Iowa freshmen talk about upcoming season

Emmitt Smith was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Those of us fortunate enough to have covered the NFL's all-time leading rusher from his days at the University of Florida to all three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys recall an introspective young man who could talk as well as he could run.

I mention this because Emmitt Smith burst upon the national scene as a true freshman in the fall of 1987 after running for a school-record 224 yards against Alabama in the third game of the season. And, millions of college football fans got to know him even better because Emmitt was allowed to speak to the media that entire season.

Iowa had a true freshman running back last season. Brandon Wegher rushed for a freshman school-record eight touchdowns, but you never heard a peep out of him because he was off-limits to the media.

The same will be true for the Class of 2010 even if James Morris is as articulate as any college football player and C.J. Fiedorowicz probably will be one of the team's three or four tight ends.

Ask Morris, who helped lead Solon High to multiple Class 2A state titles, about his role this season and this is what you get:

“I'll probably know or have a good idea of what my role will be at the end of camp more than at the beginning. I'm just learning the plays, coverages and stunts and all that good stuff. Your understanding of that stuff is going to dictate how much you see the field. I feel capable athletically. I think the rest of my growth is going to be more mental.''

Ask Fiedorowicz, considered one of the prizes of this recruiting class, about his role at a position that seems to be begging for someone to step up and fill Tony Moeaki's cleats, and he thinks first and then gives you a smart answer:

“If I work hard and get that offense down, I'll probably get some playing time.”

It's understood that coaches want to control access to their players, especially those setting foot on a college campus for the first time, and keep their egos in check. That way, they can devote full attention to their sport and scholarly endeavors without having to be bothered by the press.

Also, let's not kid ourselves that the media have changed a lot in the last 23 years. Today's athletes are scrutinized closer than the evidence at a crime scene, and, often, the results are just as messy. It's a 24-7 news cycle, and what a player does off the field usually garners more attention than what he does on it.

Last week, someone blogged that former City High quarterback A.J. Derby was switching positions. There was only one problem. The report was not true.

Asked about it as soon as he stepped on the practice field for Media Day, Derby said he had heard about it and even received a few text messages from his buddies.

Derby said it apparently was someone “making stuff up'' and he made it clear he wants to remain at quarterback and continue working with Ricky Stanzi, James Vandenberg and John Wienke.

“They are all great leaders and they know the playbook really well,” Derby said. “I'm excited to work with them and help them compete every day.”

One report that wasn't doused on Friday was Morris playing middle linebacker. Despite being a weak-side linebacker in high school, Hawkeye coaches see him in the middle of the defense. Part of that adjustment is being more vocal.

“That's something that's going to take some time getting used to,” Morris said. “Coach said today, ‘You have to be vocal, but you have to be sure what you're being vocal about.' That's the biggest thing; I'm not sure about everything. That may hinder my ability to lead for a while, but, hopefully, I'll have all of that sorted out by the time camp is over.”

Fiedorowicz also wants to have things sorted out by the start of the season, including distancing himself from the wide receiver talk, improving his technique and adding a few pounds (to 265) so he's ready to block those huge college defensive linemen. He also thinks it would be awesome to see action as a freshman.

“Not a lot of people get to do that, maybe three or four freshmen a year,” he said. “That would be a big achievement for me.”

If that happens, he won't be able to talk about it, nor will Morris. Asked if he had any last words before being muzzled, Morris first said “No … nothing” then added:

“I'm excited to be a part of the Iowa football team. Excited to see what we can do this year.”

Emmitt could not have said it better.