Year of the shoulder

Off-season recap:

-No public spring game as Kinnick is being converted to field turf. I am fine with this because the field conditions have been shitty for several games recently. (Iowa St. last year especially comes to mind.)

-Not good. It's a bad bad day when your best dlinemen gets arrested for punching a cabbie but Kirk seems to think there might be 2 sides to the story so he's in good standing*

-How easy is it to get a DUI in IC? Prater was in the mix to start at CB but cost himself a chance at that.

-Linebacker A.J. Edds(shoulder), tight end Tony Moeaki and safeties Brett Greenwood (shoulder) and Tyler Sash (shoulder) -- will be held out of contact during spring drills. The oft-injured Moeaki is battling a foot injury that could be a stress fracture. Reserve guard Andy Kuempel and reserve defensive lineman Cody Hundertmark also will be held out of contact.

-Safeties Lance Tillison and Diaunte Morrow transferred as they would never pass the 2 white boys from Iowa. It is what it is and could work out pretty well for Jack Swanson and David Cato who are starting this spring with Sash and Greenwood on the fritz.

-"I haven't heard other than he is going to school right now. He is trying to get his degree work finished up." - Kirk Ferentz in reference to Jake Christensen. Would've been nice if he could've stuck around to be a back-up this year.

Spring Two Deeps





Offense:





SE - Sandeman, Johnson-Koulianos, Chaney
LT - Bulaga, Zusevics
LG - Vandervelde, Eubanks/Haganman
C - Koeppel, Ferentz
RG - Kuempel/Doering, Gettis
RT - Calloway, Reiff
TE - Moeaki, Reisner, Herman
QB - Stanzi, Vandenberg, Wienke
WR - Stross, McNutt
RB - Hampton, O'Meara, Brinson
FB - Morse, Leppert

-DJK is not starting after missing 2 mandatory workouts. I hope Sandeman and Chaney can step-up in the slot. Marvin McNeezy is pictured above and has gotten rave reviews since the conversion from an option QB.

-Highly touted and unlucky to this point, Dace Rischardson is on his way to a miraculous recovery, here is my prediction for the OL:
LT: Bulaga,Zeus
LG: Vande,Richardson
C: Ferentz, Koeppel
RG: Doering/Kuempel, Eubanks
RL Calloway,Reiff (pronounced REEF)

-We lost Shonn Greene but I'm not concerned about the running game. That is as long as Paki O'Meara isn't involved. Get Brandon Wegher on the field for 5 touches (2-3 rush) a game and have Hampton and Brinson carrying 10 times a game each.

-The good news is we don't have to worry about a starting QB until 2011. The bad news is if Stanzi goes down this year a redshirt freshmen will take the snaps. I realize they won't be competing for a starting spot until 2011 but it is interesting to note that the Iowan Vandeberg is ahead of former Michigan commit (pre-rich rod) Wienke.


Key to the offense

The class of 2005: Trey Stross, Dan Doering, Kyle Calloway, Tony Moeaki, Andy Kuempel, Dace Richardson, and Rafael Eubanks will determine how much success we have on offense in 2009. Members of the #11 class in the country will look to justify the hype.


Defense:





DE - Clayborn, Geary
DT - Klug, Bigach
DT - Daniels, Hundertmark
DE - Ballard, Binns
OLB - Edds, Nielsen/Johnson
MLB - Angerer, Coleman
WLB - Hunter, Tarpinian
CB - Bernstine, Prater, Castillo
CB - Spievey, Lowe
SS - Sash, Cato
FS - Greenwood, Swanson

-Pictured above is the only class of 2005 player on defense, the man in the middle. He is flanked by another Sr. AJ Edds and Jeremiah Hunter. With Jacody Coleman, Tyler Nielson, Troy Johnson, and Jeff Tarpinian in the mix, I believe LB is by far the deepest position on this team.

-I am very pleased to see Claybourn and Ballard staying outside. I think Brodde Binns will help to form a tenacious trio out there.

-Jordan Bernstine has been "my boy" since he committed to Iowa in December of 2006, during his debut at Sodlier Field where he hit the NIU Huskie before he caught the ball on the opening kickoff, and when he pushed a Golden Gopher into his own teammate after an Iowa punt allowing Iowa to recover and continue the Massacre at the Metrodome. He, Amari Spievey, Greenwood, and Sash will have 2 years starting together and I expect to see a lot of picks back there. Don't forget about Shaun Prater as a nickleback once his suspension is up conveniently for B10 season.


Key to the defense

Klug/Geary, Daniels/Hundertmark and Biagch will be asked to step-up inside. My sense is that K&K will be sorely missed.



Special Teams:





PK - Murray, Mossbrucker
P - Donahue, Guthrie
LS - Schulze, Murphy
H - Donahue
PR - Sandeman
KR - Hampton, Johnson-Koulianos

-Mossbrucker should probably RS because Murray will most likely start the next 2 years allowing him to start the 2 years after that.

Yards per punt return: 10.07 1 td
Yards per kick return: 20.46 0 tds
-Those are the 2008 numbers that I think can be improved on in 2009. Wegher better be returning both and Paul Chaney is a track star and should be on the kick return.

-Donahue is a badass.