2010 Hawkeyes: Can we expect greatness?

[dsmhawkluva]

Great Thread a lot of really good points and counterpoints---

I personally have high expectations and have them year in and year out, This year is no different. i don't care if we're supposed to be bad or good. I'm a hawkalcoholic, i'm going to be love this team if they are 0-12 just as much as 12-0, bitterness and sadness and joy and excitement is all part of the game and part of the fun--- not that i'm really a fan of emotional roller coasters LOL

Does high expectations equate to National title games and 13-0 year in and year out--no, that's just idiotic, even for your "elite" teams--- but do i expect this team to complete for big 10 titles every year---yeah sure i do, just as much as one can claim any team can beat us we can just as easily beat them--- Ohio State is about the only team that truly has made us their bi**hes

This team should have high expectations, what are we setting ourselves up for if we don't? Less Disappointment? avoiding the fear of let down? I don't know if i buy that--- I can only speak for myself, but my guess is that I'm probably not alone in feeling that a loss is a loss and and disappointment occurs when you lose.

I get the argument of- -but we're supposed to be good! best team ever should not have lost!!!! That doesn't change the feeling of disappointment, losing sucks, no matter how you slice it, no matter how low or high the expectation---

At the end of the day, i will always wear my black and gold with pride rather we're 0-12 or 12-0--- i will always believe in this team and expect greatness out of this team, every week, every year---- We have the staff, leadership and resources to accomplish great things--

Expect less and well.... chances are more times than not, you'll get less.

Do i expect greatness in 2010-- sure do, expect it in 2011, 2012.....
are there going to be "down" years, sure-- college football tends to be cyclical-- but the difference between the big boys and the wannabees is that in the "down years" you keep reloading and still manage a "good" season of 9-3 or 8-4---- 6-6 and 7-5 should not be happening again with this program with the stage this program is at--- and no, I'm not one of those fans that will call for KF if/when we go 7-5 again--- i didn't call for his head during the 06 and 07 meltdown-- and how funny about those 2 years--- that it wasn't lack of talent, but lack of proper attitude, discipline that screwed us those years. We had more players on the Court List than we did any Award list--- Funny sometimes how some of the biggest tangibles get overlooked and can make or break a season.

 

[burky247]

burky -

I think that you might be overlooking the fact that the '05 squad had more issues than the ones you were alluding to. The turnover on the DL was obviously a glaring loss ... however, it got AMPLIFIED by the fact that we also had first year starters at the LEO spot and at safety. In losing Considine, we effectively lost the QB of our secondary. In losing George, we lost a guy who had valuable experience in helping set the edge. Don't get me wrong, I really liked Miles ... however, he was more of a "hitter" and he wasn't as solid of a tackler or as good at maintaining contain in '05 as we needed him to be.

On top of the aforementioned losses, you're also possibly overlooking the fact that the '05 Iowa squad also had to replace its two starting OTs. And, unlike the squad in 2010, the '05 squad didn't have an elite proven commodity ready to step up and fill the void. Of course, what happened in 2005? The OL still managed to not be that much of a problem. The Iowa O still managed to be pretty darn productive ... much more so than it was in 2004.

Anyhow, if you look at the 2010 squad, the ONLY glaring issue on the staring lineup is on the OL ... and in many respects the 2010 Iowa OL is in a much better situation than its 2005 counterpart. Specifically, the primary backups on the OL in '05 were underclassmen. In contrast, the '10 OL depth is rather laden with JR upperclassmen.

Homer,
Good post. Keep in mind I wasn't trying to really compare the two teams. Just the expectations in relation to what was lost the previous season. I agree that the '05 offense ended up doing better than the previous year. That wasn't surprising since we actually had a running game that season. We both know how important a balanced offense is to Iowa's offensive scheme. I think my point remains. While we still had to replace the OT's that season, that wasn't the main concern going in(compared to replacing an entire dline). Sort of like how replacing the linebackers this year isn't as worriesome.

Do you have any concerns with replacing our linebackers? How about our depth at corner?

It's very possible that we will have lineman that will be able to step right in and not lose a beat. There is talent as well as some experience there. They key is will there be the consistency needed there to pull off one of these special seasons. Especially early on in the schedule.

 

[trj]

Read through some of these post........skimmed through others. It just seems even if a faction of the fanbase even dares to expect/want greatness.... the other half of the fanbase will point the finger and say things like, "delusional" or being "unrealistic".


I feel 2010 should be one of those years when you expect great things.

 

[burky247]

Read through some of these post........skimmed through others. It just seems even if a faction of the fanbase even dares to expect/want greatness.... the other half of the fanbase will point the finger and say things like, "delusional" or being "unrealistic".

I don't really think that's the case. I don't think many people have a problem with people predicting 12-0 or 11-1 seasons. That's more optimistic than I see our record being. But I love that optimism and passion from our fanbase.

What some people(me included) have issues with our people considering a 9-3 season a disappointment.

 

[PlanoHawk]

what's my takeaway- lets think big? you did a great job of objectively throwing stats, message board posts and observations, but maybe i missed your prediction from all this data? is that what this is- just a summary ans analysis for people to make better predictions themselves?

good job, and not throwing you under a bus because it is very comprehensive- but...

 

[DDHawkeye]

I think that you're ignoring the fact that the Iowa squad also faced quite a lot of adversity in the '09 season too ... adversity that the squad, for the most part, overcame too.

You can speak about Iowa having the bounces go their way, however .....

... how exactly was Moeaki's injury a bounce in Iowa's favor?

... how exactly was Prater's 2 game suspension a bounce in Iowa's favor? Would the UNI game really have been so close had Grace not been able to pick on Castillo?

... how exactly were the injuries, either before or during the season, to Calloway, Vandervelde, Bulaga, and Richardson bounces in Iowa's favor?

... how exactly was Bulaga's thyroid issue a bounce in Iowa's favor?

... how exactly was Stanzi's injury a bounce in Iowa's favor?

... how exactly were the season-ending injuries to Hampton, Brinson, and Bernstine bounces in Iowa's favor?

... how exactly were Robinson's ankle injury and Wegher's rib injury (among other injuries they sustained) bounces in Iowa's favor?

... how exactly were all of Stanzi's picks bounces in Iowa's favor? By my recollection, Stanzi-related turnovers provided our opposition with 35 instant points through the season. How many of Iowa's "close" games were somewhat attributable to those points? And, for the record, between all the work Stanzi has put into cleaning up his game and the fact that Iowa's RBs are a lot more experienced ... Iowa fans have EVERY reason to believe that Iowa will be giving away far fewer "instant points" to our opponents!

... how exactly was Hunter's injury a bounce in Iowa's favor.

... how exactly were Stross's dropped passes in the tOSU game bounces in Iowa's favor?

... how exactly was Prater's injury that forced him to miss the Arkansas State game a bounce in Iowa's favor?

Furthermore, let us not forget the "LUCK" of Iowa's opponents.

... Penn State needed a little luck in getting a TD nab on the opening play of the game. How often does Spievey make that sort of error? The Nits needed a little "luck" to get those early points on the board.

... MSU needed a little luck and some uncanny execution for their hook and lateral to work out as effectively as did. How often do you see the hook and lateral during the mid of the season?

... the list goes on.

Quite frankly, I really believe that our opponents made their own luck as much as Iowa made their own luck. Thus, if the Hawks keep on playing with such tenacity, heart, and determination ... why should we expect that the team will be any less "lucky?"

Furthermore, why should we expect that the team will face any MORE adversity than it faced and overcame in the 2009 season?

I agree with this post 100% homerHawkeye. Great posts from you and ECHawkeye both. Do I expect us to go 13-0? I hate to say it because a lot of people on these boards want to tear anybody apart with high expectations, but yes I do expect 13-0. I will definitely be disappointed with any loss this year. I won't be calling for Ferentz or O'Keefe or anybody to get fired even if we go 6-6, but I will be disappointed none the less if we lose a single game. With all the great talent we have coming back and the great coaches we have, we should expect greatness from this team. We will be favored in every game except for possibly the game against Ohio State, and I expect us to win every game. I haven't gone into a game "expecting" to lose in quite some time (at least with Stanzi playing) and I won't be doing it at all this year.

 

[ChosenChildren]

Really great material. Thank you.

I have been going to Iowa games since 1961. I have seen many teams not live up to the hype, and others exceed expectations. It is hard to forget 1965 (we were ranked #1 at the beginning of the year, and finished 1-9!!!). Even in 2006, a 6-7 team could have been much better (they lost very close games to Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Texas).

All a team can do is work hard, prepare well, stay hungry, and keep your players in school and eligible.

After that, it comes down to:

1. Injuries.
2. Turnovers.
3. Untimely penalties.
4. How the other team plays against you that day (in other words, their injuries, turnovers and penalties v. yours).

The difference between 11-1 and 7-5 or 6-6 is razor thin in a competitive league like the Big Ten.

You really shouldn't expect anything more than Iowa being competitive in all of their games this year. I really believe they will be competitive and they should be a very tough "out" in all of their conference games. Hopefully a good bowl game happens at the end of the year.

Otherwise, enjoy the ride and hope for the best.

 

[DDHawkeye]

Really great material. Thank you.

I have been going to Iowa games since 1961. I have seen many teams not live up to the hype, and others exceed expectations. It is hard to forget 1965 (we were ranked #1 at the beginning of the year, and finished 1-9!!!). Even in 2006, a 6-7 team could have been much better (they lost very close games to Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Texas).

All a team can do is work hard, prepare well, stay hungry, and keep your players in school and eligible.

After that, it comes down to:

1. Injuries.
2. Turnovers.
3. Untimely penalties.
4. How the other team plays against you that day (in other words, their injuries, turnovers and penalties v. yours).

The difference between 11-1 and 7-5 or 6-6 is razor thin in a competitive league like the Big Ten.

You really shouldn't expect anything more than Iowa being competitive in all of their games this year. I really believe they will be competitive and they should be a very tough "out" in all of their conference games. Hopefully a good bowl game happens at the end of the year.

Otherwise, enjoy the ride and hope for the best.

I think only expecting to be competitive in all the games this year is very low expectations. I truly feel we can expect more than that. I'd be disappointed if we were competitive in every game but lost some by a couple points per game. I agree about enjoying the ride and hoping for the best though

 

[ECHawkeye]

what's my takeaway- lets think big? you did a great job of objectively throwing stats, message board posts and observations, but maybe i missed your prediction from all this data? is that what this is- just a summary ans analysis for people to make better predictions themselves?

good job, and not throwing you under a bus because it is very comprehensive- but...

PlanoHawk ---

Yes, I wanted to offer up some different things for fans to chew on.

I'll also add this:

I understand it's difficult to measure satisfaction by pure record alone. A 9-3 regular season that includes a 7-1 Big 10 record and trip to the Rose Bowl may be considered a better achievement than if the Hawks went 10-2 with both losses coming at the hands of Indiana and Northwestern. There would be so many "what ifs" under that scenario.

But you asked for a prediction, PlanoHawk.

I'll say a 10-2 regular season based on talent, schedule, coaching, program history... everything that was previously addressed.

To me, anything less than double-digit victories or the unlikely (aforementioned) scenario of 9 wins + Rose Bowl trip would be disappointing.

That's not how I feel every year, but based on everything we know right now, I feel the expectations for 2010 should be higher than they would be in a typical year ---- and higher than they currently are in many camps across HawkeyeNation.

 

[CAARHawk]

One thing I think people forget about 05 is that we weren't just replacing key players, we were replacing key players with guys that weren't really physically ready to be B10 starters.

Compound this with the fact that these non-quite-ready-for-prime-time players were on the D-line and at CB and you are really opening the door for teams to move the ball on you.

This year our new starters will not be so physically overmatched. Sure the Oline will not be as big as last year. But, there are guys waiting in the wings that have all the physical tools. So if guys like Zuzevics', Ferentz, Gettis, etc. Can't get it done, we have guys like Nolan Mac, Boffeli, and Van Slotten waiting to step in.

Additionally, our situation at CB is WAY better! Let's face it. 2005 was significantly affected by some horrific corner play. We had one player in particular who was a first down waiting to happen. The problem is that we really had no other options. This year we have three quality players to fill 2 corner spots and 2 back-ups who have gotten valuable experience. The three players vying for the two spots have NFL athleticism. Not saying either will be NFL players, just that they have the base athleticism. The same cannot be said about 05.

 

[CAARHawk]

Just noticed that I said either when talking about the three corners. That was a bit if a Freudian slip. Okay, I will admit it. I think Prater is a lock to play on Sundays. It really was Bernstine and Hyde to whom I was referring when I said either.