First bolded statement -- Marshall Yanda??????
Second bolded statement -- Yes, many years the offense is average at best.
Passed him By
- Thread starter kmurp
- Start date
First bolded statement -- Marshall Yanda??????
Second bolded statement -- Yes, many years the offense is average at best.
JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
PC. He has his share of clock management issues and I think there have been several late game examples.
But can you really say he is a BAD gameday coach? Through the years we've lauded the halftime adjustments of the defense. Kirk hired Norm. He gets no credit there? He certainly gets blame for keeping Kaz around too long.
Iowa's offensive scheme is predicated on play action. The running game. In late game situations, when teams know you have to pass, what has been Iowa's weakness for the past forever? Talent at wide receiver. And their passing schemes are hardly complicated. So when Iowa is down late, given their choice of scheme, its gonna be even more challenging to move the chains over and over IMO.
Granted, Kirk makes that call, too. But this program, on the whole, has kept moving in a very good direction under Kirk after Hayden retired and I will never assume that just anyone can come here and do that.
But can you really say he is a BAD gameday coach? Through the years we've lauded the halftime adjustments of the defense. Kirk hired Norm. He gets no credit there? He certainly gets blame for keeping Kaz around too long.
Iowa's offensive scheme is predicated on play action. The running game. In late game situations, when teams know you have to pass, what has been Iowa's weakness for the past forever? Talent at wide receiver. And their passing schemes are hardly complicated. So when Iowa is down late, given their choice of scheme, its gonna be even more challenging to move the chains over and over IMO.
Granted, Kirk makes that call, too. But this program, on the whole, has kept moving in a very good direction under Kirk after Hayden retired and I will never assume that just anyone can come here and do that.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
Iowa is not in a position to fire him, without cause, for at least a few more years. They wouldn't be able to afford a suitable replacement. So yeah, what else is Barta supposed to do? All any of us can do is hope for the best. I just don't see it happening.
I'm only referring to players from the 2009 roster.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
While Ferentz should get credit for hiring Norm, and Norm was excellent with halftime adjustments, those adjustments aren't a reflection of Ferentz's ability on game day, IMO. Hiring Norm and keeping Kaz for too long are both more "big picture" things, which has always been one of Ferentz's strengths. But when it comes down to the micro, single game management, he has struggled.
When I think of "game day coaching" I think of things like clock management, game planning to attack opponents weaknesses, and doing things to maximize possessions against terrible teams. I'm sure there are other examples of in game coaching, and maybe he is good at some of them, but I would say he is bad at the ones I mentioned.
DP5555
Well-Known Member
As much as I have battled with Freed and OOTH believe it or not I don't think anyone should be "should be put out to pasture" because of their opinion. However, I would hope the response they have seen here makes them realize how extreme their viewpoint is, and maybe, just maybe consider the idea that they simply are not giving Ferentz the respect he deserves. The people who stick up for KF aren't necessarily KF supporters. The majority of us just think he has done enough to deserve some respect. When you blatantly go out your way to disrespect what he has done at Iowa and discredit him for that, of course people are going to come out of the woodwork in defense. What makes it so nauseating is that Freed and OOTH do it repeatedly. Probably 95% of their posts on here are related to bashing KF (maybe not for OOTH but certainly for Freed). Enough is enough.
I think the fact that OOTH is positive on the basketball board goes to show that he's not just a negative person.
Every person on this Earth has positives and negatives for their character and their actions. On the whole we give too much weight to the negatives.
Kirk F. knows what causes him to lose football games better than anyone here, he tries to "put out fires constantly". Sometimes as human beings we fail at these tasks and the fire grows large enough for all to see.
At the current time Kirk's "fires" are:
1. The inability to recruit consistently at Wide Receiver for a modern and dynamic offense.
2. Losing to teams not on Saturday but on Sunday-Thursday. (See all of our losses to Northwestern in the past 5 years and ESPECIALLY last year. Meaning: I feel he gets beaten in the film room too often!)
3. In game strategy and "managerial" errors (wisconsin fake punt and clock mgmt).
Ways he is trying to fix the issue RIGHT NOW.
1. D. Powell (maybe it will work maybe it will not but there is only so much one can do here and he went out and tried the fix.)
2. New assistants (new voices in his ear during the week; maybe they have the answers that escaped him heretofore.)
3. See 2, and those voices will be in his ear on the headset on the field and maybe it translates.
Other than that he has done a damn fine job so cut him just a bit of slack, he has earned that much!
Kirk F. knows what causes him to lose football games better than anyone here, he tries to "put out fires constantly". Sometimes as human beings we fail at these tasks and the fire grows large enough for all to see.
At the current time Kirk's "fires" are:
1. The inability to recruit consistently at Wide Receiver for a modern and dynamic offense.
2. Losing to teams not on Saturday but on Sunday-Thursday. (See all of our losses to Northwestern in the past 5 years and ESPECIALLY last year. Meaning: I feel he gets beaten in the film room too often!)
3. In game strategy and "managerial" errors (wisconsin fake punt and clock mgmt).
Ways he is trying to fix the issue RIGHT NOW.
1. D. Powell (maybe it will work maybe it will not but there is only so much one can do here and he went out and tried the fix.)
2. New assistants (new voices in his ear during the week; maybe they have the answers that escaped him heretofore.)
3. See 2, and those voices will be in his ear on the headset on the field and maybe it translates.
Other than that he has done a damn fine job so cut him just a bit of slack, he has earned that much!
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trj
Well-Known Member
Which I do not get, i believe Kirk is a very smart person, he has been surrounded by really good football people his whole career, has built numerous relationships over the years where he can pick up the phone and pick peoples brains, i guess i do not get the struggle with this stuff year after year.
As far as the clock management goes, maybe he's just not a quick thinker. You can be smart without being a quick thinker. As far as the other things go, I don't think he views them as a mistake. People have their ways of doing things and obviously think they are the best ways. Although I do think he is beginning to hear the criticism and respond to it. If he can fix a few things he won't just be one of the best coaches Iowa can get, he will be one of the best coaches around.
JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
Let it be noted that the person talking about putting OOTH out to pasture was OOTH. The thought had not crossed my mind and the post he responded to was not aimed at him.
I'd wager FreedCommanche has been banned four or five times over the last 6 years on this and other boards..and it's still the same old song and dance, and it gets old.
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imported_ankle23
Well-Known Member
maybe it indicates he is a front runner. it's ez to support your team when things are good. but to dump on them when things are down? that's when you are really supposed to pull for them. please supply me with all the negative posts by pasture-boy during the 4 top-ten finishing seasons, then we'll talk.
I don't know if the basketball team can be classified as front runner just yet. Last year it was still pretty easy to find things to complain about them.
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
Yes.
He gets as much as he can out of his teams. When they are overmatched, they are still competitive. When they are "young", they play the game plan Kirk wants them to play, not what "might" work, i.e., he doesn't veer from scheme to scheme throwing crap at a wall waiting to see where it will stick.
Could he "step on the throat" more when our teams are the "goliath"? Perhaps. I'm not sure doing that makes one a better game day coach. I imagine it COULD create ill will among the coaching fraternity, and a coach still has to look at a mirror.
Should we lose to MAC schools? No. Does doing so make one a "bad" game day coach? We aren't the first team to lose to a MAC school, nor will we be the last. And we sure haven't lost to an FCS school in recent memory a la Michigan.
I guess, IMO, the better question is, simply, "Is he a good coach?". The phrase "game day coach" was invented by people who don't understand what actually happens in a game, and that what DOES happen in a game is only a part of what the "coach" does versus the players, the opponent, etc. Or you could go extreme and say, "Is he a good first down coach? What about second down? Is he a good special teams coach?"
One merely need wait a few games to see the thread dedicated to what a crappy coach he is regarding the coin toss or whether to take the ball first, defer, etc.
If you're REALLY saying, "He's a bad game day coach", you're saying he's a bad coach. Period.
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
Spot on. That was a beauty.
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
Dude, move to Portland, wear lots of corduroy and complain about his salary.
<<YES, kf did crush my dream concerning hawkeye football>>
<<That is the reason I joined this board to hopefully find like minded people that were as mad as I was about the current sad state of Iowa football>>
Seriously? Seriously?
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
And yet we have 2004...
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
Agreed. And he is a valuable contributor to numerous topics in Off-Topic, as well. And Freed isn't "all negative, all the time".
DP5555
Well-Known Member
I did realize OOTH is the one who suggested it himself. I know you are generally pretty open-minded in the way you allow different opinions to be represented on the board, and I think it is appreciated for the most part. I will say that in this instance I appreciate you voicing your opinion because it's clear OOTH and Freed take note when you are saying the same thing a lot of us have been saying... the same ol' song and dance is getting old. We get it.
Ferentz is the Iowa coach whether anyone likes it or not, and he probably will be for at least the next two years. The way I see it is even if you don't like him as the head coach you might as well accept it, and support the team regardless. There isn't any need to try to make the same point over and over again.
JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
There is room for all opinion here. There will be criticisms here this year. I've been critical of Kirk in the past. Probly the most ticked I was at him was leaving ARob in 4Q 2010 v MSU. Season fell apart after that.
