Now, the former Pleasant Valley High School standout is a proven leader on the Hawkeyes defense, the quarterback, says position coach Phil Parker, of the secondary.
“Brett understands our defense probably better than anybody,” Parker said of the third-year sophomore free safety. “He knows what’s going on. He can make calls, and he’s got an instinct for the game. It’s hard to coach it. It’s just an instinct to understand the offense and what they’re trying to do to you.”
Greenwood began last year in a reserve role. But when Devan Moylan was sidelined by injury, he was called into action, starting the final seven games of the season.
He had his ups and downs, exhibited perfectly in the dramatic final minutes of an upset of No. 18 Illinois. One minute, Greenwood was beaten on a long pass that allowed the Illini to drive deep into Hawkeyes territory. The next, he intercepted a pass at the goal line to seal the 10-6 victory.
He finished the year with 45 tackles, two interceptions and seven passes broken up, very solid numbers for a half-season’s work.
Greenwood is one of two players who Parker says have a firm grip on a starting position in Iowa’s secondary entering the 2008 season. The other is senior cornerback Bradley Fletcher, who started in place of Adam Shada late last season, finishing the year with 53 tackles and two picks.
The strong safety position is up for grabs, even though senior Harold Dalton is back after starting every game in ’07. As is the right cornerback spot, where Drew Gardner is listed as the starter but sophomores Jordan Bernstine and Amari Spievey are expected to log most of the minutes this fall. Spievey, who left Iowa for academic reasons after redshirting in 2006, was a juco All-American at Iowa Central last fall. He had seven interceptions, two returned for touchdowns.
Greenwood said it’s different preparing for the season as a starter — there’s more responsibility.
“Right now, I’m expecting that I’ll be out there playing from Day 1,” he said. “I just have to get ready mentally and physically. It’s a long process. I’m getting a lot of reps, seeing a lot of stuff, but, also, I have to help the news guys, the freshmen, because I’m one play from being out.”
| Position breakdowns | |||
| Saturday: Special teams STORY I GLANCE | |||
| Today: Defensive backs | |||
| Monday: Linebackers | |||
| Tuesday: Defensive line | |||
| Wednesday: Offensive line | |||
| Thursday: Receivers/Ends | |||
| Friday: Running backs | |||
| Saturday: Quarterbacks |
Eric Page can be contacted at (563) 383-2277 or epage@qctimes.com.
ronclop wrote on Aug 17, 2008 8:16 AM: