…would any offensive player in the portal (or high school recruit) want to play in this scheme? Most successful coaches trust their players to make a play and be great. Iowa’s coach cautions them to be careful and avoid mistakes.
Why on Earth…
- Thread starter Thunderlips71
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There's a reason why we keep missing in the portal. No one wants to come here because we don't produce. Lester has an uphill battle ahead of him to get guys.
Kirk needs to go, I'd rather go thru a few 3-8 seasons and have hope than this stupid every year.
The Cignetti haters are wrong too, he's a winner. Indiana got smart, we will stay with Kirk. Lol
Fran, same shit. Lol
I feel like Lester became part of the problem today. Absolutley gawd awful play calling when it mattered most. I like his philosophy and he talks a good game - but honest question here… was today’s play calling and game management any better than BF??
And before anyone says it’s KF - yes, but if you blame KF for Lester’s failures, you cannot then blame BF. For the record, I am not a BF fan. I’m simply saying Lester earned the loss (and offensive ineptitude) today just as much as anyone else. He may have an uphill battle ahead to get talent to come here, but he’s harming himself with days like today.
I’m not going to argue about what I thought was very suspect play calling at key times but we ran the ball very successfully today. Brian’s scheme and running attack was absolutely putrid his last 3-4 years. Today also proved we could run the ball without Kaleb. If we had any receiver talent at all to speak of we could judge the passing game a little better.
I thought like so many others should’ve ran more especially 2nd half. First series hit ostrenga and way we were running can’t believe didn’t take a shot later on. But in Lester’s defense even though thought should’ve given backs a carry on 3rd and short his calls worked and we didn’t execute on 2 of them. One with Sullivan run who knows bad snap and Stephen falling doomed from the start. But rewatch int Washington goes out to the flat on left side uncovered for easy first and a nice chunk play if Sullivan looks (which fyi his progressions are bad if first one taken looks to run too often). Last one gill flat out dropped. So yes Lester could’ve called better game but sh!t execution by players (nothing that D forced) killed us on all 3 plays.
This is the point I arrived at earlier this year.
What’s the point of Kirk sticking around? Most of us agree Iowa is terribly painful to watch, and the results are as predictable as Kirk chewing gum. Yes, the bottom is not too low, but the ceiling most definitely is. And that’s the problem. Expectations are nonexistent because everyone knows Kirk’s ultra conservative/vanilla game plan won’t allow for anything but status quo, depending on the schedule. When the games and results are so painfully boring and predictable, it completely sucks the fun out of football.
And I am beyond tired of it.
I would bet my third testicle, if I had one, that Lester was not behind the mindset and play calling to not go for it on that 4th & 2 from Mizzou's 40 in the first half.
Would Lester have made a good call for the play ran? Who knows. But I pity the fools who believe it wasn't anyone but Kirk & Kirk only who called for that lameass attempt to draw them offsides and then the punt instead.
Would Lester have made a good call for the play ran? Who knows. But I pity the fools who believe it wasn't anyone but Kirk & Kirk only who called for that lameass attempt to draw them offsides and then the punt instead.
This is exactly where I’m at. this is supposed to be a game, let’s have some fun. If we crater, fire the coach and start again. So what if we suck.
The problem is we're absolutely trending downward.
There is legitimate cause for concern.
Offense is actually trending slightly up. Defense down, but was all world. Special Teams still good, we'll miss Elkin.
I am concerned, but I think we will see some young guys step up in several positions (RB, hopefully LB, DB, WR).
Schedule is tougher, might be an expectation of 6, 7, 8 wins at start of 2025.
I appreciate your optimism, but with that schedule and all of the starters we’re losing from a mediocre team, I think we’re looking at 4, 5, or 6 wins rather than 6, 7, or 8. Heck — many would say 6 is close to a best-case scenario. I’d be very surprised by 7 and shocked by 8, and I don’t think I’m alone in that opinion.
But I guess that’s my point. Why is Lester going to unproven players in CRITICAL situations? Big players make critical plays and wasn’t that Moulton and Jazz for us today? Yes, they could have executed, but running those plays puts poor execution into the equation when it need not be.
Wish Lester would have realized he has:
1) a QB that doesn’t always go through the right progrssion
2) throwing to WRs that we all agree are not our proven playmakers
3) going away from the ground game that was extremely effective in the most crucial situations.
Yes, our players need to make the plays, but it begs the question why would Lester ask the weakest aspect of our offense to make the most critical plays at the most critical juncture of the game?
We really didn't need to throw a pass in the second half and if we did, it should have been a play action deep ball on first down or second and short.
We honestly should have gone full blown Michigan-Penn State last year and ran the ball every play. Moulton and Jazz averaged over 7 yards a carry and our o line was killing their d line. And yet only 23 carries for the 2 of them. Every key play in the 2nd half we let Sullivan handle it instead of them when we were ahead of the chains the entire 2nd half.
...and had mostly negative outcomes on those plays.
That's how football should always be, minus Michigan's coach's language after that game
The last game I attended in person, 2019 Minnesota, reminds me of how far we have fallen. Stanley was throwing downfield and talented guys like ISM and Tracey were making big plays, we were running the ball at the right time. Not huge numbers of offense exactly but definitely capable.
Now it's bad. And Sullivan just bad. And the least durable and most awkward "duel threat" QB I've ever seen.
Now it's bad. And Sullivan just bad. And the least durable and most awkward "duel threat" QB I've ever seen.
Well that’s not true at all. Mizzou knew they couldn’t run the ball against us so guess what? They have this thing called the forward pass and a good scheme plus a stable of good receivers. Multiple ways to win games. Yesterday we should have pounded the ball more but there are games where you need to pass the ball effectively. And you know that.
I can't imagine being a talented 14 year old boy watching the Hawks game yesterday and thinking I want to play for that team.
I have no idea how we get any skill players to come here.
I have no idea how we get any skill players to come here.
The Brian experiment put the offense in a hole that it will not recover from...at least not under Kirk. As for Lester, he's certainly an upgrade but you're fooling yourself if you think KFz will truly give any OC free reign to design and run the offense they want.
Correct on Brian. Just dug a deeper hole by Kirk putting his family before the program and keeping him around longer. Like the bears or cowboys bringing back lame duck coaches when could’ve started rebuild a year earlier. As another Iowa fan said to me could you have imagined if Lick was brought back for a 4th yr and how much more difficult the rebuild would’ve been.
Worst is the stigma it put on the program as a national laughing stock and kills us with recruiting and the portal.
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