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“Venturi Model” look at IU roster

IndyIUFan66

All-Big Ten
Jun 23, 2013
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Heard Venturi on JMV and in looking at Colts, he said “you win in NFL with your top 10 players, as the bottom 43 are going to be closer to each other on all teams but it’s your great players who win games.”

In looking at college and IU, I think there is a legit issue with depth, but I do think the playmakers (the top 10) also make a big difference.

Per depth, I believe current spring roster will have better overall depth than last year AND there will be some incoming freshman who may be able to contribute next year too.

But I also think our top 10 are also getting better. My shot at ranking names:

OFFENSE:
N Westbrook - likely 1000 yarder
Wes Martin - senior, strong & experienced
Ellison - seems like a bruiser RB w/speed
Dawkins- think can be great fast college QB
W Phylor - think he has huge play potential

DEFENSE:
M Ball - highly talented, physical husky
Crawford - good size w/lot of experience
N Sykes - former ND recruit, great rusher
Riggins - started as FR, physical corner
J Robinson - physical, experienced

Future names on the top 10 list could be:
Caleb Jones
Burgess
Fitzgerald
Penix
Hewitt
R Walker
M Burnam LB

Think B10 level good talent pipeline is building at IU! How do you think our top talent matches up with rest of B10 next year? Thoughts?
 
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Heard Venturi on JMV and in looking at Colts, he said “you win in NFL with your top 10 players, as the bottom 43 are going to be closer to each other on all teams but it’s your great players who win games.”

In looking at college and IU, I think there is a legit issue with depth, but I do think the playmakers (the top 10) also make a big difference.

Per depth, I believe current spring roster will have better overall depth than last year AND there will be some incoming freshman who may be able to contribute next year too.

But I also think our top 10 are also getting better. My shot at ranking names:

OFFENSE:
N Westbrook - likely 1000 yarder
Wes Martin - senior, strong & experienced
Ellison - seems like a bruiser RB w/speed
Dawkins- think can be great fast college QB
W Phylor - think he has huge play potential

DEFENSE:
M Ball - highly talented, physical husky
Crawford - good size w/lot of experience
N Sykes - former ND recruit, great rusher
Riggins - started as FR, physical corner
J Robinson - physical, experienced

Future names on the top 10 list could be:
Caleb Jones
Burgess
Fitzgerald
Penix
Hewitt
R Walker
M Burnam LB

Think B10 level good talent pipeline is building at IU! How do you think our top talent matches up with rest of B10 next year? Thoughts?

Interesting concept.

I'd have to disagree with him (V) in that in both the NFL and the NCAA you have to have decent lines on both sides of the ball first and foremost.

As in life, the guys that get the least recognition are the guys that make things work.

From that point on things get tricky... I'd say you have to have a "Really Good" LB on D and a Really Good" QB on O, to be a consistent big time winner (that's if all the other players were basically equal, which in the NCAA they're not)...

So I guess I'm saying you need 11 "special" ones to win in the NFL and probably closer to 15 in college ball... ( just my opinion)
 
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Perhaps in the NFL the other 43 players are close to equal but in the NCAA that is NOT the case. You look at O$U or Mich. and their "other" players have always been far, far better than IU's. I believe that to be the major difference year in and year out.
 
You win in football with line play. Only 3 of the 10 guys on this list play up front (4 if you count Jones). I would want to see 60% of that list made up of linemen: 3 OL and 3 DL. You get 3 really elite players on both sides and now your cooking. Skill players are made to look better than they are with superior line play.

You look at the teams that win at a high level and they don’t see pedestrian line play. They get 4-Star level guys who dominate the guy across from them. This is why Wisconsin is able to win 10 games+ in a season. Apart from a guy like Russell Wilson, they have “journeymen” QBs who effectively manage the game behind monsterous hogs who control the line of scrimmage.
It’s the same reason high-flying offenses stall when they play Alabama. The speed and quickness up front just shuts people down.

We are always going to be able to find capable 3-Star skill guys. Every school gets them (although the QB spot was sorely mismanaged for a period) but if you get guys up front protecting them or applying the pressure....now you’re cooking with gas.
 
Heard Venturi on JMV and in looking at Colts, he said “you win in NFL with your top 10 players, as the bottom 43 are going to be closer to each other on all teams but it’s your great players who win games.”

In looking at college and IU, I think there is a legit issue with depth, but I do think the playmakers (the top 10) also make a big difference.

Per depth, I believe current spring roster will have better overall depth than last year AND there will be some incoming freshman who may be able to contribute next year too.

But I also think our top 10 are also getting better. My shot at ranking names:

OFFENSE:
N Westbrook - likely 1000 yarder
Wes Martin - senior, strong & experienced
Ellison - seems like a bruiser RB w/speed
Dawkins- think can be great fast college QB
W Phylor - think he has huge play potential

DEFENSE:
M Ball - highly talented, physical husky
Crawford - good size w/lot of experience
N Sykes - former ND recruit, great rusher
Riggins - started as FR, physical corner
J Robinson - physical, experienced

Future names on the top 10 list could be:
Caleb Jones
Burgess
Fitzgerald
Penix
Hewitt
R Walker
M Burnam LB

Think B10 level good talent pipeline is building at IU! How do you think our top talent matches up with rest of B10 next year? Thoughts?
I will always argue that games in the NFL and College are won, more often than now by dominate line play and QB play. If you have a dominate OL and DL you'll win 8 out of 10 times. If you add a dynamic QB to that mixture whether they be a dual threat or passer, you'll win almost 10 out of 10 times.

I think IU's OL will be better this season especially with Crider moving to Guard. It's not going to dominate against OSU/PSU, but it should steady enough that we can move the ball against anyone.

Our DL especially on the interior is going to be very solid. We have a good mix of DTs that we can rotate through that will help us hold that line of scrimmage better. DEs I think are still a little bit of a work in progress. Having a healthy Sykes will help a lot also.

I like your top 10 and don't disagree with it. But win consistently against those in our division that are in the top 10, we have to improve our OL and DL and QB play a lot more.
 
I concur with the other comments of "Our Top 10 should consist of more interior lineman on both sides of the ball."

I think my initial 10 are close to "Best Available" if we were ranking for a draft, but would be great if Cronk, Jones or Linder could crack that lineup, or more from the DLine side too.

And let's not forget the potential of our own Mr. Football Reese Taylor, who may crack that group one day too.

I just think our "best talent" is getting better, we are adding more depth and that seems to be a great path to be on. Hopefully the S/C coaches can help close the gap on the interior lines, making them bigger, faster, closer to the top team talent levels so IU can be highly competitive in the trenches. If so, I think we've almost always had good playmakers who can do things if offense has time to throw or DB's don't have to defend for 5-7 seconds, but rather have some rush support to help them out on the islands.
 
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Venturi record as college head coach
1-31
Venturi record as NFL head coach
2-17

I can listen to this guy for about a second when he is on the air. He complicates the sh!t out of everything and way overanalyzes things. No wonder he was a horrible coach!
 
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Venturi record as college head coach
1-31
Venturi record as NFL head coach
2-17

I can listen to this guy for about a second when he is on the air. He complicates the sh!t out of everything and way overanalyzes things. No wonder he was a horrible coach!
lol
 
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You win when you score at least one more point than your opponent. Huge grin!
You may have a higher probability of winning if your team has certain attributes but these guys don't know shit.
Go Hoosiers!
 
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Venturi record as college head coach
1-31
Venturi record as NFL head coach
2-17

I can listen to this guy for about a second when he is on the air. He complicates the sh!t out of everything and way overanalyzes things. No wonder he was a horrible coach!

I turn it off when he comes on. That guy was clueless on the sidelines and now acts like a know-it-all.
 
Heard Venturi on JMV and in looking at Colts, he said “you win in NFL with your top 10 players, as the bottom 43 are going to be closer to each other on all teams but it’s your great players who win games.”

In looking at college and IU, I think there is a legit issue with depth, but I do think the playmakers (the top 10) also make a big difference.

Per depth, I believe current spring roster will have better overall depth than last year AND there will be some incoming freshman who may be able to contribute next year too.

But I also think our top 10 are also getting better. My shot at ranking names:

OFFENSE:
N Westbrook - likely 1000 yarder
Wes Martin - senior, strong & experienced
Ellison - seems like a bruiser RB w/speed
Dawkins- think can be great fast college QB
W Phylor - think he has huge play potential

DEFENSE:
M Ball - highly talented, physical husky
Crawford - good size w/lot of experience
N Sykes - former ND recruit, great rusher
Riggins - started as FR, physical corner
J Robinson - physical, experienced

Future names on the top 10 list could be:
Caleb Jones
Burgess
Fitzgerald
Penix
Hewitt
R Walker
M Burnam LB

Think B10 level good talent pipeline is building at IU! How do you think our top talent matches up with rest of B10 next year? Thoughts?
You really think Mullen isn't one of the team's top defenders?
 
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