Assuming they let CJ play his style of ball... Even then our offense is so predictable and easy to stop. Your right, it all starts up front!
So when Kirk turns it around next season, where will all of you go?
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Assuming they let CJ play his style of ball... Even then our offense is so predictable and easy to stop. Your right, it all starts up front!
2014 Iowa Hawkeyes-
2nd highest total offensive yardage in the Kirk Ferentz era
That is what the definition of predictable and easy to stop has become..........................
No offense but that is a Kilroy type of rebuttal. I'm not all doom and gloom and hate anything KF. But I'd rather have 9 Ws last year and have a lower yardage total than what we did last year and only get 7 wins.
However if you want to see predictable and easy to stop rewatch the iowa-isu game. Had the hr replay on this weekend and put myself through the pain of watching that. It was awful, Rudock refusing to throw the ball more than 10 yards downfield and keep running the the ball to Bullock, 2x we did on 3rd and 5+. Wanted to puke rewatching that effort against an awful defense.
I wouldn't go as far as kilroy. I never used star rankings, player size, height, etc etc.
The point is, Iowa isn't quite as awful as we think, and it's more than just boring and predictable if we're going to be labeling. Iowa isn't scoring enough points period, let alone in specific games against certain teams. And while Iowa's decision-making may seem predictable, inconsistent or poorly-judged would be more accurate terms.
It's predictable and boring to people, or so they'll tell everyone, because they're tired of watching it fail. Because they get frustrated by the lack of success. It's not necessarily literally boring and predictable.
Lastly, we can break a season down to 1-2 games just about anywhere on the schedule. Iowa was "boring and predictable" against a bad Iowa State defense and yet they probably would've scored against Wisconsin had they got the ball back one more time in the 4th qtr because of how easy they were moving the ball on the prior couple of possessions for scores, and Wisconsin, statistically, had one of the best defenses in the nation. Our defense just couldn't stop Melvin Gordon for 4 qtrs.
THAT is inconsistency. Not predictability.
That has been a problem, It's been that way since Ferentz has been here, playing down to our opponents. Even in our best seasons under Ferentz (2002, 2009, etc.) We've always played down to opponents that we should kill. As I once saw famously on this board "Iowa is the only team who can beat the sh*t out of someone by 6". That is a negative that I want changed, but as long as Ferentz is here it won't. But a positive of that is there's only a handful of times I can recall an elite team kicking the snot out of us like we stole something, Iowa does raise it's play when the stakes are high and I do enjoy that.
I see we've been picked to finish 4th in our division this year. Unfortunately, I think that is optimistic. I just get the feeling that this is the year we sink to the Clone's level. I will be surprised if we win more than four games and it is going to force Barta to make a hard decision. He can't just say, year after year, that he thinks Ferentz has still got the fire to turn the program around without seeing any real results.
When you are 7-6 does it really matter? Then against one of the weakest schedules in the country....
When you lose a lot late in the year, lose a lot at home, lose to teams that are not supposed to beat you, and lose more often than win in your rivalry games there are problems and it has been that way quite often the last several years. Enough losing that it shows the Head Coach ain't all hes cracked up to be.
Only if you want to change the subject to keep things negative.
This pertains to whether our offense is boring and predictable. Not how we did record-wise. That's a separate discussion that can certainly stem from our offensive struggles.
But hey when you're 7-6 why give a f*** indeed..............
Iowa wasn't the best team in yards though. I was just saying it was the second most total offensive yards gained in a season since 2002. And several factors go into our 7-6 record, including our lack of finishing off drives with touchdowns, or points for that matter (see Nebraska.....)
But how does that make Iowa's offense boring and predictable? Why not just say bad or average? Very few people call Iowa's offense average (that's about what 60th in the nation is). The majority of fans who are upset right now with Kirk and company consider, or would refer to, the offense as boring and predictable.
But how does that make Iowa's offense boring and predictable? Why not just say bad or average? Very few people call Iowa's offense average (that's about what 60th in the nation is). The majority of fans who are upset right now with Kirk and company consider, or would refer to, the offense as boring and predictable.
Hahahaha. Stop enabling KF. His time has come and gone. Next coach
I see you do not like the boring and predictable comments
Iowa football on offense is very plain, or vanilla? It looks even worse when it's not working... I think KF wants to run the ball, control the clock, play good defense, and squeak out a win. When your winning you don't mind the style so much...when your losing it's maddening! Our style offense is the type NP loved tearing apart...stop the run and make them one dimensional. All the coaches who play us know that if you stop the running game and can play man on our receivers...game over. The reason that works is our QB play has been poor....Hope runs eternally we'll see. I have little if any confidence that Kirk and his coaching staff will produce at best 8 wins. The strength of schedule gives him some hope but to win less than 8 games should be totally unacceptable return from a coach who is paid a top ten salary. The program has slipped into the mid tier of the Big Ten, I expect more and so should the AD especially if he is looking at another $50 million facility upgrade. Facilities are not going win games.
Analyzing KF and his staff is like investing in a stock past high performance doesn't guarantee a like return in the future. Iowa football fans should expect to be in the same class as Wisky and MSU regularly but lets be realistic its plain and simple the program is not there and won't be as long as KF remains as head coach. His ship has sailed.
Analyzing KF and his staff is like investing in a stock past high performance doesn't guarantee a like return in the future. Iowa football fans should expect to be in the same class as Wisky and MSU regularly but lets be realistic its plain and simple the program is not there and won't be as long as KF remains as head coach. His ship has sailed.
with the schedule this year, I would hope they would win 8 games.
I am not so much concerned about wins and losses at this stage of the game as I am about needing come from behind wins and last minute heroics to beat the teams that most competent power 5 teams would destroy, and have 2nd stringers get some 2nd half reps in. Also, not seeing whatever that was against Nebraska last year when KF decided that 24 points was enough in the 3rd quarter up by 17 and seemingly seemed content with trying to bleed the clock out
I've reached the tipping point where basketball interest significantly outweighs football.
While I'll still try to catch most games on TV, I don't have any plans right now to go to Kinnick this fall.
Losses just don't sting as much anymore.
I don't see much different happening with the program until KF decides to retire. Doesn't appear that will be happening anytime soon.
While I'll still try to catch most games on TV, I don't have any plans right now to go to Kinnick this fall.
Losses just don't sting as much anymore.
I don't see much different happening with the program until KF decides to retire. Doesn't appear that will be happening anytime soon.
Agreed. Iowa loses the following after this year:
T Smith - best WR (by far IMO)
D Ott - best D lineman (by far IMO)
Austin Blythe - best Olinemen (by far IMO)
J Duzey - best TE
J Lomax - starting S
N Meir - starting DE
J canzeri - probable starting RB
M Koehn - starting K
J Hillyer - probable starting WR
D Cooper - possible starting DL (depending on injury recovery)
H Krieger-Cole - possible starting TE
Jordan Walsh - probable starting OL
M Plewa - starting FB
Along with a few other key players.
The first 4 players are pretty talented and have a chance at playing in the NFL.
The 2016 will be a lot different team. I hope there is some new talent to emerge.
Here's a more detailed rundown of our depth chart, with a brief look at 2016 to follow (pessimists, you should enjoy this forecast, so get your notepads ready):
QB- Beathard, Wiegers, freshmen.....and some kid named Justin Joyce (Soph.)
.....The future is set, but again we're talking about a skill position and Iowa develops those about as fast as trees grow....except QBs only get 4/5 years to do so. Trees usually take several decades..........
Beathard gets to be the one-man show until fans get tired of him and call for the next backup to become the star of the franchise, err wait this is college. We shouldn't treat it like we do our pro teams.... lol.gif
RB- Canzeri, Daniels, a bunch of guys who fumble a lot...or more than the two starters
.....Again the future is set. Canzeri and our two FBs (Plewa and Cox) are the only seniors in this group. As long as the young guys can learn to hold onto the football, they should be a pretty solid group for the next several years. Of course they'll always look as good as the line that blocks for them, but that's down the page a bit.
TE- Duzey, Krieger-Coble, Kittle
.....Another solid group of TEs for Ferentz to under-utilize....or is it the QB that under-utilizes them? Duzey could be All-Big Ten. Kittle is one of those guys that comes out of nowhere to make a big catch (23 ypc) and then fades back into the nowhere from whence he came. Seriously, who actually sees this guy sub in? He is the master of the subtle sub. Appear unassumingly on the field, and then make a 23 yard catch or is targeted for one...and then off the field he goes, and nobody is the wiser. Meanwhile, I still can't overlook the fact that Krieger-Coble once jumped out of the way of a ball on an onside kick. That's almost as bad as Parker lateraling the ball to nobody before running out of bounds against Tennessee.
WR- Tevaun Smith, Hillyer, Vandeberg (not Vandenberg), Stone, and lots of trial by fire......
.....Smith could honestly work himself into a mid to late round draft prospect IMHO. He's probably gonna be the main guy for our beleagured WR unit. The question will be how are we gonna get him open considering that every team presumably knows this? Oh btw....good luck finding someone to throw to in 2016, C.J.
OT- Boone Myers (the pride of Webster City, Iowa), Ike Boettger (the pride of Cedar Falls, Iowa..........right after Ross Pierschbacher committed to Alabama), Cole Croston, Keegan Render, Ryan Ward, and lots of other nameless faces
.....So basically Iowa has struggled every year they're breaking in a new, or newer, offensive line, especially at OT. Iowa is replacing two. And yet you people honestly think 8+ wins is expected, anyways? Judging the outcome of the 2015 season should start and end with this position right here....but it won't because people need to have their expectations or else they're not being fanly enough for the fandom of the fanbase...................
OG- Walsh and Welsh, Keppy, Reynolds, freshmen and friends....
.....Walsh and Welsh should be somewhat better with another year of experience under their belts although there's been rumors about the status of Welsh on the team. Behind them though are mostly unproven guys. It'll be interesting to see if any of the incoming freshmen and second-year guys get a shot or see playing time in the unlikely event that we build a 3+ score lead on a team this year.
C- Blythe, Simmons, and btw Steve Ferentz is still playing football
.....Blythe has All-Big Ten potential and could be a draft prospect as well. Here's to hoping for an injury free 2015 for our offensive line........because otherwise we're f***ed.
DE- Ott, Meier, Matt Nelson, Parker Hesse (yeah, that athletic QB that led Waukon to the State finals in 2013....up to 240 now), Melvin Spears
.....Ott is another All-Big Ten and NFL draft candidate. It also looks like we've gone the way of the current trend with more slimmer, athletic DEs in Meier and now Parker Hesse, who was a play-making QB in high school converted to DE. Apparently, he's made enough of a splash to land a 2nd string spot on the depth chart behind Ott. Depth though is rail thin.
DT- Johnson, Bazata, Ekakitie, Terlouw, Reiff, maybe Darian Cooper. It's unfortunate that Cooper hasn't been able to stay healthy. Hopefully we see him back this year because DT is another thin spot. Losing Davis and Trinca-Pasat will be hard to replace. 10 of the 20 defensive linemen on Iowa's current roster are from Iowa...................
LB- Niemann, Bower, Jewell, Fisher, Perry, Mends, and young people only the crowd that spends their time following the recruiting of high school kids would know............not judging..............or am I?
.....Well, for starters...they can't get any worse, amirite? Hahahahaha...guys? Anyone?. 11 of the 16 linebackers are freshmen or redshirt freshmen, which is basically everyone after our top 5 listed. Howwwww does that happen? On the bright side, they'll be here a while, and have plenty of time to develop. That usually spells success in years 3, 4 and 5. Unfortunately, this is still year 2.....
CB- King, Mabin, Fleming, Draper, committee
.....King is the other star of the defense, along with Ott. The hope is that he continues his progress from a solid freshman and almost-as-solid sophomore season to become the next lock-down corner at Iowa. Fortunately, he didn't have a sophomore season like Amari Spievey had so regardless of how well King does this year, we should expect to see him back for his senior season in 2016, which will be nice. Mabin and Fleming need to also improve because getting off the field on 3rd downs is a key statistic in judging the success or failure of a Kirk Ferentz team. And it's not just getting stops on 3rd down or winning the 3rd down conversion battle in a given game, a certain percentage must be met. And more often than not when we struggle, it's because we're giving up 3rd and longs and passing situations. The secondary needs to find a way to force more turnovers, and get off the field on 3rd/4th and longs.
S- Lomax, Taylor, Gair, Snyder, whoever the f*** Kirk feels like putting out there
.....Is Solomon Warfield still on the team? If so, he's a name to keep an eye on, as well. Lomax should be better-ish. I have no idea who Miles Taylor is, but he's replacing John Lowdermilk, soooo.....and Gair is turning into a career back-up. There's potential among the defensive backfield group. But it takes time to develop them. Time Iowa, and especially Kirk Ferentz, doesn't have.
ST- Koehn is back at kicker. Kidd is back at punter. Kornbrath is the backup, as well as the listed holder. All 3 are seniors already.
Parker is the lone kick return man listed, though we'll probably see another WR or RB back with him. Vandeberg takes over for Riley McCarron at punt return, which excites the Hawkeye fanbase to no end. Tyler Kluver is the long snapper, and Jackson Suppert is the backup.
Now, along with having to replace all special teams players next year, Iowa returns just 5 listed starters on offense (QB, WR, LT, RT, OG), and 8 on defense (DT, DT, LB, LB, LB, CB, CB, S).
If 2016's team is suppose to be better, then it must be because we'll have a lot of experience on the defensive end along with a plethora of young running backs for our improving O-line to block for. Maybe Iowa should run more option next year........or even this year, wouldn't hurt.
I think 8 regular season wins would keep the wolves at bay somewhat, but all is certainly not forgiven. Iowa won 8 games in 2013, remember, and look at where we are after winning 7 last year.
For me, 8 wins is decent and will keep me quiet, but it's going to honestly take more like a 9-3 or 10-2 season to really generate a lot of excitement again. Personally, I don't think Iowa can do that at this point, but hope I'm wrong.
8-4 is basically "good enough" but not a great season.
For me, 8 wins is decent and will keep me quiet, but it's going to honestly take more like a 9-3 or 10-2 season to really generate a lot of excitement again. Personally, I don't think Iowa can do that at this point, but hope I'm wrong.
8-4 is basically "good enough" but not a great season.
I think what people want is more seasons like 2003. Always in a position to win 10 games. They went 9-3 in the regular season, losing road contests to Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue by double digits, but beating teams they should beat and pulling off a couple close wins over equal competition.
Essentially, Iowa is always a handful of games from seasons like 2003. It just comes down to the ability to win close games and against even teams and not poop around with lesser teams. The bowl games are basically toss-ups because of the down time and the prolonged prep period teams get, and you never know who is going to show up wanting to play (more).
Of course as I say that, I need to remind myself that this year's team would get curb-stomped by 2003, mainly because of that defense. And yet this year's team is suppose to win 9, 10 games just to appease fans, regardless of the thought of how bad, talent-wise, this team is going to be..................
Essentially, Iowa is always a handful of games from seasons like 2003. It just comes down to the ability to win close games and against even teams and not poop around with lesser teams. The bowl games are basically toss-ups because of the down time and the prolonged prep period teams get, and you never know who is going to show up wanting to play (more).
Of course as I say that, I need to remind myself that this year's team would get curb-stomped by 2003, mainly because of that defense. And yet this year's team is suppose to win 9, 10 games just to appease fans, regardless of the thought of how bad, talent-wise, this team is going to be..................
When you play 9-10 average or below opponents expectations adjust.
This team would barely be expected to get 6 wins against the schedules of ten years ago.
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