Linebacker Group

**snowcraig2.0** · 08-01-2010, 04:34 PM

Let's let George take some snaps before we appoint him the next great LB. Kid has done nothing yet at <acronym title="Iowa State">ISU</acronym> and based on a the fact he likes the weightroom you all assume he is the 2nd coming of Dobbins.<br> <br>
I love his attitude and can't wait to see him play, but until I do my expectations are kept in check.

This.

**dualthreat** · 08-01-2010, 05:11 PM

the way i see it, the only way our LBs don't have a good year... is because our D-line won't do their job. Having a good D-line really allows LBs to roam around and make tackles. They occupy the O-linemen, and that is HUGE in football. In a 4-3 defense, a good O-line can block the 4 D-linemen mono-e-mono. Or even 3 o-linemen to 4 D-linemen (leaving the backside DE unblocked).

Watch the hawks O-line. They block 4 on 4/3 all day if they can. They do a great job up front, and usually give our front 7 fits all game long. Not just our front 7, they do it to almost everyone they play. I like to think this year OUR O-line will be getting match ups like that too.

**CyForPresident** · 08-01-2010, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by Bipolarcy

Taufoo is not a senior. He's only a junior. He redshirted last year. Keep up.

Cyclones.com is wrong and they have been wrong before. The guy played 2 years at San Mateo in 2007 and 2008 and played in 2 games last season for ISU. Where did this red-shirt come from? No one knows and I'm pretty sure the guy is a senior with the potential to receive a medical red-shirt.

Cyclones.com is just assuming he will get the red-shirt and he probably will as he has never red-shirted.

**clonedude** · 08-01-2010, 05:20 PM

With all due respect xboxfever, you really need to brush up on your facts and knowledge of football.

You do not have to be a certain weight to be an effective Big 12 LB. JG is 5'11" at best. He cannot weigh 235 lbs and be effective at his height. Look at his body already. Physically... he's ready right now. It's just a matter whether he "gets it" on being where he's supposed to be.

I also remember Jason Berryman, a 3 star kid (not 5 star), coming to ISU at about 216 lbs. They originally thought they would play him at LB.

Then Tyson Smith went down in the first game of the year against UNI with a leg injury and Berryman was asked to replace him. I remember clear as day at the time that everyone thought he was way too little weight-wise to play DE, but we had no other choice. They didn't really want Berryman to have to play as a freshman, but Smith's injury forced their hand. Then Berryman went on to have a good year, and came back much bigger the following year.

As for the LB corps... I think it could eventually be good, but we are SO young it isn't funny. Klein and Knott are going to make mistakes. So will MT. They will get better as the season goes on. The BIG problem is depth. Most teams have a decent backup at every LB spot. We don't. Hamlin probably will never see a down at ISU IMO. George is nearly all we have in the two deeps for depth. CJ Morgan is not ready yet at all. Lattimer might be able to move back to LB if needed, but that's it.

This is NOT our strong suit.. not by a long shot. We are extremely thin here. What can anyone tell me about Grant Stonerook? He looks to have decent size as a walk-on guy.

**dualthreat** · 08-01-2010, 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by clonedude

With all due respect xboxfever, you really need to brush up on your facts and knowledge of football.

You do not have to be a certain weight to be an effective Big 12 LB. JG is 5'11" at best. He cannot weigh 235 lbs and be effective at his height. Look at his body already. Physically... he's ready right now. It's just a matter whether he "gets it" on being where he's supposed to be.

I also remember Jason Berryman, a 3 star kid (not 5 star), coming to ISU at about 216 lbs. They originally thought they would play him at LB.

Then Tyson Smith went down in the first game of the year against UNI with a leg injury and Berryman was asked to replace him. I remember clear as day at the time that everyone thought he was way too little weight-wise to play DE, but we had no other choice. They didn't really want Berryman to have to play as a freshman, but Smith's injury forced their hand. Then Berryman went on to have a good year, and came back much bigger the following year.

I think he meant 5-star talent. And, IMO, he definitely was. Go back and watch some film of him. The 2005 iowa game or the 2005 bowl game. Heck, any game in 2005. The guy was absolutely phenomenal! Really. He was in on almost every play. Hurring the QB, tackling the running back. In fact, i have seen him rush the QB and then help tackle the WR down field 10-15 yards. Thats the honest to god truth. He had a motor like i've never seen- and may not see again. He had 5 sacks in the bowl game! Against a 12-1 team!

**nhclone** · 08-01-2010, 05:31 PM

There is no required weight to play LB. Strength and weight are not the same thing.
~The Compliance LB

**swammi** · 08-01-2010, 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by Stormin

George will play IMO. He will spell Knott or Klein on the outside. When Matt T. needs a break. George will come in and Klein will slide to the middle.

Everyone says to not be too concerned about the linebackers. Biggest concern is the DL. I think we will be serviceable there but not great.

Agree. I really thuink the D line will improve over last year with the additions of McDonough at a real DT weight & Nelson and the return of Parker. We have at least 3 decent DT's - McDonough, Rumplehoemer and Johnson. If they can occupy the O linemen and keep them off our LB's, those LB's can have a pretty good year.

**clonedude** · 08-01-2010, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by nhclone

There is no required weight to play LB. Strength and weight are not the same thing.
~The Compliance LB

Amen to that! What did Ace Bowen play at? Around 215, right? He wasn't too bad.

As for Berryman being a 5 star eventually... yeah he probably was. But he was NOT some 5 star 6'3" 250 lb monster DE out of HS like xboxfever would like you to think.

He developed into a 5 star caliber player. As Jeremiah George might eventually do as well? Let's all hope so!

I think George might HAVE to play some LB for us this year. Just to spell one of our 3 starters if nothing else? We don't have anyone after those 3. If any of those 3 starters gets dinged up for any reason, George will probably HAVE to play.

I hope Mike Marry is kicking himself about right now for going to Ole Miss and being buried on their depth chart when he could be starting for us as a RSFr right now.

**Steve** · 08-01-2010, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by CyForPresident

Cyclones.com is wrong and they have been wrong before. The guy played 2 years at San Mateo in 2007 and 2008 and played in 2 games last season for ISU. Where did this red-shirt come from? No one knows and I'm pretty sure the guy is a senior with the potential to receive a medical red-shirt.

Cyclones.com is just assuming he will get the red-shirt and he probably will as he has never red-shirted.

I'll go with Cyclones.com on this one. Anybody can apply for and be granted a medical hardship in any year that they qualify for it. Rhoads has already mentioned that Tau'fo'fou was awarded a medical based on a nagging injury that didn't go away last season. He didn't play any of the 2nd half of the season. You do NOT NEED TO HAVE COMPLETED YOUR ELGIBILITY. Excuse the shouting, but this misinformation gets posted 4 or 5 times a year and some viewers might assume that it is true.

The confusion probably is related to a Tony Yelk or Jess Settle situation - a request for a waiver of the 5 years to play 4 rule. The 6th year application does have to wait until your elgibility has expired to be approved. Tau'fo'fou is not in this situation so he very likely already has his medical redshirt and would still be a junior for this coming season.

**CyForPresident** · 08-01-2010, 05:51 PM

Originally Posted by Steve

I'll go with Cyclones.com on this one. Anybody can apply for and be granted a medical hardship in any year that they qualify for it. Rhoads has already mentioned that Tau'fo'fou was awarded a medical based on a nagging injury that didn't go away last season. He didn't play any of the 2nd half of the season. You do NOT NEED TO HAVE COMPLETED YOUR ELGIBILITY. Excuse the shouting, but this misinformation gets posted 4 or 5 times a year and some viewers might assume that it is true.

The confusion probably is related to a Tony Yelk or Jess Settle situation - a request for a waiver of the 5 years to play 4 rule. The 6th year application does have to wait until your elgibility has expired to be approved. Tau'fo'fou is not in this situation so he very likely already has his medical redshirt and would still be a junior for this coming season.

Link?

Until I see an article granting his medical red-shirt, the guy is a senior to me.

**Steve** · 08-01-2010, 06:08 PM

Originally Posted by CyForPresident

Link?

Until I see an article granting his medical red-shirt, the guy is a senior to me.

I won't play the link game for several reasons. First, the information from Rhoads came from a radio interview with the guys on 1620 the Zone. I'm not going to waste time trying to find a pod-cast if it even still exists. Second, the medical hardship is consistant with both Cyclones.com and NCAA policy. See the status of Darius Reynolds for a similar example. Third, I'm not too sure that the "nagging injury" last year didn't have some connection to Tau'fo'fou's little scrape with the legal system last year. I'm assuming that the staff was elated to get the medical hardship, but wasn't all that anxious to generate a great deal of publicity about the situation. Probably the less said, the better.

**Bipolarcy** · 08-01-2010, 06:28 PM

Originally Posted by CyForPresident

Link?

Until I see an article granting his medical red-shirt, the guy is a senior to me.

CPR said Taufoo was granted a redshirt year.

You don't have to wait for the end of the career to get a redshirt due to an injury if you haven't already redshirted and the injury occurs before you've played in a fourth of your team's games. He could have played in four games and been redshirted by an injury, If he hadn't been redshirted before. It's not technically a medical redshirt in that sense, it's just a redshirt because of an injury. A typical medical redshirt involves a 6th year of eligibility, usually. That's not the case here.

**ripvdub** · 08-01-2010, 06:29 PM

Originally Posted by clonedude

Amen to that! What did Ace Bowen play at? Around 215, right? He wasn't too bad.

As for Berryman being a 5 star eventually... yeah he probably was. But he was NOT some 5 star 6'3" 250 lb monster DE out of HS like xboxfever would like you to think.

He developed into a 5 star caliber player. As Jeremiah George might eventually do as well? Let's all hope so!

I think George might HAVE to play some LB for us this year. Just to spell one of our 3 starters if nothing else? We don't have anyone after those 3. If any of those 3 starters gets dinged up for any reason, George will probably HAVE to play.

I hope Mike Marry is kicking himself about right now for going to Ole Miss and being buried on their depth chart when he could be starting for us as a RSFr right now.

Amen about Marry. He would have played last year tho.