Iowa is 111th in offensive efficiency as of today.

[Shafthawk]

Forget about winning it. When the Iowa offense came out having to get just 2 first downs to salt the game away I had almost zero confidence they could achieve that. And rightly so.

KF handicaps the Offense so much by always calling for 3 runs in these circumstances. There is no reason for the Defense to be wary of play action.

I can’t totally fault the Offense for not executing on end of the game possessions when they are being setup to fail by the coach.

 

[jonesy5960]

KF handicaps the Offense so much by always calling for 3 runs in these circumstances. There is no reason for the Defense to be wary of play action.

I can’t totally fault the Offense for not executing on end of the game possessions when they are being setup to fail by the coach.

I'm not sure what you are saying when you say that you can't fault Kf's offense when Kf sets it up to fail. It's all Kf. At a minimum he hires the staff and sets the philosophy and agenda. Some people here believe that he's involved in most of the game time decisions including telling the OC what plays get run. Regardless of his level of involvement, he owns it and the offense is his.

 

[Shafthawk]

I mean I can’t totally blame the Offense (the players) for failure that their coach sets them up for.

 

[jonesy5960]

I mean I can’t totally blame the Offense (the players) for failure that their coach sets them up for.

I don't blame any players for anything really. They're simply a reflection of the recruiting, development, and coaching skills of the staff. Players come and go, but the staff is the common element. I think that's been reflected by consistently good defense, and consistently bad offense. That's not by coincidence. That's a reflection of a very good defensive staff and very poor offensive staff. They are all a reflection of Kirk.

 

[eyesofhawk]

KF handicaps the Offense so much by always calling for 3 runs in these circumstances. There is no reason for the Defense to be wary of play action.

I can’t totally fault the Offense for not executing on end of the game possessions when they are being setup to fail by the coach.

LMAO. You know how the previous drive stalled out? Lester trying to get cute with a play-action bomb that resulted in a sack.

Earlier in that series, around the 5 minute mark, Iowa successfully threw on 1st down. To start that series, around the 6 minute mark, Iowa unsuccessfully threw on 1st down.

Now, with less than 2 minutes to play, fans complain that Iowa didn't throw. You have a big-time punter and and one of the best defenses in the country. It's the first loss for Iowa after having led by 10 in the 2nd half since 2014.

If Iowa had dropped back to throw and Cade would have taken a sack, or fumbled, or threw an INT, you think fans would have questioned that decision? Not to mention the fact that keeping it in the ground forced ISU to use their last 2 timeouts, rather than the clock having stopped with an incompltion

 

[Shafthawk]

LMAO. You know how the previous drive stalled out? Lester trying to get cute with a play-action bomb that resulted in a sack.

Earlier in that series, around the 5 minute mark, Iowa successfully threw on 1st down. To start that series, around the 6 minute mark, Iowa unsuccessfully threw on 1st down.

Now, with less than 2 minutes to play, fans complain that Iowa didn't throw. You have a big-time punter and and one of the best defenses in the country. It's the first loss for Iowa after having led by 10 in the 2nd half since 2014.

If Iowa had dropped back to throw and Cade would have taken a sack, or fumbled, or threw an INT, you think fans would have questioned that decision? Not to mention the fact that keeping it in the ground forced ISU to use their last 2 timeouts, rather than the clock having stopped with an incompltion

LMAO. What incompletion? You either catch them over playing the run with a wide open receiver, resulting in a first down.

Or you have Cade go down if it isn’t there, resulting in the same result as trying to run into an over loaded box. No first down and the clock keeps moving.

If Cade can’t be trusted to make a quick read and then either pass it or down it, he probably shouldn’t be in the game.

Iowa State had already proved they could drive down the field with little time left at the end of the 1st half. Now, all they need is a FG and you want to put them in the exact same position, rather than ending the game on Offense?

 

[jonesy5960]

LMAO. What incompletion? You either catch them over playing the run with a wide open receiver, resulting in a first down.

Or you have Cade go down if it isn’t there, resulting in the same result as trying to run into an over loaded box. No first down and the clock keeps moving.

If Cade can’t be trusted to make a quick read and then either pass it or down it, he probably shouldn’t be in the game.

Iowa State had already proved they could drive down the field with little time left at the end of the 1st half. Now, all they need is a FG and you want to put them in the exact same position, rather than ending the game on Offense?

Offense is a necessary evil and passing the football is nothing more than the work of the devil.

Signed,

Eyesofhawk, aka Kirk

 

[amahawk]

will the hawks under KF be forced to win with a last minute offensive drive and be successful, ever again? Seems like every close game, it comes down to the defense having to stop the other team multiple times in the last 5-6 minutes of game time to win by a point or two. This is what KF believes in though.

I would settle for a last-minute drive to run out the clock and not give the ball back to the other team.

 

[hawkeyemark18]

I still struggle with how much of this is about Lester. The more things change, the more they look the same. The 2 biggest weaknesses over the last several years were passing offense and offensive line. The 2 biggest weaknesses today are the passing offense and offensive line. Kirk is the one common element in all of this. At a minimum he decides who starts at QB (same limited, guy as last year), and he retained the oline coach who over the last 4 years has overseen the development of what now is one of the most experienced olines in Iowa history. He also moved a failed QB analyst to receiving coach. Add in whatever in-game influence Kirk exerts over the offense and how much blame do you want to place on an OC who's been in place for all of 7 months?

I came away from the game thinking that for many fans the jury will seem out on Lester for awhile. I agree with the thrust of your post. The offense does look better and thought overall we played a good first half of offensive football. Kirk still manages the flow of the game and at the end of the day like we saw on Saturday we see the same old.

I sense the administration wants to see Lester succeed and understands the work in progress aspect of it. How it will all mesh with how Kirk wants to play seems an open question.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

Not much has changed since last year so far. Still haven't achieved that "not suck" level that we were all hoping they could reach.

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I wonder what it would be without Kaleb Johnson.

 

[jonesy5960]

I wonder what it would be without Kaleb Johnson.

You mean if Moulton was still the lead back? Worst in nation. Worse than last year.

 

[jonesy5960]

It's an improvement. Not a great improvement.
It was unwarranted to assume they would come out of the gate and make a big leap into mediocre.
Through the course of the year, they could get better. No guarantees.
From my perspective, if the offense breaks into the 90s at least they will have reached a level of improvement that is significant. Make it into the 70s by the end of the season and they will have made a monumental improvement. They still won't be good. But mediocre would be tremendous relative to where they were last season.

No way this offense sniffs the 70's this year as the schedule gets more difficult after this weekend. I'd be shocked if it reached the 80's. I'll be pleasantly surprised if it cracks the 90's. Maybe a change in QB creates a spark, but the current trajectory with Cade has them stuck in the 100's.

It's disappointing. Again.

 

[Thunderlips71]

Iowa hasn’t had competent QB play since Nate Stanley. At this point most of us would be happy with average, but that feels like a pipe dream.

 

[obfuscating]

Kaleb had a lot of yards which is a positive. The passing game has to be better---if Lester can't improve that quickly than we
are about where we were with Brian.

Essentially the same players on Offense, it will take Lester 2yrs to get the offense serviceable. THis year don't set your bar too high for offensive production, if we aren't in the bottom 30, it's an improvement.

 

[obfuscating]

Sticking with Cade...Cade has this year left with Iowa. Sullivan is here for 2yrs, why in the heck do you not have Sullivan running this offense, so he is experienced come 2025?!

If you are trying to win, then stop making the clock issues, stop sticking with 1 QB that is struggling (especially when you have a guy that was 60%+ last year in the BIG as a STARTER)!

 

[sober_teacher]

I think it will tell us how much leverage Lester does or doesn't have. No reasonable person plays Cade the entire game vs Troy.

As with anything, depends on the game - IF it’s a blowout and Cade is playing well, while I’d play him a little longer than I would normally prefer, I still want reps for Sullivan.

If Cade struggles again, I’d really like to see Sullivan get significant reps.

Major test for this weekend will be how much of a leash Cade has vs how much control Lester truly has over that decision.

Thru 2 games, I generally like what we’ve seen from the offense schematically…notable exception being the goal line offense last weekend obviously. We’ve had receivers get open, OL has been improved thus far. Struggles last week imo where on execution vs scheme.

Cade simply hasn’t looked confident a lot, which is affecting his mechanics and everything spirals from there. It’s bad when me, pretty darn far from knowing much about quarterback mechanics can look at some of these plays and see immediately that Cade threw off the back foot.

 

[jonesy5960]

As with anything, depends on the game - IF it’s a blowout and Cade is playing well, while I’d play him a little longer than I would normally prefer, I still want reps for Sullivan.

If Cade struggles again, I’d really like to see Sullivan get significant reps.

Major test for this weekend will be how much of a leash Cade has vs how much control Lester truly has over that decision.

Thru 2 games, I generally like what we’ve seen from the offense schematically…notable exception being the goal line offense last weekend obviously. We’ve had receivers get open, OL has been improved thus far. Struggles last week imo where on execution vs scheme.

Cade simply hasn’t looked confident a lot, which is affecting his mechanics and everything spirals from there. It’s bad when me, pretty darn far from knowing much about quarterback mechanics can look at some of these plays and see immediately that Cade threw off the back foot.

Yeah. It's not just mechanics derailing his throws. He's not seeing the field and finding open receivers. He's been bad.

 

[Champ_Kind_whammy]

In a scene with "M" Sean Connery (aka 007) is being berated on his "practice field" performance by his boss after his top agent was killed by a female double-agent. Bond responds tersely that war games are not the same thing as real action where the bullets are live. He says, "When you're in the field your adrenaline gives you an edge."
The reason I mention this seemingly unrelated anecdote is that Kirk is brilliant at identifying the 22 best practice players. But anyone who has played sports knows that there are practice studs and there are game day heroes. Sometimes they are one and the same. But coaches are paid to figure out which guy can't get it done when the bullets are flying and which guy can.
I don't think Kirk even accepts the idea that for some guys a light goes on when the bullets are real and for others it doesn't.
That, along with ego-driven stubbornness, are his achilles' heel.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

You mean if Moulton was still the lead back? Worst in nation. Worse than last year.

I thought Iowa was last in the nation last year?

😂

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

Sticking with Cade...Cade has this year left with Iowa. Sullivan is here for 2yrs, why in the heck do you not have Sullivan running this offense, so he is experienced come 2025?!

If you are trying to win, then stop making the clock issues, stop sticking with 1 QB that is struggling (especially when you have a guy that was 60%+ last year in the BIG as a STARTER)!

So, in other words, start doing things that make sense.

 

[sober_teacher]

In a scene with "M" Sean Connery (aka 007) is being berated on his "practice field" performance by his boss after his top agent was killed by a female double-agent. Bond responds tersely that war games are not the same thing as real action where the bullets are live. He says, "When you're in the field your adrenaline gives you an edge."
The reason I mention this seemingly unrelated anecdote is that Kirk is brilliant at identifying the 22 best practice players. But anyone who has played sports knows that there are practice studs and there are game day heroes. Sometimes they are one and the same. But coaches are paid to figure out which guy can't get it done when the bullets are flying and which guy can.
I don't think Kirk even accepts the idea that for some guys a light goes on when the bullets are real and for others it doesn't.
That, along with ego-driven stubbornness, are his achilles' heel.

I don’t agree with this. Kirk has shown for every other position offensively that he’ll pull a guy for poor play, and Phil does that defensively.

The idea of the poor practice player/good game player is really, really overblown. They may take it up a notch, but they’re no seeing field at all if they’re not doing something good in practice. Tho yes, some guys just freeze under the microscope, and lots of coaches, not just Kirk have trouble knowing when to pull the plug.

 

[Champ_Kind_whammy]

I don’t agree with this. Kirk has shown for every other position offensively that he’ll pull a guy for poor play, and Phil does that defensively.

The idea of the poor practice player/good game player is really, really overblown. They may take it up a notch, but they’re no seeing field at all if they’re not doing something good in practice. Tho yes, some guys just freeze under the microscope, and lots of coaches, not just Kirk have trouble knowing when to pull the plug.

I gotta be careful how I respond, but I think back to "His style is not our style". That's very much a Kirk thing. They paid 4 million dollars to some race hustlers because of that personality quirk.
Charlie Jones certainly wasn't the first player whose talents weren't utilized to their maximum affect. I want to know the name of the receivers on Kirk's team who were better than him? He was twice all big ten and treated like, "You ain't nothin special. We got a dozen other skill players just like you."
Some people attacked Fry for how he used Dwight and Banks, or better yet "misused" them so this topic is not unique to any one coach.
But I do think Kirk got burned badly 18 yrs ago when they brought in the "city boyz" and he over-reacted with, "Screw your social media accounts and smile when I tell you to smile!!"
I'm gonna stick with my original sentiment. Kirk doesn't like when someone says, "You played the wrong QB in 2014 and 2007".
I've heard Kirk say in interviews "I'm not perfect and I make mistakes". But I don't think he believes that. And I don't blame you for what you're gonna say in reaction to that.

 

[sober_teacher]

I gotta be careful how I respond, but I think back to "His style is not our style". That's very much a Kirk thing. They paid 4 million dollars to some race hustlers because of that personality quirk.
Charlie Jones certainly wasn't the first player whose talents weren't utilized to their maximum affect. I want to know the name of the receivers on Kirk's team who were better than him? He was twice all big ten and treated like, "You ain't nothin special. We got a dozen other skill players just like you."
Some people attacked Fry for how he used Dwight and Banks, or better yet "misused" them so this topic is not unique to any one coach.
But I do think Kirk got burned badly 18 yrs ago when they brought in the "city boyz" and he over-reacted with, "Screw your social media accounts and smile when I tell you to smile!!"
I'm gonna stick with my original sentiment. Kirk doesn't like when someone says, "You played the wrong QB in 2014 and 2007".
I've heard Kirk say in interviews "I'm not perfect and I make mistakes". But I don't think he believes that. And I don't blame you for what you're gonna say in reaction to that.

I feel like that’s different than just being stubborn regarding who he sticks with at times - the so-called union card.

If I understand you right, this has more to do with not finding ways to adjust the scheme to the guys we have? If yes, I agree 100%, especially with the receivers especially, and to the quarterbacks as well. Passing game has long struggled because for years they’ve tied to fit square pegs into round holes.

Thus far, it seems like Lester is much better in this respect, but I’m curious to see how the situation with Cade evolves. If Cade gets going, well and good. If he continues to struggle? If they stick with him still, and Sullivan doesn’t see the field at all, then I just plain give up.

 

[Champ_Kind_whammy]

I feel like that’s different than just being stubborn regarding who he sticks with at times - the so-called union card.

If I understand you right, this has more to do with not finding ways to adjust the scheme to the guys we have? If yes, I agree 100%, especially with the receivers especially, and to the quarterbacks as well. Passing game has long struggled because for years they’ve tied to fit square pegs into round holes.

Thus far, it seems like Lester is much better in this respect, but I’m curious to see how the situation with Cade evolves. If Cade gets going, well and good. If he continues to struggle? If they stick with him still, and Sullivan doesn’t see the field at all, then I just plain give up.

My take.
You're a QB, a starter, because you're great in practice. It's game day and you're not doing too well. Maybe, just maybe if I pull you out and put in your backup he'll show me something I don't see Mon-Friday. Maybe not. Maybe he'll suck, just like in practice, but the only way for us to know if he sucks is to put him in.
What you don't do is play Vandeberg ever snap in 2012. Even if the backups are all in wheel chairs you send a message to the rest of the team that sucking has consequences, and that means you get pulled for a series, or a game or a season.
Now if you wanna blame Greg Davis ... fine ... THEN FIRE HIS ASS AT SEASON'S END. But that didn't happen did it.
The point is simple. Davis was a place-holder, which is a moral failing in itself. And Vandeberg wasn't pulled because someone MIGHT look better than him, and we can't have "controversy".

This is where you reply with, "Champ you want answers?"
And I loudly reply, "I want the TRUTH!!"
And you come back with, "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!"

 

[jonesy5960]

Sticking with Cade...Cade has this year left with Iowa. Sullivan is here for 2yrs, why in the heck do you not have Sullivan running this offense, so he is experienced come 2025?!

If you are trying to win, then stop making the clock issues, stop sticking with 1 QB that is struggling (especially when you have a guy that was 60%+ last year in the BIG as a STARTER)!

I'm sure Kirk is confident that they can fix this.

 

[sober_teacher]

My take.
You're a QB, a starter, because you're great in practice. It's game day and you're not doing too well. Maybe, just maybe if I pull you out and put in your backup he'll show me something I don't see Mon-Friday. Maybe not. Maybe he'll suck, just like in practice, but the only way for us to know if he sucks is to put him in.
What you don't do is play Vandeberg ever snap in 2012. Even if the backups are all in a wheel chairs you send a message to the rest of the team that sucking has consequences, and that means you get pulled for a series, or a game or a season.
Now if you wanna blame Greg Davis ... fine ... THEN FIRE HIS ASS AT SEASON'S END. But that didn't happen did it.
The point is simple. Davis was a place-holder, which is a moral failing in itself. And Vandeberg wasn't pulled because someone MIGHT look better than him, and we can't have "controversy".

This is where you reply with, "Champ you want answers?"
And I loudly reply, "I want the TRUTH!!"
And you come back with, "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!"

To an extent, I agree…but if that backup has shown you nothing in practice? That’s a different animal. 2012 remains perplexing on so many levels.

Disagree that Davis was a placeholder…him and Kirk simply weren’t a great fit, but Kirk doesn’t fire coaches and Davis did a great job in 2015 in particular. 2012 I give somewhat of a break on given that they started 4-2 before the OL got decimated with injuries.

 

[eyesofhawk]

LMAO. What incompletion? You either catch them over playing the run with a wide open receiver, resulting in a first down.

Or you have Cade go down if it isn’t there, resulting in the same result as trying to run into an over loaded box. No first down and the clock keeps moving.

If Cade can’t be trusted to make a quick read and then either pass it or down it, he probably shouldn’t be in the game.

Iowa State had already proved they could drive down the field with little time left at the end of the 1st half. Now, all they need is a FG and you want to put them in the exact same position, rather than ending the game on Offense?

Wow, lol.

No, Cade taking a knee would not be the same result as running into a loaded box. Taking a knee would result in a 4 yard loss at the very least. It could also get Cade clocked. When have you ever seen anyone do this?

I get the argument of being aggressive, but your backup plan is to lose yardage. It defeats your own argument that ISU was a threat to score. If so, why would you give them yardage by downing the ball for a loss?

This was Iowa's first time losing with a 10 point lead in the 2nd half since 2014. Running clock and putting it in the hands of the defense has been tried and true. Btw, ISU was in "the exact same position" on their previous drive and didn't score.

This is how football has been played for 150 years (even without a great defense). I get that some pro teams will throw in this situation at times these days. They have better skill players. Their opponents are a bigger threat if given the ball because they have better skill players. And most teams don't have a D as dominant (vs it's level of competition) as Iowa does.

I get that fans don't like how it turned out. But there just isn't any reason for KF to be getting beat up for playing it the way he did. Again, fans would also complain if Iowa lost because KF decided to pass and it resulted in a sack, INT, fumble, or incompletion to stop the clock

 

[QChawks]

 

[binsfeldcyhawk2]

Not much has changed since last year so far. Still haven't achieved that "not suck" level that we were all hoping they could reach.

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That's about a 20 spot bump from last year right?

We have to give Lester time. If we go from the 130th ranked offense the last two years to lets say between 90-100 this year I'll be satisfied. I'll hope for more but Rome wasn't built in a day.

 

[sober_teacher]

That's about a 20 spot bump from last year right?

We have to give Lester time. If we go from the 130th ranked offense the last two years to lets say between 90-100 this year I'll be satisfied. I'll hope for more but Rome wasn't built in a day.

Honestly, the surprise of the season so far has been how off Cade has looked for the most part. I expected inconsistent play as they got into game mode, but his mechanics have been terrible at times.

 

[binsfeldcyhawk2]

Honestly, the surprise of the season so far has been how off Cade has looked for the most part. I expected inconsistent play as they got into game mode, but his mechanics have been terrible at times.

The inaccuracy is what's troubling to me. Consistently underthrowing and off target.

Said in another thread...when I looked at his game footage from 2021 at Michigan I thought we were getting a guy that was accurate and threw a real catchable ball.

Maybe the multiple injuries have just screwed up his mechanics.

 

[sober_teacher]

The inaccuracy is what's troubling to me. Consistently underthrowing and off target.

Said in another thread...when I looked at his game footage from 2021 at Michigan I thought we were getting a guy that was accurate and threw a real catchable ball.

Maybe the multiple injuries have just screwed up his mechanics.

He just doesn’t look like he trusts his body and can’t relax on most of his throws.

When his mechanics have been good, the accuracy has been there.

 

[binsfeldcyhawk2]

He just doesn’t look like he trusts his body and can’t relax on most of his throws.

When his mechanics have been good, the accuracy has been there.

Looking at last weeks highlights it looks like most of his success was in the shot gun and quick throws.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

more wheel routes and screens. If the qb doesn't tuck and run a few times a game, we'll never be even an average offense.

 

[TampaHawkfan]

That's about a 20 spot bump from last year right?

We have to give Lester time. If we go from the 130th ranked offense the last two years to lets say between 90-100 this year I'll be satisfied. I'll hope for more but Rome wasn't built in a day.

Agreed. I wasn't expecting miracles this year, especially not right away. I'm just looking for a marked improvement from a year ago, though it may take some time. If we get to late in the year and it still looks awful, then I will probably be more critical. So far, I thought the offense looked decent at times, and pretty awful at times. Guess I'm not shocked by any of that. I still think the offense is in better hands than it was under BF, or so I hope. Hard NOT to improve on that mess.

 

[binsfeldcyhawk2]

Agreed. I wasn't expecting miracles this year, especially not right away. I'm just looking for a marked improvement from a year ago, though it may take some time. If we get to late in the year and it still looks awful, then I will probably be more critical. So far, I thought the offense looked decent at times, and pretty awful at times. Guess I'm not shocked by any of that. I still think the offense is in better hands than it was under BF, or so I hope. Hard NOT to improve on that mess.

First qtr looked pretty damned good...fell apart after that.

 

[sober_teacher]

First qtr looked pretty damned good...fell apart after that.

I’ll be thrilled if they can come close to 200 yards per game for the season.

 

[binsfeldcyhawk2]

I’ll be thrilled if they can come close to 200 yards per game for the season.

Passing? Agree...if that's overall we're screwed .

 

[sober_teacher]

Passing? Agree...if that's overall we're screwed .

I meant rushing.

I’m not expecting major numbers passing wise due to the lack of impact players at receiving but I think we’ve seen promise there. Simply need Cade or Sullivan to be consistent delivering the ball.

 

[Champ_Kind_whammy]

I don't blame any players for anything really. They're simply a reflection of the recruiting, development, and coaching skills of the staff. Players come and go, but the staff is the common element. I think that's been reflected by consistently good defense, and consistently bad offense. That's not by coincidence. That's a reflection of a very good defensive staff and very poor offensive staff. They are all a reflection of Kirk.

The above is how I feel. I may want a player pulled because he isn't getting the job done, but I don't dislike him just because there is someone better sitting on the bench who isn't in the game. Now if a starter sucks and he is the best available at that position, then that is 100% on the coach and not on the player. As you said, it all comes back to the coaches and their ability to assemble talent and execute a strategy. Kirk is pretty good in 2 out of 3 areas. Fans are justified in wondering why he liked to take a knee at the end of the first half, why he liked to punt from the opponents 35 yard line and why it upset him when his players "ran up the score". There is no such thing as running up the score. The offense has one job to do, SCORE POINTS. If the opponent's defense can't stop you, that's on them, not on you.