Sunday, September 18, 2011

Bust out the U-Haul

My break downs for each game have moved to their new home over at HawkeyeNation.com. You can find them there each and every week.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Prospect Watch: Iowa OT's vs DE/OLB Brandon Lindsey

Saturday afternoon's game with Pittsburgh in Iowa City will have many scouts eyes on the match up between Brandon Lindsey and the Iowa Offensive tackles. You rarely get to see top prospects matched up against one another and these are the kinds of games NFL teams will go back and watch when they are making their draft day plans.

Who They are:

#7 Brandon Lindsey 6'2 250 
Brandon Lindsey is a hybrid DE/OLB prospect and a good one. He spent 2010 playing in mostly a 4 man front and excelled as a pash rusher. He wracked up 10 sacks,18 TFL, 3FF and 6 QB hurries in 2010. He wasn't a a very effective run defender as a 4-3 end but this isn't much of a concern as he projects very well as a rush LB in a 3-4. Pittsburgh's new coaching staff has implemented a 3-4 this year for Pitt and that's great news for Lindsey as he'll be auditioning at his projected position. He's already picked up 2 Sacks and 10 Total tackles in 2011 and should continue to be very productive. He's got a very quick initial burst off the line and has been very effective at threatening the edge. He shows effective counter moves as a pass rusher and rarely gets tied up with his blocker. Very good combination of speed and power. Shows a good motor and will use both power to speed and speed to power rush variations. Haven't seen him in pass drops much yet but he's a pretty good athlete for his size and should be able to at least be serviceable there. Looks to be a solid 2nd round grade at this point to me.

#77 Riley Reiff 6'6 300 & #56 Marcus Zusevics 6'5 300
Reiff is a well known commodity as an OT prospect and has a solid 1st round grade from virtually every scout and evaluation service out there. Zusevics hasn't gotten as much press at this point but many scouts, myself included, think highly of him and he carries a mid-round grade from most at this point. Both guys started all 13 games in 2010 at the OT positions for the Hawkeyes.  Reiff is an excellent athlete and is a natural knee bender. As a result he's an excellent pass blocker. Zusevics is no slouch either and shown solid improvement in his technique already this year. Both guys are excellent dealing with speed off the edge with Reiff being the better of the two against power moves. Reiff is an excellent run blocker in Iowa's zone heavy schema and is very consistent at getting to second level defenders. Zusevics also is a quality run blocker and has improved at getting to second level target in the run game.

What to watch for:
The most interesting thing to watch will be when you see either Reiff or Zusevics matched up with one on one in pass protection with Lindsey. It's a strength vs strength match-up and it should be a great one to watch. I don't expect Iowa's tackles to struggle with the initial speed moves from Lindsey but he's very deadly with his counters and that will be the focal point in this one. Lindsey will be coming as a stand up rusher rather than with his hand on the ground as he did last year and this will be the first high level opponent he faces this year. Lindsey also can cause a mismatch by hitting inside gaps on stunts and blitz packages.  I'd expect Lindsey to challenge the edge strongly and show effective counter moves. Both Iowa's OT's will need to be very crisp and clean with their technique to keep Lindsey away from James Vandenburg. If either guy makes a mistake Lindsey is going to capitalize and cause havoc. I'd be surprised if Lindsey doesn't get a sack or at least tally a few QB pressures in this one. If Iowa's guy's keep'm away from JVB all day I'll be pretty impressed. This will be a very interesting match-up to keep an eye on Saturday.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Defensive Back Notes: ISU

Not a great game for the DB's out there this week. Some of the yardage they gave up wasn't really on them as the DL struggled to do anything to slow down Jantz out there. Other times there was blown coverage, sloppy footwork, and poor route recognition. This group didn't tackle well as a unit either and gave up too many yards after contact in both phases of the game.

Hyde show cased his man to man cover ability in the red zone a couple of times in this one and really looked his best matched up in press coverage over the slot. He did some good things at his safety spot and also had some rough patches, including blown coverage for a TD. If he can clean up the mis-reads and mental mistakes he could be a very good safety for this unit. Tools are all there.

Castillo had another rough outing getting picked on quite a few times in the red zone. He simply doesn't have the athleticism or size to win in jump ball situations very often. If he misses a jam he's pretty much beat because he doesn't have the make up speed to catch up or the ball skills to make a play in man turn while trailing. Not a guy you can really leave on an island very often.

Prater had a pretty quiet game in terms of balls thrown his way. The one critical one was on the 3rd and 20 and it really hurt. He picked a poor time to get a little lazy and Jantz fired a perfect ball into the hole in the coverage. Other than that ISU really didn't throw at Prater. Did miss a tackle on the big screen to Horne as well.

Sleeper wasn't overly impressive in this one either. He missed some tackles in the run game and had a few break downs in pass coverage. Got beat deep early and is lucky Jantz didn't see it. Did settle in a little bit as the game went on and didn't open the door for any more over the top stuff. Needs to raise his level of play next week.

Prater  
+1 Nice job recognizing QB scramble and filling hard quickly as he put a pop on him after only a gain of 5 or so. S6
-1 Had a clean shot at the WR on the screen and fails to wrap up here, hit was too high. This ended up being a huge play that set up a TD  for ISU. S9
-1 Doesn't squeeze the vertical very well here in his cover 2 drop after letting the WR get outside of him. It's 3rd and 20 and he gets lazy playing trail on the vertical route and Jantz fires a perfect throw into that natural gap between the CB and S in cover 2. While it took a great throw to complete this, Prater was too far off this route under the circumstances. S10
+1 Great job filling in the option and just whacks pitch man for little to no gain. S12

Overall: Push

Sleeper  
-1 Got beat badly deep over the middle. Looked to have been passed the slot WR by the shallow defender. Turned his hips the wrong way and was beat for 6 if Jantz had thrown it. S1
+1 Very nice job in run support here as he reads the sweep and closes to the LOS very quickly and limits the play to a short again. S3
-1 Flew up in run support, but didn’t break down and wrap up and what should have been a 1-2 yard gain ends up a 6 or 7 yard gain. S8
-1 Not a very good job of playing his responsibility here. Chases the TE in the slot inside when he should have released him to the inside help quicker. Was unable to get back to take away slant from Prater’s guy on the outside and it goes for a 1st down. Crucial mistake here. S13

Overall: -2

Hyde  
+1 Nice discipline and read the QB’s eyes very well here as he stayed deep on the post while the QB had a lot of time. S8
-1 Blew coverage here as this was a man coverage and he bailed to help on the underneath route. May not have mattered ISU had the perfect call on there, but you got to make them earn it. S9
+1 Great job breaking up the quick arrow route, man coverage behind the blitz and stopped the drive. S10
-1 Horse collared the back S12
+1 Very good job of reading the route and making a play on the ball in the corner of the endzone. Was in man coverage with the slot WR. Excellent job S12

Overall: +1

Castillo  
-1 Very poor positioning and technique in the red zone here. Way too much cushion and doesn’t use the side-line to help him here. Looked lost here and it was a free TD on the fade as he was just outclassed here 1 on 1. S5
+1 Very good press technique this time by Castillo. Gets a jam and goes into man turn and gets his head around after disrupting the WR's release and stayed right in his pocket. Excellent job of using the sideline as his friend this time. S10
-1 Didn’t get a jam at the line and was trailing immediately on the fade. The WR tipped his hand by looking back pretty early for the back shoulder throw and Castillo didn’t pick up on it and it’s an easy TD. Got physically overmatched and didn’t use very good technique here. S12

Overall: -1

Miller
-1 Poor job coming up to stop the QB draw, didn’t close the gap quick enough and then got flat footed and just stood there as Jantz breezed by to pick up the first down. S1
+1 Nice job on the blitz here getting in the backfield and making a TFL on the designed QB draw. S12 

Overall: Push

Linebacker Notes: ISU

Both Nielsen and Morris struggled in this game. Both missed some tackles which is out of character for them. Nielsen tweaked an ankle early and it clearly affected his play in this one. I noted him moving gingerly on it at times between plays and he lost that athleticism and explosiveness that makes him effective. Hopefully he shakes it off quickly and gets himself healthy fast. Morris had troubles finding the ball at times on ISU's zone read runs, especially in the inverted wishbone look. Morris has solid range but he needs to make quick decisive reads to be able to go side-line to side-line. Bad reads/positioning led to most of his missed tackles as well. He should take some valuable lessons away from this one.

This was the one of best, if not the best, individual performance I've graded for an Iowa LB in the last two years. Kirksey was everywhere during this game. He really only made two mis-steps that I caught and one of them was getting beat by a WR on a slant, which I don't really consider a big deal due to it being a mis-match. The other poor play was being too slow to read the run and getting eaten up by OL on a run. Other than that he was lights out. Played the run very well and lead the team in tackles. Did his fair share in both zone and man coverage and was very effective blitzing as he tallied a sack and drew a holding call. He also forced a fumble as he whacked an ISU receiver coming over the middle. Kirksey was the lone bright spot for a defense that gave up 44 points and 473 total yards in this one.

Nielsen
-1 Just got buried here after losing contain on the run play. Gave up contain and then got pancaked. S4
+1 Alertly falls on the Fumble S4
-1 Very poor tackle here as he just doesn’t wrap up and the back pinballs off him for a gain of 7 or 8. S10
-1 Not a good work on the blitz here. Tipped his hand very early and allowed ISU to audible to a slant where he was vacating. To top it off he hesitated on his rush and all he had between him and the QB was a 185lb RB. Very poor effort here and needs disrupt this play. Injury may have effected him here but it looked bad either way. S10

Overall: -2

Morris
-1 Slow to react on the quick inside screen and then takes a bad angle and misses the tackle. S1
-1 Missed the tackle on shuffle pass here as he got caught flat footed. S6
-1 Very slow to read here and he’s still flat footed as the G comes out and keeps him well away from the play S7
+1 Nice job attacking outside shoulder of blocker and forces his man to commit the holding penalty here. Nice work S7
+1 Great job chasing down the back here as makes a big play to start the drive. S11

Overall: -1

Kirksey
+1 Excellent job on the run blitz as he fires up the A gap and makes the stop on 3rd down.S2
+1 Big hit on Jantz for a sack, was a late breaking blitz, but showed great closing speed as he whacks Jantz. Give credit to Binns for coming hard from the outside and forcing Jantz to step up in the sack as well. S3
+1 Great job playing run by Kirksey, read play and smoothly closed and delivered a bit hit. S7
+2 Great hit on WR over the middle and then recovers the fumble Great job peaking the route on the way to his zone. Perfectly timed and put a shot into’m. S7
+1 Great job reading the run and takes a good angle and makes the play in the backfield S10
+1 Great blitz by Kirksey again as he disrupts timing while drawing a hold this time. S11
+1 Great job defending on the slant vs a WR. Shows quick feet and bats the ball away. Great play in the red zone. S11
-1 Slow to read and react and the guard gets out to him and drives him 10 yards downfield. Needs to read quicker than this. S12

Overall: +7

Hitchens
-1 Put his head down on the run play and misses the tackle. S1

Overall: -1

Defensive Line Notes: ISU

Very rough day for the defensive line as a unit. Pretty average against the run and very poor job rushing the passer.  Double digit plays where Jantz had all day to throw. Multiple times he had 6+ seconds without leaving the pocket and Jantz repeatedly easily dodged Iowa's tired and lethargic defenders.

Iowa needs to find some solutions up front to create more pressure. With out the threat of pressure it makes it tough to effectively contain mobile QB's and get 3 and outs. All these long drives they're giving up just knock the wind out of their DL. They need to figure out some ways to shorten drives and a lot of the issues they have go away. On any given play 1 or 2 guys generating a push isnt' going to get it done. They need all four guys threatening the pocket and forcing the QB to move his feet.

Of the unit I thought Daniels, Binns, and Nardo had better days than the rest. Each of these guys made mistakes but played reasonably well. Iowa really needs Daniels to start finishing some more plays. He consistently gets great penetration but through two games has left some sacks and TFL on the field. Needs to turn this around before it becomes a trend. Binn's is playing solid responsibility football out there most of the time but isn't a guy thats going to take over games. He missed some opportunities for sacks in this one as well and he really needs to step up and finish plays when he gets his chances in the backfield.

Nardo outplayed Alvis out there in my eyes and looks like he's a smart player with enough athletic ability to be a productive. Alvis looked like his size really hurt him against ISU's bigger guys up front. He struggled to get anything done out there in this one. Got a very limited look at Carl Davis out there as well. Very few snaps but he appeared to be fairly quick for his size. Have to see more of him to know if he'll be an impact guy.

I'm not sure what was going on with Lebron Daniel out there. He was completely and utterly inactive at times and did little to help his team out there. Behind him is Bigach who looks decent one play and then makes a big mistake on the next. Not a guy that can play a lot of solid downs for this unit and may be limited to spot duty. Iowa has some searching for options to do here.

One suggestion that I've got(which Iowa will never do) is in obvious passing situations take guy from the front four out and replace him with a DB(Bernstine, Miller). Go with a 3 man front and use 1 or more LBers as stand up pass rushers. Not only does that give you better match ups in coverage but it makes it difficult for the QB to know where the rush will come from. Another option I like is to put Nielsen up on the LOS as a DE. Nielsen has decent size with long arms  and he could probably drop down to play some effective snaps at DE in passing situations as well.

Binns  
+1 Great job picking up the loose ball in the back-field S1
+1 Great bull rush to get into backfield and then gets his hands up to bat down the ball S3
-1 Misses the sack on Jantz here and this was just sloppy play. Had him dead to rights but stopped his feet and didn't finish the sack. S6
+1 Binns Great job bull rushing his guy and disrupting Jantz and ends up making the tackle downfield on the scramble as well. If anyone else had made a play this would have stopped the drive. S10


Overall: +2

Daniels  
+1 Great job getting penetration on 3rd and short and he makes the stop to force a punt. S2
-1 Gets flagged for an illegal hands to the face. Pretty obvious call here. S4
+1 Nice work here closing down the QB draw S6
+1 Great pursuit down the line and whacks the ball carrier for a short loss. Great play. S9
+1 Great arm-over here as he comes free and forces a very quick throw. Nice technique here. S10
-1 Blows through the line on this play and should have dropped Jantz for a sack but inexplicably just stops and doesn’t finish him and Jantz wheels away and goes and completes this for a TD. Looks like he thought Jantz had already thrown the ball but you gotta be sure in a game like this. S11

Overall: +2

Alvis  
-1 Very poor job here against the double team in his pass rush as he just ping pongs from one to the other and ends up a few yards down field. Very poor effort here.Needs to pick a move and go with it. S1
-1 Absolutely man handled 1 on 1 inside here and gets turned and pancaked by his guy. S1
+1 Nice job playing on the other side of the line here and forces the back insdie very quickly. S10
-1 Very slow to find the ball here and lets the back run right by him in his gap. S12

Overall: -2

Daniel  
-1 Totally glued to the OT for a full 6 seconds. Unacceptable to be stuck to your guy this long while the QB is still in the pocket. S6
-1 Looks like he’s super glued to Osemele again here on the outside. As Binns and Daniels break down the pocket he’s still completely unable to disengage and help make a play. Just unacceptable to be this inactive out there. S10
-1 Extremely poor technqiue on the outside here as he has all kinds of space to work in or out but ends up just hugging his guy again as he plays too high and doesn't use hands to disengage. S11
-1 Flat out unable to make a play as Jantz scrambles. Had the angle but totally unable to use it. Iowa is in man coverage downfield and no one is going to be able to fill. Needs to suck it up and make a play here. S12
-1 Got absolutely destroyed by his guy on this run play. Knocked back 5 yards and gets pushed into his own guys. Unacceptable. S13

Overall: -5

Nardo
+1 Nardo Great job tackling the ball as he forces a big fumble in the red zone. S4 
-1 Lost control of his gap in the running lane here. Ends up going for an easy first down S10
+1 Nardo Got his hands up in passing lane and deflects a would be TD pass. S11

Overall:  +1

Forgy
+1 Great job getting into the back field and disrupting the shuffle pass. S11
-1 Very poor angle chasing the QB here as he had'm on the run and he should have gotten a sack here.
-1 Got down way too far inside on this play and isn't doing his job. Needs to stay in his area and control his gap/responsibility. Jantz ends up scrambling all the way back around and throwing another TD. S11

Overall: -1 

Bigach
+1 Bigach Nice job drawing the hold here as he started to slip away from his man and nearly made the play but drew the holding flag. S6
-1 Bigach No idea what he’s doing here. He crashed inside and never even looked at the mesh point on the zone read. He didn’t even go to the QB here, just ran inside where no one was. Ends up a gain of 9. S10

Overall: Push

Davis

Overall: Push

Offensive Line Notes: ISU

As a unit this group had an above average day. Some break downs here and there but mostly they got to their assignments. The interior struggled in pass protection more than you'd like to see and at times looked confused about who was doubling who in pass protection.

As a unit on run plays they did a solid job. Lots of bodies on the ground but they didn't get out to LB's as often as they needed. Interior guys got bogged down on combo blocks and struggled through traffic on their way to the second level. Credit ISU's interior guys for some of it and poor technique and angles by Iowa's guys for some of it. ISU also pretty consistently brought an 8th man into the box along with having their corners filling hard off the edges.

Ferentz didn't have a great game out there and lost his base a number of times. Lack of size still clearly an issue at times. Looks much better in pass protection than he did last year. Physical blocker who once he locks onto his guy rarely losses him, but needs to be more consistent getting to his assignment.

Tobin really struggled in pass protection at times, especially when had to operate in a lot of space vs smaller quicker guys. Doesn't appear to have very good foot and gets caught leaning and lunging a lot. Second week his pass protection has looked sloppy. Run blocking was fairly good, but room for improvement there as well.

Gettis has definitely raised his level of play this year but still struggles to get out to LB's at times. Will get caught up on the combo block or take a poor angle at times.  Doesn't have great size and tends to use momentum off the line to generate a pop on run blocks and it will cost him occasionally when he plays too high.

A pretty impressive day from Iowa's tackles this week. Few mistakes and a lot of good physical play from both guys. Reiff continues to impress with his abilities and looks worthy of the mid-first round grade I've got on him. Dominating run blocking from Reiff in this one as he's just bigger faster guy than his competition. Looks better cut blocking this year so far as well. Zusevics is less dominating than his counterpart but Zusevics is still a very solid lineman worthy of a mid round grade at this point.


Reiff  
+1 Great job getting to the LB in space here as he finds the LB and shoves him 5+ yards out of the play. D1 Play 6
+1 Great job maintaining contact on his down block and he blocks his guy up to the whistle. D3 Play 1
+1 Easily handles his man in pass protection and gives JVB all day in the pocket. D5 Play 6
-1 Poor job handling blitzer who looped around to the outside. Doesn’t allow him to get a sack but he compresses the pocket. Needs a better effort here and he certainly has the ability to do it. D8 Play 6
+1 Effortless pass blocking out in space vs the smaller quicker defender. D9 Play 2
+1 Textbook backside cut block on the zone run here. D10 Play 3
+1 Nice job getting down to the LB and staying on him up to the whistle D12 Play 2

Overall: +5

Tobin
+1 Great job extending arms on run block and finishes by putting his guy on the ground. D1 Play 6
+1 Solid Cut block on the MLB here and keeps him off Coker for a big run. D1 Play 10
+1 Excellent cut block on the DT that opens up the middle seam for Coker. D2 Play 3
-1 Lost control of the DE stunting inside and gave up a sack. Got beat by smaller guy in space when Iowa had a WR open at the sticks, but Tobin lost his guy and JVB to pull it down. D3 Play 3
+1 Great job on the combo block and then getting to the LB to finish the play. Solid gain on 1st down. D4 Play 1
-1 Lunged in pass protection here and totally misses his guy. Ends up allowing pressure to flush JVB out of the pocket. D5 Play 2
-1 Late getting to the LB here and he totally misses the block and his man makes the hit for no gain. D8 Play 5
-1 Very poor effort in pass protection here as he lunges and gives up his half off the double team on the DT. D9 Play 2

Overall: Push

Ferentz 
-1 Fell down before he could block anyone. Not a good start to the game. D1 Play 1
-1 Blew his assignment as he overran the MLB and he whiffs on him. Guy ends up making the play on an otherwise perfectly blocked play. D1 Play 6
+1 Nice job squashing the LB here as he gets out quickly off the combo block and gets a body on him and finishes the play with his guy on the ground. D2 Play 6
-1 Fell down here and ended up tangling up his FB here too who was trying to get out to a LB.  D5 Play 1
+1 Very good job bailing out Tobin here as he hustles back to Tobins' side preventing a sure sack and cuts the DT down after he thought he had a free run at JVB D9 Play 2
+1 Very solid reach block here as he washes his guy out of the play and opens a seam. D10 Play 5
+1 Key cut block on the MLB on the goal-line goal carry. Nicely timed and allowed Coker to get squared up in the hole and score. D12 Play 5

Overall: +1

Gettis  
+1 Got out the LB very quickly and made him commit and Coker cuts off the block. Good low hard fire out there. D1 Play 10
+1 Good job on his block here as he bullies the DT all the way down inside and away from the hole. D2 Play 2
-1 Very poor job in pass protection here as Iowa goes empty set. Doesn’t even slow up his DT and just got stone footed here. D8 Play 6
-1 Didn’t get off the ball quick enough here and couldn’t get to the MLB who goes unblocked and breaks up an otherwise well blocked play. Washes down to the WLB but pretty clearly missed his man here. D9 Play 1
+1 Excellent job getting off the ball quickly and taking the POA linebacker out of the play. D10 Play 3
+1 Nice job on his reach block here on the goal-line play as he gets his head across and puts his guy on the ground. Solid play here D12 Play 5
-1 Missed the MLB here and allowed him into the hole and he breaks up the running play. D13 Play 1

Overall: +1

Zusevics 
+1 Great down block here as he shoves his guy way out of the play and opens the cut back lane D2 Play 5
+1 Easily wins in pass pro here and a great job of sinking his hips and controlling the DE. D3 Play 3
-1 Missed his cut block on the DE here D9 Play 3
+1 Great pass blocking here as he eats the DE up and allows no push at all. D10 Play 2
+1 Great job hooking the blitzing LB on the goal-line carry. D10 Play 11
+1 Excellent job picking up the blitzing LB here as he quickly adjusts and then pops him as he tries to fly by putting him on the ground opening up the cut back lane. Nice play. D12 Play 4

Overall: +4

Skill Position Notes: ISU

Despite the 140 yards and two TD's Coker didn't have a dominant game by any means. He fumbled again this week and too often looked pensive and hesitant. While a few times he showed good patience and then hit the hole decisively; he got caught by backside pursuit and struggled to get up the seam too often. Coker isn't a guy with much lateral agility or wiggle in his game. He's a one cut runner and needs time to build up speed. He looks great when he's got a straight ahead crease but he starts to struggle when he doesn't have a clear hole and changes directions multiple times to get into the hole. He excels at finish runs falling forward after contact but really needs to figure out how win against unblocked guys challenging him early on plays. With the way Iowa's scheme works safties, corners and occasionally LB's will get free runs at him. Last year he showed an effective stiff arm at times and he would really benefit from developing a spin move as well. Would like to see him get his feet up more as well. Appears to be still learning how to get behind his pads while moving downhill.

A better performance for Gimm this week. Wasn't overly consistent but looked better out there this week. Haven't seen him blow guys out of the water as some previous Iowa FB's have done, but he showed improvment from last week. Doesn't appear to be much of a receiving threat either and I'd look for Iowa to continue the use plenty of 2TE sets.

The WR group had a soild day posting 2 TD's and picking up a lot of YAC. Both Davis and McNutt use their big frames well after the catch and going to be tough for DB's to bring down. KMM looked fairly good this week in his limited opportunities and should have earned more touches with his play this week. He did look a little sloppy on a few routes but something that should be correctable.

The match up between Lenard Johnson(#23) and McNutt was interesting to watch. I didn't break down every play of their match ups but it appeared to be a pretty even battle. McNutt shook him a few times in man coverage(even if the ball wasn't thrown his way) and Johnson blanketed him a couple of times. I was pretty impressed with Johnson as an overall football player. He was never out of position and tackled very well. Johnson is a guy that I had previously considered a later round prospect, but he looked like a guy who should have a 3rd or 4th round grade on him. Have to see more film on him to make a better assessment.


Herman's hallmark last year was his excellent blocking and it appears that's still his strength. He's a functional target in the passing game, but his blocking is impressive. CJF looks like a guy teams should be worried about in the passing game. He's not overly fast but he's quick for his size and is a giant target. A bit surprised Iowa only went to him one time during this game. He's improving as a blocker but still needs to work at playing lower and becoming a more consistent inline blocker.


Coker
+1 Good downhill running there and he followed his blocks very well. As fast as I’ve seen him hit a hole this season. D1 Play 10
-1 Arms need to be tighter on that football as he doesn’t run to space and initiates contact and puts the ball on the ground. Was a pretty good hit by Johnson though. D4 Play 2
+1 Excellent Cut back here as he shows patience in the hole and pops it hard through the seam after it opens up.  D10 Play 3
+1 Nice patience here as he waits for the cut-back to open up and squares his shoulders and runs behind his pads. Excellent run. D12 Play 4

Overall: +2

Gimm
+1 Very good job here on the zone lead play taking the first man to show. A blitzing LB fired in the gap and he sealed him and allowed Coker to pick up solid yardage. D3 Play 1

Overall: +1

Herman
-1 False Start D1 Play 12
-0 Looked close to a drop by Herman but he got popped pretty good by the safety who jumped the route. D2 Play 9
+1 Nice job washing the DE down inside here on the zone cutback play. D5 Play 4
+1 Just mauls the DE here as he drives him 6-7 yards downfield and puts him on the ground. Great block. D10 Play 5
+1 Great drive block here as he opens a gaping hole for Coker to go into the end zone untouched. D10 Play 11
-1 False Start  D11 Play 2

Overall: +1

CJF  
+1 Great footwork on the sideline as he comes down with the big catch on first down. D2 Play 1
-1 Flat out missed the DE here as just got beat back inside on the stretch play and his guy broke up the play D3 Play 2
+1 Great blitz pickup here as he picks up the free man and allows JVB time. D8 Play 2
+1 Good job getting out the LB here as he shoves him well out of the seam and allows Coker up into the hole. D12 Play 3

Overall: +2

McNutt
+1 Turns a routine 5 yard hitch into a first down with YAC ability. Good power to just run through smaller DB. D1 Play 5
-1 False start D8 Play 1
+1 Well run route here as he runs the 10 yard curl and works his way into the hole in the coverage and snatches the ball nicely here and picks up a few extra yards. D10 Play 1
+1 Great YAC ability on display here again as he slips by the underneath defender and catches it in stride and takes it down inside the 5. D10 Play 9

Overall: +2
 
Davis
+1 Excellent body control and attacks the ball on the fade. Doesn’t hesitate and secures the football as he goes to the ground. Nice play. D1 Play 3
+1 Very nice job turning the short completion into a first down with his athletic ability and size. D7 Play 1
+1 Nice job feeling his way into the niche of the zone here and catches this ball in stride and makes a play after the catch. D8 Play 2
+1 Excellent deep curl route as he slides further inside to find some open ground. Very quick break here as he beat man coverage easily here. Great YAC after the catch and finished the play. D13 Play 3
-1 Drops the pass over the middle here. Was pretty clearly thinking about running before he secured the football D14 Play 3

Overall: +3

KMM  
+1 Good sharp route here and a solid job of snatching it with his hands for the TD. D1 Play 12

Overall: +1

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Vandenburg Notes: Iowa State

After watching this game I am very much reminded of what Ricky Stanzi looked like early in his Junior year. Stanzi would show flashes of brilliance and then inexplicably become inaccurate and erratic. JVB seems to be in that pattern right now as well. The good news is JVB seems to be less prone to turnovers than Stanzi was. Through two games he hasn't really thrown up any desperation heaves and has pulled the ball down and scrambled when things got tight in the pocket. Stanzi's tendency was to take a sack or make a risky throw early in his career and JVB doesn't appear to have that issue.

JVB had some issues with being consistently accurate in this one. It was sporadic and when he missed he usually he missed high which is fairly typical when you're thinking too much and pressing. Didn't see any real mechanical issues and JVB is remarkably consistent with his drops and with his release. More experience and he should be able to show improvement with his accuracy.

Another issue he shares with the Junior vintage of Stanzi is his tendency to stare down his primary target. This was something that Stanzi struggled with mightily and he didn't have the arm strength to cover for it. JVB seems to have the arm strength to help cover this up most of the time but you'd like to see him move defenders with his eyes more. More pumps and ball fakes would help as well.

The Good&Bad:
+1 Great over the top throw to KD on the fade. Just lays it out there and lets his guy go get it. D1 Play 3
-1 Just flat misses a wide open TE on the stick route. Iowa runs this play a ton. Hard to believe that he missed this throw. D1 Play 4
+1 Looked like an audible here as he fires the out to KMM for the score. Good decisive footwork here as he fires an accurate rocket to KMM for the score. Well done here. D1 Play 12
+1 Great accuracy and velocity on this throw as he drops the ball in for a big completion to CJF. D2 Play 1
+1 Nice job pulling the ball down and scrambling here as a DT was coming hot and he picked up solid yardage on the play D5 Play 2
-1 Missed high on a wide open target on comeback route. Also could have gone to McNutt on the cross if he wanted him. D6 Play 1
-1 High off target throw here as he tries to hit the TE in the flat. D7 Play 2
-0 Really needed to pump this ball to the short man and theen loft it to the back of the end zone to Herman. Got a little impatient here and just went to his first option too quickly. Herman had cleared LB’s and no one was behind them. D7 Play 4
+1 Good mechs&great timing waiting for KD to clear on the middle cross. Throws an accurate bullet that allows KD to pick up YAC. D8 Play 2
-1 Off target throw on what should have been an easy first down to KD D9 Play 3
+1 Good timing as he throws the WR open here on the curl off PA. Led him away from the defenders and delivered a bullet. D10 Play 1
-1 Poor ball here on the fade. He throws the ball flat and to the outside. All he has to do is put this ball any where near McNutt and it’s a completion with a 5’7 guy trying to cover him man on man. D10 Play 2
-1 Right read and wrong throw. Very poor pass here as he tries to drop it over the LB’s and in front of the Deep 1/3 defender. Looked very awkward trying to use touch here as this ball fluttered incomplete and it should have been an big play. D10 Play 4
+1 Nice anticipation here as he leads KD further inside and away from the defender. Put some juice on this one and it was a clutch throw. D13 Play 3

Overall: +1

Numbers:
_ Left Middle Right Sub-total
Short 5/6 56y 1TD 4/6 41y 2/7 16y 11/19 93y 1TD
Medium 1/1 23y 1TD 1/1 21 1/3 14y 3/5 58y 1TD
Deep 1/3 32y 0/0 0y 1/1 24y 2/4 56y
Sub-total 7/10 91y 2TD 5/7 62y 4/11 54y

Overall: 16/28(57.1%) 207y 2TD 0INT

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Defensive Back Notes: Tennessee Tech

As a group really only had 1 blown play out there. It looked like Hyde came forward anticipating a scramble by Tenn Tech's QB and he hadn't crossed the line yet and he wound up and fired the ball down-field for a big completion. Hyde's an aggressive guy who hasn't had much time at FS and should grow into it as he plays more.

As a unit there's some depth here. Bernstine can fill in at any position and Tanner Miller has some experience at the FS spot. If Lowery is able to make a full recovery in a few weeks he'll add even more depth for this unit. Hyde's flexibility is another luxury for this unit, as he can drop down and play over a slot WR comfortably which gives them some scheme versatility if they choose to use it.

Prater:
Tennessee Tech mostly stayed away from him in this one and one of the few times they came at him he showed some great athleticism going up and snatching a jump ball away, and then tore off for a big return and a TD. He definitely made the most of his opportunity out there as that was really the only action he saw. Didn't really get a chance to make plays in run support much either. An excellent start for Iowa's most experienced DB.


Hyde:
Looked comfortable most of the time in his new role back at FS. Did play a little more aggressive at times and did get caught out of position once as mentioned above. In the wet conditions didn't really get challenged deep but he looked to have good depth and positioning in his Cover 2 drop when I saw'm. Has shown willingness in run support as a CB and should be solid as a run defender coming forward. Will need to force to himself to adjust to the pass first mentality over the next few games and play with a little more caution.


Sleeper:
First look at the former walk-on in a game situation and it was a bit tough to judge his abilities in the rain. While he didn't make any big mistakes, he struggled supporting the run, mostly due to poor angles, and looked a little slow to react at times. He did a nice job in his pass drops and did a solid job of squeezing routes when they came into his zone. Looks like a high-effort guy. Conditions made it hard to tell how effective he'll be against teams who can sling it more effectively. Time will tell on this one.

Castillo:
Castillo has steadily improved in the last two years and has made himself a serviceable corner in Iowa's system. He shows good effort in run support but is undersized and will get bullied by bigger WR's at times. Does a solid job as a zone defender and but I'm not sold on him in man coverage. Has improved his man cover skills but still looks vulnerable to vertical routes and needs to read routes well to stay in good position. Have to keep an eye on him this year to see how he holds up as the season goes on. Teams are going to shy away from Prater so his side of the field could get awfully busy.


Bernstine:
I really liked what I saw from Bernstine in this one. Showed excellent closing speed in run support. His level of speed and acceleration aren't something Iowa has had at safety recently. You can't teach skills like that and he took great angles and moved very well on the slick field-turf. Looked very good coming forward and making solid wrap up tackles on backs. Delivered a pop on many of his tackles as well. Love the hitting power. He's also a very capable CB as well and can really play every position in the Iowa's scheme. I find it hard to believe he won't be a starter for this unit. He has the best physical tools of any DB on Iowa's roster and just needs opportunities to get on the field to make plays.

Linebacker Notes: Tennessee Tech

Things look a lot better for the this unit than it did at the close of last year. A few more healthy bodies and some young talent make this group look pretty good. Both Kirksey and Hitchens look like capable guys and both are a bit undersized. If Iowa's going to refuse to play nickel at least they've got a WLB who's more capable in pass coverage. Both guys can still tackle despite being undersized and I like what I saw from them. It looks like Kirksey has got the job for now, but it's nice to know Hitchens is solid behind him.

Schematically really pretty much the same stuff we saw last year. Lots of reading and reacting with a few run blitzes mixed in every so often.  Plenty of C2 5 under with a little man under in there as well. I spotted Cover 3 and Cover 4 during this one as well.  All three starters have good closing speed and have some tools that could make them pass rush threats but we'll have to see if Iowa gets a little more aggressive than in years past. If the front 4 struggles to get to the QB it's more likely they'll start using the LB's to bring pressure.

Nielsen
Having Nielsen back makes a huge difference for this unit and having him on the field is a big boost for this defense. He's important for not just his play, but his leadership as well. He's a very capable LB in coverage and plays the run very well. Has some very good athleticism and can make tackles against quicker guys in space. Made a big TFL early on a double screen look that he sniffed out and made a perfectly timed hit on. Not a guy on a lot of NFL teams radars but if he can stay healthy this year his play could start turning some heads. Very good natural athlete that just needs time to develop on the field.

Morris
Looks to be bigger this year and he looks quicker as well. Got downhill very quickly a few times in the run game. Took good angles and showed pretty impressive range as well. Still needs to be quicker shedding blocks when OL get out to him quick. Doesn't look great chasing up the seam in Cover 2 man under. He had issues running up with the TE up the middle seam last year and it'd be nice to see him get his head around instead of having to play blind on these routes. Looks fairly effective in zone coverage and can cover his area and did a nice job of watching the QB's eyes and reading his intentions on his INT. Nice little rumble on the return too. Showing himself ready to be a leader on the defense.

Kirksey
Definitely a smaller and quicker LB than Iowa has gone with in the past. Looked good in zone coverage and made tackles quickly after WR's caught the ball and didn't allow any YAC. Looked good defending on the outside over a slot receiver. Tackled well in the open field on bubble screens and in perimeter run game. Going to be key how well he can play in space with a bunch of spread looks around the Big 10 this year. Good start to the year for Kirksey. Did struggle to shed blocks when he got caught in a phone booth, but should be able to improve here.

Defensive Line Notes: Tennesee Tech

Looks like Iowa made good on their rotation plan up front. Saw a lot of bodies coming in and out of there during this one. I'd expect this to continue and really it's probably a good thing for both depth and the overall effectiveness of the unit. Be interesting to see what kind of minutes Davis gets coming off his injury and how he effective he is. Iowa really needs a big anchor type DT when teams try to take control of the LOS and Davis has the size to fill that role.

Lots of stunts again to start the year for the front four, especially in passing situations. Probably more than we saw last year from Iowa, but this is a different line tools wise. With 3 NFL caliber guys up front they could play straight up and win, but that luxury is gone this year. They were consistently able to get pressure and cause issues for Tenn Tech. Didn't always finish the play, but they definitely disrupted timing consistently. As a unit they need to keep the disruption and the penetration while finishing a few more plays.

The shotgun running plays for Tenn Tech were effective through-out this one and DL had issues finding the ball. This unit will need to tighten up the run defense and improve their ability to shed blocks, find the ball,  and control their gaps in the run game. Pass rush wise the rotation will keep fresh legs out there and most of the guys have some pass rushing tools. Daniels is going to be constant pass rush threat and Binns is capable, but Iowa needs more guys to emerge as pass rushing threats.

Binns
Really liked what I saw from Binns out there this game. He looks a bit bigger than he did last year and still has the same good get-off and long arms. He will need to be a threat off the edge and help make QB's nervous in the pocket. He needs to work on his array of pass rush moves and confuse OT's a little more than he has in the past. Would like to see him set up a spin move back inside after pushing the edge repeatedly as it will keep OT's honest. He should still be very effective at getting into passing lanes and batting down balls, as he just seems to have a knack for it.

Daniels
Daniels looks to be just as disruptive as he was last year and still shows that relentless motor, above average get-off, and very good power. Looked very powerful and quick off the snap and pretty much did as he liked against the interior guys for Tenn Tech. Did play a little high a couple of times and flew by the undersized Tenn Tech QB who had some good elusiveness to him. Would like to have seen him finish a few more plays after he penetrated the back-field, but the sloppy conditions probably didn't help with that. Looks like he's gonna be a handful for opposing interior lines again this year.

Alvis
Iowa just keeps finding undersized DT's who can fit that high motor, high activity mold. Alvis showed some flashes but isn't a guy who can play every down and come out on top. He's about 20lbs lighter than you'd like to see, but he's still young and has time to add size. Looks good in stunts and can give interior guys problems with quickness.  He needs to add some size and strength but he's showing some flashes that remind you of Klug, Kroul and King.

Daniel
Showed sound technique and held the edge fairly well most of the time. Did miss a chance for a sack but at least closed down his side of the field by playing it outside in. Not a guy that's going to take over games but can definitely bend the corner at times. Should be able to make QB's nervous on 3rd downs and as he plays more he should develop as a pass rusher. Wasn't able to shed blocks as quickly as you'd like to see in the run game and he'll need to improve there as the year goes on.

Nardo
Iowa got a nice little surprise from Nardo,  who subbed for Alvis quite a bit, in this one as he looked effective and got into the backfield when he got on the field. Got in on a lot of tackles and showed he can be effective. Not a guy who's going to play every snap for you, but if you can get 10 quality snaps a game that can make a big difference.

Forgy, Gaglione, Bigach
Didn't really see enough of these guys to make much of a call. They should continue to see some snaps and if they can be effective they should continue to get snaps.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Skill Position Notes: Tennessee Tech

Rough day for the running backs as Coker struggled, McCall had a serious injury and the FB position was shaky at best. Saw a lot of 2TE sets out there and lots of motion with the TE into the back-field. Really didn't see much from Gimm or Meyers at the FB position. Both really struggled to find a guy to hit and nether maintained contact very well either. Neither guy looks to be much of a receiving threat at this point and they'll need to pick it up over the next couple of weeks. It did look like Iowa was using more 2TE sets than normal as well, so it looks like the coaches are well aware of the issues here.

Pretty solid effort from Davis and we all saw what McNutt can do. Both guys are big targets and are going to be match up nightmares for a lot of secondaries. It will be very hard to play Cover 2 against these guys because both are physical and can beat press coverage with size and strength along with being great on the jump ball. Both guys are solid blockers and put in good effort there. Not much to see the from the rest of the WR group. Not a whole lot of snaps and no targets that I caught.

Iowa looks pretty deep at TE with CJF and Derby behind Herman. All are big targets and are legit receiving threats which should cause headaches for opposing DC's this season. If you want an idea what 3 solid TE's can do take a look at the sch-lacking Stanford put on VT in the Orange Bowl last year. A lot of 3 TE sets from Harbaugh helped Stanford to a blow out win. VT just had no answer for the powering running attack+PA off those sets.


Coker
Rough day for Mr. Coker out there. Even without the fumbles he was struggling to put his foot in the ground with any authority. After the fumbles he got even more tense and went into a shell. Could be the lack of contact, could be the fumbles but I wouldn't expect it last. He just looked like he got up on the wrong side of the bed in this one. He bumbled into JVB later on a play fake and all around just looked off. He should bounce back fine.


McCall
There aren't many true freshman who make you say "Wow", but this kid has a very impressive combination of speed and power. Broke a buncha tackles and ran wild on a very slick surface. The loss of this guy will hurt. Lets hope for a full and speedy recovery.

Bullock
Almost did a double take when I saw this guy out in the slot. Pretty big vote of confidence for a true frosh RB to get their number called on the first drive of the season even if only for sub-package play. Of course predictably he dropped the only pass he got a chance at but I'm pretty sure the conditions had a pretty big hand in that. Really liked the play call and package from Iowa, but gotta make plays when you get the chance.

McNutt
This looked like a statement game to me. Questions about how McNutt would fair as a true number 1 WR have been answered. McNutt showed big time ability after the catch to the tune of 2TDs, mostly on his own, and squeezed the ball nicely in the horrendous conditions.  Did well as a blocker most of the time. He's poised to have a huge season and looks a step or two faster than last year. Based on film from last year I'd like to see him get his hips down further on sharp cuts(comebacks, hitches), but these were hardly the conditions to get a good read on that. Looking for big things from him as the year goes on.

Davis
Didn't have a whole lot of chances to do much but made plays when his number was called. He bailed out Vandenburg on a pretty poor throw with an acrobatic catch. Did a nice job becoming a defender on his other fade route where the ball was too far inside. He's got a lot of tools and should keep defenses honest as they try to deal with McNutt. Was very impressed by his abilities in the spring game and fall camp.We'll see a lot more from this guy as the season unfolds.

Herman
Looks to be another solid TE in the never ending streak at Iowa. Good powerful inline blocker and a capable receiver. Not a guy that's a big vertical threat but can be a threat on medium depth routes. Big frame and long arms should make him an option in the red-zone as well. Looked good running up the middle seam and on crossing routes.

CJF
I have high expectations for CJF this season but he wasn't dominating as a blocker in this one and did drop a pass in the rough conditions. Showed flashes blocking in run game and should get more consistent. Conditions made it tough to judge whether he had any real issues or if it was just footing. Would really like to see him running up the seam more as he's a match up nightmare for a safety or  LB. Nothing like a 6'6+ security blanket for a QB to fall back on when he's having a tough day hitting his spots.



Derby
Had the dropped TD but it wasn't a gimme catch and the timing was way off due to JVB colliding with Coker in the backfield. If this guy is your 3rd TE you gotta be pretty happy with where you're at. He's a solid receiving target and is pretty quick and can get open against a LB.



KMM
Really not much to report here. Iowa ran a fair number of 3 WR sets but KMM didn't get to do much. He has some solid skills and should show up more and more often as the weeks go by.


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Offensive Line Notes: Tennessee Tech

This game was about what you'd expect from an Iowa OL to start a season: a lot of good run blocking, a few missed reach blocks and assignments, and sound pass blocking.  As a unit they did a fairly solid job. There were times you'd see the entire OL pushing their guys 5 yards down field.  Schematically it was nearly all zone stretch blocking up front with a few straight ahead Iso looks mixed in. Also loved the 3 and 4 yards of push on QB sneaks.

There was a lot of struggling for purchase going on in the unsure footing of the rain drenched field. At times I saw all 5 guys struggle to get to blocks as they slipped and slid on the field-turf. Overall I'd say this is a very talented group but the conditions made it very difficult to judge how good they can be. Below is a look at each guy individually.

Reiff:
When he wasn't slipping and sliding he was pretty dominant, which is what I would expect of a guy who I give a mid 1st round grade. He defintely had trouble getting his footing early on, but when he was up-right he did a great job securing reach blocks and keeping his man out of the play. Pass protection was no problem as there were few deep drops and Reiff easily controlled his guy. Saw him blocking up to the whistle a number(maybe even a tad after) of times and he put a few guys on the ground. Looking for big things from him this season.

Tobin
Former walk-on or not, this young man can play in the trenches. For having no starting experience I was pretty impressed with his showing out there, albeit against a lesser opponent. He's got good size and showed adequate strength as an inline blocker. At times looked a bit un-sure of himself getting to LB's due to the footing but he was in pretty good position most of the time. I wasn't expecting much but he looks to have held his own at LG and will be tough to un-seat.


Ferentz
Did an excellent job in his combo blocks up front and at times washed the DT all the way back into the LB. Struggled getting to LB's but again this was due to having a tough time getting solid footing.  His only real detriment is his lack of size as at times he will struggle with penetration from bigger DTs. I would probably classify Ferentz as the guy who improved most from game 1 to game 13 last year and I'd expect more sound progression this season.

Gettis
This young man has come a long ways since I first saw him play in the opener of the '09 season. He played with sound leverage and showed good strength pushing his man around in the run game.  This was a lesser opponent but you got to like the way he handled himself.  In the past he has struggled some in pass protection with quicker DTs in space and it will be something to watch this year. If you want to see him at his best take a look at the Coker's second fumble on Iowa's second drive(Hint: Look 5-6 yards down-field).

Zusevics
Really liked the dominating run blocks Zues showed in this one. He just over-powered his DE and drove him out of the play numerous times.  He did have a missed read as his DE slid inside of him and shot the gap on one play, but it's not something that concerns me too much as it's not something that he had issues with last year. He did struggle to get to 2nd level guys but with the field conditions as they were it's hardly a knock. Didn't break a sweat in pass protection and he looks a bit bigger out there this year. He's a guy that is flying under the radar as a NFL draft prospect and I'd expect he'll get more attention as the year goes on.

Vandenburg Notes: Tennessee Tech

The Good:
JVB's best throw of the day was his corner route to McNutt. He did an excellent job with his footwork on this throw and he put that ball where McNutt could catch it in stride and make play after the catch.  As it turns out McNutt tore off for an 88 yard TD. Another good throw JVB had out there was his completion to Herman for 15 on a PA bootleg. He did a solid job selling the fake and then got his shoulders squared up on the roll out and hit Herman right on the numbers in stride.

The Bad:
I didn't like the two fades he threw to Keenan Davis in this one. Both times the ball was thrown too far inside and really had no chance for a completion. Both times KD was forced to become a defender and although they got a lucky tip completion on the second one it was still an ill advised throw. As with most in-experienced QB's it takes time to get the necessary touch and placement on these kinds of throws. He also had some throws that were behind his receivers, but I'm not overly worried about these as they're likely a combination of first game jitters and the rain.

Numbers:
_ Left Middle Right Sub-total
Short 3/5 17y 2/2 19y 6/9 57y 1TD 11/16 93y 1TD
Medium 1/2 15y 0/1 0/0 0y 1/3 15y
Deep 0/0 0y 0/0 0y 2/2 111y 2/2 111y
Sub-total 4/7 32y 2/3 19y 8/11 168y 2TD
Overall: 13/21(62%) 219y 2TD 0INT 
Not a whole lot to look at here as the vast majority of the throws were short range targets. I'd expect to see more targets in the middle of the field as the season goes on as well.

Looking Ahead
JVB looks to have corrected his issue with having too much velocity with some of the shorter throws as he did against OSU in '09, but he definitely still has the ability to fire a bullet down the field when he wants to. He has the arm strength to put the ball in places Stanzi couldn't last year and that should give them the ability to attack up the field more often. I'd expect Iowa to step up the medium and deep passing game in the coming weeks. ISU has an experienced secondary and they are a quality unit. JVB will need to be sharp to avoid turnovers in the road rivalry game. If Iowa can establish the running game early against ISU and they could  set the table for big success in the play action game.

Summary:
This was a pretty tough game to grade due to the inclement weather, vanilla play call and only having 2.5 quarters to work with but this was a solid start to the season for JVB. The plays Iowa ran were very basic and only 5 of his 21 pass attempts were beyond 10 yards. JVB was fairly accurate most of the time, 62% on the day, and there were 3 drops I saw as well. All in all not a bad start to the year.


Thursday, August 25, 2011

Broderick Binns Notes

Broderick Binns is a guy that is a little hard to know what to make of. He showed promise as a RS freshamn posting 16.5 total tackles, 2 pass breakups, 2.5 TFL and 2 sacks in pretty limited playing time. He started all 13 games as a sophomore at DE in 2009 and was consistently a disruptive force with 45.5 Total tackles, 9 pass breakups, 10.5TFL, and 6.5 sacks. His junior year was a big step back in terms of production and playing time as DT Mike Daniels emerged as a disruptive force inside and took a lot of reps from Binns on a very talented '10 Iowa DL. He only managed 26.5 Total tackles, 3 pass breakups, 1TFL and 1 sack his junior year. He did however have a huge INT return for a TD against Arizona at a crucial moment. He also only played in 12 games as a Junior as he missed the season opener due to a suspension stemming from an OWI arrest.

Height: 6013
Weight: 262
Estimated 40: 4.80-4.85

Run stopper:
An adequate run defender who finds the ball well in traffic. Does a nice job defending the edge and preventing backs from getting outside of him. Can struggle to shed blocks at times and needs to be more consistent disengaging. Plays with solid leverage but is a bit undersized. Disciplined player who is rarely out of position and doesn't miss many tackles. Has solid nose for draws and will duck inside and make a play on delayed hand-offs.

Pass rush:
Versatile pass rusher who does a nice job of mixing power and speed moves. Has average burst and uses his long arms well in his pass rush moves. Has enough speed to threaten the edge at the college level, but not a guy who will consistently turn the corner in the NFL. When he gets stopped in his pass rush he'll look to get in passing lanes and bat down balls and has had a lot of success doing so. Does a great job of realizing when he's not going to get pressure and slides into passing lanes. Effective at creating pressure off of stunts as well.

Draft Value:
At this point Binns is probably not a guy who gets drafted. Has a lot of questions he needs to answer during his senior year if he wants to hear his name called on draft day. He's one of two guys on Iowa's front 4 with starting experience and he'll need to be a big time contributor this year. As far as projecting him to the NFL I'd be interested to see him with his hand off the ground in a two point stance. Won't get a chance to see him give it a shot until the Post season game circuit starts, but I'll be interested to see the results. As of right now he'd fall into the FA prospect category.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Markus Zusevics Notes

Zusevics is a big athletic OT prospect who started all 13 games at RT for Iowa in 2010. He hadn't played any significant time previous to that and has largely gone unnoticed by national media(with the exception of this article: Link). He's a former high-school volleyball player and is very mobile for a big guy.  He was a little rough around the edges his first couple of starts(Arizona particularly), but quickly raised his level of play. He showed solid development as year went on and put in a solid performance against Missouri in the Insight.com bowl, where he faced  Aldon Smith, the 7th overall pick in the 2011 draft.

Height: 6'5
Weight: 300
Estimated 40 Time: 5.0

Run Blocking:
Solid in-line run blocker in Iowa's zone scheme, but will occasionally miss a reach block and allow penetration. Shows good flexibility and does a nice job working his hips around to control defenders most of the time. Is excellent at getting to second level targets and does a good job maintaining contact after he gets his mitts on'm. Will get a little high at times, but has the ability to consistently play with sound leverage. Natural athleticism and explosiveness help him generate a good initial pop as a run blocker as well.

Pass Blocking:
He's got the feet and athletic ability to take on speed rushers. Really like his ability to control rushers when he stones their initial move. He does an excellent job shuffling and mirroring once he gets into his man. At times lacked the ability to anchor against high level bull rushes. Appeared to be a bit undersized in 2010, and could use a few more pounds to help anchor on the outside. Fairly good knee-bender and improved greatly in this area as the season went on. Does a solid job keeping his hands inside and avoiding holding calls.

Draft Value:
Zusevics is one of those guys who you underrate until you fully evaluate him. He's a guy that has only gotten better and if he continues that development his natural abilities make his ceiling is pretty high. Worst case scenario he couldn't play tackle at the next level and he could kick inside and play guard. He's looks to be a better prospect than the previous Iowa RT, Kyle Calloway, who went in the 7th round in the 2010 draft. I'd put a 4th round value on him right now, but if he stays healthy and continues to develop during his senior year he could easily rise.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Mike Daniels notes

Daniels is the next undersized DT prospect to come out of Iowa. He's got he same great motor but he's a bit different than previous undersized DT's(Matt Kroul, Mitch Kitch, Karl Klug) in that he looks to have a bigger frame and appears to be able to carry more bulk. Hes' a guy that saw limited time his first two years in the program, but got on the field as a RS Soph and showed the ability to get into the backfield and cause havoc. His junior year he played his way into a starting role and produced 11TFL and 4 sacks. At times he looks downright unblock-able and does a great job of shooting gaps and playing with a low pad level. Did disappear a bit down the stretch in 2010 and struggled against bigger OLs(Wisconsin) at times.

Height: 6'004
Weight: 280
Estimated 40 time: 4.95-5.0

Hands:
Violent punch ability and solid hand placement. Does a nice job with his arm over as well. Being a shorter DT he has an advantage as far as leverage goes and he will slap and rip under bigger OL. Can be very sudden with hands and rarely stays still.


Run Stopper:
At times will just blow up the guard and walk into the backfield and come up with a TFL. Not a guy who can consistently fight off double teams. Makes his plays mostly by penetrating and getting into the backfield. Very effective when slanting and has the athleticism to chase down stretch plays after beating a reach block. Has a bit of a pinball effect when firing off the ball low and is hard for bigger OL with higher pad levels to a hold of. Has a nice nose for draws and screens and shows solid diagnosis skills.

Pass rush: 
Not overly effective bull-rushing and needs to space to be a consistent pass rush threat. Looks good running twist and nitro line stunts. Excellent burst and acceleration for a DT. Shows excellent closing speed as he gets free and locks in on the QB. Struggles when he runs into a crowd and will struggle to compress the pocket against bigger interior OL. Can get engulfed when caught in a phone booth. Shows solid awareness and locates the QB well. Methodical pass rusher and picks his moments well.

Draft Value:
One thing that bothers you about Daniels is that there isn't a lot of tape on him yet. He's only got a partial year as a starter under his belt(8 starts), and worked as part of a rotation for much of it. This year he's got to he a much bigger part of Iowa's front 4, so there should be plenty of tape to look at after this season. He probably doesn't have the ability to play in a 2 gap system, but could fit nicely as a 1 gap defender at the next level if he can add some size. Isn't a guy who can win with power consistently at the next level, but can definitely win with leverage, quickness, and violent hands. I'd put a 5th round grade on him at this point. More consistency on tape would help him rise.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Shaun Prater Notes

Another Iowa player who submitted paper work to the NFL Draft Advisory board after the 2010 season and didn't like what he heard back. Given a 4th-5th round estimated value, he decided to come back for another year.


Height: 5'9
Weight: 180
Projected 40: 4.50-4.55


Zone Coverage:
Iowa plays a alot of cover 2 and Prater is at his best in that scheme. He does a solid job playing his cover 2 flat and riding vertical routes when necessary. Will come up and make solid tackles on balls caught in front of him in his zone.  Aggressively attacks flat routes and crossing routes in front of him. When in deep 3rd does a very nice job of squeezing routes and reading the QB's eyes. Strong overall zone skills.

Man Coverage:
Iowa doesn't run a lot of man coverage, but you'll see them run it time to time. Prater has good foot speed and can run with WR's on vertical routes, but his lack of size makes it difficult for him to go up and challenge for jump balls. Does a nice job when lined up inside over slot receivers which may be his best place to line up in the NFL. Has been beaten over the top on posts a number of times on film study. Average overall man skills.

Footwork/COD skills:
Has excellent natural agility and COD skills. Does step in the bucket more than you'd like to see though. Has a solid plant and drive to the football on routes in front of him. Has a tendency to get a little jittery with his footwork and can get himself out of position at at times. Will get a little high in his backpedal at times, and need to focus on keeping his COG low. Has fluid hips and and turn and run smoothly. Needs some work on his technique and footwork.

Run Support:
Prater is a solid run support defender despite being undersized. He'll throw his body around and tackle low on backs in the open field. At times will struggle to get off blocks, but generally does a good job of playing with his outside shoulder free. Will need to get bigger and stronger to be effective against the run in the NFL. Soild effort as a run defender, but will be limited by size.


Draft Value:
Prater is a bit undersized for an NFL CB and doesn't have much room on his frame to add a whole lot more bulk. Looks to be a good fit as a slot CB early in his career with the possibility of playing more outside as he progresses. Should be a guy who can play on kick coverage teams and has been a solid gunner on punt coverage for Iowa. I'd put a 4th round value on him for now.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Marvin McNutt Notes

McNutt is a big bodied physical WR prospect. He lacks elite speed and COD skills but is a solid WR prospect for the 2012 draft.  He filed papers with the NFL Draft advisory board last year and didn't like what he heard back, so he has decided to refine his skills for another year at Iowa.

Height: 6'4
Weight: 215
Projected 40: 4.60-4.65

Separation skills/route running: Runs a solid comeback route and is very effective running simple routes(slants, hitches). He shields defenders with his big frame well and works through traffic well on crossing routes. Doesn't get in and out of his breaks as quickly as you'd like to see, but makes up for it with positioning and body control. Will struggle to separate from higher level CB's in man coverage and will need to work on getting lower on breaks.

Hands: Rarely lets the ball get into pads and will snatch away from his body, but has some inconsistency here. He will show good soft hands and secure the football at times, others he'll get careless and not finish the catch and the ball will go up in the air. Several times on slants he's had drops/deflections turn into INTs and near INTs.  Has the ability to improve here, but needs to work on focus and concentration. Will need to show more consistency during his senior year.

YAC: Solid after the catch ability. Uses his size to blow through arm tackles in space and is a good broken field runner. Difficult for DB's to bring down on slants and crossing routes and he's dangerous in space.

Vertical Ability: He isn't a guy that's gonna blow by you and outrun you but he tracks the ball in the air extremely well and has excellent leaping ability. He has consistently shown the ability to attack up the field and come down with the ball.

Red Zone ability: Exceptionally effective red-zone target both inside and outside. Very high percentage of success on his targets in the red zone on fades and slants. Can flat out jump the majority of DB's in jump ball situations and also shows the ability to work the end-line for a score as well. 16 TDs on 87 receptions the last two years; not much more you can ask of a WR as a red-zone threat.

It's hard to put a value on McNutt at this point. Had he come out last year he probably would have been a late round pick. His biggest issue may be the surplus of talented WR prospects, many of whom are underclassman and are likely to declare early. I'd put a 4th-5th round grade on him currently, and with some improved play and consistency he's likely to rise.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Riley Reiff Notes

Really like what you see from this kid on film. He lined up at LG&RT early in his career and spent the majority of his career at LT. Projects as a LT at the pro level. I've seen other scouts questioning his ability to play on the left side in the NFL, but I am not in agreement.

Run Blocking
Does a very solid job of reading his man, and will adjust if his head up DE stunts inside a gap. Shows Plays with excellent leverage as a run blocker. It's not uncommon to see him get under his guy's pads and put'm on their back. Really like his effectiveness on run plays when he goes to the second level. He takes excellent angles and gets square on LB's and DB's and drives them out of the play.


Pass Blocking
Shows good powerful hands when he engages defenders on the outside. Will stop many DE's in their tracks with initial contact. He's a good athlete in space and has solid footwork. At times he'll bend too much at the waist and get himself off balance. Has matched up well with best competition in pass protection situations. Will do a nice job most of the time when dealing with bull rushes, but occasionally will give too much ground as he braces and resets.

Draft Value
Reiff grades out as a 1st round player currently. He looks to be a more athletic version of former Iowa LT Bryan Bulaga, who went 23rd overall for the Green Bay Packers and started the majority of games as a rookie at RT. There are two other tackle prospects for the '12 draft class who carry 1st round grades in my book at this point: Jonathon Martin of Stanford, and Ryan Kalil of USC. Levy Adcock is on the border of a 1st round grade in my book as well. Another season of film on all these guys will let us know how the pecking order stacks up for next April.