It would be pretty hard to argue that at this point. N.W. is a tough place to win also. But history will tell if Fitz is a better coach. You cant judge it just by head to head match ups. KF did pretty well against Jo Pa and I wouldnt say he had a better carrer than Jo Pa
Former NW QB Shares why Cats are Besting the Hawks
- Thread starter JonDMiller
- Start date
BSpringsteen
Well-Known Member
JD - you know me well enough to know I'm not in the jihadist wing of the nation. But, when you have a coach who 1) insists consistently that we do what we do and make other teams try to beat us and, 2) has plenty of empirical evidence to suggest that another team is totally and completely willing and able to do just that and nothing changes?
That is the utmost in either complacency or arrogance, or maybe both.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
Of course the dude isn't trying to lose, but I think "complacency" is a fair adjective to describe Iowa football. Ferentz is gonna get paid no matter what happens. Drop a game to Central Michigan? Ahh, that's football. By the way, where is my weekly check for $75k?
eveningnewsteam
Well-Known Member
"Iowa is difficult to prepare for" said no coach ever
thecaptain
Active Member
I'm not saying Fitz is a bad coach but he needs to get over the grudge against Iowa. It is time for him to move on.
I am a season ticket holder at Iowa and have seen a lot of fired up teams since 2004. I think it is pretty low when you say that the players/coaches don't get fired up for a game. I sat front row at the Iowa/Northwestern game last year and the better team won but you can't say Iowa didn't come to play. Also- bounces and injuries do come into play in football. Last year Northwestern was healthy all season and honestly that game was a lot closer than many people think. The blocked punt was the biggest difference in the game. A few years ago Iowa's starting qb went down in the game which killed us.
We will see what happens this year but if you go back the last 10 years I would say that all the Northwestern/Iowa games have all been pretty darn close. IMO I don't think one team is out scheming the other team. I think it is a healthy rivalry game and an all out battle each time they play each other.
I do think it is funny that your boy Fitz had to make up a story to get his team fired up. That's why I think he's a nerd!
Time will tell if NW can handle being the hunted and not the hunter. I know that Iowa stinks at it!
I am a season ticket holder at Iowa and have seen a lot of fired up teams since 2004. I think it is pretty low when you say that the players/coaches don't get fired up for a game. I sat front row at the Iowa/Northwestern game last year and the better team won but you can't say Iowa didn't come to play. Also- bounces and injuries do come into play in football. Last year Northwestern was healthy all season and honestly that game was a lot closer than many people think. The blocked punt was the biggest difference in the game. A few years ago Iowa's starting qb went down in the game which killed us.
We will see what happens this year but if you go back the last 10 years I would say that all the Northwestern/Iowa games have all been pretty darn close. IMO I don't think one team is out scheming the other team. I think it is a healthy rivalry game and an all out battle each time they play each other.
I do think it is funny that your boy Fitz had to make up a story to get his team fired up. That's why I think he's a nerd!
Time will tell if NW can handle being the hunted and not the hunter. I know that Iowa stinks at it!
Touche'
FreedComanche
Banned
There are reasons why kf does what he does. I used to think he was delusional. I no longer think that about him, though.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
I like Ferentz, but I don't think the guy would have a snowball's chance in hell of doing what Fitz did at NU last year if Ferentz were the head man at NU. That ball club was a few late game meltdowns caused by a lack of a secondary away from going 7-1 or maybe even 8-0 against a pretty good schedule in the Big Ten. Ferentz was a pretty good coach against the old guard in the Big Ten (e.g., Glen Mason, Barry Alvarez, Lloyd Carr, Tressel (record wasn't great, but we were competitive), Joe Tiller, Joe Pa, etc.). As the guard in the Big Ten has changed, he has looked less and less good, with some purely abysmal losses mixed in. I'm cautiously optimistic this year.
I know you have your bit you like to play here but your nw fetish is sad.
NW in the years of fitz have one bowl win to their name.
multiple embarassing preseason losses. Where was the desire to win against 3-9 army or 1-11 duke.
No big ten or division titles. One top 25 :finish.
His 2011 team finished below 500.
Fiz has admitted that beating iowa gets him off.
Being focussed and constantly boasting about his disdain for iowa has gotten him a 50-39 record with one bowl win in 8 seasons.
His scheme beats iowa and until last year that was about all he had. Good coach not awe inspiring.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I know Iowa lost a QB against Northwestern in 2009. But Northwestern was playing with an injured QB and an injured backup, too. And amazingly, their backups had actually taken a few snaps in practice and actually knew their offense. Persa was hurt all of 2011 and they had to play 3 QBs that year, but they still had a reasonable record and managed to throw for more than 7 TD passes, which is the output we got out of a senior with double digit starts under his belt last year. In the past 10 years, Iowa's talent has been FAR superior to NU's most years, yet as you point out, the games are always close. Why are they close? Because Fitz is a freaking master chess player and Ferentz is just cashing checks.
ThunderHawk
Well-Known Member
NW, being full of smart nerds, figured out that if you execute against the bend and then break Normball D, you execute the team playing said D.
I've always said that the worst possible scenario for Norm's bend and then break D was 3rd and 7 against a smart, competent opponent, because they'd know there was gonna be a 10 yard cushion and they could convert with patience. NW had patience and competence, and convert they did. They took what the D gave them, all the way to the end zone.
I know Norm is a deity around here, but I hated and continue to hate that sh!t. A team only has to be competent at pitch and catch to drive it down the field and score. Can you imagine what would happen to that D in the NFL???
I've always said that the worst possible scenario for Norm's bend and then break D was 3rd and 7 against a smart, competent opponent, because they'd know there was gonna be a 10 yard cushion and they could convert with patience. NW had patience and competence, and convert they did. They took what the D gave them, all the way to the end zone.
I know Norm is a deity around here, but I hated and continue to hate that sh!t. A team only has to be competent at pitch and catch to drive it down the field and score. Can you imagine what would happen to that D in the NFL???
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trj
Well-Known Member
All of the above with a couple of exceptions Iowa seems to have blown leads, sometimes double digit leads about every year.
ThunderHawk
Well-Known Member
Vandenborg's complete lack of preparation and the refusal to alter the gameplan to help the woefully overmatched backup to even marginally succeed instead of dropping the O off a cliff was such a glaring, shocking case of coaching malpractice that it bordered on intentional malfeasance.
JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
It's tough to argue their approach given how excellent the defense has been most of the Parker years. For this one game, do u change who you are? I suspec t Kirk wouldn't do it. Or rather, did not.
eveningnewsteam
Well-Known Member
Okeefe hasnt said one thing that can be disputed in this thread, unless you have the KF blinders on which most do
trj
Well-Known Member
I lump Bacher with all the NW QB(s), the last 14 years, dudes with thick lower bodies, they may have run a 4.8 forty, but with a football in their hand they seem like they were running a 4.4, 40. Just enough arm strength to execute their dink and dunk passing game to precision. If they weren't beating Iowa every year it would be sorta fun to watch.
thecaptain
Active Member
You are right- it is okay when Fitz loses because he is at Northwestern but if Kirk Ferentz loses he is a horrible coach.
trj
Well-Known Member
Isn't that pretty much complacency?
