First, why did it take an injury to Arland Bruce IV for Iowa coaches to put the best athlete on the team back to return punts? Cooper DeJean did just about everything yesterday except sweep out Kinnick after the game. He had 114 total yards . . . as a defensive back . . . compared to 146 for what Iowa calls its offense. Iowa has had two superlative punt returners in the last 30 years or so--Tim Dwight and last year's Big Ten returner of the year, Charlie Jones. Well, now it has three in DeJean. The kid is a natural and, when your offense is as pathetic as Iowa's, you need every yard you can get from special teams, and DeJean is the guy to get them. Bruce has been mediocre to poor as a punt returner. He just doesn't have the natural, uncoachable instincts to be good at it. DeJean, on the other hand, is fabulous, and he should be the returner as long as he remains in Iowa City. Period.
Second, OL coach George Barnett never should have been hired, and he should have been fired--or reassigned--long ago. Just as the DL is the heart of the defense, the OL is the foundation of the offense. Without a decent OL, not much good can happen on the offensive side of the ball. And then you add an unqualified OC/QB coach and just like that, you have the nation's worst offense. Despite their glaring shortcomings, and they are significant, even Petras and BF would look a lot better with an O-line that could do anything against halfway decent competition. And so KF has done his team, his QB, and his son no favor by refusing to do something about Barnett. Iowa must have a new OL coach next season.
As for BF . . . it's all been said. He needs a change of scenery, and I hope he can head back to the NFL soon. Iowa needs a whole new voice on offense, and an actual QB coach would be nice too.
If KF wanted to hang it up after this season, that would be a bonus. I don't see it happening. KF may reassign Barnett, or let him resign, and BF might move back to the NFL, but I still don't see KF--in year 24--taking his hands off the offense. But any objective observer can only lament what might have been if KF had acted as CEO and given the OL and QB coaching jobs to someone competent and let them do their thing. With Phil Parker's defense and merely an adequate offense, Iowa could have been right there with Michigan and Ohio State. That's what's so frustrating. Opportunity has knocked, but stubborn KF has refused to open the door.
And despite it all, the Hawkeyes' defense and special teams once again have Iowa on the brink of winning the division. But even if they do, how can they prevent another embarrassment in the championship game without an offense? So close . . .
Second, OL coach George Barnett never should have been hired, and he should have been fired--or reassigned--long ago. Just as the DL is the heart of the defense, the OL is the foundation of the offense. Without a decent OL, not much good can happen on the offensive side of the ball. And then you add an unqualified OC/QB coach and just like that, you have the nation's worst offense. Despite their glaring shortcomings, and they are significant, even Petras and BF would look a lot better with an O-line that could do anything against halfway decent competition. And so KF has done his team, his QB, and his son no favor by refusing to do something about Barnett. Iowa must have a new OL coach next season.
As for BF . . . it's all been said. He needs a change of scenery, and I hope he can head back to the NFL soon. Iowa needs a whole new voice on offense, and an actual QB coach would be nice too.
If KF wanted to hang it up after this season, that would be a bonus. I don't see it happening. KF may reassign Barnett, or let him resign, and BF might move back to the NFL, but I still don't see KF--in year 24--taking his hands off the offense. But any objective observer can only lament what might have been if KF had acted as CEO and given the OL and QB coaching jobs to someone competent and let them do their thing. With Phil Parker's defense and merely an adequate offense, Iowa could have been right there with Michigan and Ohio State. That's what's so frustrating. Opportunity has knocked, but stubborn KF has refused to open the door.
And despite it all, the Hawkeyes' defense and special teams once again have Iowa on the brink of winning the division. But even if they do, how can they prevent another embarrassment in the championship game without an offense? So close . . .