the program is on the downslide boyz

[nolookpass]

like I posted earlier this week. Im not as interested as I was in the past. for a number of reasons.

I will enjoy the games more this year and my expectations arent very high.

the trend of losing close games isnt going to change going forward. Iowa makes it too easy for other teams to prepare for them. Iowa doesnt exploit mismatches, never adapts its gameplan to the opponents weaknesses and sticks to recruiting one dimensional qbs. Im pretty sure that other than Alabama a few years ago, all the recent national champs have had a multi threat qb. It makes you much harder to defend, as we saw today.

our once vaunted conditioning program has gone downhill. after watching future NFL players gassed all last year, we were the slower and less conditioned team on the field again today.

maybe if we had a fast qb, other teams defenses would tire more as the game went on.

ISUs secondary sucks. they couldnt cover me. we could have thrown short crossing patterns all day. once again, no wide receiver screens, even tho ISU has a bunch of smurf DBs.

Jantz cant throw long, so instead of playing some press coverage, we gave their wrs acres of room and allowed him to get some rhthymn and confidence. just like we do with every first yr qb we face.

instead Iowa pounds Coker into the line 35 times. like ESS said, Iowa will run him into the ground, proly by the 3rd game of the big ten season.

everyone else plays several RBs a game, only Kirk is smart enuff to understand you have to have 10,000 handoffs in practice before you can play in a game.

the union system is alive and well as evidenced by Herman starting. hes not that good and had a costly penalty to go with his drop today.

Sleeper is not a big ten safety, which was apparent today.

the coaching staff wont change. the league is going to be tougher going forward because now along with Wisconsin, Nebraska also will be recruiting the same kid Iowa recruits.

any organization in any line, gets stale when you dont adapt or make yourself open to change.

I will still watch and enjoy the games with my lowered expectations.

for a measly four million, this is as good as its going to get.

[douglasbader]

This is the 7th collapse with a lead in the 4th quarter in the last 12 games. If that isn't disturbing enough for the Iowa Coaching Staff to make drastic changes, I don't know what is.

Look at the teams we played in those 8 games. Most of them ran some sort of spread offense that runs 4-5 receivers and has an athletic QB that can move and avoid pressure.

I know Norm thinks he is a genius, and he pretty much was there for a decade, but shit is changing. You simply don't have the personnel to sit back 5-7 yards off the ball and let them dink and dunk down the field. Not only is it not working, your D-Line is getting gassed beyond belief.

[Thagoods]

I agree.

Outside of one stellar season in 2009, Iowa has gone 7-5, 6-7, 6-6, 9-4, 8-5, and what looks to almost certainly be another 6-6 to 7-5 type year since 2005.

Those of you who think that no other coach could have done a better job over the last 6-7 years are morons. This staff has lost it, and needs to change now, or move on.

[BBK]

Hard to disagree with any of that, nlp.

[douglasbader]

Nolookpass is dead on about running Coker into the ground. Even though he is built like a tank, he is still a true Sophomore and his body isn't going to hold up to that kind of beating in the Big 10.

You can't survive on giving him 35 carries per game or even 28. He needs to carry it 20-25 per game and you have to get a change of pace back to carry at least another 5-8 times.

I am worried that Ferentz is simply too loyal, stubborn, rich and old to make any sort of drastic changes on any level. He has "fuck you" money and "fuck you" power and won't lose that until there is at least another 2-3 bad seasons.

Hopefully he gets the point after this but I doubt he will. What you really hope is Norm decides to retire and some of the other assistants would take jobs somewhere else.

[ivan_drago]

Ken O'Keefe is a fucking horrible XBOX player. Bank it.

[douglasbader]

Originally Posted by Thagoods

I agree.

Outside of one stellar season in 2009, Iowa has gone 7-5, 6-7, 6-6, 9-4, 8-5, and what looks to almost certainly be another 6-6 to 7-5 type year since 2005.

Those of you who think that no other coach could have done a better job over the last 6-7 years are morons. This staff has lost it, and needs to change now, or move on.

Of course someone else might be able to do well at Iowa, it would be silly to think otherwise, but Ferentz has still done very well. Those 5 "off" years aren't that bad at all.

It doesn't take much to fall off the face of the earth even if you have a really good program that you are sure could go to the "next level". Look no further than Iowa Basketball, Michigan Football, Notre Dame Football, Indiana Basketball, and countless other programs.

One bad hire and you can fuck everything up even if you have the greatest facilities, tradition, and resources.

Iowa has been incredibly lucky over the last 34 years to only have 2 Head Coaches and have them be not only very successful, but great people and representatives of the University.

We might be able to do slightly better than Kirk Ferentz, but I can guarantee that Iowa could do a whole lot worse.

[Talkin' Goat]

Originally Posted by BBK

Hard to disagree with any of that, nlp.

+1

Dammit.

[Soda Popinski]

I thought Coker looked completely gassed in the 3rd quarter. He could barely get to the line of scrimmage. And they just kept making him run up the middle over and over.

[douglasbader]

Like I said in another thread, I wonder how happy Michigan is that they ran Lloyd Carr out of town and got something new and different in Rich Rodriguez?

You think they wouldn't do anything to do that over again?

Do people even remember anymore that Lloyd Carr's last 3 seasons he went 7-5, 11-2 and 9-4 with a last second FG loss in the Rose Bowl and a win in the Capital One bowl?

Iowa doesn't want to even chance going through that type of an epic fail.

Looking at it even more, people need to just calm the fuck down. Ferentz's last 3 years he has been 9-4, 11-2, 8-5 with 3 straight Bowl victories including the Orange Bowl.

Get a grip everyone.

[Thagoods]

Originally Posted by douglasbader

Of course someone else might be able to do well at Iowa, it would be silly to think otherwise, but Ferentz has still done very well. Those 5 "off" years aren't that bad at all.

It doesn't take much to fall off the face of the earth even if you have a really good program that you are sure could go to the "next level". Look no further than Iowa Basketball, Michigan Football, Notre Dame Football, Indiana Basketball, and countless other programs.

One bad hire and you can fuck everything up even if you have the greatest facilities, tradition, and resources.

Iowa has been incredibly lucky over the last 34 years to only have 2 Head Coaches and have them be not only very successful, but great people and representatives of the University.

We might be able to do slightly better than Kirk Ferentz, but I can guarantee that Iowa could do a whole lot worse.

Iowa should be able to sleepwalk to 6 wins every year considering a minimum of three OOC cupcakes (and yes, ISU is considered a cupcake), and at least two Big Ten bottom dwellers are on the schedule each season.
With the resources that the U of I has, the fan support, the facilities, and being a member of the B10, it is absolutely inexcusable to struggle with Indiana, Purdue, NU, ISU, and Minnesota every freaking year.

[Talkin' Goat]

Originally Posted by douglasbader

Looking at it even more, people need to just calm the fuck down. Ferentz's last 3 years he has been 9-4, 11-2, 8-5 with 3 straight Bowl victories including the Orange Bowl.

Get a grip everyone.

This is also true. More often than not we have an early season turd. Hopefully today was it. Schedule still sets up nicely if we continue to improve as the season goes on.

[Thagoods]

Originally Posted by Thagoods

Iowa should be able to sleepwalk to 6 wins every year considering a minimum of three OOC cupcakes (and yes, ISU is considered a cupcake), and at least two Big Ten bottom dwellers are on the schedule each season.
With the resources that the U of I has, the fan support, the facilities, and being a member of the B10, it is absolutely inexcusable to struggle with Indiana, Purdue, NU, ISU, and Minnesota every freaking year.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying fire him now, but if he refuses to change and we have a few more 6-6 type years, Iowa should go in another direction.

[douglasbader]

I was on the ledge earlier today, but thinking about it more, if they can make even the most minuscule of changes they will be fine. It isn't like Iowa is getting blown out. They have the lead in every single game with like 5 min to go with many of those being on the road or against Top 10 teams. Most of them needed absolute miracles (Fake punts, 4th and long conversions) to even have a chance to be in the game.

Getting smoked by 20 would be ultra-concerning, but this is still correctable if they just wake the fuck up.

I still think they go 8-4 at least if they can get it together. The schedule is favorable and they are young and should get better from here on out.

[howler]

Originally Posted by douglasbader

I was on the ledge earlier today, but thinking about it more, if they can make even the most minuscule of changes they will be fine. It isn't like Iowa is getting blown out. They have the lead in every single game with like 5 min to go with many of those being on the road or against Top 10 teams. Most of them needed absolute miracles (Fake punts, 4th and long conversions) to even have a chance to be in the game.

Getting smoked by 20 would be ultra-concerning, but this is still correctable if they just wake the fuck up.

I still think they go 8-4 at least if they can get it together. The schedule is favorable and they are young and should get better from here on out.

Indeed. We're still very much the program that hasn't lost by more than 7 points since @Purdue of '07. But there's also lots of shitty footnotes that come with that neat piece of trivia.

[Kerky]

I want to see what we got with underclassmen DL. Face it, our best DL this year couldn't beat out the guys that underachieved last year, except for Daniels.

[Karl Hungus]

Originally Posted by howler

Indeed. We're still very much the program that hasn't lost by more than 7 points since @Purdue of '07. But there's also lots of shitty footnotes that come with that neat piece of trivia.

holy crap, is that true? (I'm assuming it is, but it's pretty unbelievable)

[howler]

Originally Posted by Karl Hungus

holy crap, is that true? (I'm assuming it is, but it's pretty unbelievable)

Yup, we've been in the position to win every ballgame since a terrible road blowout in the Jake Christensen era.

[douglasbader]

I will support Ferentz leaving when Iowa starts going 5-7 and we are losing by 20. As long as Iowa is going 8-5 with a few 10-3 or 11-2 thrown in, he can stay until his contract is up in 2020.

[howler]

Originally Posted by douglasbader

I will support Ferentz leaving when Iowa starts going 5-7 and we are losing by 20. As long as Iowa is going 8-5 with a few 10-3 or 11-2 thrown in, he can stay until his contract is up in 2020.

It's almost impossible to dissect the Ferentz era since '08. There's been some real underachieving, some horrendous playcalling, some off-the-field humiliation, and yet he's still put together a program that makes every Saturday fun to watch. Hayden didn't have any teams past 1991 where you just knew that every game was going to come down to the 4th quarter. Ferentz does.

[atemp]

I just don't understand in-game coaching, strategy and gameplanning. It is beyond frustrating at this point. Kirk, it seems, just holds up a big FU to everyone, no matter how inept he looks.

You watch the NFL or othe "major" college programs they bring different looks for most opponents, why is it so hard for Iowa? Also time to recruit more players like Kirksey and play Hitchens rather than playing some "hard-working" slow LB from BFE Iowa.

The coaching is stale and playcalling is bizarre..reverse from the 9 yard line, running Coker into the ground, not playing to win, not realizing your D is gassed and going for it on 4th and 1, at least people would understand you are playing to win rather than looking like a sally.

Kirk would definitely vote for the $400 Billion Stimulus after the it didn't work the first time.

[howler]

Originally Posted by atemp

I just don't understand in-game coaching, strategy and gameplanning. It is beyond frustrating at this point. Kirk, it seems, just holds up a big FU to everyone, no matter how inept he looks.

You watch the NFL or othe "major" college programs they bring different looks for most opponents, why is it so hard for Iowa? Also time to recruit more players like Kirksey and play Hitchens rather than playing some "hard-working" slow LB from BFE Iowa.

The coaching is stale and playcalling is bizarre..reverse from the 9 yard line, running Coker into the ground, not playing to win, not realizing your D is gassed and going for it on 4th and 1, at least people would understand you are playing to win rather than looking like a sally.

Kirk would definitely vote for the $400 Billion Stimulus after the it didn't work the first time.

After 6 hours to think about it, I think the bolded part is what bothers me most. Really.

[The Monarch]

Originally Posted by douglasbader

Nolookpass is dead on about running Coker into the ground. Even though he is built like a tank, he is still a true Sophomore and his body isn't going to hold up to that kind of beating in the Big 10.

You can't survive on giving him 35 carries per game or even 28. He needs to carry it 20-25 per game and you have to get a change of pace back to carry at least another 5-8 times.

I am worried that Ferentz is simply too loyal, stubborn, rich and old to make any sort of drastic changes on any level. He has "fuck you" money and "fuck you" power and won't lose that until there is at least another 2-3 bad seasons.

Hopefully he gets the point after this but I doubt he will. What you really hope is Norm decides to retire and some of the other assistants would take jobs somewhere else.

Totally agree about Coker. He'll inevitably break down and then what? Ferentz needs to find a 2nd RB he feels comfortable with over the next two weeks. But my confidence in this coaching staff to make the right decisions is pretty low.

[howler]

Originally Posted by The Monarch

Totally agree about Coker. He'll inevitably break down and then what? Ferentz needs to find a 2nd RB he feels comfortable with over the next two weeks. But my confidence in this coaching staff to make the right decisions is pretty low.

Our only hope now is getting Johnson/White some serious reps in the UL-M game. Won't happen next week.

[nolookpass]

Originally Posted by howler

It's almost impossible to dissect the Ferentz era since '08. There's been some real underachieving, some horrendous playcalling, some off-the-field humiliation, and yet he's still put together a program that makes every Saturday fun to watch. Hayden didn't have any teams past 1991 where you just knew that every game was going to come down to the 4th quarter. Ferentz does.

yeah those 9-3 and 8-4 seasons after 91 sucked under Fry

[douglasbader]

Originally Posted by howler

After 6 hours to think about it, I think the bolded part is what bothers me most. Really.

Kirk is so frightened of turnovers and uncertainty (and this goes to last year when he did the same thing to A-Rob) that he just can't fathom having someone else carry the ball.

He is really going to regret it when he is starting Jason White or DeAndre Johnson against Michigan State instead of Coker because he broke apart.

[Karl Hungus]

White clearly isn't the guy otherwise he would have gotten carries today.

But somehow* I feel like he'll get the game experience over Johnson or a Frosh.

*past experience with this staff

[howler]

Originally Posted by nolookpass

yeah those 9-3 and 8-4 seasons after 91 sucked under Fry

Oh gimme a break, nolook. Iowa was 5-7, 6-6, and 5-5 from '92-94. Some of those Hayden teams would play like complete shit from first quarter to last. Humiliating blowouts, like being down 50 to nothing at half against OSU.

Laughable.

[Fair and Balanced]

I like how dumbass worked in wealth envy and bitching about unions into a college football thread.

Stick with watermelon peddling.

[atemp]

Originally Posted by douglasbader

Kirk is so frightened of turnovers and uncertainty (and this goes to last year when he did the same thing to A-Rob) that he just can't fathom having someone else carry the ball.

He is really going to regret it when he is starting Jason White or DeAndre Johnson against Michigan State instead of Coker because he broke apart.

I don't understand his thinking. It's not as though Coker has brought so much confidence in the turnover department. He's had major fumbles in two of his last four games....three if you want to count last week, but they weren't costly.

[howler]

Originally Posted by howler

Oh gimme a break, nolook. Iowa was 5-7, 6-6, and 5-5 from '92-94. Some of those Hayden teams would play like complete shit from first quarter to last. Humiliating blowouts, like being down 50 to nothing at half against OSU.

Laughable.

Bumped for nolook.

[atemp]

Originally Posted by Karl Hungus

White clearly isn't the guy otherwise he would have gotten carries today.

But somehow* I feel like he'll get the game experience over Johnson or a Frosh.

*past experience with this staff

It doesn't really matter if they are that good, someone just has to be able to give him a series or two off.

[PipeDaddy]

Originally Posted by douglasbader

Like I said in another thread, I wonder how happy Michigan is that they ran Lloyd Carr out of town and got something new and different in Rich Rodriguez?

You think they wouldn't do anything to do that over again?

Do people even remember anymore that Lloyd Carr's last 3 seasons he went 7-5, 11-2 and 9-4 with a last second FG loss in the Rose Bowl and a win in the Capital One bowl?

Iowa doesn't want to even chance going through that type of an epic fail.

Looking at it even more, people need to just calm the fuck down. Ferentz's last 3 years he has been 9-4, 11-2, 8-5 with 3 straight Bowl victories including the Orange Bowl.

Get a grip everyone.

Oh, I agree. Iowa could do much worse.

I guess the really frustrating part is knowing all of those close losses, and playing the "what could have been" game - if we had only been a little more creative or less cautious, could that 11-2 season been a top 5 season? Etc.

But with KF, you get what you get. Fairly reliable solid results with some seasons exceeding expectations, and some seasons falling short of expectations. And the knowledge that a Top 5 or NC run is pretty unlikely.

[howler]

That vaunted 8-4 team which nolook speaks of was down 56-0 AT THE HALF against Ohio State.

I really miss those days.

[PipeDaddy]

Originally Posted by howler

That vaunted 8-4 team which nolook speaks of was down 56-0 AT THE HALF against Ohio State.

I really miss those days.

Losing to Ohio State by 14 under Sweater Vest was equivalent to getting blown out by Ohio State under Cooper. Tressel makes KF look like a huge risk taker.

Nonetheless, that 56-0 game was in the rain too, if I recall correctly. And that was one miserable ass game.

[The Monarch]

Originally Posted by howler

Our only hope now is getting Johnson/White some serious reps in the UL-M game. Won't happen next week.

Just watched the 5 min press conference on the Gazette website. At the end of the clip he mentions needing to get other RBs involved to help Coker but why do I get the feeling he'll never follow thru?

Then he say 400 yards given up by the defense is obviously not good enough but then says he kicked the FG in OT because he was confident the defense could get a stop. WTF??!! Of course, no follow up questions from the media.

Now I'm mad again.

[howler]

Originally Posted by PipeDaddy

Losing to Ohio State by 14 under Sweater Vest was equivalent to getting blown out by Ohio State under Cooper. Tressel makes KF look like a huge risk taker.

Nonetheless, that 56-0 game was in the rain too, if I recall correctly. And that was one miserable ass game.

Pipe, of all people, is now playing the moral equivalency game. Lib! ;-)

No excuses, some of those Hayden teams post-Matt Rodgers were really piss poor.

[Fair and Balanced]

Originally Posted by PipeDaddy

Oh, I agree. Iowa could do much worse.

I guess the really frustrating part is knowing all of those close losses, and playing the "what could have been" game - if we had only been a little more creative or less cautious, could that 11-2 season been a top 5 season? Etc.

But with KF, you get what you get. Fairly reliable solid results with some seasons exceeding expectations, and some seasons falling short of expectations. And the knowledge that a Top 5 or NC run is pretty unlikely.

You need to play the "what if" game for all of Iowa's close wins as well.

Expecting Iowa to be in the Top 5 or in the national title race is silly. Sure, it could happen in a fluke year, but,c'mon man.

I love Hawkeye football but still, it's Iowa.

[Fair and Balanced]

Originally Posted by The Monarch

Just watched the 5 min press conference on the Gazette website. At the end of the clip he mentions needing to get other RBs involved to help Coker but why do I get the feeling he'll never follow thru?

Then he say 400 yards given up by the defense is obviously not good enough but then says he kicked the FG in OT because he was confident the defense could get a stop. WTF??!! Of course, no follow up questions from the media.

Now I'm mad again.

I love it when people get all fired up over what the coach says in a press conference after a loss.

No really, I love it.

[douglasbader]

Originally Posted by atemp

I don't understand his thinking. It's not as though Coker has brought so much confidence in the turnover department. He's had major fumbles in two of his last four games....three if you want to count last week, but they weren't costly.

I don't get it either because every single time in the last 3 or 4 years that we put a new RB in the game we suddenly find out they were pretty damn good.

Shonn Greene and Jewell Hampton in 2008.
Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher in 2009.
Marcus Coker and Brad Rogers in 2010.
McCall and ?? in 2011.

[PipeDaddy]

Originally Posted by Fair and Balanced

You need to play the "what if" game for all of Iowa's close wins as well.

Expecting Iowa to be in the Top 5 or in the national title race is silly. Sure, it could happen in a fluke year, but,c'mon man.

I love Hawkeye football but still, it's Iowa.

I didn't say I expected it. I've come back to earth.

But let's be honest... how many people here really bought into the notion that Iowa could indeed make a realistic run at a NC after the 2005 recruiting class and the 10 win stretch?

Then that 2005 class ended up flopping and we all realized our mistake.

[howler]

Originally Posted by douglasbader

I don't get it either because every single time in the last 3 or 4 years that we put a new RB in the game we suddenly find out they were pretty damn good.

Shonn Greene and Jewell Hampton in 2008.
Adam Robinson and Brandon Wegher in 2009.
Marcus Coker and Brad Rogers in 2010.
McCall and ?? in 2011.

"But but...Freddy Russell was our lone back in '03!" - Coach

[cjhawks]

Just due to the fact that KF is hellbent on running Coker into the ground, I really really really really really really really really hope McCall can come back by mid-late year. Since KF has little faith in any of the other backups, they are gonna need him. In a year when RB position shouldnt be a concern, El Capitan is going to make it one by beating the shit out of Coker during the non-con season.

[howler]

We can't anoint McCall after 6 carries against a garbage defense.

We tend to anoint backups rather quickly. JvB in '09 and Coker in '10.

[cjhawks]

Originally Posted by howler

We can't anoint McCall after 6 carries against a garbage defense.

We tend to anoint backups rather quickly. JvB in '09 and Coker in '10.

We need to anoint someone. Coker won't be walking by PSU

[Fair and Balanced]

Originally Posted by PipeDaddy

I didn't say I expected it. I've come back to earth.

But let's be honest... how many people here really bought into the notion that Iowa could indeed make a realistic run at a NC after the 2005 recruiting class and the 10 win stretch?

Then that 2005 class ended up flopping and we all realized our mistake.

How many people HERE, home of the <75ers club, bought into that? Probably quite a few. How many people with a realistic worldview bought into that? Very, very few.

Note: hoping for and buying into are very different things for rational people.

[BBK]

Originally Posted by douglasbader

I was on the ledge earlier today, but thinking about it more, if they can make even the most minuscule of changes they will be fine. It isn't like Iowa is getting blown out. They have the lead in every single game with like 5 min to go with many of those being on the road or against Top 10 teams. Most of them needed absolute miracles (Fake punts, 4th and long conversions) to even have a chance to be in the game.

Getting smoked by 20 would be ultra-concerning, but this is still correctable if they just wake the fuck up.

I still think they go 8-4 at least if they can get it together. The schedule is favorable and they are young and should get better from here on out.

As turrible as we looked today (and we looked really fucking bad), with our remaining schedule I wouldn't be surprised at all if we still went 8-4.

Purdue lost to Rice today and looks terrible.

Indiana lost to Ball State and is no longer running the spread.

Minnesota was outplayed by New Mexico State today and lost at home.

Pittsburgh beat Maine by 6 and looked unimpressive against Buffalo.

Penn State QBs McGloin and Bolden were a combined 12/39 today v. Alabama in a home beating.

Michigan looks bad and Denard looks like he's having trouble adapting to the pro-style offense.

Nebraska is up on Fresno State by 2 in the 4th quarter at home.

Louisiana-Monroe is on the schedule.

Even as awful as we looked today and as awful as we probably are, the majority of the teams on our schedule arent any good either.

[Bonner]

Originally Posted by douglasbader

I will support Ferentz leaving when Iowa starts going 5-7 and we are losing by 20. As long as Iowa is going 8-5 with a few 10-3 or 11-2 thrown in, he can stay until his contract is up in 2020.

Who the fuck cares if Iowa is going 5-7 and loses by 3 points a game instead of going 7-5 and losing by 20 in the losses. It's all about W's and L's. I could give a shit today if Iowa lost by 3 or 30 today. A loss is a loss and if you're going to continue the same way, then changes need to be made (not at HC, but making a move with 1:25 left in the game and 4th and 1 in OT.)

Sure, they will win 10 games again, but this roster will not do it....not saying it's impossible, but if he would "change" I think it could be possible.

[FrodoTBaggin]

Originally Posted by BBK

As turrible as we looked today (and we looked really fucking bad), with our remaining schedule I wouldn't be surprised at all if we still went 8-4.

Purdue lost to Rice today and looks terrible.

Indiana lost to Ball State and is no longer running the spread.

Minnesota was outplayed by New Mexico State today and lost at home.

Pittsburgh beat Maine by 6 and looked unimpressive against Buffalo.

Penn State QBs McGloin and Bolden were a combined 12/39 today v. Alabama in a home beating.

Michigan looks bad and Denard looks like he's having trouble adapting to the pro-style offense.

Nebraska is up on Fresno State by 2 in the 4th quarter at home.

Louisiana-Monroe is on the schedule.

Even as awful as we looked today and as awful as we probably are, the majority of the teams on our schedule arent any good either.

We'll lose to Minny when their coach strokes out on the sideline and kirk decides to take it easy on them.

[nolookpass]

Originally Posted by howler

Bumped for nolook.

Id much rather get my ass kicked by a good team than lose a close game to a shitty team.