What is a realistic program to emulate for the offense in short-term and long-term?

[desihawk]

Iowa has the worst offense in the country per metrics and is last in the b1g. To keep it simple, I'll start off by looking at just the current b1g teams.

2023 top offenses in b1g are osu, psu, md, mi, wi, il in that order.
2023 worst offenses are ia, nw, mn, in, ru, ne, msu, pu

Even with our pathetic output, but without getting into details, I feel like we would be overall worse if our offense was literally replaced with nw, mn, in, msu, pu, or md offenses.

So the obvious takeaway for me is that it would be lovely to generate metrics on offense like osu, psu, and mi but the problem is Iowa isn't going to recruit like those guys, so it's a waste of time to consider them. That basically leaves wi, il, ne, ru. Would we be really better overall with a wi, il, ne, or ru offense?

Feel free to suggest other (realistic fits) programs as well.

 

[hoffmkr]

If you hire Grubb from Washington who has Heisman QB and multiple 1st round wr, your transfers and recruiting gets better quickly.
Keeping same OC means you best hope recruiting is MAC level

 

[TailgateTom]

I say we aim for Van Meter HS, then set our sights higher after mastery.

 

[uihawk82]

Iowa has the worst offense in the country per metrics and is last in the b1g. To keep it simple, I'll start off by looking at just the current b1g teams.

2023 top offenses in b1g are osu, psu, md, mi, wi, il in that order.
2023 worst offenses are ia, nw, mn, in, ru, ne, msu, pu

Interesting question. I have been for more of a quick attack passing game over the last couple of years because of our lack of pass protection. Mainly use QB in shotgun and fake or run out of the zone read most of the time.

Just watch Penn st offense in their recent game against Iowa (or many other teams) and they have been running it for a few years. Quick passes to the edge with wide receiver blocking to gain 3, 4 or whatever yardage. PSU and other teams like to throw a quick swing pass to their running backs or a receiver who goes in motion and then circles back around behind the qb. Really anything to get your good runners the ball in open space.

Then you go with options off of those plays where WRs fake a block like they would be doing for a WR screen and they run just a few yards for a slant or to find an opening in a zone.

The quick passes to the outside are to gain yardage, stretch out the defense, and open up the interior power running game when there are fewer defenders in the box.

 

[hawkifann]

Iowa has the worst offense in the country per metrics and is last in the b1g. To keep it simple, I'll start off by looking at just the current b1g teams.

2023 top offenses in b1g are osu, psu, md, mi, wi, il in that order.
2023 worst offenses are ia, nw, mn, in, ru, ne, msu, pu

Even with our pathetic output, but without getting into details, I feel like we would be overall worse if our offense was literally replaced with nw, mn, in, msu, pu, or md offenses.

So the obvious takeaway for me is that it would be lovely to generate metrics on offense like osu, psu, and mi but the problem is Iowa isn't going to recruit like those guys, so it's a waste of time to consider them. That basically leaves wi, il, ne, ru. Would we be really better overall with a wi, il, ne, or ru offense?

Feel free to suggest other (realistic fits) programs as well.

The #1 problem for Iowa is QB talent/QB coaching. We’ll never know what McNamara could have been this year because his leg injury took out a big component of his overall game. Deacon Hill may wind up being passable, but right now is just not a P5 QB1.

Ideally, Iowa would have an offense with better route trees (quit effing having 2 guys within 5 yards of each other bringing a crowd of defenders) and a QB that can throw an accurate & catchable pass and can move a little. Even with Stanley, Iowa picked up a lot of yardage on play-action QB boots.

I don’t mind this style of offense philosophically, but your QB has to be some threat to at least run 8-10 yards on a broken pocket and be enough of a threat to keep teams from stacking the box. I also don’t mind complementary football - if you want to lean on the D and field position, that’s fine, but the offense has to be good enough and well-designed enough to be able to go score 25-30 when it has to.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

The 49ers offense.

 

[uihawk82]

The 49ers offense.

And the chiefs offense, lots of short passing now that every team took away there deep stuff

 

[Here_4_a_Day]

https://scontent-msp1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/393305710_649517427302485_4249044863785532056_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5f2048&_nc_ohc=iY8naH5zUOkAX-viGp9&_nc_ht=scontent-msp1-1.xx&oh=00_AfAIA76JlVHywDo3zSQhv6RIjuPEglUl2YGPFeHBde8RWw&oe=6532EE4D

 

[InsaneHawkJJP]

We run a scheme similar to mi already, we just don’t have the players to execute it at the same rate. I really thought this year would prove that it’s not the scheme, unfortunately all of the injuries have really derailed it. At least the running game has gained some traction the last couple games. If we can keep improving the running game and the D & ST keep playing the way they are, we have a pretty clear path to Indy.

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

Oregon State offense is what iowa needs to emulate.

 

[IowaMuse]

Probably what Stoops has done at KY. Bread and and butter has always been the run but getting an NFL coordinator created more balance and creativity.

Iowa will never run a spread or Air Raid type offense

 

[RocknRollface]

Start by hiring a head coach that can recruit and coach offensive lineman the way KF could do 15 years ago.

Without that foundational element the rest doesn't matter.

Then, don't ever, under any circumstances bring in another QB that can't pick up the free yards with his legs. That is a baseline necessity to play the position today.

Those two things would give Iowa a chance against good teams if everything else stays the same.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

And the chiefs offense, lots of short passing now that every team took away there deep stuff

Nah. 49ers have a lot of heavy packages, but are still unique and unpredictable in how they attack teams with the run. They also have about the same approach to passing as most conservative coaches. Safe routes, get the ball to playmakers in space, utilize your all-pro TE when teams aren't focusing their entire game plan to neutralize him.

If they can make Brock Purdy go from Charlie "the spaz" Conway in Mighty Ducks 1, to prime Tom Brady, then perhaps we should look into an offense that doesn't ask everything of its QB, but still allows him to make plays, while being creative in both the pass and run facets despite running out of base formations that aren't by any means futuristic..............................just sayin.

 

[millah_22]

Oregon State offense is what iowa needs to emulate.

Being a Beavs fan is so good right now. I get to watch Iowa drag its feet all day, and then get some eye bleach with OSU at night. Feels good man.

 

[jo12208]

Probably what Stoops has done at KY. Bread and and butter has always been the run but getting an NFL coordinator created more balance and creativity.

Iowa will never run a spread or Air Raid type offense

His record is 71-61. No thanks.

 

[ShonnDeereGreene]

Iowa has the worst offense in the country per metrics and is last in the b1g. To keep it simple, I'll start off by looking at just the current b1g teams.

2023 top offenses in b1g are osu, psu, md, mi, wi, il in that order.
2023 worst offenses are ia, nw, mn, in, ru, ne, msu, pu

Even with our pathetic output, but without getting into details, I feel like we would be overall worse if our offense was literally replaced with nw, mn, in, msu, pu, or md offenses.

So the obvious takeaway for me is that it would be lovely to generate metrics on offense like osu, psu, and mi but the problem is Iowa isn't going to recruit like those guys, so it's a waste of time to consider them. That basically leaves wi, il, ne, ru. Would we be really better overall with a wi, il, ne, or ru offense?

Feel free to suggest other (realistic fits) programs as well.

The part in bold is a really interesting observation that I agree with. If our offensive output is going to be bad, it’s at least bad with a purpose - meaning keep the clock moving and shorten the game, give the other team less possessions, and above all else take care of the ball. That said, yes we would all love more points, but the philosophy of the offensive scheme is very complementary to the defense.

If we ran a slightly more productive offense but did so by stopping the clock with incompletions or turned the ball over I’m not sure it would end up as a net gain for us.

And Michigan is my choice to emulate, btw.

 

[squeezebox]

His record is 71-61. No thanks.

You cannot be serious with this. Taking Kentucky to a perennial top 25 squad would be the equivalent of doing the same at ISU. The are in the same division as Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia. All of which (maybe outside of Tennessee) are traditional powers. He has done an incredible job.

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

You cannot be serious with this. Taking Kentucky to a perennial top 25 squad would be the equivalent of doing the same at ISU. The are in the same division as Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia. All of which (maybe outside of Tennessee) are traditional powers. He has done an incredible job.

 

[AlvySinger]

Nah. 49ers have a lot of heavy packages, but are still unique and unpredictable in how they attack teams with the run. They also have about the same approach to passing as most conservative coaches. Safe routes, get the ball to playmakers in space, utilize your all-pro TE when teams aren't focusing their entire game plan to neutralize him.

If they can make Brock Purdy go from Charlie "the spaz" Conway in Mighty Ducks 1, to prime Tom Brady, then perhaps we should look into an offense that doesn't ask everything of its QB, but still allows him to make plays, while being creative in both the pass and run facets despite running out of base formations that aren't by any means futuristic..............................just sayin.

How dare you be logical and cogent. Shame.

 

[fish1hawk]

Be real. At the moment we have no quarterback threat. Haven’t since Stanley. Cade was the chance but he got hurt. Deacon Hill can’t be trusted to even manage a game at this point. 3 passes or more were knocked down at the line, two more at least should not have been thrown. No coach other than Kirk would be bowl eligible with this offense. Could be Kirk’s best coaching job

 

[CAhawki]

If they can emulate those late 00s NE offenses that were TE heavy… that would be ideal

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

Three things in my limited football knowledge view:

1. QB’s with at least some mobility. Has to be at least some run threat there.

2. Our RBs are generally very good. Why don’t we try to get them the ball in space?

3. Less zone blocking. I think with the limited practice time it’s very hard for a zone blocking team to gel each year.

But shit what do I know? How about not being DFL in offense to start with baby steps?

 

[MikeyHawk]

Maybe what Kansas is doing

Iowa averaged 38 points a game in 2002, Kirk doesn't want to have a team like that at this point

 

[spiderland]

Being a Beavs fan is so good right now. I get to watch Iowa drag its feet all day, and then get some eye bleach with OSU at night. Feels good man.

I always suspected you were a big fan of beavers.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

One component that is missing when looking solely at stats is how much of the time is the team playing with a lead or are they playing from behind? This is especially critical when looking at Iowa because while their stats are not good, they have mostly played with a lead, a lot of times a 2 score lead, save for 1 game. So of course they would love to score more points and score every time they have the ball, don't think that statistic of 69-2 since 2015 with an 8 point lead at any time is not known. That was accomplished by running the ball, making teams drive the length of the field and letting your defense feast on a one-dimensional offense. Love it or hate it, it works. Other teams try this, Iowa is just very very good at it.

Conversely, teams that play from behind a lot tend to have better offensive stats. This is because they no longer have the luxury of sitting on the ball, and, defenses will mostly relax more to prevent big plays.

I am not saying Iowa's offense is dynamic or even good, but, it is better than the stats show.

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

 

[BlowinGuysHawkeye]

Iowa football is what it is, this is as good as it gets. Just be realistic and you won’t be disappointed. There is no conference championship game win on the horizon.

 

[Phenomenally Frantastic]

I like how the right DT comes in and smacks the QB square in the face even though he clearly doesnt have the ball any more and a photographer is standing half way deep in the end zone. Those were the days.

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

I like how the right DT comes in and smacks the QB square in the face even though he clearly doesnt have the ball any more and a photographer is standing half way deep in the end zone. Those were the days.

I also like watching the RT just stand there as a guy runs right by him at the QB. Looks familiar.

 

[mro1978]

I say we aim for Van Meter HS, then set our sights higher after mastery.

at this point, east (des moines) high school looks better than the Iowa offense and east is pretty much the worst team in the state

 

[nck24]

The part in bold is a really interesting observation that I agree with. If our offensive output is going to be bad, it’s at least bad with a purpose - meaning keep the clock moving and shorten the game, give the other team less possessions, and above all else take care of the ball. That said, yes we would all love more points, but the philosophy of the offensive scheme is very complementary to the defense.

If we ran a slightly more productive offense but did so by stopping the clock with incompletions or turned the ball over I’m not sure it would end up as a net gain for us.

And Michigan is my choice to emulate, btw.

Agree in principle, but it would be nice to have the option of a passing game in order to be less predictable. A slightly more productive offense would have less 3 and outs, and keep the opposing offense on the bench. Tough to score points from there

 

[83Hawk]

His record is 71-61. No thanks.

Kirk's career record was 12-21 before he was hired at Iowa.

 

[IowaMuse]

His record is 71-61. No thanks.

That’s a shortsighted perspective considering where that program was when he took over. They’ve been pretty good the past 5 years in the toughest conference. Most importantly he adapted and made a hire that at least added some balance and creativity.

 

[BlowinGuysHawkeye]

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[MeetTheFerentzes]

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A lot more "W"s this season for Iowa than Nebraska, despite Iowa having a much tougher schedule, Loser!

Did you enjoy the game thread over on the Wisky board Saturday?

Loser!

Come back to this board when Neb beats Wisconsin. Maybe we'll see you around the year 2037.

 

[chosen.one]

Whoever can come up with a decent run play to get a 1st down to ice the game when the opponent knows you are going to run.

 

[hexumhawk]

Generally Michigan because what they do requires toughness up front. If Iowa is going to be successful, we need to get better up front.

 

[eyesofhawk]

As long as the defense and special teams stay great and Iowa is winning a lot of games, Iowa would be a good program for Iowa's offense to emulate

 

[Iowa-WildCat]

I know this is a homer for me but I agree with IowaMuse. Liam Coen calls a fun offense at UK. They still want to run the ball but they have multiple things they do to keep you off balanced. He also does a great job of setting up plays to take advantage of mismatches. As I said it is genuinely a fun offense to watch.

I too like the 49ers offense. Get the ball into the athletes hands and let him make plays. Defenses get really tired trying to chase.

 

[Iron Doc]

Oklahoma Wishbone.