Coaching...and Talent/Depth...it's both..

[HawkeyeWalker]

The top 6-7 players on Iowa's 22 starters are very good...like most years (and most will have at least peak at the NFL), the next 11-12 starting players are more than adequate...like most years... but here's the problem(along with miserable offensive schemes, routes, formations, and playcalls)...the bottom 4-5 players starting are lower level MAC talent and there is no depth....poor recruiting over the last 3-4 years has caught up.

If you wanna run the offense and defense we run...you better have great offensive and defensive lines and great/fast outside linebackers and very good safety play.

Iowa's biggest issues...in order

1) offensive strategy, playcalls, formations, schemes (1-2 passes beyond 15 yards per game puts 9 in the box and massive qb pressure on every 3rd and medium-long)
2) outside LB and Safety Play / Talent
3) Oline pass blocking (not all on oline..see #1)
4) Pressure on opposing QB (tough to gamble on blitz/pressure...see #2)
5) Oline run blocking (see #1 and the fact every good defense we face know when and where we are going to run)

It's all connected, and it's unfixable with the combination of coaching we have with overall talent we have. I personally don't have an issue with the defensive philosophy if you have the players to run it, and I don't mind a ball control offense (except with far less predictability and not ever testing secondary).

IF you don't have the players to effectively run your preferred schemes...change the damn schemes until you do.

 

[theboat]

I will take a rebuild. I'm a patient guy and can handle a few awful seasons if I see progress. Regression and ineptness is far harder to deal with

 

[HawkeyeWalker]

I will take a rebuild. I'm a patient guy and can handle a few awful seasons if I see progress. Regression and ineptness is far harder to deal with

Agreed.

 

[Joshbrown]

Everything to do with a college football team is about coaching.

Assistants/Coordinators - on the head coach

Players/depth - on the head coach

Choice of plays - on the head coach

Style of team - on the head coach

Motivation of the team - on the head coach

Personality of the team - on the head coach

Uniforms - on the head coach

Schedule - on the AD, unless the head coach is more powerful than the AD, then it's on the head coach

Execution - on the players

Reacting to lack of execution - on the head coach

Scheming for the other team's weakness/strength - on the head coach

Wins - on the head coach

Losses - on the head coach

Interaction with the press - on the head coach

Game day adjustments - on the head coach

Contracts - on the AD

Hiring a coach worth his contract - on the AD

Firing an under-perfoming coach - on the AD

 

[Mademyaccount4u]

Everything to do with a college football team is about coaching.

Assistants/Coordinators - on the head coach

Players/depth - on the head coach

Choice of plays - on the head coach

Style of team - on the head coach

Motivation of the team - on the head coach

Personality of the team - on the head coach

Uniforms - on the head coach

Schedule - on the AD, unless the head coach is more powerful than the AD, then it's on the head coach

Execution - on the players

Reacting to lack of execution - on the head coach

Scheming for the other team's weakness/strength - on the head coach

Wins - on the head coach

Losses - on the head coach

Interaction with the press - on the head coach

Game day adjustments - on the head coach

Contracts - on the AD

Hiring a coach worth his contract - on the AD

I feel like you're trying to say the HC has something to do with it.

 

[uihawk82]

I think each one of your points is very valid but you forgot one thing unless you want to list it under talent and recruiting. That one thing is speed.

We look very slow and pedestrian this year. Wadley and Daniels have speed, we might have some fast receivers but we never use them.

The DEnds are slow, the Lbkrs are slow especially on the outside yet we have them guarding fast receivers without any pass pressure, King and Mabin are fine, but the safety play is slow or slow to react.

You can cure a lot of these ills with some speed as receivers get open more and quicker, Dends give you pressure, safeties recover and make big hits and INTs, lbkrs can cover and hold the edge.

I thought our edge contain was terrible last nite. If a Dend took an inside rush there was no Lbkr to contain and vice versa. Many scheme issues on both sides of the ball.

 

[HawkeyeWalker]

Everything to do with a college football team is about coaching.

Assistants/Coordinators - on the head coach

Players/depth - on the head coach

Choice of plays - on the head coach

Style of team - on the head coach

Motivation of the team - on the head coach

Personality of the team - on the head coach

Uniforms - on the head coach

Schedule - on the AD, unless the head coach is more powerful than the AD, then it's on the head coach

Execution - on the players

Reacting to lack of execution - on the head coach

Scheming for the other team's weakness/strength - on the head coach

Wins - on the head coach

Losses - on the head coach

Interaction with the press - on the head coach

Game day adjustments - on the head coach

Contracts - on the AD

Hiring a coach worth his contract - on the AD

Firing an under-perfoming coach - on the AD

I don't disagree at all.

 

[HawkeyeWalker]

I think each one of your points is very valid but you forgot one thing unless you want to list it under talent and recruiting. That one thing is speed.

We look very slow and pedestrian this year. Wadley and Daniels have speed, we might have some fast receivers but we never use them.

The DEnds are slow, the Lbkrs are slow especially on the outside yet we have them guarding fast receivers without any pass pressure, King and Mabin are fine, but the safety play is slow or slow to react.

You can cure a lot of these ills with some speed as receivers get open more and quicker, Dends give you pressure, safeties recover and make big hits and INTs, lbkrs can cover and hold the edge.

I thought our edge contain was terrible last nite. If a Dend took an inside rush there was no Lbkr to contain and vice versa. Many scheme issues on both sides of the ball.

Speed at OLB and Safety...key to running the defense we try to....we don't have it.

What bothers me worse is watching our safeties try to torpedo tackle...so bad.

 

[DBAHawkFan]

We would look faster on defense if we didn't try to cover WR with LB. Nickle and Dime packages would at least give us more speed.

We also don't blitz much. So we all see our 280lbs DL trying to run thru 320lbs OL and we lose those battles.

To me, it's all on the scheme. And that's on KF.

Opposing teams are pointing out our plays before they happen. We throw next to nothing down the field, so our offense is compacted and defenses run downhill...and that's going to look/play fast

It's time for a new staff. KF wants to win, but wants to win HIS way. It doesn't work. Last year was a fluke, and each week proves that

 

[HawkGold]

Everything to do with a college football team is about coaching.

Assistants/Coordinators - on the head coach

Players/depth - on the head coach

Choice of plays - on the head coach

Style of team - on the head coach

Motivation of the team - on the head coach

Personality of the team - on the head coach

Uniforms - on the head coach

Schedule - on the AD, unless the head coach is more powerful than the AD, then it's on the head coach

Execution - on the players

Reacting to lack of execution - on the head coach

Scheming for the other team's weakness/strength - on the head coach

Wins - on the head coach

Losses - on the head coach

Interaction with the press - on the head coach

Game day adjustments - on the head coach

Contracts - on the AD

Hiring a coach worth his contract - on the AD

Firing an under-perfoming coach - on the AD

You forgot to to blame the cheerleaders. Here is when it started:

 

[HawkGold]

I will take a rebuild. I'm a patient guy and can handle a few awful seasons if I see progress. Regression and ineptness is far harder to deal with

KF 5?

 

[PCHawk]

Everything to do with a college football team is about coaching.

Assistants/Coordinators - on the head coach

Players/depth - on the head coach

Choice of plays - on the head coach

Style of team - on the head coach

Motivation of the team - on the head coach

Personality of the team - on the head coach

Uniforms - on the head coach

Schedule - on the AD, unless the head coach is more powerful than the AD, then it's on the head coach

Execution - on the players

Reacting to lack of execution - on the head coach

Scheming for the other team's weakness/strength - on the head coach

Wins - on the head coach

Losses - on the head coach

Interaction with the press - on the head coach

Game day adjustments - on the head coach

Contracts - on the AD

Hiring a coach worth his contract - on the AD

Firing an under-perfoming coach - on the AD

Take a look at this list again and tell me the one thing Kirk blames in every presser. Execution. AKA the players.

 

[Joshbrown]

I think each one of your points is very valid but you forgot one thing unless you want to list it under talent and recruiting. That one thing is speed.

We look very slow and pedestrian this year. Wadley and Daniels have speed, we might have some fast receivers but we never use them.

The DEnds are slow, the Lbkrs are slow especially on the outside yet we have them guarding fast receivers without any pass pressure, King and Mabin are fine, but the safety play is slow or slow to react.

You can cure a lot of these ills with some speed as receivers get open more and quicker, Dends give you pressure, safeties recover and make big hits and INTs, lbkrs can cover and hold the edge.

I thought our edge contain was terrible last nite. If a Dend took an inside rush there was no Lbkr to contain and vice versa. Many scheme issues on both sides of the ball.

I look at it this way. It's fun for us all to nitpick and blame players . . . or speed . . . or ridiculous expectations . . . or lack of recruits . . . whatever.

But none of that matters. When Purdue - Illinois - Minnesota - Wisconsin - Nebraska - Indiana - Rutgers - Northwestern - etc etc etc etc - Hire a head coach, this is what they DON'T say to them. "Look because you've got handicaps to overcome, we're gonna pay you 2 million dollars a year and all you need to do is get to 6 wins once in a while."

Every single P5 team wants to compete with the big boys. Danny Mac had Iowa State to the point they could win 6 games most years. It wasn't good enough. When you pay anyone millions of dollars, you're not asking them to be good once every 5 years. Rutgers - Northwestern - Illinois - Purdue - no one will tolerate that bullshit. Coaching at this level isn't about "don't get embarrassed" - it's about beating the teams you're supposed to beat. And Kirk simply can't do that. It's time to find someone who can.

 

[Xerxes]

I look at it this way. It's fun for us all to nitpick and blame players . . . or speed . . . or ridiculous expectations . . . or lack of recruits . . . whatever.

But none of that matters. When Purdue - Illinois - Minnesota - Wisconsin - Nebraska - Indiana - Rutgers - Northwestern - etc etc etc etc - Hire a head coach, this is what they DON'T say to them. "Look because you've got handicaps to overcome, we're gonna pay you 2 million dollars a year and all you need to do is get to 6 wins once in a while."

Every single P5 team wants to compete with the big boys. Danny Mac had Iowa State to the point they could win 6 games most years. It wasn't good enough. When you pay anyone millions of dollars, you're not asking them to be good once every 5 years. Rutgers - Northwestern - Illinois - Purdue - no one will tolerate that bullshit. Coaching at this level isn't about "don't get embarrassed" - it's about beating the teams you're supposed to beat. And Kirk simply can't do that. It's time to find someone who can.

I used to be more supportive of the guy but the last couple weeks have changed everything for me. It started with his presser comments about how the schedule was a lot tougher than many people said it was prior to the season. Total bullshit excuse. Iowa lost at home to an FCS school and Northwestern. Barely beat Rutgers which is a joke of a program. Fans can accept losing at home to Wisconsin and at PSU. But you can't get trampled like that. They gave up 600 yards of offense for crying out loud. They couldn't even stop PSU's 2nd string offense. That is a joke.

The comments about Hyde and King could have been good WRs yet he refused/refuses to use either at a position Iowa has sorely lacked for most of the KF era. Can't even explain how dumb this is.

The recruiting comment about "not missing something you never had". More bullshit. He's lost 2 top 100 recruits because he refuses to deal with their drama. News flash Kirk: they're teenagers. Their life is all about drama. Deal with it. I believe its very tough recruiting to Iowa City. Don't make it harder. Phil Jackson is stupid rich and going to go down as one of the best BB coaches ever, not because of Xs & Os but because he could deal with athlete diva drama.

5 of the last 7 years have been a joke. But those seasons have proven to be exceptions rather than the rule. You mentioned "coaching at this level isn't about 'don't get embarrassed". He can't even say he can do that anymore.

 

[theboat]

KF 5?

Should I know what this means?

 

[teachercoach]

I will take a rebuild. I'm a patient guy and can handle a few awful seasons if I see progress. Regression and ineptness is far harder to deal with

I have always been able to agree w/ this - except for these players comments - that have been heard before and repeated again last night:

"We weren't ready to go. You only get 12 shots."
"We didn't show up."
"I don't know why - we weren't ready."

Those should never be heard again - ever!!!! (Especially after a bye week). As someone who has coached middle school, high school, small college - that's just not acceptable at D-1 level.

 

[HawkGold]

Should I know what this means?

Oh, sorry. New Kirk or rebuild Kirk 5. Or is it 4? Lost track.

 

[PCHawk]

I have always been able to agree w/ this - except for these players comments - that have been heard before and repeated again last night:

"We weren't ready to go. You only get 12 shots."
"We didn't show up."
"I don't know why - we weren't ready."

Those should never be heard again - ever!!!! (Especially after a bye week). As someone who has coached middle school, high school, small college - that's just not acceptable at D-1 level.

They probably just say that because there is nothing else they can say.

 

[theboat]

They probably just say that because there is nothing else they can say.

Sometimes I wish they would just say "we sucked"