It was definitely a frustrating year....

[cmhawks99]

(Disclaimer: I will be posting some of my thoughts on the year in here. But for those of you that don't like to hear what I have to say or like the "didn't read too long sentiment...." don't bother starting. I would encourage anyone else that had anecdotal thoughts or ideas about the oddity of the season to join along.....)

Pretty much nationwide and of course Iowa in particular. Every year though I notice some interesting things that help me keep my perspective and ultimately my sanity.

First things first and kind of a switch from what you guys are used to from me; the Penn State game, I'm not kidding I literally thought I was about to have a heart attack. In fact the game became secondary I got so concerned. And yes I was frustrated when we lost but the real frustration didn't set in until the next week. I am still convinced Michigan State is really not that good a football team. They win games on smoke & mirrors more than any team in America. I assure you their fans get just as pissed off and frustrated about their team and their offense as you guys do.

Then of course there's Northwestern and I, like you guys can't stand Northwestern and there's Pat Fitzgerald and his whole entire staff in shorts acting like douche bags during the Maryland game. I don't know if any of you guys saw that but honestly they are all a bunch of meat head, rah rah weight lifters....but back on point they are the same team as Iowa & MSU...a couple years ago I read their message board several weeks in a row and they badly wanted him & the whole entire staff fired. In fact they can't stand their offensive coordinator strange Huh?

But here is the thing about those three teams Iowa, Michigan State & Northwestern...they all three basically have had the most sustained competitiveness they've ever had in their history. Michigan State might've had some really strong years back I think in the 50s or 60s but quite frankly all three of those teams are historically the best they've ever been and yet all three fan bases regularly want their coaches fired!?

Now the Purdue game holy crap I can't even begin to discuss that game, what an oddit!y I can only assume we were still devastated from the Wisconsin debacle.....

And on that Wisconsin debacle, I was at that game. Literally the first Iowa game I've seen in person in 20+ years & we played the whole entire first half inside our 20 yard line mostly inside the 15. There was one fumble that we did nothing with but honestly if we had even a reasonable punting game that's a completely different game.

(Side note:ate at a hole in the wall place in New Glarus kind of a bar restaurant type deal and it was awesome )

Which on the special teams note, we had great special teams coverage this year punting & kick off both. We had a great kick off game & a great field goal game. But our punting game on returns & punting both was absolutely miserable. It literally cost us a couple games and although yes I get it...it's the coaches job to field a competitive unit. But quite frankly there is hardly anything they can do if they don't have the guy...I'm a Matt Vandenberg fan but honestly him not fielding about five or 8 punts completely changed the outcome of the Wisconsin game but also probably the Purdue game and maybe the Northwestern game, I honestly can't remember for sure...

We also had some of the most explosive play makers out on the edge we've had in several years and yet they regularly let us down! Noah Fant is a future NFL player but man alive did he drop some really important balls, Vandeberg dropped really important balls, Easley's our most reliable and he dropped some really important balls and ISM is maybe the most explosive receiver we've had in a while and Lord Almighty did he drop a ton of of important balls.

On kind of a side anecdote, I did not watch one single snap live for the Ohio State game & only a few plays in the first half of the Nebraska game. I work Saturdays and depending on how many cars I have to appraise and how many deals I have to work or potential problems. I usually don't get to watch them play live much anyway, but those particular games I completely tuned out for various reasons, frustration mostly and look what happened I guess maybe I'm the problem.....LOL


I have some more thoughts but I thought I had to break it up ....

 

[cmhawks99]

Other thoughts....I'm watching the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay play as we speak and honestly what is the cosmic force that takes a team who literally has not been able to move the ball pretty much all game. They get behind and suddenly they march down the field like they're playing against Fairfield middle school....WTH! See these are the kind of things that we're up against as Iowa fans & football fans in general. Just quirky crazy stuff like that happens all the time. And for teams like Iowa or Wisconsin or pick your second tier power five conference team that is on the edge all the time.... it takes some crazy fortuitous bounces to finally break through.

The NFL is even more of a disaster than college football...who really is or isn't any good? I'm assuming New England is the real deal but Pittsburgh, hell they're just like Iowa, up-and-down from week to week and wouldn't it be fitting that they're one of my favorite teams. And Mike Tomlin is a stud but he's another one that is constantly being criticized....

Andy Reid is another awesome coach but man have he and Kansas City have absolutely fallen off the map...

A couple years ago Bruce Arians was the toast of football and was s genius, now here we are & he's just struggling...

Pete Carroll is another guy who's hard to understand, and Seattle is the picture of inconsistency...

It has taken several years for Sean Payton to get himself back to the pinnacle and again here's another guy that was considered a guru..

Our fans have often times been critical of kids that we had leave but I don't know if any of you noticed recently Texas has had a ton of players transfer out. And I was reading an article recently about players Michigan and Michigan State have had transfer out… A pretty shocking number honestly. Bottom line is it's going to happen.

And on that note...Derek Willies promptly went to Texas Tech and had some injuries and some disciplinary problems and never ever did much...

Frank Darby went to Arizona State because he could play right away and guess what...just like Iowa told him he still had to sit out his freshman year.... he did play in a few games and did decent this year but still wasn't a difference maker yet...

Eno Benjamin went to Arizona State and now will be playing for a different coach and oh by the way certainly didn't perform better in his freshman year than did Torrin young or IKM.....

By the way Arizona State fires Todd Graham… Of whom I'm not much of a fan, but honestly he's had more success there than they've had in years and years and years...honestly fan pressure is getting to the point it's stupid...

Michigan along with someone else I don't remember who it was still has yet to beat a team with a winning record....

And oh by the way for all the accolades Jimbo gets for making JR Rudock a "great" quarterback he sure has struggled with his own guys LOL

 

[Birdmanil]

I'm honestly not that frustrated from the record standpoint, Vegas had us at 6.5 wins before the season and I was thinking we could be an 8 win team and still can be if we win the bowl game. I really didn't expect us to be winning more than 8 this year. I was upset at the losses to Michigan st and Northwestern, especially considering if the Hawkeye team that came out for OSU and Nebraska came out for those games we would have won. Purdue game was by far the low point for me, for this season.

but overall I'm looking at the posisitves. We won 3 out 4 rivalry games and we beat the hated buckeyes. We had young tackles who are going to get better, a new qb, a relatively young defensive line who'll get better and unknown corners whom had a stud rise up.

When you look at the positions that were inexperienced that could have easily been a formula for a shit the bed season.

Though I personally hate the bowl selection I want to leave with one positive note about the bowl game. It's being played during the holidays in New York, a drives distance from Wadleys family. A guy who went under the radar, was put into the doghouse because of early fumble issues, but came on strong these last couple of years to make pivotal plays against Michigan and Iowa St. I'm hoping his family can make it to the game and he balls out one last time.

Let's get a bowl win and let the frustration subside

 

[TonyTheTiger.1865]

Fitz owns Ferentz! Fitz is a much better coach!

 

[cmhawks99]

If we hadn't choked off the Purdue game everybody would be in a lot better mood. I know it's easy to say that but is everyone aware we played the six best schedule in the country..... we played six teams that won 9+ games & beat seven and five Iowa State that beat to top five teams...& like us was one of the most competitive teams in the nation. Purdue game aside and complete and utter inability to move the ball against Wisconsin. I'm not that put off by the season we have more young talent than we have ever had, if we had a decent punter and we caught a few more footballs wed be talking about a potential top 15 teams next year, and at least two more wins this year....

Other thoughts… I don't know if any of you guys have noticed but it is literally remarkable the amount of times teams, NFL in particular, throw under the sticks on third down. I started watching a few years ago because so many fans on multiple message boards constantly complain about it. But it literally happens I'll say 80% of the time...mostly because that's where they're defending. Past the first down marker.....

Here's another interesting thing I've noticed....how many times have we heard people complain about the cornerback being 7+ yards off the ball. I remember it a ton clear back to the 80s and 90s when Hayden was here. Yet I have to tell you, literally every single team spends great portions of the game defending wide receivers 7+ yards off the ball....EVERY TEAM

On a completely unrelated note I am literally shocked at how disorganized and poor the basketball team is.

Is it not crazy that five games ago Auburn destroyed Georgia and now yesterday the script was completely flipped? You talk about a "that's football…" Moment

Or how about we beat Ohio State by 31 Wisconsin beat us by 24 & for the most part had Ohio State not missed a couple Deep Throws that were right there.... they would've won by three touchdowns last nite....

There have been a myriad of crazy things happening in football this year Ill add more when I remember them...

 

[cmhawks99]

Fitz owns Ferentz! Fitz is a much better coach!

Well a couple years ago Iowa had won three straight and I think they thought KF owned him, kind of a silly statement.... but for all intents and purposes all it does is further my point. It's Ludicrous how often fans call for the heads of good coaches.

 

[Birdmanil]

Fitz owns Ferentz! Fitz is a much better coach!

Hyperbole?

 

[soybean]

Fitz owns Ferentz! Fitz is a much better coach!