Bryce Miller: Lack of playmakers, not Ferentz, causing Hawkeyes’ woes
- Thread starter SheagleHawk
- Start date
SheagleHawk
Well-Known Member
My thoughts exactly.
GhostofBTT
Banned
Keenan Davis was a 4*, CJF was a 4*, Garmon was a 4*, JVB was a high 3*
Playmakers are coming, they just aren't doing anything anymore. personally, I think the problem is the convoluted offense they're running which no one understands. But then again, Kurt is responsible for that too. Gregg must make a hell of a convincing argument for why it's "gonna" work, I guess.
Playmakers are coming, they just aren't doing anything anymore. personally, I think the problem is the convoluted offense they're running which no one understands. But then again, Kurt is responsible for that too. Gregg must make a hell of a convincing argument for why it's "gonna" work, I guess.
Agreed, this is a total cop out. Davis, Bullock, Manley, CJ are all more than capable of making and playing on a Big 10 roster and it's not like the offense was lighting it up before our two best lineman were injured. The current talent may not be first team all conference, and you can certainly argue the lack of an elite player contributes to the offense struggling, but what we are seeing is way, way beyond an offense simply struggling. The talent on the field, while not excellent by any means, is still way better than the results we are seeing. That means the problems are coaching/schematic and at QB. From reading Gamefilm's reviews each week, there are receivers getting open, there are some decent blocks being made up front. I agree the team is young and expect them to struggle somewhat, but nothing anyone has said about the team's talent, speed, depth, youth, etc. has anything to do with the bad clock management or running the same exact play on every third and 2 against 9 man fronts, etc. The lack of talent, if anywhere, is on the defense side.
Section136
Well-Known Member
What exactly has anybody seen out of CJF that makes them think he is an above average TE? Was it his awesome high school numbers when he was mostly playing WR in small school Illinois football?
you are seeing the results of back-to-back terrible classes in 08/09
look at the rankings since then. we had #6, #4, and #6 classes in the conference. things will bounce back. this is why its good to have an AD that will not make a panic move. we are very much a developmental program.
that being said, its critical to keep together and improve the current class, as well as avoid a bad year in 2013, so we dont repeat the same cycle
look at the rankings since then. we had #6, #4, and #6 classes in the conference. things will bounce back. this is why its good to have an AD that will not make a panic move. we are very much a developmental program.
that being said, its critical to keep together and improve the current class, as well as avoid a bad year in 2013, so we dont repeat the same cycle
nationalchamps
Well-Known Member
Just another kool-aid drinker.
clicheusername3
Banned
BUT HE'S 6'7" 260lbs!!!!!!????? HE'S JUST LIKE GRONK!!!!!!!
SheagleHawk
Well-Known Member
No, you're right; he can't do those things. However, he can stop being so damn stubborn and adapt. He can play a style of football with some ingenuity that would ATTRACT playmakers instead of repelling them. What playmaker would ever want to come to Iowa to showcase their skills unless passed up by nearly every other solid program? If you're a legit talent at WR, RB, QB and didn't grow up loving the Hawks, why would you ever give Iowa any consideration?
Sometimes he catches it. But the next tackle he breaks will be the first. This post should be sticky'd at the top of this forum. We're talking about a guy who is 3 years into the program and has made little to no impact. Time to move on.
GhostofBTT
Banned
Adapt like what? Hire an OC who won a national title and coached Vince Young and Colt McCoy? The problem is not that he is stuck in his ways, the problem is that he tried to adapt and that attempt has failed miserably.
I haven't seen anything from CJ to show he is anything other than an average tightend. But the problem is that the offense results are well, well below average. As I said earlier, the talent is not great (including CJ), but it's better than the results being produced. The other thing on CJ - his is 6-7. Whether he is all that talented or not, he should be a matchup problem for a defense. I've seen enough of CJ to think we could line him up on one side of the field, get a one on one match-up and throw him jump ball down towards the goal line every now and then.
Look, we all know what the ultimate problem is on offense. This should be at least a serviceable/average offense, particularly given the defenses it gets to go up against. Just read Gamefilm's reviews from all of the games this season. The two big recurring problems on O: (1) the receivers/tightends are indeed getting open, but the QB can't find them, and (2) we have the worst, most unimaginative, predictable offense on 3rd and 2-3, which essentially entails bringing in a frosh receiver we never through the ball to, line up everyone else right next to each other on the line and go off tackle into the teeth of a 9 man front. This isn't my analysis, but rather a fairly obvious conclusion to Gamefilm's analysis, which I think everyone on this board respects.
Point being, despite not having great talent, the offense shouldn't be this bad.
SheagleHawk
Well-Known Member
Like adapting your strategy and philosophy to fit the personnel you have. Why are we sitting in base D, continually getting shredded like with zero push from a front 4 who'd be lucky to make a roster anywhere else? Why are we forcing JVB into 3 step drops when he's clearly more effective out of the gun or moving the pocket? Why are we counting on our defense to win games when we have one of the worst D's in the country (granted the O is horrible as well)? The list goes on....
I will reserve ultimate judgement on the Davis hire until next year when he hopefully has a better QB to work with on the offense. That said, KF did what I thought he would do, and what I was afraid he would do: hire a professional assistant, old dog who wouldn't shake things up too much and wouldn't want to eventually become a head coach. KF had a chance to bring in an up and comer with new ideas/aspirations, but he chose not to. I hope I'm wrong and they can get this turned around, and I believe KF has earned the right to do that over the next year or two at least.
In my opinion the changes the offense needed dealt with tempo and creating matchups with formations. Neither of those things changed this year. We still pass out of passing formations almost all of the time and vice versa. The tempo is still slower than molasis, the next bunch or three receiver trips formation we see will be the first, and the clock management still stinks. Ferentz basically traded in his 2009 Taurus for a 2010 Camry.
bpiercehawks
Well-Known Member
I've said the same thing as above about CJF. He seems top-heavy when he runs. He goes down easier than anyone I've seen, small running backs included. I still think he'll be good for us.
Umm, we've been told many, many times by the HEAD COACH that JVB is the best QB they have. I wouldn't hold your breath.
hawkfan2679
Well-Known Member
Here's why I don't write off CJF yet. Scott Chandler...Chandler was a 6'7" 257lb converted WR back in 2003. I don't remember him much in '03, but I do remember seeing him in 2004 and he seemed like a guy (athletically) who would rarely see the field. He also had some drop troubles early in his career...but he developed into a great (and reliable) target towards the end of his career. As a whole I think CJF has better athleticism...the main difference between the two has been the QB's each has played for.
IMO, the staff wasted his freshman year running down on kickoff coverage and was held out of the lineup last year due to some blocking deficiencies...I don't think anyone watches him to see him block. We were all excited about him due to his potential to be a matchup issue for opposing defenses. So it appears as though he hasn't done anything yet...but I'd like to think he's got better times ahead of him if we can get some better QB play, i.e. a willingness to bother testing the middle of the field, where a TE makes his hay.
IMO, the staff wasted his freshman year running down on kickoff coverage and was held out of the lineup last year due to some blocking deficiencies...I don't think anyone watches him to see him block. We were all excited about him due to his potential to be a matchup issue for opposing defenses. So it appears as though he hasn't done anything yet...but I'd like to think he's got better times ahead of him if we can get some better QB play, i.e. a willingness to bother testing the middle of the field, where a TE makes his hay.
GhostofBTT
Banned
James isn't a bad QB, he just can't run the garbage offense we switched to. No one could. The receivers don't understand it either.
