pretty athletic safety that should be able to make some plays. Nico Law is still the best hitting safety on this team and will play a lot during running situations he had a couple of big hits. The Second string free Safety is Anthony Gair a RS Freshman so besides Miller at safety there isn't a whole lot of experience back there which could be a little shaky in the early going. Tanner Milller improving is a must if we want to be successful this season. That is a little preview on what the defense will look like position wise hear are some of the things I noticed about the actual defense.
The defense was very aggressive I saw a number of corner and safety blitzes. It seemed on most plays we would be blitzing at least one player or running some type of stunt on the defensive line. I think with the Corners we have this we should be able to play a lot of man coverage. The defensive line was really led by Carl Davis who lived in the backfield during the scrimmage. I would say the players that need to emerge this season for Iowa to be successful, Carl Davis he seems to have already done this in the practices I've seen just needs consistency, Darian Cooper looked ready last season to make an impact should be a big time player this season, Louis Trinca Pasat needs to stay healthy. At defensive end we must have Alvis play well and one of the younger defensive ends take a jump forward to become that pass rusher. I think this front 7 is as good as the any in the Big ten Conference with 3 starting linebackers, the defensive line is the key question mark can they take a step forward to create pressure with a 4 man front. The Secondary I'm excited about the corners but still have some questions about the Safety position.
All I know is I'm super excited for next Saturday the Hawks play Northern Illinois should be a fun game to open the season. I really believe this defense has great potential to become a very good defense. In my next blog I'm going to preview week 1 against Northern Illinois probably tomorrow or Thursday
Thanks for reading as always
Go Hawks.
The most critical question for this defense is can they generate a pass rush from the defensive line position, they just weren't very good last season at getting to the quarterback. Here is the good news I saw a lot of defensive lineman getting penetration into the backfield and pressuring the QB. Now looking at the defensive lineman as a unit I'm very excited about the potential. They have a lot of young guys and veteran guys that look ready to make a big leap forward. The guy that has been generating the most buzz is Carl Davis at 6 ft 5 310 pounds he has been dominant on the line and looks to make a huge step forward this season. We return LTP who played a lot and pretty well last season, Dominic Alvis is back again this year and will start at defensive end hopefully being his second year since the ACL injury he will look a lot quicker this year. Also returning on the defensive line is Darian Cooper who seemed to be playing well near the end of last season. Other players returning our Drew Ott, Riley McMinn, Mike Hardy, and Nate Meier finally has a position at defensive end. A number of young guys look ready to emerge like Jaleel Johnson who is listed as the second string defensive tackle after Davis, Faith Ekakitie is another guy that red shirted and moved to defensive end he is a guy that could make an impact for the Hawks this season.
As you know the team that controls the line of scrimmage usually wins the game and with the rotation we have of 8 or 9 guys that can be productive, this defensive line could take a huge step forward this season. For Iowa to do some damage this year in the Big Ten the defensive line has to generate more of pass rush with so many teams that just throw the ball out of shot gun. Also during the BTN practice they said Iowa was thinking about using linebackers like Quinton Alston as pass rushing specialist so that could be interesting to see if Meier, Alston and possibly a freshman like Reggie Spearman line up at defensive end. The Good news about the defensive line is they look to have improved a lot since last season
The most experienced group we have is at linebacker we return all 3 starters from last years team. The linebackers looked like they had a little trouble getting off blocks and making plays even though all 3 were top 10 in tackles in the conference. With an improved defensive line it should only make Morris, Hitchens and Kirksey's job that much easier. This is the group that could be really special this season they can all run especially Kirksey who sometimes looks like a defensive back with his size and speed. I expect all of these guys to have very good senior seasons making a lot more plays in the backfield or near the line of scrimmage. The front 7 of this defense looks to have a lot of potential to be very good if they can stay relatively healthy and play to their potential. Some of the other linebackers who are back include Quinton Alston, Travis Perry, Marcus Collins, Cole Fisher, while adding some new guys to the mix in red shirt Freshman Laron Taylor and true Freshman Josey Jewell, Reggie Spearmen and John Kenny. I don't expect the true Freshmen to play and Spearmen is listed as a linebacker but his future looks to be at defensive end so if we do have trouble generating a pass rush don't be surprised if you see him on passing downs rushing the QB. As always a number of guys that play linebacker usually get a chance to play on the special teams units which is an important role on this team. Looking at these young guys the future is bright but with 3 starting linebackers and other more experienced guys I wouldn't expect to see the younger guys in on defense.
The position that looked the best on Saturday was the secondary they were dominant at times. B. J. Lowery will be the next Iowa defensive back drafted into the NFL he looks to be the shut down corner for this team very physical and athletic. The offense could barely get anything completed on his side. On the other side was Jordan Lomax who looked really good again a physical corner that can run and make plays. The other corners that played Gavin Smith, and Sean Draper were in a lot. At the nickle corner look for Reece Flemming to be the main guy and Gavin Smith and Sean Draper playing too. I expect to see Draper play a lot as he played last season Smith didn't have his best day as he got beat a number of times. Overall though the corner position looks like a strength we still have to see Lomax prove it in a game but I'm excited about his potential. The younger corners coming in are Malik Rucker, and Desmond King who could see some action this year. Solomon Warfield is another true Freshman that could be a Safety or a Corner. The other Corner that looks to have serious potential is Greg Maybin the former Wide Receiver just has the look of a potentially great corner standing at 6 ft 2 he is big and physical. I think we will see him emerge more later in the year or next year. The Corner backs as a whole look to be very good if Lomax can fill in at the other corner opposite Lowery we could be a very difficult team to pass on.
At Safety we return Tanner Miller who had a rough season last year but looked really good on Saturday. He is locked in at the starting Free Safety position at Strong Safety there was a battle during camp between Nico Law and John Lowdermilk but Lowdermilk seems to have wrapped up that spot. He didn't play a whole lot last season but he got his feet wet on special teams. Looks like a pretty athletic safety that should be able to make some plays. Nico Law is still the best hitting safety on this team and will play a lot during running situations he had a couple of big hits. The Second string free Safety is Anthony Gair a RS Freshman so besides Miller at safety there isn't a whole lot of experience back there which could be a little shaky in the early going. Tanner Milller improving is a must if we want to be successful this season. That is a little preview on what the defense will look like position wise hear are some of the things I noticed about the actual defense.
The defense was very aggressive I saw a number of corner and safety blitzes. It seemed on most plays we would be blitzing at least one player or running some type of stunt on the defensive line. I think with the Corners we have this we should be able to play a lot of man coverage. The defensive line was really led by Carl Davis who lived in the backfield during the scrimmage. I would say the players that need to emerge this season for Iowa to be successful, Carl Davis he seems to have already done this in the practices I've seen just needs consistency, Darian Cooper looked ready last season to make an impact should be a big time player this season, Louis Trinca Pasat needs to stay healthy. At defensive end we must have Alvis play well and one of the younger defensive ends take a jump forward to become that pass rusher. I think this front 7 is as good as the any in the Big ten Conference with 3 starting linebackers, the defensive line is the key question mark can they take a step forward to create pressure with a 4 man front. The Secondary I'm excited about the corners but still have some questions about the Safety position.
All I know is I'm super excited for next Saturday the Hawks play Northern Illinois should be a fun game to open the season. I really believe this defense has great potential to become a very good defense. In my next blog I'm going to preview week 1 against Northern Illinois probably tomorrow or Thursday
Thanks for reading as always
Go Hawks.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Iowa Hawkeyes kids Day Scrimmage thoughts Offense
Hey all how are you doing on this Tuesday August 20th don't look now but the football season is right around the corner. The Hawkeyes open up the season at home against Northern Illinois on August 31st. I got the chance to go down to the Iowa's scrimmage this past Saturday and have some thoughts on what the team looked like on offense
The biggest question I had coming into the scrimmage was if the Hawks would run the no huddle offense which was the rumored. During the scrimmage Iowa ran no huddle the whole practice so it sure looks like we will be in no huddle most of the time the offense is on the field. They were signaling plays into the quarterbacks and the play would be called at the line.If you have seen ISU play the offense it will be similar to this where it's not a traditional huddle.So the biggest change offensively besides going to the no huddle is the elimination of the fullback unless we are in a short yardage situation. I see the offense running 2 TE sets and using the TE like a fullback with a single back for the stretch play we are known for. Also expect to see a lot of spread formations with 3 and 4 WR sets on the field most of the time this season. The Wide receivers lining up on the outside won't be only wide outs expect to see tight ends line up on the outside and running backs. I saw a lot of Damon Bullock and Jordan Canzeri on the outside for more than specific plays. So the offense has changed a lot now to get to the biggest question to answer this camp who will be the starting quarterback?
I watched the scrimmage all the way through so I got to see all the QB's take a lot of reps at the position and there was one constant, Jake Rudock took all of the snaps with the number one offense. Now Jake didn't do anything too spectacular but was very solid. He lead one Touch down drive and one field goal on the day. So what does Jake bring to the table first he is very smart, has a good arm, and he can run. He was very confident in what he was doing on the field against a defense that looked great but I'll get to that in a later blog entry. So if Rudock is the starting QB even though Ferentz hasn't named a starter yet number 2 is CJ Beathard he was always the number two quarter back and as a RS FR has a lot of potential. He has an absolute cannon for an arm throwing a few deep balls down the field that were right on target. He really impressed me with his arm seemed to make smart decisions and he also can run the ball. The number 3 QB seems to be Cody Sokol but he showed off a nice arm and lead a TD drive. The constant with all the quarterbacks is they were very comfortable in the pocket not getting happy feet like Vandenburg did some last year. So still a lot of question but I think either of these guys will do a good job for us now onto the running backs.
The starting running back for the most part was Mark Weisman as he lined up in a lot of single back sets. The interesting thing was who came in after him as it wasn't so much Bullock and Canzeri getting carries. Michael Malloy received a lot of carries and looked good he has speed and power as does Leshun Daniels who is reminding a lot of people in Iowa City of Shonn Greene but faster. Damon Bullock and Canzeri will get carries but expect to see them split out at wide receiver a lot this season. They really seemed to be working on getting Bullock and Canzeri the ball in space by running quick screen's. Even the Freshman showed some good things Akrum Wadley had a great run after the catch on a pass he caught on one side of the field than took it all the way across the field for a 60 yard touchdown.
Another big question coming into camp was who is going to play receiver? Kevonte Martin Manley impressed me he looks a lot faster this season than last making some nice moves and creating some yards after the catch on Saturday. He will be one of the starters the other 2 who lined up with him a lot were Don Shumpert and Damon Bullock. Shumpert didn't have a great scrimmage but looked good in the wide receiver drills before it started. He has all the speed his problem has been catching the ball consistently if he can do that he could be a very good receiver and legit threat. A number of guys played but the two receivers that stood out to me were Tevaun Smith, and Damon Powell. Smith made a great diving catch and was making plays all game. Damon Powell can fly and they even had some plays to try and get him open he is a threat to take it the distance anytime he touches the ball. He doesn't just have speed but is very elusive..He had two plays where he shook the defender and got big yardage, he also went up high to catch a TD pass where he got drilled by Nico Law but still held on. He was very impressive and will play it just depends how long it takes him to pick up the playbook. Jake Hillyer flashed a little has great size the surprise to me was Jordan Cotton didn't get a lot of snaps and he seemed to be coming on at the end of the year. The other surprise is Riley McCarron he is a walk on who looks just like Wes Welker he had a big spring game didn't do as much this scrimmage but he is still a receiver to watch. These are the main guys I see playing this season the freshman wide receivers looked physically ready to play maybe a Derrick Willies could get a chance to play if any one struggles or an injury. Overall the speed of the receiving core is much better and I'm excited about the potential of this group.
Tight end is a position we have depth with some familiar faces and a new face to add to the mix. Fiedorowicz should have a huge season for the hawks with an inexperienced QB the best thing to have is a good safety valve tight end. Jake Duzey played a little at the end of the year and played a lot on Saturday the top 2 tight ends were Fiedorowicz and Hamilton. The other Tight end who has emerged is George Kittle a RS FR he played the outside wide receiver position and made a number of nice catches. I don't know if we have more depth at tight end or running back but we are in good shape in both places.
Offensive line looked pretty good for the most part being able to give the quarterback time to find an open receiver. I think this will be one of our better offensive lines it has a lot of experience with Brandon Scherff, Brett Van sloten, Austin Blythe all returning there is also a battle for the right guard spot between Jordan Walsh, Andrew Donnal, Nolan McMillan. Blythe is taking over at center so that will be a little new without James Ferentz at the helm. I think this offensive line could be very good and can only help our defensive line having to go up against a good Oline and vice versa the oline going up against an improving Dline.
So that is what I saw from the offense it will be an interesting year for the Hawks this year I don't know what to expect from this offense. They will be playing a lot faster this season the running game should be improved this season and the passing game should be a lot better. I think this offense could surprise some teams this season I feel like we finally have some explosive play makers that defenses will have to watch out for. The biggest question on how good this offense will be is whether the qb's are really good and wide outs improve. At the scrimmage I saw the offense was much improved which has me excited.
GO Hawks
The biggest question I had coming into the scrimmage was if the Hawks would run the no huddle offense which was the rumored. During the scrimmage Iowa ran no huddle the whole practice so it sure looks like we will be in no huddle most of the time the offense is on the field. They were signaling plays into the quarterbacks and the play would be called at the line.If you have seen ISU play the offense it will be similar to this where it's not a traditional huddle.So the biggest change offensively besides going to the no huddle is the elimination of the fullback unless we are in a short yardage situation. I see the offense running 2 TE sets and using the TE like a fullback with a single back for the stretch play we are known for. Also expect to see a lot of spread formations with 3 and 4 WR sets on the field most of the time this season. The Wide receivers lining up on the outside won't be only wide outs expect to see tight ends line up on the outside and running backs. I saw a lot of Damon Bullock and Jordan Canzeri on the outside for more than specific plays. So the offense has changed a lot now to get to the biggest question to answer this camp who will be the starting quarterback?
I watched the scrimmage all the way through so I got to see all the QB's take a lot of reps at the position and there was one constant, Jake Rudock took all of the snaps with the number one offense. Now Jake didn't do anything too spectacular but was very solid. He lead one Touch down drive and one field goal on the day. So what does Jake bring to the table first he is very smart, has a good arm, and he can run. He was very confident in what he was doing on the field against a defense that looked great but I'll get to that in a later blog entry. So if Rudock is the starting QB even though Ferentz hasn't named a starter yet number 2 is CJ Beathard he was always the number two quarter back and as a RS FR has a lot of potential. He has an absolute cannon for an arm throwing a few deep balls down the field that were right on target. He really impressed me with his arm seemed to make smart decisions and he also can run the ball. The number 3 QB seems to be Cody Sokol but he showed off a nice arm and lead a TD drive. The constant with all the quarterbacks is they were very comfortable in the pocket not getting happy feet like Vandenburg did some last year. So still a lot of question but I think either of these guys will do a good job for us now onto the running backs.
The starting running back for the most part was Mark Weisman as he lined up in a lot of single back sets. The interesting thing was who came in after him as it wasn't so much Bullock and Canzeri getting carries. Michael Malloy received a lot of carries and looked good he has speed and power as does Leshun Daniels who is reminding a lot of people in Iowa City of Shonn Greene but faster. Damon Bullock and Canzeri will get carries but expect to see them split out at wide receiver a lot this season. They really seemed to be working on getting Bullock and Canzeri the ball in space by running quick screen's. Even the Freshman showed some good things Akrum Wadley had a great run after the catch on a pass he caught on one side of the field than took it all the way across the field for a 60 yard touchdown.
Another big question coming into camp was who is going to play receiver? Kevonte Martin Manley impressed me he looks a lot faster this season than last making some nice moves and creating some yards after the catch on Saturday. He will be one of the starters the other 2 who lined up with him a lot were Don Shumpert and Damon Bullock. Shumpert didn't have a great scrimmage but looked good in the wide receiver drills before it started. He has all the speed his problem has been catching the ball consistently if he can do that he could be a very good receiver and legit threat. A number of guys played but the two receivers that stood out to me were Tevaun Smith, and Damon Powell. Smith made a great diving catch and was making plays all game. Damon Powell can fly and they even had some plays to try and get him open he is a threat to take it the distance anytime he touches the ball. He doesn't just have speed but is very elusive..He had two plays where he shook the defender and got big yardage, he also went up high to catch a TD pass where he got drilled by Nico Law but still held on. He was very impressive and will play it just depends how long it takes him to pick up the playbook. Jake Hillyer flashed a little has great size the surprise to me was Jordan Cotton didn't get a lot of snaps and he seemed to be coming on at the end of the year. The other surprise is Riley McCarron he is a walk on who looks just like Wes Welker he had a big spring game didn't do as much this scrimmage but he is still a receiver to watch. These are the main guys I see playing this season the freshman wide receivers looked physically ready to play maybe a Derrick Willies could get a chance to play if any one struggles or an injury. Overall the speed of the receiving core is much better and I'm excited about the potential of this group.
Tight end is a position we have depth with some familiar faces and a new face to add to the mix. Fiedorowicz should have a huge season for the hawks with an inexperienced QB the best thing to have is a good safety valve tight end. Jake Duzey played a little at the end of the year and played a lot on Saturday the top 2 tight ends were Fiedorowicz and Hamilton. The other Tight end who has emerged is George Kittle a RS FR he played the outside wide receiver position and made a number of nice catches. I don't know if we have more depth at tight end or running back but we are in good shape in both places.
Offensive line looked pretty good for the most part being able to give the quarterback time to find an open receiver. I think this will be one of our better offensive lines it has a lot of experience with Brandon Scherff, Brett Van sloten, Austin Blythe all returning there is also a battle for the right guard spot between Jordan Walsh, Andrew Donnal, Nolan McMillan. Blythe is taking over at center so that will be a little new without James Ferentz at the helm. I think this offensive line could be very good and can only help our defensive line having to go up against a good Oline and vice versa the oline going up against an improving Dline.
So that is what I saw from the offense it will be an interesting year for the Hawks this year I don't know what to expect from this offense. They will be playing a lot faster this season the running game should be improved this season and the passing game should be a lot better. I think this offense could surprise some teams this season I feel like we finally have some explosive play makers that defenses will have to watch out for. The biggest question on how good this offense will be is whether the qb's are really good and wide outs improve. At the scrimmage I saw the offense was much improved which has me excited.
GO Hawks
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