Lester+Budmayr > Ferentz+Copeland

[GunnerHawk]

Our offense was poor the last few years, actually bad. With that said, we needed positive change and I think these two hires will get us there. I know the naysayers will piss and moan, they whine about everything Kirk goes. I am willing to see how it goes. Can't be any worse.

Why the optimism?

Lester's offense is still aligned to a degree with what Iowa ran previously. Significant change can be unsettling to current players. He uses TE's which is critical at Iowa. He also wants to run the ball, another critical component of our offense. He spreads his WR's out to improve spacing and open the middle of the field to run the ball and for slants. Weather is always an issue come late October, so pass first offenses struggle later in the season.

I see Budmayr being the head phones guy on the field with Lester in the press box. His OC/QB experience will be helpful during gameday.

Read a column from a Western Michigan reporter who said Lester was a good recruiter. Budmayr seems to have the ability to connect to recruits also. They are from the Chicago area so they should help us in that area. Not to mention Lester and Budmayr have coached in the midwest for most of their career so they should strengthen our recruiting in the midwest.

The fact that almost half of Big Ten teams have QB's as WR coaches (I believe I read 8), should show that you don't need a WR to coach that position.

Kirk is right when he says synergy between coaches is critical. I trust Kirk to know whether someone can coach.

Sorry for the positive post to all the Debbie Downers.

Go Hawks!

 

[obfuscating]

Copeland couldn't bring in talent, now we expect a guy that has never coached WR's, not proven himself in the least at his "QB gift from heaven" status, to elevate a dead horse WR room? Can't wait to see all the D3 talent we get.

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

While the OP’s thread title is technically correct, it doesn’t quite tell the whole story. There was absolutely no way KF could replace the worst OC/QB coach in college football history with anybody worse. And while I am OK with the Lester hire, the Buttmary hire just screams complacency when our WR room is an absolute terrible shape.

 

[ButtersHawk]

While the OP’s thread title is technically correct, it doesn’t quite tell the whole story. There was absolutely no way KF could replace the worst OC/QB coach in college football history with anybody worse. And while I am OK with the Lester hire, the Buttmary hire just screams complacency when our WR room is an absolute terrible shape.

I agree I am also OK with Lester, very disappointed about Budmayr. OP's title is correct but I will argue we DO NOT need better recruiting in Illinois. We need better and more consistent recruiting in Texas, Florida, Georgia, and the south in general.

 

[ghostOfHomer777]

The biggest issue change may lie in the minds of the players.

Brian and Kelton arguably lost the hearts and minds of the players on O (as a whole). If you lose your players (or rather, the confidence of your players) ... then the seeds of that doubt end up permeating everything.

The psychology of hope is critical for guys when they're making those pushes for improvement ... or in following the mantra of "trust the process." The idea being that if they keep at it ... they'll improve and rewards will be reaped as a result.

With the new staff ... it's possible that they may not be "formally" better in any way. However, if it changes how the offensive players approach things ... and if they (the players) genuinely have more hope and belief in the system ... then change can occur nonetheless!

Of course, that said, I think that Brian DID have genuine difficulty relating to how QBs see the field. Furthermore, Kelton clearly had issues managing egos of WRs. If Budmayr can leverage his understanding of QB-play in order to help WRs be on the same page as their QB ... then part of the battle is won. The other part will be managing egos and getting them to be more consistent catching the damn ball!

 

[TailgateTom]

Both hires are awful. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

I agree I am also OK with Lester, very disappointed about Budmayr. OP's title is correct but I will argue we DO NOT need better recruiting in Illinois. We need better and more consistent recruiting in Texas, Florida, Georgia, and the south in general.

I’m willing to give Lester a chance.

As you rightly point out, recruiting is the issue. Copeland couldn’t convince much P5 WR talent to come block for Iowa, but somehow Bud will? Lol. C’mon.

To me, if you weren’t going to attempt to bring in a coach who might actually move the needle in the way of WR recruiting and performance, what was the point of firing Copeland? I’m not suggesting Copeland should have not been fired (he among a couple others should have been), but the point still stands.

So, if I got things straight, had Kirk had his way, the only change to the coaching staff this offseason would have just been Copeland (so he could promote his buddy Bud)? George and Brian were just fine. It was just Copeland that was holding the offense back, correct? I mean, according to Kirkthink, that’s what we are to believe, right?

I wish some of the fans who can’t ever seem to detach their lips from Kirk’s nutsack would take just a minute to pause and reflect on that for just a minute. One minute.

Oh, and when a team is statistically the worst in offense in college football and fans voice agreement that they are, that is not being a Debbie Downer. That is simply acknowledging the facts. Why that continues to be controversial to some is beyond me.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

Both hires are awful. Hope I'm wrong.

The Lester hire was very underwhelming. We’ll see how it pans out.

The Bud hire speaks for itself.

****ing joke.

 

[jonesy5960]

Nobody knows how this will all pan out. The only thing that the last few years have confirmed is that change is anathema to Kirk. He didn't want anybody new in the program and he's done everything possible to ensure that the worst offense in football had minimal new personnel and ideas. He was forced to bring in a new OC by Goetz. He made sure that every other position was filled internally.

 

[ObeseMuffins]

Copeland got fired cause he publicly criticized the offense philosophy.

 

[aflachawk]

Our offense was poor the last few years, actually bad. With that said, we needed positive change and I think these two hires will get us there. I know the naysayers will piss and moan, they whine about everything Kirk goes. I am willing to see how it goes. Can't be any worse.

Why the optimism?

Lester's offense is still aligned to a degree with what Iowa ran previously. Significant change can be unsettling to current players. He uses TE's which is critical at Iowa. He also wants to run the ball, another critical component of our offense. He spreads his WR's out to improve spacing and open the middle of the field to run the ball and for slants. Weather is always an issue come late October, so pass first offenses struggle later in the season.

I see Budmayr being the head phones guy on the field with Lester in the press box. His OC/QB experience will be helpful during gameday.

Read a column from a Western Michigan reporter who said Lester was a good recruiter. Budmayr seems to have the ability to connect to recruits also. They are from the Chicago area so they should help us in that area. Not to mention Lester and Budmayr have coached in the midwest for most of their career so they should strengthen our recruiting in the midwest.

The fact that almost half of Big Ten teams have QB's as WR coaches (I believe I read 8), should show that you don't need a WR to coach that position.

Kirk is right when he says synergy between coaches is critical. I trust Kirk to know whether someone can coach.

Sorry for the positive post to all the Debbie Downers.

Go Hawks!

Thanks for actually waiting for data before making decision. What a concept. That being said, like you I feel good about both hires

 

[Hawk_4shur]

I wish some of the fans who can’t ever seem to detach their lips from Kirk’s nutsack would take just a minute to pause and reflect on that for just a minute. One minute.

Oh, and when a team is statistically the worst in offense in college football and fans voice agreement that they are, that is not being a Debbie Downer. That is simply acknowledging the facts. Why that continues to be controversial to some is beyond me.

I certainly don't see many, or maybe any, posts that celebrate the things KF has done this off-season, or what the offense did in 2023. I see optimists and pessimists. I am mostly an optimist, or just a realist in my own mind.

So, I reflected on your post for a minute. One minute ....

You raise a good point. Now what?

 

[ButtersHawk]

Copeland got fired cause he publicly criticized the offense philosophy.

Yeah was his comment basically "it's hard to recruit WRs here"?
I thought McNutt would be a good hire but some on here have said he has called out the offense on social media. I don't have social media so I don't know if that's true or not

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

I certainly don't see many, or maybe any, posts that celebrate the things KF has done this off-season, or what the offense did in 2023. I see optimists and pessimists. I am mostly an optimist, or just a realist in my own mind.

So, I reflected on your post for a minute. One minute ....

You raise a good point. Now what?

Lol. You overlooked the first part of that sentence. (Unless you are admitting something to the rest of us. 😂)

Now what? We pray to the Invisible Sky Wizard that our skepticism is all wrong and that the Iowa offense is now on the fast track to the lofty goal of mediocrity. An average offense would tickle a lot of Hawk fans’ pickles.

 

[BHoppy]

Lol. You overlooked the first part of that sentence. (Unless you are admitting something to the rest of us. 😂)

Now what? We pray to the Invisible Sky Wizard that our skepticism is all wrong and that the Iowa offense is now on the fast track to the lofty goal of mediocrity. An average offense would tickle a lot of Hawk fans’ pickles.

You may be right and may be wrong. Who really knows. Am I excited about the hires. Not really. But do we have a choice now. Nope, we have to let it play out and see what happens. Then you can either gloat about how right you were or accept that it worked. I doubt you will accept it.

I do not think you will be happy until KF is gone. But then again, you probably will not be happy with who they hire.

i hope they are successful, if not, then congrats.

 

[Steamboat529529]

I disagree on talent. Hell Brian had Chuck Sizzle as a back up receiver and Chuck became a first team all american. It was the coaching and scheme.

 

[GunnerHawk]

I certainly don't see many, or maybe any, posts that celebrate the things KF has done this off-season, or what the offense did in 2023. I see optimists and pessimists. I am mostly an optimist, or just a realist in my own mind.

So, I reflected on your post for a minute. One minute ....

You raise a good point. Now what?

I'll take a shot at next steps.

1. Lester will be spending a lot of time meeting with asst. coaches. Budmayr - discuss QB's and WR's. Strengths and areas of concern
Barnett - O-line areas of concern, what blocking schemes for Lesters offense. He should also discuss traing with Brathwaite. Betts has a solid stable of RB's, develop strategies to get our backs into open spacing (toss sweeps, screens, and pass plays). Hodge also has some solid TE talent. Lachey's return was huge and Ostrenga should continue to improve. Discuss how TE's fit Lester's offense.

2. Lester will be implementing his RBO (Relationships Before Opportunity) approach with the players. Building strong relationships before and during spring ball will be critical. I expect there may be some fall out and transfers, always happens with change.

3. Spring practice and kids day should provide our first insight into what kind of changes will be made. Not having Cade in spring ball, limits what we might see in the fall. It will be interesting to see how Hill and Lainez progress this spring.

We will then have a better feel.

 

[Bow.to.the.Narrative]

Our offense was poor the last few years, actually bad. With that said, we needed positive change and I think these two hires will get us there. I know the naysayers will piss and moan, they whine about everything Kirk goes. I am willing to see how it goes. Can't be any worse.

Why the optimism?

Lester's offense is still aligned to a degree with what Iowa ran previously. Significant change can be unsettling to current players. He uses TE's which is critical at Iowa. He also wants to run the ball, another critical component of our offense. He spreads his WR's out to improve spacing and open the middle of the field to run the ball and for slants. Weather is always an issue come late October, so pass first offenses struggle later in the season.

I see Budmayr being the head phones guy on the field with Lester in the press box. His OC/QB experience will be helpful during gameday.

Read a column from a Western Michigan reporter who said Lester was a good recruiter. Budmayr seems to have the ability to connect to recruits also. They are from the Chicago area so they should help us in that area. Not to mention Lester and Budmayr have coached in the midwest for most of their career so they should strengthen our recruiting in the midwest.

The fact that almost half of Big Ten teams have QB's as WR coaches (I believe I read 8), should show that you don't need a WR to coach that position.

Kirk is right when he says synergy between coaches is critical. I trust Kirk to know whether someone can coach.

Sorry for the positive post to all the Debbie Downers.

Go Hawks!

McNutt was a QB converted to a successful WR. Would have been perfect for the job. Kirk has lost it if he really passed on him.

 

[BHoppy]

I'll take a shot at next steps.

1. Lester will be spending a lot of time meeting with asst. coaches. Budmayr - discuss QB's and WR's. Strengths and areas of concern
Barnett - O-line areas of concern, what blocking schemes for Lesters offense. He should also discuss traing with Brathwaite. Betts has a solid stable of RB's, develop strategies to get our backs into open spacing (toss sweeps, screens, and pass plays). Hodge also has some solid TE talent. Lachey's return was huge and Ostrenga should continue to improve. Discuss how TE's fit Lester's offense.

2. Lester will be implementing his RBO (Relationships Before Opportunity) approach with the players. Building strong relationships before and during spring ball will be critical. I expect there may be some fall out and transfers, always happens with change.

3. Spring practice and kids day should provide our first insight into what kind of changes will be made. Not having Cade in spring ball, limits what we might see in the fall. It will be interesting to see how Hill and Lainez progress this spring.

We will then have a better feel.

Not sure what you are saying here. With a new offense and probably new verbiage, I would hope they would be putting the new system in the spring. Even without Cade practicing. The more practice they have with the new system is better for all the players. If they have to rely on another QB besides Cade, they better be ready.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

McNutt was a QB converted to a successful WR. Would have been perfect for the job. Kirk has lost it if he really passed on him.

McNutt has one year of coaching experience I believe, and was the Indoor Football League. So, basically he has zero coaching experience with 11 man football.

Coaching is much different than playing.

He may become a very successful coach one day, but hiring him now was certainly not a no-brainer.

 

[GunnerHawk]

Not sure what you are saying here. With a new offense and probably new verbiage, I would hope they would be putting the new system in the spring. Even without Cade practicing. The more practice they have with the new system is better for all the players. If they have to rely on another QB besides Cade, they better be ready.

Lester will be implementing a new offense but I expect there will be pieces from the previous regime used and a lot of Lester's offense added.

 

[myteamcanbeatupyourteam]

While the OP’s thread title is technically correct, it doesn’t quite tell the whole story. There was absolutely no way KF could replace the worst OC/QB coach in college football history with anybody worse. And while I am OK with the Lester hire, the Buttmary hire just screams complacency when our WR room is an absolute terrible shape.

Not exactly true. He could have hired a poster from this board. That definitely would have been way worse than BF.

 

[RagnarLothbrok]

You may be right and may be wrong. Who really knows. Am I excited about the hires. Not really. But do we have a choice now. Nope, we have to let it play out and see what happens. Then you can either gloat about how right you were or accept that it worked. I doubt you will accept it.

I do not think you will be happy until KF is gone. But then again, you probably will not be happy with who they hire.

i hope they are successful, if not, then congrats.

To be clear, I love Iowa football.

I want to be wrong in the worst way.

 

[obfuscating]

Copeland got fired cause he publicly criticized the offense philosophy.

Then KF should resign as he publicly stated that turnovers are THE thing that can kill a team. Then he left DH in there after multiple turnovers.

Time to walk away KF.

 

[jonesy5960]

Not exactly true. He could have hired a poster from this board. That definitely would have been way worse than BF.

I'm not convinced by your argument.

 

[ButtersHawk]

McNutt has one year of coaching experience I believe, and was the Indoor Football League. So, basically he has zero coaching experience with 11 man football.

Coaching is much different than playing.

He may become a very successful coach one day, but hiring him now was certainly not a no-brainer.

McNutt has coached at Coe as well. You still have a valid point, very limited experience wise.
Brandon Smith and Ihmir Smith-Marsette went to McNutt for workouts in the offseason though, take that for what you will.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

McNutt has coached at Coe as well. You still have a valid point, very limited experience wise.
Brandon Smith and Ihmir Smith-Marsette went to McNutt for workouts in the offseason though, take that for what you will.

Yeah, missed that. Better.

Just not a no-brainer.

 

[pistachio1999]

Copeland got fired cause he publicly criticized the offense philosophy.

Can you post a link to that video. tweet or quote in whatever form?

 

[uihawk82]

Sorry for the positive post to all the Debbie Downers.

Go Hawks!

I am optimistic about Lester but Budmyar as WR coach, give me a break. Does he really know how WRs should move to get off the LOS or how their footwork should be for making cuts.

Maybe a real WR as a WR Coach would be better at doing that especially if he has already been a successful WR coach at one of the 180+ FBS and FCS schools.

There has to be several better candidates for WR coach. Now Budmyar can read a lot of books about coaching and helping WRs but our WR group is really poor or inexperienced so not a time to hire a "maybe he can do it" kind of guy

 

[uihawk82]

Copeland got fired cause he publicly criticized the offense philosophy.

I am not questioning your comment but what did Copeland say, when and where (what outlet) did he say this at? I am curious because you dont hear much behind the scenes stuff from Fort Kinnick

 

[uihawk82]

I disagree on talent. Hell Brian had Chuck Sizzle as a back up receiver and Chuck became a first team all american. It was the coaching and scheme.

Coaching and talent evaluation for sure. Brian's play calling rhythm/selection left a lot to be desired.

 

[uihawk82]

I'll take a shot at next steps.

1. Lester will be spending a lot of time meeting with asst. coaches. Budmayr - discuss QB's and WR's. Strengths and areas of concern
Barnett - O-line areas of concern, what blocking schemes for Lesters offense. He should also discuss traing with Brathwaite. Betts has a solid stable of RB's, develop strategies to get our backs into open spacing (toss sweeps, screens, and pass plays). Hodge also has some solid TE talent. Lachey's return was huge and Ostrenga should continue to improve. Discuss how TE's fit Lester's offense.

2. Lester will be implementing his RBO (Relationships Before Opportunity) approach with the players. Building strong relationships before and during spring ball will be critical. I expect there may be some fall out and transfers, always happens with change.

3. Spring practice and kids day should provide our first insight into what kind of changes will be made. Not having Cade in spring ball, limits what we might see in the fall. It will be interesting to see how Hill and Lainez progress this spring.

We will then have a better feel.

I dont see where you mentioned Lester watching a lot of game film. He will be watching a lot, as he said he was going to, and he will see a lot of weaknesses. But I am hoping he knows how to scheme and set up formations and plays to make the offense better, even with much the same personnel, along with Proctor.

 

[cleotishaywood]

Budmayr did NOTHING to improve our QB situation so what qualifications does he have to be a receivers coach? I hope it turns out better than when Kirk thought an unproven coordinator with no expeience would be a success.

 

[Rambler Hawk]

McNutt has coached at Coe as well. You still have a valid point, very limited experience wise.
Brandon Smith and Ihmir Smith-Marsette went to McNutt for workouts in the offseason though, take that for what you will.

Maybe McNutt can be hired as a consultant to JB?🤔

 

[ButtersHawk]

Maybe McNutt can be hired as a consultant to JB?🤔

I think a good move for KF would be to open a GA spot for a former WR. Go get a guy that played 2 or 3 years in the NFL or something similar.

Not a great example but maybe a Kevin Kasper type. Someone who was productive at a G5/P5 level and spent a few years in the NFL.

 

[Thunderlips71]

A Flat Tire + A Stick > Ferentz + Copeland

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

I think a good move for KF would be to open a GA spot for a former WR. Go get a guy that played 2 or 3 years in the NFL or something similar.

Not a great example but maybe a Kevin Kasper type. Someone who was productive at a G5/P5 level and spent a few years in the NFL.

Nice try

 

[ButtersHawk]

Nice try

😉

 

[GunnerHawk]

A Flat Tire + A Stick > Ferentz + Copeland

That brought a smile to my face.

 

[Bow.to.the.Narrative]

I am optimistic about Lester but Budmyar as WR coach, give me a break. Does he really know how WRs should move to get off the LOS or how their footwork should be for making cuts.

Maybe a real WR as a WR Coach would be better at doing that especially if he has already been a successful WR coach at one of the 180+ FBS and FCS schools.

There has to be several better candidates for WR coach. Now Budmyar can read a lot of books about coaching and helping WRs but our WR group is really poor or inexperienced so not a time to hire a "maybe he can do it" kind of guy

Most importantly, they needed to get a guy who can recruit the position. I'm not envisioning JB as that guy.