LB Rotation

[SouthJerseyCy]

Apologies in advance if this has been discussed, but why do we refuse to rotate our LB's? From what I saw that position group got abused more than any other yesterday. Yet we stuck with Miller, Meeks & Seeley with a small dose of Drake Ferch, until they got hurt. Brackins came in when Meeks went down and played well. Knott did not sniff the field until Miller got hurt very late in the game.

I know PR said a while back that we would probably see the Meeks/Miller/Seeley combo against power running teams like NDSU, but it was pretty obvious it was not working. Miller is not a good player. Still have hope for Meeks and Seeley, but they never had any playing time before today. Why not get some experience in there with Knott and Brackins even if they are smaller?

Previous years the LB's were the leaders of our defense so it may have made some sense, but not this year.

 

[CloneIce]

Our LBs were terrible, the worst position of all. There is just no talent there. Knott should see time, can't be worse.

 

[Bret44]

Because the game of football has passed Wally Burnham by.

 

[Wesley]

I thought we were less a sieve in this game. Miller made a few tackles. The eighty yard Crockett run went right through the middle linebacker and changed the game.

 

[19210]

Did Harris even play? Sometimes you just put a guy like that in as he might be a gamer! That and get him playing time as the other guys weren't cutting it.

 

[Wesley]

The fourth quarter was like the end of a bad baseball game. Just swing and get it over.

 

[isufbcurt]

Miller actually played pretty good and was assignment sound.

 

[clonedude]

Did Harris even play? Sometimes you just put a guy like that in as he might be a gamer! That and get him playing time as the other guys weren't cutting it.

I don't believe he played?

I have no idea why though? Did Rhoads think it could get much worse with Harris in there? Especially after Meeks went out. Why not see what the kid can do?

 

[isufbcurt]

I thought we were less a sieve in this game. Miller made a few tackles. The eighty yard Crockett run went right through the middle linebacker and changed the game.

The 80 yard run happened because the safety didn't fill his gap. When you play gap assignment football everyone has to do their job or it leaves a gap open.

 

[BurgundyClone]

AMEN to OP -I've wondered that the past couple of years. If the difference between our LB's is so thin -why not rotate them and at least have fresh bodies making mistakes out there

 

[BigCojones]

Because the game of football has passed Wally Burnham by.

I'd be willing to swap DCs with ND or even UNI right now. I feel like he has had better talent then both those teems and and our D is a train wreck. I absolutely hate when it is 3rd and 3 or 4 and our DB's give 10 yard cushion. That is basically just giving them a 1st down. It was very frustrating to watch their D, or even UNI's, compared to ours and feel good about Wally.

 

[acgclone]

We have FCS talent on defense, and LB may be the worst position group overall. The players just aren't there. Did Wally forget how to coach in the last two years, or did we just graduate our good athletes that Chizik recruited?

What other BCS schools offered Miller/Meeks/Seeley/Ferch/Brakins/Brackins?

Meeks had a lot of other offers, and we would all agree that he has the most potential of becoming a legit B12 LB.

The rest COMBINED for one other BCS offer (Brackins was offered by Minnesota) according to Rivals.

That's your answers, IMO.

 

[isufbcurt]

We have FCS talent on defense, and LB may be the worst position group overall. The players just aren't there. Did Wally forget how to coach in the last two years, or did we just graduate our good athletes that Chizik recruited?

What other BCS schools offered Miller/Meeks/Seeley/Ferch/Brakins/Brackins?

Meeks had a lot of other offers, and we would all agree that he has the most potential of becoming a legit B12 LB.

The rest COMBINED for one other BCS offer (Brackins was offered by Minnesota) according to Rivals.

That's your answers, IMO.

I am pretty sure Knott, Klien and George were all CPR recruits.

 

[cyclonebillski]

Miller did not lay a good game from what I watched. You can't tell me Luke Knott wasntm a better option than most of the guys we threw out there

 

[acgclone]

I am pretty sure Knott, Klien and George were all CPR recruits.

Ok, but look who is replacing them. Either way, we've had some abysmal recruiting since 2011.

Besides Alton Meeks, you have ONE total other BCS offer in our entire LB rotation.

That has to be the worst position group in the entire BCS from a recruiting standpoint.

 

[isufbcurt]

Miller did not lay a good game from what I watched. You can't tell me Luke Knott wasntm a better option than most of the guys we threw out there

I would like to know what your definition of a good game is. Is it he didn't make a lot of tackles or is it that he wasn't where he was supposed to be?

Just because he may not have a lot of tackles doesn't mean he played bad. From what I saw he played his assignments pretty well.

 

[UNIGuy4Cy]

Did Luke Knott even play?

 

[isufbcurt]

Ok, but look who is replacing them. Either way, we've had some abysmal recruiting since 2011.

I would disagree with that. Just because players a young and inexperienced doesn't mean they are busts. I guess I am a little more patient than most because I know first hand how long it takes some guys to develop.

 

[cyclonebillski]

Its not the tackles at all with me. To my untrained eye he got burnt a lot and our safeties had to make a lot of tackles, which to me means ALL of our LBs weren't making plays.

 

[DesMoinesCy]

Because the game of football has passed Wally Burnham by.

I agree 100%. I got hammered on the Iowa State boards when I suggested this last season, even though we had the worst defense in the Big XII in nearly every stat.

It is time for Wally to retire after this season. He is 73 years old. When he came to Iowa State in 2009, he was one of the best defensive coordinators in the college game, but the game has passed him by.