Brian Ferentz Schematic Advantage

[ArvadaHawk]

What are the odds this board would have a @HuckFinn and a @HawkleberryFinn?

starting today? 100%.

 

[ArvadaHawk]

I think people are too hard on his first year. The minute you try to explain the pretty significant challenges (losing two senior OT's), people make the claim that it shouldn't matter, which is fascinating. Throw in a first year QB, and a first year laden wide receiver group, well, I think he did pretty damn well scheming to get people open. Losing the two OTs is just a killer in my opinion...imagine going through spring and fall camp with two SRs, then putting freshman in and the growing pains that come with learning on the job early in the season...that's a tough gig in the B10. You don't think MSU, NW, and others schemed to attack us on the edge with stunts and outside pressure. Watch the tape.

He's obviously a bright dude because he used his weapons pretty effectively despite the challenges upfront. Fant leading the country in TDs for a tight end is impressive...and he found ways to get the ball to him. Stanley throwing 26 TDs as a first year starter...second most in school history.

People are down on him because of the Wisconsin and Purdue games...and running into 8 man fronts too often. It certainly wasn't fun to watch. I think Brian's got a much more aggressive offensive mind and wants to exploit teams that stack the box by throwing in that situation. This issue last year, was that he couldn't protect his QB...so you can't throw it all the time...that's a losing formula too. With the challenges he faced last year...I think we are underestimating just how good his performance was.

I like where the offense is going...he showed it can be unpredictable...and varied. We went back to getting the TEs down the seams...used Fant in deep routes. The big challenge is we just didn't have a difference maker at WR.

Let's see how he does this coming year if he can keep his OL somewhat healthy. I, for one, am really looking forward to watching this team offensively.

you make good points. my counter would be that we had AW. we didn't do anything different to make those teams stop the stunts and outside pressure. Where were the draws? The slip screens? Spread them out to make it a lot harder to stunt; therefore, they don't stunt. i'm not going to give brian credit for being his own man/OC until it is brutally obvious kirk has been locked out of the game planning meetings. Did we try anything different in 2nd half at WUs? nope. same ol same ol let yourself get kicked in the balls. MSU/jNW we had a better offense than both, and by a lot. but we ran, ran, ran, ran, ran, ran, passed. same ol same ol out fundamental them.

You know, it IS okay to blow the doors off your opponent. Think OSU.

Edit: WOTC, i'm not trying to be snarky. I think we ALL hope brian is a free thinker and is unshackled from his dad's 1950's style offensive philosophy. But I'm just not going to give him credit until it's obvious. Which is why I was not in favor of giving brian OTJ at Iowa as OC. he should have proven himself somewhere else. This feels too much like brian being indoctrinated to become a kirk clone when kirk leaves. We shall see.

 

[ArvadaHawk]

Wisconsin attacked the line of scrimmage. OSU was arrogant and read all the press clippings about their advantage on the DL against our offensive line. If you bring four with limited stunts and refuse to blitz, our OL was pretty solid. If you are bringing 5 or 6 with some speed...we were in deep shit last year. If you watch MSU, NW, Purdue...they were all bringing pressure on 2nd and 3rd and long. Wisconsin just simply attacked the line of scrimmage damn near every play with speed...pressure...pressure...pressure. We couldn't block their four LBs or DEs whatever you want to call them.

That was a tough schedule last year guys. Top ten for sure, and I've seen it ranked as low as the 5th or 6th toughest in college football. Playing on the road at Wisconsin is always tough...playing them after playing OSU and winning big like that added some degree of difficulty.

how do you beat pressure?

I'll tell you how i'd do it. I'd spread it with 4 wide and run intermediate middle and curl routes and slants on both sides and use AW with screens and draws. when you spread, you can't hide where you're coming from.

 

[AreWeThereYet]

It's really too bad other teams don't experience injuries. Does God hate Iowa?

Only the running back god hates Iowa, and it's made surprisingly little difference. Sometimes the next man in has enough talent and experience. Nothing is guaranteed.

Who are you comparing Iowa too. Nebraska and PSU have been about as vulnerable to injury as Iowa the last 20 years in spite of higher grade recruits. Northwestern, Minnesota, Purdue, Maryland, and the bottom dwellers have all been more vulnerable to attrition. Ohio State has enough quality and quantity to either replace or compensate for personnel losses. Wisconsin has been remarkably resilient over the last 25 years. Michigan has had its share of problems with attrition since Carr left.

 

[4thngoal]

how do you beat pressure?

I'll tell you how i'd do it. I'd spread it with 4 wide and run intermediate middle and curl routes and slants on both sides and use AW with screens and draws. when you spread, you can't hide where you're coming from.

4 wide with who? Nobody was going to buy that as a legitimate threat.
As has been said by a few of us any dc worth a popcorn fart saw #1 our ol was young. #2 our wr were young #3 our qb was young.
That's a lot of mismatches to exploit.
I'm not happy with the conference record.
But I try to be reasonable also.
Now we are in year 2 of wr and coach. Ol and coach
Of OC.
But our D needs to play better as well. Especially up font. Yeah the back side had a few brain farts, but over all there were times they were the only reason why we were in games.

 

[WinOneThisCentury]

4 wide with who? Nobody was going to buy that as a legitimate threat.
As has been said by a few of us any dc worth a popcorn fart saw #1 our ol was young. #2 our wr were young #3 our qb was young.
That's a lot of mismatches to exploit.
I'm not happy with the conference record.
But I try to be reasonable also.
Now we are in year 2 of wr and coach. Ol and coach
Of OC.
But our D needs to play better as well. Especially up font. Yeah the back side had a few brain farts, but over all there were times they were the only reason why we were in games.

If you make lucid arguments, like you have here, it's going to serious cripple some of these people mentally. Everything is an excuse...any fact based argument is whittled down to excuses.

 

[WinOneThisCentury]

you make good points. my counter would be that we had AW. we didn't do anything different to make those teams stop the stunts and outside pressure. Where were the draws? The slip screens? Spread them out to make it a lot harder to stunt; therefore, they don't stunt. i'm not going to give brian credit for being his own man/OC until it is brutally obvious kirk has been locked out of the game planning meetings. Did we try anything different in 2nd half at WUs? nope. same ol same ol let yourself get kicked in the balls. MSU/jNW we had a better offense than both, and by a lot. but we ran, ran, ran, ran, ran, ran, passed. same ol same ol out fundamental them.

You know, it IS okay to blow the doors off your opponent. Think OSU.

Edit: WOTC, i'm not trying to be snarky. I think we ALL hope brian is a free thinker and is unshackled from his dad's 1950's style offensive philosophy. But I'm just not going to give him credit until it's obvious. Which is why I was not in favor of giving brian OTJ at Iowa as OC. he should have proven himself somewhere else. This feels too much like brian being indoctrinated to become a kirk clone when kirk leaves. We shall see.

Let's face it, KOK was brought back as an insurance policy for KF. He knows what's at stake with Brian as the OC...and the scrutiny that would come with it. I think you could have put any experienced OC in there last year, it didn't matter. You don't start to two freshman offensive tackles early season, cold like that...and excel. That is unless you are loaded with 4* and 5* talent and then you probably still struggle.

 

[ArvadaHawk]

4 wide with who? Nobody was going to buy that as a legitimate threat.
As has been said by a few of us any dc worth a popcorn fart saw #1 our ol was young. #2 our wr were young #3 our qb was young.
That's a lot of mismatches to exploit.
I'm not happy with the conference record.
But I try to be reasonable also.
Now we are in year 2 of wr and coach. Ol and coach
Of OC.
But our D needs to play better as well. Especially up font. Yeah the back side had a few brain farts, but over all there were times they were the only reason why we were in games.

what happens when you have 4 wides? you have to guard them with 4 guys, right? Easley, ISM, MVB, Fant and throw in B. Smith. That's what could have been done last season. The point is to spread them out, take defenders out of the box and then you can tell where they're going to come from, if they bring it.

 

[ArvadaHawk]

Let's face it, KOK was brought back as an insurance policy for KF. He knows what's at stake with Brian as the OC...and the scrutiny that would come with it. I think you could have put any experienced OC in there last year, it didn't matter. You don't start to two freshman offensive tackles early season, cold like that...and excel. That is unless you are loaded with 4* and 5* talent and then you probably still struggle.

i agree with you re: KOK. and that proves my point. brian had training wheels on and i just don't believe it's right that brian gets OTJ at Iowa. i mean, do we really know who schemed and called the plays last season? how much influence did KOK have? A lot? Hardly any? you should have your damn balls on the line and live and die with the scrutiny. brian didn't have to do that last season cuz daddy is kirk and he gave him a pretty damn good OC to hold his hand.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

Well, you can't make ass soup without some ass in there. Thanks Sirius. There's a difference between an excuse and an explanation. Through the years I've heard so many football experts talk about this team is playing without their senior tackle, which is a huge loss and tips the scales...blah, blah, blah. However, when Iowa loses two senior OTs, the morons come out o'plenty talking about "excuses" and "accepting mediocrity".

The truth of the matter is whether you want to accept it or not, losing two senior offensive tackles is going to hinder you offensively. You can blame recruiting that freshmen replaced them...but I think you have to give the offensive coordinator the benefit of the doubt that it impacted the play calling knowing he had an inexperience on the edges.

Let's see how he does this year. I think you will be eating crow on whether Brian is deserving of the job.

The Hawks could go 12-0 and Sirius would say the following (not necessarily applicable to every game, but occurring at least once in some game during the season):

1) Weak opponent and/or weak schedule
2) Luck with NOT having injuries
3) Lucky bounces
4) Positive turnovers due to opponent bad luck
5) Lucky breaks from officiating which went the Hawks' way
6) Opponent injuries
7) Bad coaching by opponent coaching staffs
8)Weak opponent
9) Weak schedule (see a pattern here?)
10) Incompetent opponent coaching (NOW do you see the pattern?)
11) Phil Parker's extraordinary defense bailing out the offense
12) The fact Phil should be HC
13) KFs contract
14) Barta's lack of balls/not holding KF accountable in 2012, 2014, 2016, etc.
15) KFs poor game management at the end of the 2005 Cap One Bowl and the 2009 game against OSU in The 'Shoe
16) Poor recruiting not coming back to bite us THIS year

I mean, half the hater crowd made excuses for OSU (OLs getting hurt, Bosa getting ejected, some even calling it a "stupid" ejection). The other half said "Iowa SHOULD win, they had more talent and speed, but KF doesn't know how to utilize it!"

 

[tksirius]

No...they do have injuries, but there is a level of severity also...so you believe performance improves and those teams weren't impacted by those injuries? OSU went three years without a starter losing a start on the offensive line...any wonder they were so good offensively during that time? I'm saying it's highly unusual for a team with an experienced OL, noted to be the strength of the team coming into the year, to lose two senior offensive tackles. It's a serious level of adversity that a first year offensive coordinator had to deal with and it should be noted when looking at team performance. That being said, he coached a QB to the second most TDs in school history. His TE led the country in TD receptions. They very easily could have won 10 games...with a break here and there. They were in every game, save Wisconsin.

It was only one year, but I think he's going to be really freaking good at the OC job. I also think, if he wants, he will be the next head coach at Iowa. We will all find out.

You're not being honest. There was talk at the beginning of the season that Jackson was going to start at some point in the season eventually and his play was obviously a step up over Boone once we saw him play.
The point is that guys like you always have excuses for poor coaching, specifically for the Ferentz family. If we only win 7 or 8 games this year, I'm sure there will be a list of new excuses, despite the schedule being a piece of cake.

 

[Adam]

It's really too bad other teams don't experience injuries. Does God hate Iowa?

He did at one time hate our running backs. So you can't rule it out.

 

[4thngoal]

what happens when you have 4 wides? you have to guard them with 4 guys, right? Easley, ISM, MVB, Fant and throw in B. Smith. That's what could have been done last season. The point is to spread them out, take defenders out of the box and then you can tell where they're going to come from, if they bring it.

With half of them barely having a catch?
I mean come on. Just the statistical odds of any success at all are probably against you with 50% of your receivers not having any college catches and very little practice.
If I'm dc? I'm not buying it.
You are honestly going to sit there and say if as a DC, you saw, new qb, new OT's and 50% of the passing options with barely a catch and greener than green, you are going to commit to the pass?
Yeah I don't think so. You could have went 5 wide and they still would have thought Stanley would run it. They would have jammed at the Los and played hard press and sent pressure on the outside at the OT's. Same as pretty much every other play. More receivers with no experience and a first year qb wasn't going to scare them.
This year???? I hope you're right. I hope if they try it again we can go a single back formation and send everyone else out. But last year? That wasn't an option for several reasons.

 

[ArvadaHawk]

With half of them barely having a catch?
I mean come on. Just the statistical odds of any success at all are probably against you with 50% of your receivers not having any college catches and very little practice.
If I'm dc? I'm not buying it.
You are honestly going to sit there and say if as a DC, you saw, new qb, new OT's and 50% of the passing options with barely a catch and greener than green, you are going to commit to the pass?
Yeah I don't think so. You could have went 5 wide and they still would have thought Stanley would run it. They would have jammed at the Los and played hard press and sent pressure on the outside at the OT's. Same as pretty much every other play. More receivers with no experience and a first year qb wasn't going to scare them.
This year???? I hope you're right. I hope if they try it again we can go a single back formation and send everyone else out. But last year? That wasn't an option for several reasons.

well whose effing fault is that? why the hell do you think i'm so vocal about our horsesh*t passing game the last, oh, i don't know, 19 seasons? we have a perpetual self-fulfilling prophecy that is our crutch.

Beyond that, defenses have to defend the scheme and where the players line up. If you really believe those 4 dudes can't catch the ball, then we're in worse shape that i thought and that begs the questions, why the hell do we allow this staff to stick around?

 

[4thngoal]

well whose effing fault is that? why the hell do you think i'm so vocal about our horsesh*t passing game the last, oh, i don't know, 19 seasons? we have a perpetual self-fulfilling prophecy that is our crutch.

Beyond that, defenses have to defend the scheme and where the players line up. If you really believe those 4 dudes can't catch the ball, then we're in worse shape that i thought and that begs the questions, why the hell do we allow this staff to stick around?

Oh I don't know 6 for 6 was pretty good.
GD decimated our passing game.
I'm not saying they couldn't catch the ball at all, but did they know even half the play book You have to be in the right place at the right time to catch it. You have to know when and where you are supposed to block. How to cut and get off jams. More goes into a wr and thus a passing game (one with reasonable expectation of success) than just catching the ball.
Plus they were up against multi year starters.
How many freshman did Josh defend?? He would have had a hayday on just about any freshman, regardless of talent.
We were totally out matched on the edges as well as the edges of the ol.
Who's fault is that?? That is not answered in a singular statement. It was the culmination of several things. You think all that attrition helped? How about GD's system?
Yeah we started over, personally I think that was the best idea. We had a dumpster fire for a passing game, from coaches, oc to attrition.
Sorry if there was some growing pains. But at least we were not like a 3 legged dog chasing his tail and trying to make subtle adjustments to a dumpster fire of a passing game.

 

[BigD]

well whose effing fault is that? why the hell do you think i'm so vocal about our horsesh*t passing game the last, oh, i don't know, 19 seasons? we have a perpetual self-fulfilling prophecy that is our crutch.

Beyond that, defenses have to defend the scheme and where the players line up. If you really believe those 4 dudes can't catch the ball, then we're in worse shape that i thought and that begs the questions, why the hell do we allow this staff to stick around?

I would totally scrap our offensive play book and go to a one back backfield. Just imagine faking a hand off to that back then having him as a potential receiver out in the flat. The defensive backs and safeties are all down field covering our wide outs and I’ll take a one on one matchup with a linebacker trying to cover a Wadley or any other competent running back seven days a week. You are also correct in that this would put an end of stacking the box against us every play. You have set plays for your receivers in case the defender leaves you at the line of scrimmage and rushes the QB. One thousand one, one thousand two and the ball is already out of the QB’s hands and on the way to the open receiver. Just one or two plays like that and those blitzing ideas will be done with. The brightest side of all of this would be that Iowa’s offense would be fun to watch again.

I will cut Brian a little slack as he was just getting his feet wet last season. This year that excuse can’t be used anymore. I am hoping for great things from him. If we see that after this season it’s the same ole same ole and we eek out another 7-5 or even worse a 6-6 season, well then Kirk and his whole family need shipped out on a bus.

I actually have a good feeling in my bones about this up coming season. We are due for a great season and the schedule looks very favorable.

 

[4thngoal]

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/iowa/passing.html

Remember GD was OC from 12-16. Is anyone going to argue that CJ was a great qb? How much better in a good system? IDK maybe this is kind of telling.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/jake-rudock-1.html

Then we have this little gem from 11 to 12.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/james-vandenberg-1.html
But wait there's more. Check this out for where individual receivers came in during those years. Paying attention to the avg and compare.
I don't think anyone is going to say that these guys were bad players. I think the system stunk.
I think it didn't do qb's or wr's any good and as vandenberg's numbers show it was a huge step backwards.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/iowa/receiving.html

However I think it also shows the statement of 19 years of no passing game is incorrect.
Yeah 12 -16 seemed like 19 years, but it wasn't.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

No. That would require vastly more front butt.

Have you seen where I think it was Lane Kiffen who hired his kid as an offensive assistant maybe it was Ocoordinator? I guess he's some genious brainiac. But he is so young and looks like he doesn't need to shave yet.

 

[ArvadaHawk]

Oh I don't know 6 for 6 was pretty good.
GD decimated our passing game.
I'm not saying they couldn't catch the ball at all, but did they know even half the play book You have to be in the right place at the right time to catch it. You have to know when and where you are supposed to block. How to cut and get off jams. More goes into a wr and thus a passing game (one with reasonable expectation of success) than just catching the ball.
Plus they were up against multi year starters.
How many freshman did Josh defend?? He would have had a hayday on just about any freshman, regardless of talent.
We were totally out matched on the edges as well as the edges of the ol.
Who's fault is that?? That is not answered in a singular statement. It was the culmination of several things. You think all that attrition helped? How about GD's system?
Yeah we started over, personally I think that was the best idea. We had a dumpster fire for a passing game, from coaches, oc to attrition.
Sorry if there was some growing pains. But at least we were not like a 3 legged dog chasing his tail and trying to make subtle adjustments to a dumpster fire of a passing game.

4th, i didn't read past your first sentence in your previous post.

 

[4thngoal]

I would totally scrap our offensive play book and go to a one back backfield. Just imagine faking a hand off to that back then having him as a potential receiver out in the flat. The defensive backs and safeties are all down field covering our wide outs and I’ll take a one on one matchup with a linebacker trying to cover a Wadley or any other competent running back seven days a week. You are also correct in that this would put an end of stacking the box against us every play. You have set plays for your receivers in case the defender leaves you at the line of scrimmage and rushes the QB. One thousand one, one thousand two and the ball is already out of the QB’s hands and on the way to the open receiver. Just one or two plays like that and those blitzing ideas will be done with. The brightest side of all of this would be that Iowa’s offense would be fun to watch again.

I will cut Brian a little slack as he was just getting his feet wet last season. This year that excuse can’t be used anymore. I am hoping for great things from him. If we see that after this season it’s the same ole same ole and we eek out another 7-5 or even worse a 6-6 season, well then Kirk and his whole family need shipped out on a bus.

I actually have a good feeling in my bones about this up coming season. We are due for a great season and the schedule looks very favorable.

We actually ran the 11 personal more than any other.
I don't think BF is afraid to throw it.
I don't know the exact numbers out of that set, but I would guess the bulk of the receptions were te and rb. It wasn't that we didn't use the set it was that we couldn't maximize on it because we had Fant, Wadley and some of Easley as the only 3 (out of 5) that were dependable in executing. 3÷5 leaves pretty much 40% of that set with no production.
That is the nuts and bolts of it and what has to change. The more you can spread it around, the more you can keep them on their heels because they won't be able to basically key in on a couple players when in that set.

Oh and it can do nothing but help having an ol who is better at pass protection.
We were just to young at several spots to maximize that set to it's potential.