Search
ISU offense gets it going
By Bobby La Gesse
Date Posted: 2009-08-07
Iowa State offensive coordinator Tom Herman is glad the first day wasn’t really the first day.
Since the Cyclones went through spring practice and learned the basics of the no-huddle offense, Herman didn’t have to start over when fall camp opened.
And through two days of practice, the players’ knowledge of the system has shown.
“I felt like coming in on day one yesterday that the veterans knew the offense better than they did in the spring game and we hadn’t coached them a lick,” Herman said. “That was good to see.”
Because the Cyclones threw themselves into their playbooks, the film room and spent countless hours in 7-on-7 drills this off-season, they have a better grasp of things.
“When you run it so many times in the summer, you start to find the little nooks and crannies of everything,” quarterback Austen Arnaud said. “You find what you are good at, and we have been doing that ever since.”
Herman said the beginning of fall camp has felt more like a review than an installation process. He started at ground zero in the first practice, giving the newcomers a chance to learn the offense and the returning guys a quick overview of what they already know.
His plan is to have the entire offense, minus a few special situation plays, installed by the seventh practice.
“The biggest thing is to harp on the fundamentals and teach the fundamentals in individual (drills),” Herman said. “We go back to the fundamentals that we tried to teach them, did teach them and got better at in the spring.”
With the first two practices in helmets and shorts, there is only so much the coaches can go over. The biggest thing ISU can demonstrate early in camp is how well it communicates.
And so far coach Paul Rhoads likes what he’s heard.
“Guys still have to make the right checks,” Rhoads said. “They got to get guys adjusted and have to call out pre-snap formations and routes or combinations, blitzes, things like that and that’s one of the things our kids are doing a very nice job of.”
In the coming weeks, Arnaud hopes the coaches will talk about how the offense did a very nice job of taking things to another level.
“We are in a good spot right now,” Arnaud said. “But this is the beginning of camp. We can’t still be here for the first game.”
THREE ISU OPPONENTS IN FIRST COACHES’ POLL
Three teams on ISU’s schedule were part of the USA Today preseason coaches’ poll, which came out Friday. Oklahoma State is ranked No. 11. Iowa is No. 21 and Nebraska is No. 22. Kansas was the first team receiving votes. The Jayhawks had 138 votes.
Florida earned the top spot. Texas was No. 2 and Oklahoma was No. 3. The Cyclones don’t play either Big 12 Conference power in 2009.
Bobby La Gesse can be reached at (515) 663-6929, or rlagesse@amestrib.com.
By Bobby La Gesse
Date Posted: 2009-08-07
Iowa State running back Bo Williams avoids a tackle during Thursday's practice.
Tribune photo by Nirmalendu Majumdar
Tribune photo by Nirmalendu Majumdar
Iowa State offensive coordinator Tom Herman is glad the first day wasn’t really the first day.
Since the Cyclones went through spring practice and learned the basics of the no-huddle offense, Herman didn’t have to start over when fall camp opened.
And through two days of practice, the players’ knowledge of the system has shown.
“I felt like coming in on day one yesterday that the veterans knew the offense better than they did in the spring game and we hadn’t coached them a lick,” Herman said. “That was good to see.”
Because the Cyclones threw themselves into their playbooks, the film room and spent countless hours in 7-on-7 drills this off-season, they have a better grasp of things.
“When you run it so many times in the summer, you start to find the little nooks and crannies of everything,” quarterback Austen Arnaud said. “You find what you are good at, and we have been doing that ever since.”
Herman said the beginning of fall camp has felt more like a review than an installation process. He started at ground zero in the first practice, giving the newcomers a chance to learn the offense and the returning guys a quick overview of what they already know.
His plan is to have the entire offense, minus a few special situation plays, installed by the seventh practice.
“The biggest thing is to harp on the fundamentals and teach the fundamentals in individual (drills),” Herman said. “We go back to the fundamentals that we tried to teach them, did teach them and got better at in the spring.”
With the first two practices in helmets and shorts, there is only so much the coaches can go over. The biggest thing ISU can demonstrate early in camp is how well it communicates.
And so far coach Paul Rhoads likes what he’s heard.
“Guys still have to make the right checks,” Rhoads said. “They got to get guys adjusted and have to call out pre-snap formations and routes or combinations, blitzes, things like that and that’s one of the things our kids are doing a very nice job of.”
In the coming weeks, Arnaud hopes the coaches will talk about how the offense did a very nice job of taking things to another level.
“We are in a good spot right now,” Arnaud said. “But this is the beginning of camp. We can’t still be here for the first game.”
THREE ISU OPPONENTS IN FIRST COACHES’ POLL
Three teams on ISU’s schedule were part of the USA Today preseason coaches’ poll, which came out Friday. Oklahoma State is ranked No. 11. Iowa is No. 21 and Nebraska is No. 22. Kansas was the first team receiving votes. The Jayhawks had 138 votes.
Florida earned the top spot. Texas was No. 2 and Oklahoma was No. 3. The Cyclones don’t play either Big 12 Conference power in 2009.
Bobby La Gesse can be reached at (515) 663-6929, or rlagesse@amestrib.com.
| Comments |
|
We welcome comments on all sides of all issues. We want our comment forums to be a respectful, comfortable place for people of all opinions to discuss topics of interest. Toward that end, we will not approve comments that contain profanity, obscenity, libel, name-calling, or personal attack. We reserve the right to disapprove any comment for any reason.
|