An Open Letter to Kirk Ferentz
by Bama Hawkeye on Oct 31, 2011 10:59 AM CDT
in Iowa
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PrintDear Coach Ferentz,
I want you to know that I remember. I was in Iowa City in 1999. I remember just how bad that team was. I remember just how little talent you had on the field.
I remember how exciting the second half of 2000 was, as the corner was turned. I remember the excitement of 2001's continuation. I vividly remember the magic of 2002. I'll never forget being in the Metrodome, watching you being carried off the field. I remember the great moments of 2003. I remember the joy of Penn State and Wisconsin in 2004. I'll never forget the amazing end to the Capital One Bowl against LSU.
No, I haven't forgotten about the disappointment of 2005-7, either. But, I remember the 2008 win over Penn State and the excitement that continued through the end of the season. I'll always remember the magic of 2009. Two blocked kicks to beat Northern Iowa. The blocked punt in Happy Valley. Seven got six. The Orange Bowl.
I want you to know that I remember all of that, so that it can't be said that I'm ungrateful or that I'm living with a short memory. I am grateful. I do remember. It's because I remember that I wanted to take a moment of your time. You see Coach, something has to change.
I live in Alabama now, and I've seen this play out before. Look at Tommy Tuberville. Takes over Auburn, leads them to two SEC West titles, including an SEC crown and an undefeated season in his first six seasons. Things slipped, and then slightly rebounded. His habits and short-comings received greater focus. He had a losing season. He was fired.
Look at Phillip Fulmer. He led Tennessee to repeated ten-win seasons. He won back-to-back SEC titles and a national championship. Things fell off, and then rebounded. Expectations grew again. He couldn't live up to those expectations. He was fired.
Look at Mark Richt. He's in this play, too. Right now, he's at the slight rebound point. He may well win the SEC East this year, but when he doesn't get beyond that, he'll see his tenure come to an end in a year or two.
Now Coach, I know that things are crazier in the South. But, you're on this path. When you lead Iowa through an incredibly disappointing season last year, and change nothing about the program, fans get frustrated. If Iowa had gone 10-2 last year, this year's anticipated rebuilding would have been more palatable. We know that we are not being built to compete every year. That's why we know it's so horrible when we waste those few shots that we have. And make no mistake, you wasted last season.
This year, our frustration has only built upon that. It's not that we lost to Minnesota. It's not that we lost to Iowa State. It's that we lost because of the same short-comings that you and your staff seem unwilling or unable to fix.
I've watched Iowa long enough to know that on third-and-four, our cornerbacks will play seven yards off, and take their first step back. That cornerback will do his best and tackle the receiver upon the reception, after a gain of five yards.
I've watched Iowa long enough to know that if a team runs a four wide receiver set, at least one of them will be covered by a linebacker. That linebacker will do his best to stay with the receiver, but there will be deep routes that he just can't cover.
I've watched Iowa long enough to know that our offense will try to avoid mistakes instead of scoring as soon as it has a double digit lead. As a result, opponents are always in the game.
I've watched Iowa long enough to know that Iowa will be unprepared for plays that you personally wouldn't run in that scenario. You would never take the risk of running a fake punt deep in your own end. You would never try an onsides kick except in an endgame situation. Accordingly, our players are not in position to defend against those scenarios.
I've watched Iowa long enough to know that your recruiting classes will be the low-hanging fruit. Yes, it's a tribute to you and your staff that so many unheralded projects have turned into NFL players. It's also attributable to your staff that so few heralded players, specifically skill players, come to Iowa.
I've watched Iowa long enough to know that I'm tired of you belittling the program. Look, if Iowa is "not sexy," as you love to say, that's your self-fulfilling prophecy. Wisconsin can be a "sexy" program, but Iowa can't? C'mon.
I've watched Iowa long enough to know that the Hawkeyes will play with less passion than any opponent that they face. Now, it could be that you have recruited 85 men who are as steely and cold as you are. Or it could be that your system has drained the joy and energy of football from them. When our players succeed your primary interaction with them is to tell them to calm down. When our players fail, your primary interaction with them is to grimace and look beyond them. (And a hat tip to Adam Jacobi for his spot-on impersonation of the emotionless Ferentz.)
I've watched Iowa long enough to know that something has to change.
Coach Ferentz, I'm writing this because I want you to succeed. I don't want you to fall prey to the same traps that snared those other coaches. Whether it's changing what your staff is doing, or changing the men on your staff, change is your only way out of this. It's not a question of execution. It's a question of alteration. Iowa won't have great seasons again until modifications happen. I hope that you are the coach that makes them happen. I hope that some of them happen this Saturday against Michigan. Let's Go Hawks.
Sincerely,
Bama Hawkeye
P.S. One last thought of encouragement, Coach. In the late sixties, after a great run in the first half of the decade, the fans were growing restless with the diminishing performance of Alabama's squads. Coach Bryant remade his entire offensive and defensive schemes and achieved even greater success. In the early aughts, Penn State fans grumbled and groused about the game moving beyond Coach Paterno. He remade his offense and won more Big Ten titles than he had in the decade prior. This can be done. If those famously stubborn men could assess their programs' short-comings and make the necessary changes, you can too.
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Well reasoned...
…and well argued. That said, I’m going to add this to the list of threads, posts, and articles, and freakout comments that are made what I saw in TCF even sweeter. When your fave team is engulfed in a dumpster fire of a season there is really not much better then seeing Floyd stay home combined with Iowa fans providing EPIC levels of schadenfreude.
by GoAUpher on Oct 31, 2011 11:28 AM CDT reply actions 9 recs
Bama Hawkeye has been such a jerk about the
Minnesota program for so long that he really has had the last 2 years coming. This moment is just too wonderful for words.
rec’d.
You nailed it. I wish he could hear some criticism from fans and receive it knowing that we WANT HIM TO SUCCEED. We’re not calling for his job, and he shouldn’t have to defend himself after every loss when someone writes an angry article, but after losses like this, he needs to do what he can to bring the fanbase together, not push everyone away.
by Chabdul Hodgeway on Oct 31, 2011 11:40 AM CDT reply actions
MV destroys Bama Hawkeye's short sighted 'KF doesn't recruit well' meme. Kills it. Enjoy!!
‘Bama Hawkeye relays this myopic gem during a season in which the Hawkeyes have the #1 rusher in the Big Ten (Marcus Coker), the Big Ten’s best receiver (Marvin McNutt) and another guy by the name of Keenan Davis, who just so happens to have as many receiving yards as Da’Jon McKnight. Ferentz continues to kill the recruiting trail in Chicagoland and St. Louis, nabbing studs like McNutt, Adrian Clayborn, Bryan Bulaga, Tony Moeaki, Dace Richardson, C.J. Fiedorowicz, Christian Kirksey, Jordan Walsh, Mikail McCall, Rodney Coe (whoops!) and Ryan Ward, Jaleel Johnson and Reece Fleming in 2012. But hey, if you want to bash your coach for recruiting NFL caliber players, go right ahead. Maybe you’d be cool with sending some of those Illinois prospects our way, since they’re so “unheralded?” Moreover, when you have an offensive line factory and a coach that loves to run the ball, you’ll need receivers who are adept at this little thing called “stalk blocking:” not exactly an open invitation to recruit receivers from the speed states (just ask Wisconsin). No, your best hope for those types of prospects is to keep all the in-state prospects or unearth some diamonds in the rough. So yes, go ahead and bash an aspect of your program that is quite underrated, from the outside eye.’
http://fringebowlteamblog.com/?q=blog/schadenbadgerhawkeye
I realize it's hard for me to say this as a Gophers fan and not sound like a troll
But you aren’t Auburn, you aren’t Georgia, and you aren’t Tennessee. I read recently a Hawkeyes fan say that his expectations were reasonable; he just wanted to win the Big Ten and play in a BCS bowl every 4-5 years.
Well, Hayden Fry, who coached for 20 years and basically reconstructed Hawkeye football (not that I need to tell you), NEVER had a team finish above #9. In 20 freaking years.
I think there’s a serious sense of spoiled entitlement in Iowa City, thanks in large part due to Kirk Ferentz. Not that you don’t have ever reason this season to expect to beat this years Iowa State and Minnesota teams. But you are in a talentless, rural, and yes, unsexy place (if you’d rather live in Iowa City than Madison, you’re in the minority).
We Gophers fans envy the shit out of you guys for having such an excellent coach. Please, please, please, keep pushing the agenda that Ferentz is the problem. I’ll never try to contradict you again.
by Gophermike on Oct 31, 2011 11:45 AM CDT reply actions 8 recs
The problem is more complicated than that
It really comes down to the fact that Ferentz makes the same timid and shortsighted mistakes time and time again and the fanbase knows that we could be better than our record in recent years. Example: I can’t remember the last time we successfully thwarted a fake on special teams – and the reason that most have come to believe is that Ferentz would never do similarly in that situation, and therefore assumes the other team would not either, and they succeed. This is a smallish issue, but representative of what frustrates the shit out of our fanbase.
I’ve watched Iowa long enough to know that the Hawkeyes will play with less passion than any opponent that they face. Now, it could be that you have recruited 85 men who are as steely and cold as you are. Or it could be that your system has drained the joy and energy of football from them. When our players succeed your primary interaction with them is to tell them to calm down. When our players fail, your primary interaction with them is to grimace and look beyond them.
And this is most scary to me because he is going to (if he hasn’t already) lose both the players and the fans with this attitude.
I will haunt your dreams and eat your children.
That's also frightening
You have to wonder how much the indomitable spirit and sparkplug-esque attitude of Ricky Stanzi had to do with Iowa’s success in 2009. If nothing else, he sure as hell seemed to be having fun out there.
A man may leave Iowa, but Iowa never leaves a man.
by hawkeyeinstl on Oct 31, 2011 11:57 AM CDT up reply actions
Well, then. We're spoiled.
The answer? Aliens. Or not aliens.
by Blackheartnopants on Oct 31, 2011 11:59 AM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
By success.
Which Minnesota fans can clearly lecture us about.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Oct 31, 2011 12:00 PM CDT up reply actions
11 & 10 win seasons are the best Iowa has done under Ferentz.
If you think that’s mediocre you may be are a complete ass. I’m kidding, you’re not an ass because you think that, it’s all the other stuff you’ve ever posted.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Nov 1, 2011 3:53 AM CDT up reply actions 5 recs
You are 9th in wins in the B1G.
Your program is NOT viewed as a power in this country by any fanbase other than your own. You waaaaaaay overvalue your beloved program. Your football team is not in the same breath as your wrestling team. See the difference?
9th in wins?
What, all-time?
Over the last decade we’re 3rd behind Ohio State and Wisconsin… over the last 25 years we’re third behind Ohio State and Michigan. We’re third in big ten titles in that same time period
And I don’t really see anyone claiming that Iowa is a national power. But I don’t think winning the big ten a couple times a decade and appearing in a few BCS bowls is too much to expect. It’s exactly what we’ve been doing for the past 30 years or so under Fry and now Ferentz. But Ferentz has shown signs that he’ll never get us over that hump of 1-2 inexplicable losses to truly mediocre teams even in our best years, simply because of his predictability and propensity to play for close games.
I think that a lot of this will blow over by the end of the season if the Hawks can win a couple games and go to a bowl. Personally I’d like Iowa to get to a point where they don’t routinely blow games against Minnesotas and Northwesterns. But to me, Ferentz has done enough for Iowa, lately, to get to write this season off. We all knew it would be a rebuilding year.
"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull." - W.C. Fields
by rockyh on Nov 1, 2011 2:33 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Fair enough.
My snarkiness was directed towards others who have enjoyed tOSU’s recent troubles. You are absolutely correct in what you say.
You know
for someone who is so incredibly anxious for everyone to move on from Tattoo-a-palooza, you’re the one who keeps bringing it up and just won’t. let. it. go.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
by HoyaGoon on Nov 1, 2011 8:46 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
Don't you think...
…the fact that you can reasonably consider yourself superior to Minnesota and Northwestern a product of the program that Ferentz/Fry built?
Of course.
Like I said, I’d like Iowa to avoid “surprise” upset games against Gophers, Wildcats, Cyclones, Hoosiers, or what have you. Every single fricking year we lose one or more of those, and usually in a season when the opponent does jack against the rest of their schedule. I like Ferentz, and am not in as much of a tailspin as some hawk fans, but at some point we need to stop being the upset win highlight of bad teams’ bad seasons if we ever DO want to get taken seriously on the national stage.
"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull." - W.C. Fields
There is no program in any sport in any conference that is in the same breath as our wrestling team.
What’s your point?
OSU Cowboys'
Wrestling team has more NC’s than Iowa
True enough, but no team has displayed the dominance that Iowa has in the last 30 years.
Even when OK State was winning their consecutive national championships as OK A&M the most they won in a row was seven, Iowa won nine. They also own the record for the most points scored at Nationals and I want to say margin of victory too but I’m not sure about that.
I'd make a snide comment about Minnesota football titles from the 1940s
but it HURTS TOO MUCH right now.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
X
When we get the Pig, the Jug and the Axe, we'll have one hell of a picnic
by Marshmoose on Nov 2, 2011 2:02 PM CDT up reply actions 5 recs
This is the correct reply
You deserve your carlton dance gifs, gophers.
/sigh
"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull." - W.C. Fields
Just because he's had prior success
doesn’t mean he never has to adapt to keep said success. That’s what most of us are saying.
They say you're a pitcher, you're sure not much of a dresser. We wear caps and sleeves on this level, son.
by isHawkeye on Oct 31, 2011 1:23 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I do understand that
But Ferentz is 17-11 in the Big Ten in the last four years (recent history).
In a vacuum, are you telling me as an Iowa fan you wouldn’t accept that, given all of the limitations that exist for your program? If not, what’s the standard level of acceptability at Iowa, and why do you feel that’s justifiable?
At the moment I think Hawkeye fans would settle for not gacking up games against horrible Minnesota teams. Anytime a trophy case is bare there are fans discontent with the program- I know I won’t be fully at ease until the Iron Skillet is back in Fort Worth where it belongs, for example.
http://www.frogsowar.com/
by HawkeyedFrog on Oct 31, 2011 11:52 PM CDT up reply actions
Funny a Gopher fan would lecture a Hawkeye fan on entitlement
When you ran out of town a football coach who had a winning record while at Minnesota, the first time the University could claim such an achievement in 40 years.
Just stop.
"I know you're from Middle America, and sometimes you feel like you're representing more than just a school or a conference, maybe an entire group of American citizens out there."
by Twin Cities Hawk on Nov 1, 2011 9:02 AM CDT up reply actions
I didn't personally run him out.
I’m trying to warn you. So, yes, it’s funny in that I have foresight of experience that you don’t.
But sure, fire Ferentz. Anyone could win in a talent-rich and alluring place like Iowa.
Who's calling for Ferentz to be fired?
We’re upset at him, we’re upset that for the moment he’s lost the ability to adapt at what the opposition is showing. We’re upset by the same sort of loss over and over again. We’re upset that we had a roster full of massive talent last year that wildly underperformed and that we’re seeing the same mistakes on the field from a new set of players this year. We’re upset that we’re seeing what amounts to a coaching philosophy being proven antiquated and ineffective.
No sane Iowa fan is calling for him to be fired because it’s not going to happen – he’s locked in for another 8-9 years and the University would go broke buying him out. You’re calling out Iowa fans for having the AUDACITYat being pissed off at losing to Minne-fucking-sota and interpreting it as those people trying to stake Kirk’s head at the top of the Old Capitol.
"I know you're from Middle America, and sometimes you feel like you're representing more than just a school or a conference, maybe an entire group of American citizens out there."
by Twin Cities Hawk on Nov 1, 2011 11:06 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
The OP discussed Ferentz as "on the path" to being fired.
You could argue that’s simply semantics.
Also, there are plenty of Iowa fans suggesting that Ferentz is the problem (possibly a majority) and that he should be canned (large minority).
It is simple semantics
Go over to BHGP to read that the majority of the people want Ferentz to change while a minority thinks there’s nothing broken in his coaching philosophy. But no one is calling for his head. No one.
"I know you're from Middle America, and sometimes you feel like you're representing more than just a school or a conference, maybe an entire group of American citizens out there."
by Twin Cities Hawk on Nov 1, 2011 11:19 AM CDT up reply actions
Not really true.
But yes, FEW people are actually saying “fire him.”
Then again, is there much difference between that and “forcing changes” like getting rid of coordinators who have been there for KF’s entire tenure?
Also, all of this criticism is happening in the one year that Iowa MIGHT dare to go 5-7, since 2000. To me, when you have more BCS appearances than you have years under .500 in the last decade, you’re probably doing enough things correctly to deserve some leeway, to deserve not to get flamed by most of you “fans” (even on the Internet) when you have a bad year (with a pretty bad defense front, an inexperienced QB, and a now-questionable kicker).
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 1, 2011 10:43 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm not sure why that double posted.
Sorry.
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 2, 2011 12:49 AM CDT up reply actions
Yes, just like
saying “I’m on the path to dying” because each day brings me closer to my inevitable death is the exact same thing as saying that I’m dead. You know, semantically
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
Actually
to extend your metaphor, there’s a difference between saying someone should be fired, and them actually being fired. Just like there’s a difference between saying someone should be dead, and they are dead. You know, semantically.
But either way
the fundamental question is still essential this. Do you think Ferentz is part of the problem? I realize that it’s a complicated answer. But it is still essentially a yes or no question.
It is an incredibly complex question
But the short answer is “yes, I think he’s a large part of the problem.” I don’t think he should be fired, however, because I think he can also be the solution.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
Where are all those Iowa fans?
Ferentz is a lifer. He’s Iowa’s Schembechler. Maybe some drunken sorority girl-meth-factory coven wants him fired. But I haven’t found them yet, and if I do, we won’t be talking football.
It’s actually quite remarkable that no one wants him fired. The veterans remember the 1970’s; they shudder at taking a chance on a new guy. The kids, though, they seem to get it.
Ferentz is a lifer. We’ll be playing a lot of BINGO. Ferentz is a lifer. “This thing we have ….”
We play tackle football.
I'm pretty sure ESPN comment threads
are proof of the non-existence of intelligent life on this planet.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
by HoyaGoon on Nov 1, 2011 9:28 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Okay.
ESPN? If that’s representative of anything, you’re right.
BHGP has one regular who wants him canned. This is a non-story.
We play tackle football.
"If that's representative of anything"
I’m not sure what you even mean by this. People who write to Rittenberg aren’t Iowa fans? They aren’t the right kind of Iowa fans?
Probably means
and I don’t want to speak for Bellanca, that no one, regardless of team affiliation, really wants the ESPN commentariat held-up as representative of their fanbase.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
ESPN commenters
one small step above YouTube commenters
"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull." - W.C. Fields
Not comments
People who wrote Rittenberg letters. Maybe that’s no better, but just clarifying for accuracy.
I'd say it's closer to some of the YouTube video series
where they ask you to like the video a minimum of 15 times in 3 minutes.
In the name of the Woody, the Bo, and the Mustache Ride. Amen.
I just mean that
if you think the people writing to Rittenberg are representative of broad Iowa opinion, you’re right. I don’t think they are, so I think you are mistaken. Actually, reading the comments on ESPN is like reading the comments in the john at the Greyhound Station. To me.
We play tackle football.
by Bellanca on Nov 2, 2011 11:12 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Let me guess
You’re the type who keeps the #firstworldproblems hashtag alive and well, right? Just because we’re used to something doesn’t mean we can’t bitch about things when the wheels are coming off. Just like when my power is cut off from a snowstorm, I can freely complain about being cold in my house since I’ve lived my entire life not having to heat my house from burning deer carcasses.
Also, care to explain how such an unsexy place like Iowa can continually steal recruits out of the Twin Cities?
#iowahawkeyeproblems
"I know you're from Middle America, and sometimes you feel like you're representing more than just a school or a conference, maybe an entire group of American citizens out there."
by Twin Cities Hawk on Oct 31, 2011 1:53 PM CDT up reply actions
What do I see here? Why, I do believe it's...
I just want to watch the world burn.
by Bob Genghiskhan on Oct 31, 2011 2:31 PM CDT up reply actions
"I know you're from Middle America, and sometimes you feel like you're representing more than just a school or a conference, maybe an entire group of American citizens out there."
by Twin Cities Hawk on Oct 31, 2011 3:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Can someone please, please, please murder this hashtag-everything deal
It’s not funny, it’s certainly not original, and it’s most positively annoying.
by cwel87 on Oct 31, 2011 7:54 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
Agree
I guess I needed to preface my hashtag with sarcasm font.
"I know you're from Middle America, and sometimes you feel like you're representing more than just a school or a conference, maybe an entire group of American citizens out there."
by Twin Cities Hawk on Nov 1, 2011 8:33 AM CDT up reply actions
#endhashtagsnow
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
by HoyaGoon on Nov 1, 2011 8:48 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'd be glad to explain.
Kirk Ferentz.
Put Kirk Ferentz in Minnesota and you’ll never see any of those recruits again.
Put Kirk Ferentz in Minnesota
and he’d be the head coach of the Vikings.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Nov 1, 2011 3:55 AM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Trust me
The University of Iowa, Kinnick Stadium and gamedays in Iowa City sell themselves an infinite more amount times than Kirk fucking Ferentz (and let’s be real; Kirk Ferentz does little recruiting compared to positions coaches).
"I know you're from Middle America, and sometimes you feel like you're representing more than just a school or a conference, maybe an entire group of American citizens out there."
by Twin Cities Hawk on Nov 1, 2011 8:36 AM CDT up reply actions
No they don't.
For your own good, please get over yourself.
Nobody in Maryland or the South grows up thinking about playing in Kinnick Stadium.
So every recruit grew up dreaming of playing for the school they chose?
"I know you're from Middle America, and sometimes you feel like you're representing more than just a school or a conference, maybe an entire group of American citizens out there."
by Twin Cities Hawk on Nov 1, 2011 11:09 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, Iowa and Wisconsin frustrating for Minnesota fans.
Minneapolis is just so much better than Iowa CIty or Madison that it is amazing the Gophers have lost so many recruits to those schools. It made sense when the Gophs were forced to play off campus in the sterile, program killing metrodome.
But TCF Bank is an elite facility. Combine that with the Twin Cities and you have a ton to sell recruits. Hopefully it is starting to turn around and the Gophers will start recruiting better.
MLPS is an amazing town
and the only one in the Midwest I’d leave Chicago for (really) but that doesn’t make it a great college town. From the standpoint of many 17 year-olds, Iowa City and Madison hold a great deal more appeal than a city where watching their team is just another thing to do.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Nov 1, 2011 3:58 AM CDT up reply actions
I'd agree with that
It really depends upon what kids are looking for. It’s hard to weigh Minneapolis vs. Madison/Iowa City in that sense – either you want nothing but college life or everything except a complete immersion in college life. It’s an all-or-very-little proposition
Madison is a great city as a college student without responsibilities or needing to get anywhere off-campus, but after graduating, it’s a horrible place to live. They never plow the streets, there’s always traffic through town, and the entire city is shut down whenever the Badgers play or there’s some High School event, and not much else happens there. On the other hand, there’s so much going on in Minneapolis that every sense of identity is diluted and it’s really easy to not pay attention to the Gophers unless you’re surrounded by them. It’s a matter of preference,really.
When we get the Pig, the Jug and the Axe, we'll have one hell of a picnic
by Marshmoose on Nov 1, 2011 8:44 AM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
I hate the Badgers with a passion...
…but saying Madison is a terrible place to live is pretty silly. Especially the “nothing happens there outside of the Badgers” part.
They do suck at plowing the roads though. I’m lucky because some of the wealthiest homes in my Common Council district are on a road that needs to use my street as a main access road. So we get plowed pretty fast. Weird how that works.
I lived on the East Side for a year in 2006-2007
It’s not a TERRIBLE place to live, but it doesn’t offer anything more than any other mid-sized city in Wisconsin (IE Eau Claire, Wausau, LaCrosse, etc) does, besides the Badgers. The exact same thing could be said about Green Bay and the Packers.
None of the roads are plowed until it’s stopped snowing, and unless you want to go out to the bars every night and Badger games on the weekends, there’s just not a lot going on for people older than 25, besides avoiding downtown because there’s another 5k/10k/half marathon/marathon/ironman and every road is closed. Living on the west side has it’s own problems, because you’re too far away from downtown to even enjoy anything that’s going on down there.
It’s a great city to visit for a long weekend in the summer or early fall, but for an average person, there’s nothing going on there that’s not happening in any other Wisconsin city any other time of the year. Every time I go to Madison to visit, I leave thinking “That was a perfect amount of time there, because I saw everything I wanted to see”, and I couldn’t say the same about Minneapolis.
When we get the Pig, the Jug and the Axe, we'll have one hell of a picnic
I take it the granola vibe...
…isn’t strong with you? =) Because if it’s not, then I can see where Madison wouldn’t be your cup of tea. That plus the fact that you lived on the East Side which would fall into the “extra poorly plowed part of town where people leave their cars on the street during a snow emergency just for fun” category. As for the other mid-size city thing I can speak to that from experience too. I lived in Appleton for 4 years. Appleton has more to do than those other cities you mention (Wausau shouldn’t be near that list). And it still doesn’t offer as much to do as Madison.
But I also come to this discussion as someone who loves good food and good beer (both of which can be found in abundance at a plethora of local spots…many of which are not downtown) and whose need for culture can be satisfied by a couple of shows per year at Overture. Madison isn’t Minneapolis (which is still my favorite place). Which means it does not have the plethora of option that the TC does. But it still has plenty to do for the over 25 set. It just means you have to look a little more closely/be willing to try something new more often.
I was also looking for a jeerrrb at the time
and Madison’s economy is pretty horrible if you’re not a computer nerd (Epic), into Government or want to slave away at UW. There’s nothing for an engineer to do there.
I also lived in the boonies in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, and found there was little difference between Madison and that town, besides scale, once you got plugged in.
As for all that other stuff, I’ve been there and done it all. Beer fest at the Captal brewery – check. Mifflin block party – check. Brat fest – quadruple check. Mallards duck blind / rhythm and booms – check. Maybe 1 year was enough for me…
When we get the Pig, the Jug and the Axe, we'll have one hell of a picnic
I'm getting a kick out of watching you guys
Lurk around on this thread. It appears that you’re having much fun with it.
Just like Floyd in Minneapolis
We like sticking around… can you blame us?
When we get the Pig, the Jug and the Axe, we'll have one hell of a picnic
by Marshmoose on Nov 1, 2011 2:47 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
This is just ignant
Madison is not Minneapolis; it’s a government and college town of a couple hundred thousand, as opposed to a metropolis of a couple million people. Of course there’s more to do in Minneapolis than Madison. News flash: there’s more to do in Chicago and New York than there is in Minneapolis.
It sounds as if it wasn’t the right place for you, in which case you probably ought not live there. But if you can’t find anything to do there, that’s more on you than it is on the city.
Turns out...
I live in Austin, Texas now, which pound-for-pound, probably beats both cities.
Also, your point was kind of “ignant” because the same thing could be said about a shack in the middle of Manitoba – it’s all what you’re looking for. I like both cities, but I also like having a job, so I didn’t stick around. There’s 7000 undergrads that make the same decision every spring. Get over it.
When we get the Pig, the Jug and the Axe, we'll have one hell of a picnic
I agree
I love Coach Ferentz and the underperformance is maddening. Wisconsin ‘10 was a won game. Was there anybody watching that who didn’t think, “There’s no way they punt now”?
Or Minnesota yesterday. The minute they lined up I knew the on-side kick was coming. What perfect timing. Minnesota has nothing to lose, everything to gain, Iowa’s defense is (as usual) gassed after a long drive, the Hawks are giving up deep balls, Coker can run. Minnesota’s only chance is to keep Iowa’s offense off the field.
I get you, Gophermike, and I have very realistic expectations. I think a good season of Iowa football is a 4-4 conference record, which means a five-loss season most of the time. To me, that’s good enough. I think a great season is 6-2 in-conference, which usually means a three-loss season. And I think about once every 10 years or so, this team can rise up and produce a fantastic season.
I think expecting a BCS finish every few years is unrealistic at Iowa, I don’t care how much you pay any coach. But I do think Coach Ferentz’s game is getting stagnant, and I do think he’s losing a lot of games that he has the talent and, candidly, the coaching staff to win, but he’s just not doing it. When he says, “failure to executive,” he’s right — there are plays that are on the players. I’m with Mike Golic on ESPN when he says, “it’s up to the players to execute in the end,” but there’s an element of coaching that’s missing.
No offense to Gopher fans, but there is no reason on God’s green earth why Minnesota should have won that game. Iowa isn’t great this year, but it’s a damn sight better than Minnesota is. Iowa’s major strength this year has been execution in the red zone. Two missed field goals (I put those on the player), the QB fumble (combination of player and coaching), and being unprepared for the on-side kick (100% coaching).
It took an entire breakdown of the Iowa system to produce this loss. That’s what’s frustrating. I think Iowa is a bowl-caliber team, talent-wise, but the Hawks are in serious danger of not making it, and there’s blame to heap around a-plenty. I think a lot of Iowa fans feel like the coaching staff is showing some dust. The playbook is tired, everybody’s on to us, and if Coach Ferentz can’t make some of the adjustments necessary to stay competitive, his job is in jeopardy.
That’s just a fact. And I adore Coach Ferentz and it’ll be absolutely heartbreaking to see him run out of town in ignominy after he’s produced so many glorious and spirit-lifting moments for Iowa fans and alum. Coach Fry had the excuse of legitimate health problems, and he’s still a beloved part of the University family, but I think Ferentz may be at risk of alienating the fan base, and god I’d hate to see that happen.
I don’t know what the answer is, and I’m waaaaay more forgiving of the coaching staff than most. I’m all about the “rah rah we’ll get ’em next time,” which earns me HEAPING doses of scorn at BHGP, but this letter is right about one thing – Iowa has been underperforming, going back to the middle of last season.
I think Ferentz is good enough, and sharp enough, to turn it back around. The question is – will he?
A man may leave Iowa, but Iowa never leaves a man.
None taken. Before Saturday Minnesota looked like one of the worst teams in Big Ten history.
Of course, the tide may have turned juuuussssttt a tiny bit.
And Minnesota
is still one of the worst Big Ten teams in history. It’s just not contending for the top spot anymore.
But don't you want to claim that mantle?
I guess I’m just one for thinking, if you’re going to be wretchedly bad, be EPICALLY wretchedly bad. In other words, if you’re an NFL team, there really is no difference between going 1-15 and 0-16, except in the case of the former, there’s nothing historic about you. You’re just terrible. It’s a slight consolation, but at least you can be the best at being the worst.
I understand that’s not necessarily at play here since beating Iowa has a lot more emotional lift for Minnesota than say beating South Dakota State or other random non-conference foe.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
I stopped vomiting to say good job and I agree with this article
I have to return to vomiting now. I’ll be back next Monday, after vomiting.
Co-signed, all of this letter
The answer? Aliens. Or not aliens.
by Blackheartnopants on Oct 31, 2011 12:00 PM CDT reply actions
Dead on
Perfect summary of our frustrations with the staff.
.....OK, maybe I didn't think the short version of this name through....
by TheStupidShallBePunished on Oct 31, 2011 12:06 PM CDT reply actions
Great summary.
After this game, I feel like I can no longer criticize the program and then conclude with"but I hope Ferentz retires here" At the very least, I think it is time to replace Parker and O’Keeffe. This program need a shot of new blood, a new perspective. I fear KF is losing my support, and I fear he is turning off most of the fan base.
Agreed- Great summary and good points
Kirk is a good personnel manager but lacks in-game management skills (or at least management of his underlings to manage in-game decisions). Did it look like to anyone else that Norm was asleep in the booth? Christ, that’s just what we need- one coach asleep in the booth and two asleep on the sidelines.
If it’s KOK that’s is to blame for the vanilla offensive play calls then he’s got to go (I’m not sure, however, that he’s completely to blame. I have heard that Kirk is the conservative one). And Norm, for all he has brought to Iowa, it’s time to concern himself with his health and step down.
I remember hearing somewhere that Ferentz stated that if either of his coordinators go then he goes- so that doesn’t bode well for a change. Maybe Barta needs to make Kirk’s decision for him as it pertains to new coordinators. We have to change with the times- I’m tired of hearing the word “vanilla” when describing all things Iowa football.
I can live with vanilla
If it’s getting us wins we ought to get. Now, you can expect a freak loss now and then. And you can expect a freak win. But I think if you look at Ferentz, he is at the top of the list for most losses in games decided by 1 score, which tells you that he either can’t maintain leads, or he can’t finish off comebacks. Either way, it means he can’t put a game away.
That was the difference in 2009 – we won those close games. That’s the major piece of the Ferentz Formula that (in my opinion) needs to be tweaked. This last weekend? Just another close loss that shouldn’t have been there.
Fumbles will happen. Field goals will be missed. Once in a great while, it will mean you lose to vastly inferior competition. Iowa State just beat TT which just beat Okliehomer. Right? Freakness exists.
But Iowa consistently plays down to inferior opponents and fails to put games away, and it’s a consistent theme through multiple generations of the team. It has to be explained via the coaching staff.
A man may leave Iowa, but Iowa never leaves a man.
by hawkeyeinstl on Oct 31, 2011 2:53 PM CDT up reply actions
The problem is, they aren't "freak" losses anymore
Mike Hlas just Tweeted a scary ass stat today: Since 2006, Ferentz-led Iowa teams have lost as a double digit favorite 9 times. The REST of the Big 10 has only had 14 such losses.
That is simply godawful and unacceptable.
KF is a very smart guy. But I question unwavering loyalty. To be smart AND dynamic, you have to embrace change. The time is now.
Wow
That’s the clinching piece of evidence regarding underachievement as far as I’m concerned.
I just wanna see Kirk Ferentz cry.
by nattybumpo on Oct 31, 2011 3:32 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
If you are on Twitter, check out Scott Dochterman's stuff today as well. . .
Some very awful stats coming to light. Stuff I hadn’t really thought about.
Now, now...
Just about half of those had to be to Northwestern, who is consistently underrated by Vegas. Take joy in the fact that you’ve exorcised that demon for one year.
Holy Mother of God that is an eye-opening stat
My porn name is HogOfHawkness
by HeartOfHawkness on Oct 31, 2011 6:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Saw it
The other that’s maddening in the “close games” state. He’s got like 2 wins in games decided by a score or less, with the exception of the 2009 season, when we won a ton of close games.
That’s the major missing piece. Look at the margin of victory in Iowa losses since 2008.
All it takes is one play in each of those games with a slightly different outcome, and Iowa hasn’t lost a single NCAA football game in 4 years. That’s how close Iowa teeters on the edge of being a top, elite program.
Some of those players are legitimate execution failures. We lost by 1 point to Wisconsin last year in a game where we missed an extra point. No amount of coaching solves that. But even so — every team has errors like that, these are college kids — there are also coaching failures that prevent us from winning anyway, like failing to cover The Most Obvious Time For A Fake Punt.
A man may leave Iowa, but Iowa never leaves a man.
by hawkeyeinstl on Oct 31, 2011 6:48 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm getting really tired of this (not just from you):
…with the exception of the 2009 season
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 1, 2011 11:10 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm again not sure why this double-posted.
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 2, 2011 12:50 AM CDT up reply actions
And, after a browser re-start
I now look like I’m hallucinating.
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 2, 2011 12:52 AM CDT up reply actions
LOL/LAWL
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 5, 2011 11:18 PM CDT up reply actions
Thank you, Tom.
This is perfect.
"Pursue happiness... with diligence."
by Bucketochicken on Oct 31, 2011 12:29 PM CDT reply actions
Non-trolling question here to Iowa fans
At some point, and I grant it’s different for each person in each situation, a coach’s message stales, and it becomes time to move on.
I think if Ferentz makes some changes, he essentially gets a reboot and fresh start, but at what point will it be time to move on if there are no changes?
Some people just need a high five. In the face. With a chair.
For me? Three consecutive seasons without a bowl.
Starting with this one, should that come to pass.
by Third Generation Hawk on Oct 31, 2011 1:11 PM CDT up reply actions
I think that's where a lot of fan frustration is coming from...
Ferentz won’t change the core of this staff. Period. Even if he did, it would be people with the same philosophy and (if conventional wisdom is to be believed) the same short comings. I think Barta would have to fire him first, and with a contract into 2020…I don’t see that happening either.
The realization now is, “we’re bad,” “coaching is a problem,” and “we aren’t going to see changes related to the perceived problems”. That is not a good situation.
I think Ferentz is a lifer in Iowa City
and that any discussion about his termination is wildly off-base. It’s also impossible since he is under contract until 2045 or something.
In fact, I don’t think anyone is saying he should get canned, and I"m not sure where that is coming from. It’s a miserable loss, and there’s a pattern here, and those of us who have our feet on the ground out in the Iowa countryside think he’s a little high-handed with his role as representative of a public school football program. My perspective (exec) is that he behaves very poorly with the press after a loss, when instead he should be at his most expansive and articulate. That poor behavior, to me, is indicative of a selfishness that is very unattractive in a leader, and very disrespectful of all the people in the small towns and farming townships that comprise Iowa. You’d have to drive 100 miles on the county blacktops and gravel roads, and see all the banners and decals, and see the stream of Iowa cars headed up on I-35 on Saturday morning, to get a sense of the emotional side of this. He is making a big mistake if he alienates those people, because those people are the ones that make Iowa special.
He’s a high integrity guy, and also a little thin-skinned, so if they have sustained problems, I’m sure he’ll just quit and go coach O-Line at someplace like Williams. In fact, I don’t think it’s absurd at all to imagine Ferentz and O’Keefe going back to D-III and making that their retirement jobs. Those guys love the game.
I think Ferentz values his personal relationships more than professional stature, so I also think it’s nutty to speculate on his firing O’Keefe, or even going outside to replace Norm when he retires.
We play tackle football.
by Bellanca on Oct 31, 2011 1:23 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Bottom line...Ferentz is one of the most stubborn men I have ever seen coach a football team
and it is that stubbornness that has led him to lead this program to great heights and it is now that stubbornness that has Iowa so underperforming it’s a bit overwhelming.
He’s not going to be fired and he’s not going to be pressured to fire anyone. He is going to be left alone to do what he does. I tend to think Iowa is about to experience a turning point in the next three games. We are either going to be on the beginning decent to a kind of oblivion we have not see in over a decade or we will see Ferentz make changes that will allow him and this team to grow.
I not banking on the latter.
"I wish you luck with a capital 'F'" - The Real Elvis.
I'll be irrational..
This off-season.
We have a QB coach that can’t seem to teach our QB to see a blitz coming; so O’Keefe..
Norm Parker is old and has health issues so he should ‘retire’. Plus there happens to be a defensive coach available…
We have a defensive backs coach that can’t seem to teach Prater that on 3rd and 5 don’t give the receiver a 15 yard cushion. AND he can’t seem to teach Prater not to fall for the run fake and get burnt over the top; so Phil Parker…
We have a linebackers coach that wants to put in a guy that has lateral movement issues because of injury and there’s apparently no one else to play; so Wilson…
We shit 2010 into a dumpster and this year decided to set said dumpster on fire…
Minnnesota
also has a maddening tendency to play 8 yards off the ball on 3rd and 4. SO MANY teams do that.
Why do they all do it? I’ve never understood how so many otherwise good coaches can consistently make such an egregious error in strategy on 3rd and less than 7.
Probably because
if you are running the cover 2, and if they WR disses your CB, you now have a safety between the WR and the end zone.
It is probably easier to be angry about it if you have Ronde Barber and John Lynch playing for you. Otherwise, it really isn’t that difficult to understand.
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 1, 2011 11:18 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm pretty tolerant
Ferentz is a good enough coach, Iowa is a good enough program, and his recruiting classes are good enough relative to our non-conference schedule and the dregs of the Big 10, that we should routinely have 4-4 Big Ten conference records, coupled with 0-1 loss non-conference schedules.
In my book, that works out to basically 7-5 being the basic expectation. That’s a bowl game. Whether we win or not depends on a lot of things, but Ferentz has historically been an excellent bowl game coach, possibly because the competition isn’t nearly as familiar with our schtick.
I’d say if he falls below that expectation for multiple seasons, it’s time to seriously discuss a change-up. That means two consecutive season of not reaching a bowl game.
But I’m pretty forgiving. I think he could go 6-6 for three straight years with no bowl invites and I’d probably let it slide, because I just like really like the guy. I’m apparently in the minority among Iowa fans (this week) in that regard. But if Iowa wins the next two home games and shows up at #22 in the rankings and there’s talk about the IA-NE matchup to decide who goes to the Big 10 championship game, you’ll hear a lot of tire screeching in the fan base.
I think what concerns us is that the 2009 season is starting to look like a fluke (and, without doubt, there was a lot of freakish and inexplicable success involved there). I had previously thought that getting to a BCS game might have been a fluke but winning it couldn’t be. However, we were magically paired with the one team that was uniquely positioned to have their asses handed to them by Iowa’s defense, so….
2010 went south. I think if Iowa had finished up in the 8-4 or 9-3 range, people would be satisfied. I don’t think the Reasonable Quarter of the Iowa fanbase expects 10-win seasons year-in and year-out. NOBODY accomplishes that. I think they’re fired up now because Iowa is losing eminently winnable games.
We were gift-wrapped a schedule that could put us in a respectable bowl and we’re finding ways to not capitalize upon that. I don’t think KF needs to win 9 games this year to call it a successful year, but he does need to win 7. Assuming we can win one of the Michigan games, that leaves two ugly-ass road games to get that 7th.
I’ll be honest here. If we lose out, but manage to beat Nebraska at home, all is forgiven in my book, bowl game or no bowl game. Otherwise, they need to salvage this season with 2 more wins. The team isn’t great, but it’s good enough for 7-5, and a coach good enough to earn top dollar in the Big 10 ought to also be good enough to produce those results.
A man may leave Iowa, but Iowa never leaves a man.
by hawkeyeinstl on Oct 31, 2011 1:37 PM CDT up reply actions
Thank you, Bama.
"If you need a rah-rah speech at halftime, you’re playing the wrong sport." - Pat Angerer
Spot on.
Except you forgot the one thing that I find most maddening.
I have watched Iowa long enough to know that in a close game near the end of the first half (or near the end of a tie game) the Hawkeyes will refuse to take a chance to put more points on the scoreboard. It was frustrating when he ran out the clock against Iowa State at halftime in a tie game, against a bad defense. It was worse when he refused to try to move the team 40 yards to set up a game winning field goal at the end of the Iowa State game. It was inexcusable to not take a shot against the atrocious Minnesota defense with over a minute remaining in the first half and two timeouts in a tie game. Three more points in either of those games would likely have meant a win (I know many things could have gone differently, but you know what I’m saying). Kirk, your ultra-conservative gameplan is costing us games. Look back and learn from your mistakes.
*Kirk’s decision not to take a shot in the Penn State game at halftime, down by 3, is slightly more defensible if only because the offense in that game was not working and Penn State was capable of forcing a costly turnover. I still would have at least taken a shot, but I see the counter-argument there.
Other than that, I agree with you Bama. I don’t want Kirk fired. I think he is one of the best coaches in college football at player development. But his in-game coaching and game-planning needs some serious work.
by DJK's bongwater on Oct 31, 2011 1:27 PM CDT reply actions
I left that out
only because he did take a shot at the end of the first half against Indiana. And lo and behold, it worked…
"Bama Hawkeye, you know, the Iowa blogger who actually uses reason and analysis." - Patrick Vint
http://www.offtackleempire.com
by Bama Hawkeye on Oct 31, 2011 1:32 PM CDT up reply actions
This is one thing that puzzles me
He goes for it in games where the team is way ahead (2 TDs up if I remember right at Indiana, also last year way up on MSU with the eff-you timeouts). But not in a close game. I would think that there is more to lose and less to gain in a game where you are way up near the end of a half compared to a tie game.
by DJK's bongwater on Oct 31, 2011 1:35 PM CDT up reply actions
It's all about risk, right?
When Iowa was up two scores in Indiana, even if JV throws a pick six, we’re still up. In a tie game, you’re down. Kirk doesn’t try to maximize the lead, he just tries to stay ahead.
"Bama Hawkeye, you know, the Iowa blogger who actually uses reason and analysis." - Patrick Vint
http://www.offtackleempire.com
by Bama Hawkeye on Oct 31, 2011 1:39 PM CDT up reply actions
Yep.
I just wish he could balance risk and opportunity, instead of only looking at risk.
by DJK's bongwater on Oct 31, 2011 1:42 PM CDT up reply actions
Example:
I don’t think anyone will argue that the team with the ball has a better chance of scoring than the defense. So, to throw out some completely made up numbers, say there is a 10% chance of scoring a TD, and a 20% chance of scoring a FG. Say there is a 10% chance of giving up a FG, either by a turnover or punting, and a 5% chance of giving up a TD.
Risk: .1(3)+.05(7) = 0.65 points (i.e. the other team will score an average of 0.65 points if we go for it)
But there’s also opportunity: .2(3) + .1(7) = 1.3 points (i.e. we score an average of 1.3 points if we go for it)
Sometimes it will backfire. But more often it will work. There’s a net gain of 0.65 points.
*Disclaimer: I completely made up these percentages based only on my memory of games I have watched. The actual numbers are probably radically different, but the message is the same. You gain more than you lose by going for it.
by DJK's bongwater on Oct 31, 2011 2:06 PM CDT up reply actions
KF reminds me of Ben Stiller's character in "Along Came Polly"
Sure your risk-averse football style will bring you success for a while, but once opposing teams figure out that your risk aversion is exactly the formula to beat you, you find that you’ve stuck to your risk free formula so long you can’t figure out how to adapt to a risked filled world…
Of course without the hot piece of tail as the prize in the end….
Meh.
It’s a game that is ultimately reliant on 18 to 23 year olds. You’d be rather risk-averse, too.
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 1, 2011 11:22 PM CDT up reply actions
I think the thing about going for it against Indiana
Was that we started at our own 47 yard line. We only needed 20 yards or so to get a shot at a field goal. Of course we wasted 18 seconds with horrible clock management on that one.
Generally Ferentz shuts it down if we get the ball inside our own 35, but will give it a shot if we get it past that. Compare @ Wisconsin 2007 (ball on 37, :43 left) when DJK caught the one handed TD catch, with @Pitt 2008 (ball on 32, :54 left) when Stanzi got benched for hurrying a third down play.
I would argue field position more than score. If I recall, that was the only one where Iowa was in good field position
usually those drives are starting inside Iowa’s 25-30.
I have to say that this past Saturday is the first time
in the many closing-moments-of-the-first-half-scenarios that KF has chosen to eschew a chance at more points where I agreed with him. Other than Coker (who deserved so much better), the offense seemed to be in complete disarray.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Nov 1, 2011 4:05 AM CDT up reply actions
Totally agree
Here is a fanpost that I wrote up that goes back a few years on this issue. I like Ferentz just fine, but he is a bad strategist:
And I will add that...
It is not just deciding not to go for it from your own 23 with 1:03 left and two timeouts. It is deciding not to use your timeouts on the opponent’s previous drive, when they are purposely running down the clock.
Ferentz generally doesn’t use his timeouts to make sure that when Iowa does get the ball back, they get it with 2:20 on the clock and no timeouts, rather than 1:03 and two timeouts. It reduces our chances of winning and is maddening.
And then of course we have lost multiple games in the last two years because of a poor two minute offense. You would think that a regular attempt to run the two minute offense at the end of the half would lead to greater proficiency when it is needed at the end of a game.
This
And then of course we have lost multiple games in the last two years because of a poor two minute offense. You would think that a regular attempt to run the two minute offense at the end of the half would lead to greater proficiency when it is needed at the end of a game.
4th and 15+ is not where your 2 minute offense should end up every time.
by DJK's bongwater on Oct 31, 2011 3:07 PM CDT up reply actions
Good. Now we not only lost to Minnesota..
But we now have succeeded in making ourselves look whiny while doing it..
i dunno
If everyone just hum drummed along, nothing ever would change. You’d just lose and people would shrug unhappily and move on. Bama, and others, recognized a problem and pushed that issue into the spotlight. That’s whiny?
Off Tackle Empire
The quintessential Big Ten smoking room.
by Graham Filler on Oct 31, 2011 2:00 PM CDT up reply actions
Losing to Minnesota is a very worthy of much bitching.
If you can’t bitch about losing to Minnesota then nothing on earth is worth bitching about.
by HawkeyeRecon on Oct 31, 2011 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Soak it in...
mmmmmm…. the tears taste so sweet
/post-hatehatehatehatehateweek afterglow
When we get the Pig, the Jug and the Axe, we'll have one hell of a picnic
by Marshmoose on Oct 31, 2011 3:18 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
This is depressing not only because Iowa lost to Minnesota
but because it shows there are groups of people whose pinnacle of joy comes at bringing another team down into their depths of absolute shit and hopelessness. You win?
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Nov 1, 2011 4:07 AM CDT up reply actions
No...
…our pinnacle of joy was the deafening Rouser that happened after the Iowa 4 and out or any other number of awesome moments from Saturday. Watching Iowa fans perform the internet equivalent of drinking Draino is simply icing on the cake.
by GoAUpher on Nov 1, 2011 7:33 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
You can't even say you'd act any differently if the roles were reversed
Not to mention BHGP’s entire wardrobe collection of shirts dedicated to celebrating other team’s misery and tearing down the goal posts at the Humpty Dump.
For what it’s worth, the Badgers have it coming too, so you can get some popcorn ready for the day after The Axe comes back to Minny. I’ll be setting my photoshop dial to “Better not bring yooo keeeaaaddddsssss!!!”
When we get the Pig, the Jug and the Axe, we'll have one hell of a picnic
At least no one has used the term "Kinnick North" yet.
Because that term needs to disappear; Iowa has never won in TCF Stadium.
by Midnight Rambler on Nov 1, 2011 9:56 AM CDT up reply actions
Watching Iowa miss two easy field goals was pretty cool too.
The end of the game, when it turned out that Iowa would have avoided losing to arguably the worst team in BCS football (a team that lost 58-0 to Michigan, a team that lost to North Dakota State at home, in case you forgot) had they made just one of those missed FGs, only made it sweeter.
It’s almost as if Iowa and their fans had some bad karma coming their way related to goalposts in Minnesota…
by Midnight Rambler on Nov 1, 2011 9:53 AM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
There was an article in the JV paper about it
I posted a link in the FanShots… Kill showed the video of Iowa fans marching around with our goalposts before the game to get the team fired up
When we get the Pig, the Jug and the Axe, we'll have one hell of a picnic
by Marshmoose on Nov 1, 2011 10:08 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
we react because we love this time
and i don’t know about the rest of you but i love coach ferentz and it kills me to see us losing games like this. we know what he can produce at iowa, we’ve seen him do it. consistently, no less. three straight 10-win seasons. that’s something.
venting is healthy.
A man may leave Iowa, but Iowa never leaves a man.
by hawkeyeinstl on Oct 31, 2011 2:56 PM CDT up reply actions
Because you managed to spell "hilarious" without spellcheck on?
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Nov 1, 2011 4:09 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
He was dropping the Husker Nowledge on you
When we get the Pig, the Jug and the Axe, we'll have one hell of a picnic
There are many fine places to go in Minniehapolis.
A man can drive his truck to Minniehapolis. In Minniehapolis, it is said, by many, that there are many attractive women, some of them being from Minnesota, who are! really attractive. Also, there are bars. I took a stats class once. Perhaps this is what they called in that stats class “CORRALATION.” Anyhow, Minniehapolis. There are more people in MinnieHapolis than in Des Moines. Reason, standing, stands to reason, that’s something I learned in rhetoric called METAPHOR, says that nothing — NOTHING — could be bettar than playing football on Saturday in MINNIEHAPOLIS, RAH. Reason would be wrong.
Also, don’t go to Ikea. It’s too big, very confusing, and it’s like Walmart without the greeter.
We play tackle football.
by Bellanca on Oct 31, 2011 2:16 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Well, there was nothing funny about last weekend, and there was no basis for our expectations.
My apologies if you thought I was being snarky about losing to a better football team. I didn’t mean to be. I hope you do a search and note my comments to the effect that anyone who underrates Kill is an idiot.
My best friend in MSP is a prof/administrator at UM, something of a public figure, and he had the social graces to feel sorry for me. We attend these annual disasters together. We played football together a long time ago as undergrads.
I said,
“Larry, the great thing about football? You only get what you deserve. The better team always wins.”
We play tackle football.
No, no. Don't get me wrong.
I know you don’t think Kill is an idiot, and your opinions on the game and its outcomes are noted.
I’m just confused as to what your initial comment does.
My initial note may be summarized:
“There was a football game in MSP. Thankfully, it was the same day that Norwegian girls go out in the evening as Naughty Nurse Ratchit. Because, although there was no reason to lose to Minnesota, we lost, it was horrible, and at least, at the Bulldog, and the Riv, the after-parties provided distraction. The End.
“P.S. Furniture at Ikea? Kind of like Match.com. Everything looks better on the Internet.”
We play tackle football.
Good to know.
As for Ikea? I’m more intrigued by that. What happened, besides things not looking good? We talking ottoman? Bed set? Dining room table/chairs?
Ha-ha.
You’re on your own — if you want furniture made out of mystery wood with 1/4" tolerances. Plus the whole experience is an exercise in cynical crowd manipulation. I literally couldn’t figure out how to escape once I’d seen enough.
I don’t have a problem being genially taunted by Gophers, but I draw the line on defending Ikea.
We play tackle football.
Next year
Might not see much improvement. The d-line will likely still be a problem. I haven’t bothered to look at the schedule but it can’t be as easy as this year. In fact, we have had two years of favorable schedules.
by GuttedSnowBird on Oct 31, 2011 2:51 PM CDT via iPhone app reply actions
Next year's schedule
Non-con
NIU in Chicago
ISU
MAC team
FCS team
B1G:
same opponents, opposite stadiums.
"Bama Hawkeye, you know, the Iowa blogger who actually uses reason and analysis." - Patrick Vint
http://www.offtackleempire.com
by Bama Hawkeye on Oct 31, 2011 2:53 PM CDT up reply actions
So that's
road games to Michigan, MSU, Northwestern and Indiana. Home against PSU, Nebraska, Purdue and Minnesota.
Schadenfreude ist die schoenste Freude
Yes
It’s another schedule that you can look at and say that a decent team should be able to win 7-8 games. Just like this year’s Iowa schedule.
"Bama Hawkeye, you know, the Iowa blogger who actually uses reason and analysis." - Patrick Vint
http://www.offtackleempire.com
by Bama Hawkeye on Oct 31, 2011 3:01 PM CDT up reply actions
The expectation is fair, and the stats back that up.
To respond to others about accepting mediocrity… Since 1993, Iowa is 5th in the BigTen in wins,
Since 2001, here’s how the teams rank out in wins:
Ohio State: 66, Michigan: 50, Iowa: 50, Wisconsin: 47, Penn State: 45, Purdue: 37, Northwestern: 35, Mich St: 37, Minn: 28, Indiana: 17.
Tied for 2nd over 10 years with Michigan
Wouldn’t that lead a fan to believe they should be in the top 2-5 in the conference consistently and on average finish 8-4?
by Heavennobeer on Oct 31, 2011 4:00 PM CDT up reply actions
I agree, 8-4 on average
which can mean that for every 10-2 year, we have a 6-6 year, like this year. Which is why I, for one, am not terribly upset.
by TheCornballer on Oct 31, 2011 4:08 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
This is where I come down
But I think there is legitimate concern that Ferentz won’t pull out of this nosedive. Certainly, I don’t expect it next year. 2011 and 2012 can both be 6-6 season and that’s … I wouldn’t say it’s meeting expectations, but Ferentz is good and smart enough to squeeze an extra win out of that and get a bowl game, but it’s not firing material.
But by 2013 the team needs to be heading back to 8-4 land.
A man may leave Iowa, but Iowa never leaves a man.
by hawkeyeinstl on Oct 31, 2011 6:50 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm so tired of seeing this as what I feel is support for the "Ferentz Way."
Not that that is what you are doing but I’m sick of seeing Dochterman’s tweets of win/loss stats and how many games Iowa has lost by X number of points and where that ranks compared to the rest of the rest of the Big Ten. To me all that is doing showing how terrible of a in game coach KF is. Maybe that is his goal but all it is doing is pissing me off.
by Carfino'sWay on Oct 31, 2011 4:14 PM CDT up reply actions
I hate to argue with you,
but if “the Ferentz Way” sucked so bad, why would Kinnick stay full?
Personally, I kind of prefer a decently-paced college football game with two or three very key plays/turning points, to a Boise St vs Nevada video-game shootout, particularly when my favorite team is involved. Maybe I’m in the minority on this. The Pitt comeback is nice once every couple years, but I don’t need it three times a year.
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 2, 2011 12:56 AM CDT up reply actions
Kinnick's attendance has nothing to do w/ my comment.
My comment is about the close games that Iowa plays and the fact that there is always a possibility that they will lose because they can’t seem to put teams away. KF plays not to lose as opposed to playing to win. That is not a fun type of football to watch for me because over the last few years it has not come out on Iowa’s side. I don’t think he is a good in game coach and the records Dochterman posted reflect that.
I love going to Kinnick and I wouldn’t trade it for any other stadium in the nation, there is NOTHING like it.
Can you at least admit to me, do it for me, that his in game management could use a little help?
I get that he is stubborn, I’m an Iowan I know all about that, but sometimes you have to make changes based on what you are given. On Saturday they had plenty of time at the end of the game to give the ball to Coker, who was obscene in that game, and instead he insisted on throwing to Herman and Jason White. Why?
If the talent level isn’t there, b/c the guys are too green (don’t jump up my ass fans of other teams), then he needs to make adjustments. Gameplan for what you are given. If the level isn’t there to rely on execution make changes to play to what you have. He isn’t good at doing that.
Please give me that. I’m not asking for him to be fired, I’m just asking for you to admit that something is rotten in the state of Iowa. (All apologies to English majors and Bill.)
Yes, he needs some adjustments.
A couple things I dislike is the “shut it down with two minutes left in the first half,” but at least there is a theory that it would be bad to have a turnover there.
Also, something we need to quit doing is throwing to a spot short of the first down.
Finally, I have no clue why we keep throwing to Herman. I know he had a TD today (against Michigan), but he seems to be showing me just enough to justify using him as an almost-strictly blocker. Also, Jason White, WTF?
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 5, 2011 11:23 PM CDT up reply actions
It would be a huge surprise
If Iowa is a better team next year.
On defense Iowa is losing 2 good D-linemen, 2 ok D-linemen, 2 good D-Backs and 1 good linebacker.
Next years defense is going to be a disaster.
I'd bet a lot of money that next year's defense will be better
It’s fair to criticize Ferentz as Bama Hawkeye has done, but it’s a mistake to overlook the many positive attributes this staff has, foremost among them the ability to develop defensive players.
Next year the LBs will be much better than this year and the DBs will be just as good. I have concerns about the DL, but over the past decade, the DL has arguably been the best unit on the team consistently as the numerous Iowa DL in the NFL attests to. Based on that, I think it safe to assume that the DL will in all probability be just as good next year as this.
I just wanna see Kirk Ferentz cry.
DL will likely be just as good next year as this year
at a minimum.
I just wanna see Kirk Ferentz cry.
I hope you are right
But I would be surprised. Please tell me, where are these D-linemen going to come from?
We have usually been pretty good when we start playing
some young DLs. I think Clayborn/Ballard/Klug, King/Kroul, Mattison/Iwebema all started playing a lot in their sophomore years (or earlier).
I’m looking forward to seeing what guys like Darian Cooper and that giant Carl Davis can do. We’ll have Alvis back (for better or worse), and some young-ish guys like Mike Hardy, Riley McMinn, Louis Trinca-Pasat, and Cameron Hayward.
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 1, 2011 11:52 PM CDT up reply actions
A few things
Clayborn and Ballard were good when they started in their Sophomore seasons. Roth was good as a part timer as a soph in 2002. All were 4 star recruits.
We don’t have any 4 star recruits on the roster who play D-line.
Klug didn’t start until 2009, his 4th season on campus, as a junior. He was undersized up until 2010, but showed some high energy promise in 2008. I don’t think any of the players you listed has performed in 2011 at the level Klug did in 2008.
In 2005 King and Kroul started as redshirt freshman, and Matteson and Iwebema started as redshirt sophomores. Until this year, that was our weakest D-line of the last decade. While getting to be pretty good, the 2006 D-line was the second worst and the 2007 D-line the third worst (with all the same starters).
Fortunately the 2005 D-line had behind them (probably) the best linebacking corp. in the history of Iowa Football – Greenway, Hodge and Ed Miles. I don’t think our linebackers will play anything close to that level next year.
I think it is wrong to think talented D-linemen are going to magically be developed this offseason, but time will tell.
Cooper is a 4-star, according to scout.
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 5, 2011 11:26 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm not sure how the DL is going to be any better when underclassmen aren't getting experience.
This would be a great time to adjust the gameplan to address the lack of talent on the defense. Be creative, hell at this point, what do we have to lose?
by Carfino'sWay on Oct 31, 2011 4:16 PM CDT up reply actions
We need to get another win or two.
But yes, I’d like to think we might find some time for Cooper or Big Davis to rotate in, perhaps against Purdue or against MSU (who usually has a big O-Line, so maybe we fight that with energy?)
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 1, 2011 11:54 PM CDT up reply actions
WHAT ENERGY?
This team is SOOOO flat that there is no energy. I maintain that that comes from the top.
We'll be (on paper) worse next year. The defense will be a
nightmare.
"I wish you luck with a capital 'F'" - The Real Elvis.
The defense is already a nightmare.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Nov 1, 2011 4:15 AM CDT up reply actions
There are elements of this
that remind me of our situation at Nebraska and Frank Solich. At the time we were indeed winning 8-10 games, and even had a weird national championship game appearance. On its surface everything looked fine, but when you dug deeper there were huge problems with game planning and recruitment.
This is good
Strange thing is, a very similar thing could be written about our coach in Evanston. I especially appreciated the part about the fake punt; you may recall that last season, our coach was the only person in America last season who did not know that Michigan State was about to pull off some trickery in that regard.
No one (ok, no one sane) is trying to run our guy out of town, just like you’re not trying to run your guy, but we all recognize (some have recognized it longer than others) that some things need to change. The question thus becomes, are our respective coaches willing and able to effectuate that change? I think I’d be more optimistic in your shoes than I am in mine.
I'm glad you added no one sane
because everyone from SoP generally knows what you’re talking about.
And yes, I think that from the conservative style of playcalling to the lack of coaching adjustments, Fitz and KF are two very similar coaches who could perhaps use a new set of coordinators.
Completely agree this letter could be adapted to a number of coaches in the B1G...
BB has recurring problems with basic, completely correctable things like punt blocking, tackling, end of game pass defense, and clock management. Unbelievably frustrating but I’m not naive to the fact that other fanbases struggle with the same or similar things.
In Wisky’s case, I have to wonder whether the complete lack of a non-conference schedule hurts us in that we just aren’t battle tested when we hit the conference schedule. I’m not saying we need to schedule LSU but even mid-level BCS schools would certainly help in this regard. Oregon State and Northern Illinois not really panning out this year hurt us, for sure, but in my opinion not being tested before going to East Lansing and Columbus hurt us when both games came down to a handful of plays that we simply did not execute correctly or took a poor strategy on.
Not playing a true road game
is dumb. It’s dumb when Wisky does it this year. It’s dumb when Iowa does it next year. It’s not a good way to prepare a team.
"Bama Hawkeye, you know, the Iowa blogger who actually uses reason and analysis." - Patrick Vint
http://www.offtackleempire.com
by Bama Hawkeye on Oct 31, 2011 3:47 PM CDT up reply actions
I agree with this
You don’t have control over how good your opponent will be when you schedule them (like Oregon State for Wisconsin, or Boston College in the case of Northwestern), but you do have control over where you play them.
Counterpoint
MSU did basically the same thing last year and went 11-1 (7-1) during the regular season. First true road game was in Ann Arbor about halfway through the schedule.
I will also admit that @ Iowa last year was the first road game that could be thought of as a hard road environment though, since MSU’s other road game before that was at Northwestern.
Schadenfreude ist die schoenste Freude
Fantastic article and as I lifelong Hawkeye I completely agree.
On Saturday after the on side I kept thinking “We’ve all seen how this movie ends. We all knew what was coming and how it was going to go down.”
I think in addition to what you listed above, but could be part of the passion section, I don’t think KF is a good motivator. It is like he is the anti-Gable. I’ve said it before and I will continue to say it, the way he blew up at the officials in the Pitt game was the game-changer. He never does anything like that and it was huge for the boys to see him act like he gave a crap. It has to be hard on them to no see any emotion from their coach, good or bad. I know it is on me.
There is a flip side to that coin.
Coaches who are more emotional tend to take it out plenty on assistant coaches and players.
I hate Brian Kelly.
I know of a situation where, at a college team (not BCS level), some assistants get very tired of a head coach who is always looking for someone to yell at. The college I speak of has lost at least one good assistant because of that.
I don’t think you need a 56-year-old coach to dance like Mike Gundy or cry like Paul Rhoads to motivate the players.
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 2, 2011 12:05 AM CDT up reply actions
I'm not asking for that, Chazz. You don't have to take everything I type to the extreme.
I don’t want him to act like Pelini, back off UNL fans you have to admit he is unacceptable sometimes, or Kelly or, for the love of all that is holy, Rhoads. I’m just asking to see that he has a pulse. The guys need to see that he cares. My least favorite cliche in the world is “perception is reality” but it’s true. The team needs some kind of validation from him and they need to see that he gives a sh!t.
My favorite memory from this season so far has been Kirk’s freak out in the Pitt game b/c I’ve never seen that before and that is EXACTLY what the team needed at that time and it did what it needed to do, motivate the team, whether he realized it or not.
I wonder when OTE can move past this Iowa sob fest and get some new material.
We all get it, the year has been disappointing thus far, but we’ve all been there, some of us are there, and believe me, if Ferentz wants his job, he will adapt and evolve as a coach, accordingly.
Believe me, nobody has more vested interest into the hawkeye program than ferentz, he’ll right the ship, so relax.
by SteveW0720 on Oct 31, 2011 4:28 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Well, I guess there are only three or four incorrect premises in your remark,
but I understand, it’s high-time to talk about the Huskers.
We play tackle football.
Incorrect in your opinion, of course.
(insert snooty, witty, lengthy bellanca remark below here. You know, the ones that everybody has no problem dismissing :)
Hold up
This is as close to the National Championship us Gopher fans are going to be able to bask in… Let the misery continue!
When we get the Pig, the Jug and the Axe, we'll have one hell of a picnic
by Marshmoose on Oct 31, 2011 5:21 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Because of Bamadude, this is
a very iowa centric blog.
Absolutely.
I hate that we’ve been subjected to a “How did Iowa do in the B1G this week” piece all season.
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Nov 1, 2011 4:17 AM CDT up reply actions
C'mon, maybe Minnesota isn't that bad
Oh wait…
Look me up on youtube sometime...if you're really bored.
I will give credit to Ferentz
Christ, he can construct a team out of pubes and glue and make it into a 8-4 team in a state where pubes and glue are high commodity. But if he were to play a 12 year old on xbox, it would be pretty fucking embarrassing to Kirk seeing the disparity in basic clock management skills. This is the main reason Iowa is itching right now. That, and the pube shortage.
by GreatBarrierReiff on Oct 31, 2011 5:36 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
That was pretty funny.
Although, if I understood the metaphor correctly, I’m not sure I agree that there is a “pube shortage.”
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 2, 2011 12:10 AM CDT up reply actions
I will gladly admit that I haven't probably been watching Iowa long enough to know
that everybody gets way too fkin worked up after a loss. That Iowa will almost always lose a game that they should (Penn St.) and a game that they shouldn’t (Minnesota), and most likely a toss-up of a rivalry game (ISU). That Iowa will most likely win a game or two that they shouldn’t (UM, MSU, NU) because this is college football and shit happens when it shouldn’t. That Iowa should be happy with a consistent bowl-eligible team, especially one that wins those bowls.
I do feel as though I’ve watched Iowa football long enough to know,
That the majority of our fans (yes myself included) have the sight of maybe 3 games of a single season in mind. That one loss to Minnesota during a year when we were expected to finish in the middle of the pack means more than a win in the Orange Bowl when we were expected to finish in the middle of the pack. That a team that lost half of an NFL caliber defensive unit suffers a decline in defensive performance, and it’s not because of a drop in coaching but a drop in talent. That a team can be expected to finish in the middle of the pack, and then unreasonably get bitched at for ending in the middle of the pack.
Believe me, I was among the most pissed off as I stayed up til 1 A.M. watching my Hawkeyes lose to the LOLphers, but I also think that our fan base needs a little perspective sometimes. Yes it is difficult to face these losses, but no I can’t remember a time when we didn’t face these losses in any given year. Iowa will win a game they shouldn’t and they will lose a game they shouldn’t. I doubt that we will ever have the talent to go an entire season undefeated (which is truly a phenomenal undertaking), and I realize that there are very few teams that have that talent. Believe me that my heart breaks as much as anyone else when my Hawks lose the first game of the season, but I will not call for my coaches’ heads when they play almost exactly at (reasonable) expectations for the year.
by A True Americanzi on Oct 31, 2011 7:39 PM CDT reply actions
low expectations always lead to
low results. I never understood this type of mentality. I always expect more, why be a fan if you don’t? Is it really too much to expect the coaching staff to possibly change up the scheme maybe just a little when we get beat by the exact same thing two years in a row? No ones call for his head just yet, but our expectations will always be high…
Are you the type that EXPECTS Iowa to win a
national title in the next 10 to 20 years?
If so, I think I understand your mentality.
/I don’t mean to be completely dismissive or insulting here, I’m just trying to categorize you based on one internet comment. That’s cool, right?
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 2, 2011 12:11 AM CDT up reply actions
Remember, for every Kirk Ferentz out there, there's a Bobby Williams. And a John L. Smith. And a Charlie Weis.
Beg him to change his coaching style all you like, but force him out of Iowa City and you’ve done the rest of the B1G a great favor.
by cwel87 on Oct 31, 2011 7:57 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
We're trying to force him to defend an obvious trick play
we’re trying to get him to cover kickoffs and teach his quarterback how to be a better quarterback…all of which is far from running him out of town.
"I wish you luck with a capital 'F'" - The Real Elvis.
You realize
that us “trying to force him” to do things, from the Internet, is absurd, right?
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 2, 2011 12:12 AM CDT up reply actions
And a Tim Brewster, a John Gutekunst, a Joe Salem, a Jim Wacker...
Iowa fans are like a woman with a Virginia ham under her arm, crying because she doesn’t have any bread.
/Junior Soprano’d
by Midnight Rambler on Oct 31, 2011 8:37 PM CDT up reply actions
Well Written, and so close to my heart
I keep thinking about my job, and how I have to be accountable
I don’t get paid what Captain Kirk does
Nor do i have his responsibility
but I do get paid well for what I do
and I am accountable to my management
and my company for the results of my labors
I get this creepy feeling that part of the equation
has disappeared from the four million dollar man
The sad puppy dog look talking with dolph every week
the geez that’s football
no longer has the luster
if someone could light a fire
and bring back that desire
we all would do a lot better
Go Hawks
Long Live the Pellican Whore - like FOREVER
by OhioHawk on Oct 31, 2011 8:30 PM CDT reply actions 4 recs
no way
that’s…amazing
Off Tackle Empire
The quintessential Big Ten smoking room.
by Graham Filler on Nov 1, 2011 7:59 AM CDT up reply actions
That's does bring up an interesting question.
Has KF, with the success and the money, become a “Fat cat” himself?
Personally, I think not, if he works as many hours as I think he probably does.
Also, with each passing day, I’m feeling more and more like we’ll win one or two of the tough games left (Michigan, MSU, Nebby. I’m sorry I’m not calling Purdue “tough” yet.)
Maybe I’m just excited about gloating at BHGP if I get to personally see us beat Michigan at Kinnick on Saturday.
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 2, 2011 12:18 AM CDT up reply actions
Schadenfreude.
Sweet, sweet, schadenfreude.
by Midnight Rambler on Oct 31, 2011 8:34 PM CDT reply actions 2 recs
This is what really gets under my skin:
I’ve watched Iowa long enough to know that I’m tired of you belittling the program. Look, if Iowa is “not sexy,” as you love to say, that’s your self-fulfilling prophecy. Wisconsin can be a “sexy” program, but Iowa can’t? C’mon.
The pattern of losing to inferior teams, the absence of passion, the lack of preparation – all these are bad enough. But telling the world that your players don’t measure up, even in the midst of a miracle season like 2009 – this is beyond baffling. It’s absolutely inexcusable…
Thanks for a well-written, well-reasoned and well-intentioned post. It is both timely and therapeutic, and much appreciated.
BamaGatorHawk?
Are there any Iowa fans who only cheer for 1 team? I just don’t understand 2 school fans.
Hawks are my team
but I have 2 kids at Alabama and 1 at Florida, so I follow the Tide and the Gators too. 2009 was the best season ever until about week 10, with Florida, Alabama and Iowa all undefeated and in the top 5 of the BCS. If not for Stanzi’s injury and Texas’ overtime field goal, Iowa would have played Bama in the Rose Bowl for all the marbles – that would have been amazing…
by BamaGatorHawk on Nov 1, 2011 12:15 PM CDT up reply actions
Me. Right here.
Some people move away from the state, crazy concept I’m sure, they are born/raised in or the team they grew up supporting and find solace in what is close to where they currently live. It happens get over it.
Needed to be done
Mikael Granlund: The Great Hope
by NorthernStar on Nov 1, 2011 12:25 AM CDT reply actions 8 recs
You could almost see him shaking with joy.
It was joy, right?
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Nov 2, 2011 12:53 AM CDT up reply actions
omg kyle
omg
Off Tackle Empire
The quintessential Big Ten smoking room.
by Graham Filler on Nov 2, 2011 7:43 AM CDT up reply actions
Is this thing on?
Less memorable than Sam Okey's Hawkeye career.
by Kyle McCann't on Nov 2, 2011 11:42 AM CDT up reply actions
Grumble grumble...son of a bitch....
Ahem
Stick with the jokes about how he looks like a Gopher. Those are funny.
But worse for laughing at this
"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull." - W.C. Fields
I feel bad for laughing at this...
"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull." - W.C. Fields
Iowa - Northwestern kindred spirits
This is a very well written article/perspective. It hits close to home because Iowa and Northwestern have some amazing similarities (I know Iowa thinks of Northwestern as jNW and I know Iowa has a better history):
1. They don’t get the best recruits
2. Their coaching staff usually overcomes the lack of recruiting by scheming really well and coaching their players up.
3. They tend to have a problem with consistency. They have peaks and valleys because of the difficulties reloading.
4. They are loyal to their coaches and players, even when it’s not working. That leads to fan frustration on down years.
5. Their scheming consistencies lead to match ups that help and hurt them depending on the opponent. Their lack of adjustments seem to bite them in game if a plan is not working.
6. Their conservative approach may cost them a game or two.
7. Close games are the key to good seasons, since they tend to play a lot of them. When they tip their way the season snowballs and goes really well. When they don’t, confidence seems lost and the opposite effect occurs.
Iowa is down because...
They don’t have defensive play makers. Aside from the PSU debacle Iowa beats ISU and Minny if they make a solitary defensive play in the 4th quarter. It’s also a little funny to me because this year’s hawkeyes remind me of the Hayden Fry era. They have a good passing game and explosive playmakers at receiver and, yes, a pretty damned good tailback. Take it for what it’s worth. Texas has been down, Florida had a bad year, Oklahoma hasn’t been good every year and those children of incest at Nebraska had a spell of bad football. Miami is down. Texas and Florida aren’t exactly devoid of talented athletes. Iowa’s not NWU either; they pack in 70k for games against IAA teams. The special teams gaffs are not cool however.
It's more than just not having the play makers
It’s the fact that we run a system that so fundamentally and absolutely NEEDS playmakers like King, Clayborn, Angerer, Edds, Sash (NFLers all) to be effective, and even then is prone to significant breakdowns. We’re Iowa, we’re not going to have deep, constantly replenished stockpiles of talent like OSU, Florida, Texas or even PSU and Michigan; yet we force all our players to perform in a system that is predicated on flawless and perfect “execution” in a flawed, chaotic and imperfect world/game.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
Maybe. But we also get away with
having some less-supremely talented guys (particularly in the secondary) because of that system, too.
I still remember having undersized, not world-class-fast guys at CB (Allen, J Johnson, Shada, etc) about 5 to 10 years ago, and our defense was still pretty good (and sometimes quite good) as a whole.
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
by WaterlooChazz on Nov 2, 2011 12:32 AM CDT up reply actions
And our pass defense with those guys was atrocious
Seriously, go back and look at the stats. 2002 for example, the run-D was amazing, the pass D was a raging inferno dumpster fire. Every defense (and offense) has inherent weaknesses, as does our base D. My problem – and I’m guessing that of a lot of others – is that we don’t adapt our gameplan, be it offense or defense, to the personnel we have, that we don’t adjust to highlight the strengths of our defensive players and compensate for their deficiencies. Instead, we try to make every round peg find into a square hole.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
OMG, THIS!!
My problem – and I’m guessing that of a lot of others – is that we don’t adapt our gameplan, be it offense or defense, to the personnel we have, that we don’t adjust to highlight the strengths of our defensive players and compensate for their deficiencies. Instead, we try to make every round peg find into a square hole.
by Carfino'sWay on Nov 2, 2011 10:21 AM CDT up reply actions
Historical Perspective on Bama in the Late 60's
Yes Bryant re-did his schemes (the wishbone starting in 1971 comes to mind). But he also was able to recruit black players starting in 1970. Had he not been able to do so Bama never would have had the run of sucess it had during the 70’s.
tO$U sucks-ALWAYS the right choice!
I understand (but haven't much joined in on)
the criticism of some of KF’s deficiencies: lack of balls at the end of the first half, throwing short of the first down in key situations, lack of “wrinkles” on defense and offense.
But, I can’t agree with you in this paragraph, Bama:
If Iowa had gone 10-2 last year, this year’s anticipated rebuilding would have been more palatable. We know that we are not being built to compete every year. That’s why we know it’s so horrible when we waste those few shots that we have. And make no mistake, you wasted last season.
I think Iowa is darn competitive each year. The absolute drubbings against PSU are minimal (maybe two in a decade?) We get slapped down by OSU less than we used to, even though we don’t win very often. We beat Michigan and MSU with some regularity (yes, I realize Michigan has been down). We usually hold our own against Wisky.
To say that we aren’t built to be competitive is not really true. Last I checked, the number of teams who has wrested the title from OSU’s professionals over the past 5 or 6 years is not a long one.
And to say that Ferentz, personally, wasted last year is just misguided. We had a revolving door at RB for much of the year, our best wideout may not have been at his best all year, and our all-world DLs kind of underperformed. I’m not sure this means that KF said “You know what would be fun? Let’s take this talented team and just flush it straight down the shitter. If anyone wants to show me some important game-film, I’ll be over at Panera Bread making crank calls to that ass-hat Jamie Pollard.”
And if Iowa had been 10-2 last year, I think there would still be a ton of people bitching this year about losing to ISU or Minny.
Bottom line (now using Dan Hawkins’s voice): It’s Big Ten Football. If you want a league where you roll over other teams at will, go play intramurals, brother. Minnesota is bad, IU is bad. But they are still D-1 programs spending money to win football games. They will clip better teams from time-to-time.
If you are pissed off that Iowa is not Wisconsin or Ohio State, you will be pissed off every year we finish behind them in the standings. Personally, I’d prefer to enjoy my college football just a little bit more than that.
We will become more intensity!!! --What Reading Rambler thinks Tom Brands should do.
Last year's team
Had no business losing at Northwestern or at Minnesota.
The Wisconsin game was lost because of the fake punt + a failure to manage the clock on the last drive.
Arizona and Ohio State were winnable games.
Given the talent and the schedule, last year should have been a 9-3 or 10-2 season. It was 7-5.
Just like we had no business losing to ISU and Minnesota this year
I was disappointed about the PSU loss, but not pissed off. They are as good if not better than us and played like it. Similarly, I will be disappointed but not pissed off if we lose to Michigan, MSU and Nebraska, these were toss-ups when I thought Iowa was a better team than we are, but now look like certain losses.
It’s not losing that gets a lot of us up in arms, it is who we lose to. Losing to inferior teams, repeatedly, should not happen. And yes, Chazz, upsets happen in sports, it’s the nature of the beast, but it is happening far too regularly to us ever since mid-2009 than it was before and shows no signs of abating.
I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.
Last year's team absolutely should have lost to Northwestern
The ’Cats were the better team last year – were 7-3 at that point with Persa at the helm. This is why everybody enjoys the schadenfreude as it relates to Iowa… the Hawks are a good (and well-coached) team that tends to play above their weight class, but they are not an elite team and can be beaten on any given Saturday. I love it when the BHGP crowd has to face that reality and just falls apart.
I’m also a bit shocked at those calling for doom-and-gloom for the remainder of the season for the Hawks. This team is absolutely capable of beating any one of their remaining four opponents. I personally think they will get at least two and wouldn’t rule out three – we’ve seen MSU lay eggs, Purdue is well within reach, I’m not sold yet on Michigan, and anything could happen with the new Nebraska rivalry. Have some heart – you’re 5-3 with two close losses – you’re not in the Queso Bowl, yet.
by GTom on Nov 2, 2011 12:24 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Vegas disagrees
They had Iowa as a 10 point favorite on the road. I know the purpose of the point spread is to get equal money, but Iowa being a 10 point favorite that late in the season means Vegas, or the relatively sophisticated gambling market, thought Iowa was a much better team.
We can argue this forever, but let’s not. I’ll admit 2010 NW was a pretty good team (pre-Persa injury), and Persa played unbelievable that day and anything can happen in a football game.
But I was at that game, and watched the tape a couple times, and poured over the stats and the play by play. I’m not going to budge in my thinking that Iowa was the more talented team that should have won.
.
This is why everybody enjoys the schadenfreude as it relates to Iowa… the Hawks are a good (and well-coached) team that tends to play above their weight class, but they are not an elite team and can be beaten on any given Saturday. I love it when the BHGP crowd has to face that reality and just falls apart.
Goodnight everybody!
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