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Brian's Last Stand

hawktech

HR All-State
Aug 6, 2002
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To be honest, IMHO, BF has not had a fair shake here. And that is ALL on Kirk. Brian has been hamstrung by his dad's offensively arcane coaching philosophy for running an offense...
We all know it, Iowa has rarely had a really good offense under Kirk Ferentz.

That is a majority of our issue. Coupled with some OL/WR injuries, and some misses on OL recruiting(i think the new chop block rule plays in here some, too).

So, does KF take the leash off, and let BF run the show how Brian would like to?? Or does he just let it play out until Brian is either fired or demoted...?

Brian is definitely more aggressive than his father. I am certain that he would run things differently.... And I was hoping that Brian would finally be the OC to make it happen!!
I would like to see that before he is driven out, and his dad wrecks his career.

This is Kirk's last chance, before Brian has to move out of town with his tail between his legs.

My two cents
 
To be honest, IMHO, BF has not had a fair shake here. And that is ALL on Kirk. Brian has been hamstrung by his dad's offensively arcane coaching philosophy for running an offense...
We all know it, Iowa has rarely had a really good offense under Kirk Ferentz.

That is a majority of our issue. Coupled with some OL/WR injuries, and some misses on OL recruiting(i think the new chop block rule plays in here some, too).

So, does KF take the leash off, and let BF run the show how Brian would like to?? Or does he just let it play out until Brian is either fired or demoted...?

Brian is definitely more aggressive than his father. I am certain that he would run things differently.... And I was hoping that Brian would finally be the OC to make it happen!!
I would like to see that before he is driven out, and his dad wrecks his career.

This is Kirk's last chance, before Brian has to move out of town with his tail between his legs.

My two cents
Which is why I find it funny how fast the majority of Iowa fans want to give KF a pass and purely dump on the OC. This is a KF problem and always has been. His philosophy is outdated and frankly sucks. We just have become accustomed to having below average offenses but nearly never good ones.
 
Doesn’t make any sense. Kirk lets Phil do whatever he wants, but not Brian? Brian should have never been hired, and definitely should have been fired years ago, and Kirk needs to go as well. The program is heading in the wrong direction, and it’s going to get much worse the longer he stays. The game passed Kirk by a long time ago and with the portal and NIL along with the conference getting rid of divisions soon Kirk better get out now.
 
To be honest, IMHO, BF has not had a fair shake here. And that is ALL on Kirk. Brian has been hamstrung by his dad's offensively arcane coaching philosophy for running an offense...
We all know it, Iowa has rarely had a really good offense under Kirk Ferentz.

That is a majority of our issue. Coupled with some OL/WR injuries, and some misses on OL recruiting(i think the new chop block rule plays in here some, too).

So, does KF take the leash off, and let BF run the show how Brian would like to?? Or does he just let it play out until Brian is either fired or demoted...?

Brian is definitely more aggressive than his father. I am certain that he would run things differently.... And I was hoping that Brian would finally be the OC to make it happen!!
I would like to see that before he is driven out, and his dad wrecks his career.

This is Kirk's last chance, before Brian has to move out of town with his tail between his legs.

My two cents
If it's true what you are saying, then the KF - BF relationship is completely dysfunctional. The father doesn't care if he makes his son look like an incompetent idiot, or, the son doesn't care that the father makes him look like an incompetent idiot. Honestly?, I wouldn't give a shit either if my daddy made me look like an incompetent idiot if daddy was helping me make a $million a year.
 
Capt. Kirk is the root of all EVIL program dysfunction.
Nothing changes.
The offensive Offensive scheme is of the devil (just sayin').
 
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To be honest, IMHO, BF has not had a fair shake here. And that is ALL on Kirk. Brian has been hamstrung by his dad's offensively arcane coaching philosophy for running an offense...
We all know it, Iowa has rarely had a really good offense under Kirk Ferentz.

That is a majority of our issue. Coupled with some OL/WR injuries, and some misses on OL recruiting(i think the new chop block rule plays in here some, too).

So, does KF take the leash off, and let BF run the show how Brian would like to?? Or does he just let it play out until Brian is either fired or demoted...?

Brian is definitely more aggressive than his father. I am certain that he would run things differently.... And I was hoping that Brian would finally be the OC to make it happen!!
I would like to see that before he is driven out, and his dad wrecks his career.

This is Kirk's last chance, before Brian has to move out of town with his tail between his legs.

My two cents
Wait, 5 years is not enough? He is the worst offensive coach in the nation.
 
What I think happened is that Kirk and Brian had the idea together that they could mimic what they were doing in New England at the time Brian was the tight ends coach here at Iowa. They knew that elite skill position talent would be hard to get on a regular basis as well as one of the few elite dual threat quarterbacks that come out every year, but, they could still be dynamic with a tight end centered offense. And I think they went all in on it.

That plan is predicated on having an elite offensive line and elite tight ends. I think they thought that 3 star talent at the WR positions and the running back positions would be serviceable and they are available. I think they bet on the fact that if they had an average QB they could win 8 games, an above average QB could push them to 10 but a real talented QB could all them to do some really special things. The problem is now that our offensive line is well below average and our tight ends as a whole have declined recently. But I still think the plan makes sense.

Now the real problem is that with them going all in on it, I don't think there is a plan B. I think Brian has shown at times to be a pretty decent play caller when he has some horses, but, he is not experienced enough nor has the mind to be creative in finding solutions as an OC when he doesn't. And that is what we are seeing right now, that there really is no adjustments being made because they don't know what to do. But I am sure it is really hard to do and I can't really site anyone that does a lot with little on offense.

Just know this, nobody is going to succeed as an OC here until the offensive line is fixed.
 
To be honest, IMHO, BF has not had a fair shake here. And that is ALL on Kirk. Brian has been hamstrung by his dad's offensively arcane coaching philosophy for running an offense...
We all know it, Iowa has rarely had a really good offense under Kirk Ferentz.

That is a majority of our issue. Coupled with some OL/WR injuries, and some misses on OL recruiting(i think the new chop block rule plays in here some, too).

So, does KF take the leash off, and let BF run the show how Brian would like to?? Or does he just let it play out until Brian is either fired or demoted...?

Brian is definitely more aggressive than his father. I am certain that he would run things differently.... And I was hoping that Brian would finally be the OC to make it happen!!
I would like to see that before he is driven out, and his dad wrecks his career.

This is Kirk's last chance, before Brian has to move out of town with his tail between his legs.

My two cents
What offense do you think Brian would run if he's able to do whatever he wants? Do you think he would run a modern offense with a mobile QB? I don't! I think what you see is Brian's offense with some restrictions from his dad. The best you can do is remove the dad restrictions, but I'm 100% confident that we would get similar results to what we are getting today.

It's time to move on from the Brian experiment and if that doesn't fix the issue and Iowa continues to struggle then we all know what comes next.
 
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Which is why I find it funny how fast the majority of Iowa fans want to give KF a pass and purely dump on the OC. This is a KF problem and always has been. His philosophy is outdated and frankly sucks. We just have become accustomed to having below average offenses but nearly never good ones.
I tend to agree, but he’s getting paid very handsomely and if he disagrees with the philosophy it’s time to be an adult and take charge. Should he be uncomfortable with standing up to his father it’s time to resign. Immediately.
 
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This is college football, you modify the X's and O's to fit the current roster.
Not Kirk Ferentz, unfortunately... Although, It would be tough to modify your offense year to year. It isn't like basketball with just 5 guys and some bench players... That noted you should have a play book that is diverse enough to have options for different talents.
 
Doesn’t make any sense. Kirk lets Phil do whatever he wants, but not Brian? Brian should have never been hired, and definitely should have been fired years ago, and Kirk needs to go as well. The program is heading in the wrong direction, and it’s going to get much worse the longer he stays. The game passed Kirk by a long time ago and with the portal and NIL along with the conference getting rid of divisions soon Kirk better get out now.
We run a base defense. Execute and contain. That's every play for the most part. Very few variables to Kirk's defense. Norm and Phil did the same thing... That's Kirk's D... Phil does a great job with finding & developing great DBs thought. Awesome job at that.
 
What I think happened is that Kirk and Brian had the idea together that they could mimic what they were doing in New England at the time Brian was the tight ends coach here at Iowa. They knew that elite skill position talent would be hard to get on a regular basis as well as one of the few elite dual threat quarterbacks that come out every year, but, they could still be dynamic with a tight end centered offense. And I think they went all in on it.

That plan is predicated on having an elite offensive line and elite tight ends. I think they thought that 3 star talent at the WR positions and the running back positions would be serviceable and they are available. I think they bet on the fact that if they had an average QB they could win 8 games, an above average QB could push them to 10 but a real talented QB could all them to do some really special things. The problem is now that our offensive line is well below average and our tight ends as a whole have declined recently. But I still think the plan makes sense.

Now the real problem is that with them going all in on it, I don't think there is a plan B. I think Brian has shown at times to be a pretty decent play caller when he has some horses, but, he is not experienced enough nor has the mind to be creative in finding solutions as an OC when he doesn't. And that is what we are seeing right now, that there really is no adjustments being made because they don't know what to do. But I am sure it is really hard to do and I can't really site anyone that does a lot with little on offense.

Just know this, nobody is going to succeed as an OC here until the offensive line is fixed
Just a flat out mystery to why the Oline has been struggling. We were regarded as one of the top developmental programs in the nation especially developing linemen and now the wheels have fallen off. Not sure we can blame recruiting "misses" as we have a number of 3* & 4* recruits on the roster. We cant lay the blame on Barnett at this point as it's safe to assume that Kirk & Brian have had to get involved in trying to fix things. Maybe losing Doyle has had some bearing on this? Just never thought there'd be such glaring issues with something we've always considered the strength of this team.
 
To be honest, IMHO, BF has not had a fair shake here. And that is ALL on Kirk. Brian has been hamstrung by his dad's offensively arcane coaching philosophy for running an offense...
We all know it, Iowa has rarely had a really good offense under Kirk Ferentz.

That is a majority of our issue. Coupled with some OL/WR injuries, and some misses on OL recruiting(i think the new chop block rule plays in here some, too).

So, does KF take the leash off, and let BF run the show how Brian would like to?? Or does he just let it play out until Brian is either fired or demoted...?

Brian is definitely more aggressive than his father. I am certain that he would run things differently.... And I was hoping that Brian would finally be the OC to make it happen!!
I would like to see that before he is driven out, and his dad wrecks his career.

This is Kirk's last chance, before Brian has to move out of town with his tail between his legs.

My two cents
ok Mary
 
-----To be honest, IMHO, BF has not had a fair shake here. And that is ALL on Kirk. Brian has been hamstrung by his dad's offensively arcane coaching philosophy for running an offense.

I have felt at times maybe he hasn't got a fair shake, but that all ended two weeks ago and again Saturday at OSU. He has had ample opportunities to distance from daddy, and drop subtle hints here and there that he would do things different if it were up to him....but he hasn't. He didn't have to make the asinine "What's the upside?" comment two weeks ago...but he did. Daddy didn't force him to call a bubble screen to the TE on 3rd and 9 against one of the fastest teams in D1 Football....but he did. So screw him too. But I still don't want him to be the fall guy for this....daddy needs to go out the door with him...if not, NOTHING will be accomplished. We better not have Jaws try and fool people with a simple rearranging of deck chairs with Meathead, and attempt to convince the sheep that Ferments will allow a new OC to operate without inteference....because that will 100% be a lie.
 
What I think happened is that Kirk and Brian had the idea together that they could mimic what they were doing in New England at the time Brian was the tight ends coach here at Iowa. They knew that elite skill position talent would be hard to get on a regular basis as well as one of the few elite dual threat quarterbacks that come out every year, but, they could still be dynamic with a tight end centered offense. And I think they went all in on it.

That plan is predicated on having an elite offensive line and elite tight ends. I think they thought that 3 star talent at the WR positions and the running back positions would be serviceable and they are available. I think they bet on the fact that if they had an average QB they could win 8 games, an above average QB could push them to 10 but a real talented QB could all them to do some really special things. The problem is now that our offensive line is well below average and our tight ends as a whole have declined recently. But I still think the plan makes sense.

Now the real problem is that with them going all in on it, I don't think there is a plan B. I think Brian has shown at times to be a pretty decent play caller when he has some horses, but, he is not experienced enough nor has the mind to be creative in finding solutions as an OC when he doesn't. And that is what we are seeing right now, that there really is no adjustments being made because they don't know what to do. But I am sure it is really hard to do and I can't really site anyone that does a lot with little on offense.

Just know this, nobody is going to succeed as an OC here until the offensive line is fixed.
Best Post of the Year nominee!
 
-----To be honest, IMHO, BF has not had a fair shake here. And that is ALL on Kirk. Brian has been hamstrung by his dad's offensively arcane coaching philosophy for running an offense.

I have felt at times maybe he hasn't got a fair shake, but that all ended two weeks ago and again Saturday at OSU. He has had ample opportunities to distance from daddy, and drop subtle hints here and there that he would do things different if it were up to him....but he hasn't. He didn't have to make the asinine "What's the upside?" comment two weeks ago...but he did. Daddy didn't force him to call a bubble screen to the TE on 3rd and 9 against one of the fastest teams in D1 Football....but he did. So screw him too. But I still don't want him to be the fall guy for this....daddy needs to go out the door with him...if not, NOTHING will be accomplished. We better not have Jaws try and fool people with a simple rearranging of deck chairs with Meathead, and attempt to convince the sheep that Ferments will allow a new OC to operate without inteference....because that will 100% be a lie.
Yep it seems the few times our offense has gained some traction on a drive Brian calls a play that makes no sense. It's like Brian thinks I bet I can fool em here. Nope Brian that didn't work again. How many times has the double reverse ended in lost yardage? Or like opening the game against osu with a roll when you have a qb who clearly can't throw on the run.
 
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I suspect that Proctor starts at tackle, Colby moves inside, and with an experienced center we see some improvement next season, but we still won’t be world beaters. I waiting for Barnett to show signs of development with these guys, but at seasons end he can be gone if he can’t show progress.

I’d look for a QB coach who has a transfer in his pocket and line coach that is a recruiter. We need an OC with some flash that can bring skill guys in.

I think our running backs room has potential , but our offense generally needs players.
 
I don't buy the fact the blame doesn't fall on Brian. The main reason for that is the random calling of plays is so crazy inconsistent its not even funny.

Take that jet sweep last week....that is something that should be seen from the defense with a certain look....they literally ran it with two guys (three if you count head up) outside the end down lineman. This is just one example of how wild things are called and how nothing builds off each other with any consistency. For example watching Oregon last weekend...they ran a set of three plays together that all built off a HB pitch/fake pitch. They hit all three different possibilities off that and used it to cover a large portion of the field for a TD.

Anyone else notice the RT step lateral to the line of scrimmage on the play where Petras locked on LaPorta and ignored throwing Bruce to open? Instead of getting depth the RT went flat and essentially opened the door for the end to run right around him. OL should work that step so much they do it in their sleep.
 
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To be honest, IMHO, BF has not had a fair shake here. And that is ALL on Kirk. Brian has been hamstrung by his dad's offensively arcane coaching philosophy for running an offense...
We all know it, Iowa has rarely had a really good offense under Kirk Ferentz.

That is a majority of our issue. Coupled with some OL/WR injuries, and some misses on OL recruiting(i think the new chop block rule plays in here some, too).

So, does KF take the leash off, and let BF run the show how Brian would like to?? Or does he just let it play out until Brian is either fired or demoted...?

Brian is definitely more aggressive than his father. I am certain that he would run things differently.... And I was hoping that Brian would finally be the OC to make it happen!!
I would like to see that before he is driven out, and his dad wrecks his career.

This is Kirk's last chance, before Brian has to move out of town with his tail between his legs.

My two cents
I know I’m in the minority but I agree. I would go a step further and be happy with BF as the head coach and have KF do the O-Line coaching. I can wait for change (while most can’t) and want to see what BF can do without his Dad’s extremely conservative parameters to deal with. This way we can retain Phil and Levar and keep our program continuity which is important for recruiting and for our donors. I think the fastest path to change is letting go of KF’s tendencies not to take risks. That we could do this Saturday if we want to without dropping an H-Bomb on the program and rebuilding. We just had six turnovers, what’s a few more at this stage if we open the playbook?
 
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To be honest, IMHO, BF has not had a fair shake here. And that is ALL on Kirk. Brian has been hamstrung by his dad's offensively arcane coaching philosophy for running an offense...
We all know it, Iowa has rarely had a really good offense under Kirk Ferentz.

That is a majority of our issue. Coupled with some OL/WR injuries, and some misses on OL recruiting(i think the new chop block rule plays in here some, too).

So, does KF take the leash off, and let BF run the show how Brian would like to?? Or does he just let it play out until Brian is either fired or demoted...?

Brian is definitely more aggressive than his father. I am certain that he would run things differently.... And I was hoping that Brian would finally be the OC to make it happen!!
I would like to see that before he is driven out, and his dad wrecks his career.

This is Kirk's last chance, before Brian has to move out of town with his tail between his legs.

My two cents
I disagree, but maybe not in the way people will think. When you come in and take the OC job as the son of the head coach, there’s a ton of risk for all parties. If it’s decent to great, nobody really cares. If it goes south, it goes ugly fast.

I think a lot of the blame for the offense falls at Kirk’s feet, but by putting his son in this position, there’s no way to save face. Neither Kirk nor Brian are idiots, they knew what this would be when they started, though I‘m sure they thought this would go better than this.

By making this choice, if Brian isn’t the scapegoat, then Kirk is. Brian will be gone this offseason, one way or the other.
 
You guys just overlook Gary B. I heard he won't let KF recruit a running QB. He doesn't want Iowa to look like any of the top NFL or top 10 college teams. He still believes what was good 20 years ago should still be good enough for Iowa!!!!!!
 
What I think happened is that Kirk and Brian had the idea together that they could mimic what they were doing in New England at the time Brian was the tight ends coach here at Iowa. They knew that elite skill position talent would be hard to get on a regular basis as well as one of the few elite dual threat quarterbacks that come out every year, but, they could still be dynamic with a tight end centered offense. And I think they went all in on it.

That plan is predicated on having an elite offensive line and elite tight ends. I think they thought that 3 star talent at the WR positions and the running back positions would be serviceable and they are available. I think they bet on the fact that if they had an average QB they could win 8 games, an above average QB could push them to 10 but a real talented QB could all them to do some really special things. The problem is now that our offensive line is well below average and our tight ends as a whole have declined recently. But I still think the plan makes sense.

Now the real problem is that with them going all in on it, I don't think there is a plan B. I think Brian has shown at times to be a pretty decent play caller when he has some horses, but, he is not experienced enough nor has the mind to be creative in finding solutions as an OC when he doesn't. And that is what we are seeing right now, that there really is no adjustments being made because they don't know what to do. But I am sure it is really hard to do and I can't really site anyone that does a lot with little on offense.

Just know this, nobody is going to succeed as an OC here until the offensive line is fixed.
All this is true, a bit long as all you had to say was the last paragraph......
 
My 2 cents; it's not the X's and O's for Iowa, as much as the Jimmy's and Joes.
Not the opinion of Don Patterson, or Chuck Long. Both think the scheme could be adjusted to fit our personnel to provide the team with some success. Chuck's comments on how poor his natty oline was at Oklahoma and what they did to adjust to that were particularly damning towards offensive philosophies that refuse to adjust to personnel.

My best example of doing things differently inside a "system" actually is on our team, from last weekend. Iowa never goes cover 1 press, normally, because we usually don't have the speediest corners. We did it a lot Saturday, and it mostly kept OSU's receivers in check.
 
I coached for 35 years.....when I listen to Brian in the late summer he has these long interviews when he is over-explaining the offense. I have always thought to myself that it should not be as detailed or as hard as he is making it. I think that his comment lately about not having "backyard quarterback" is also telling. Instincts and letting kids play is a big part of coaching. I get the timing and precision is needed but also playing without thinking too much is a big deal. There has to be a medium in there somehow.
 
Not the opinion of Don Patterson, or Chuck Long. Both think the scheme could be adjusted to fit our personnel to provide the team with some success. Chuck's comments on how poor his natty oline was at Oklahoma and what they did to adjust to that were particularly damning towards offensive philosophies that refuse to adjust to personnel.

My best example of doing things differently inside a "system" actually is on our team, from last weekend. Iowa never goes cover 1 press, normally, because we usually don't have the speediest corners. We did it a lot Saturday, and it mostly kept OSU's receivers in check.
On other words, Brian is not a problem solver.
 
My 2 cents; it's not the X's and O's for Iowa, as much as the Jimmy's and Joes.
Wrong! It doesn’t matter who you plug into this offensive system. It has been a hot mess for the better part of ten years.
 
To be honest, IMHO, BF has not had a fair shake here. And that is ALL on Kirk. Brian has been hamstrung by his dad's offensively arcane coaching philosophy for running an offense...
We all know it, Iowa has rarely had a really good offense under Kirk Ferentz.

That is a majority of our issue. Coupled with some OL/WR injuries, and some misses on OL recruiting(i think the new chop block rule plays in here some, too).

So, does KF take the leash off, and let BF run the show how Brian would like to?? Or does he just let it play out until Brian is either fired or demoted...?

Brian is definitely more aggressive than his father. I am certain that he would run things differently.... And I was hoping that Brian would finally be the OC to make it happen!!
I would like to see that before he is driven out, and his dad wrecks his career.

This is Kirk's last chance, before Brian has to move out of town with his tail between his legs.

My two cents
How do we know you aren't part of Brian's PR team or Kirk's acting on his behalf? Knowing that Kirk has one it's now kind of hard to trust anything positive I see on these boards about father or son. :)

Yeah, Brian is more aggressive. I can't imagine Kirk screaming expletives at officials in the press box. He'd just make some underhanded comments about being glad he doesn't have the officials' jobs or something like that.

What do you think anyone could do with current personnel that would work any better than what we're seeing?
 
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