Couple thoughts on last year and next…..

[cmhawks99]

I’m noticing that probably we had a little small undercurrent of discontent or irresponsibility on last year’s team. This Ballard accusation got me to thinking and out of boredom I also went back and read some old DJK thoughts as well. When you start adding it all up it really looks like we had “some†issues for sure. How derisive they were is hard to quantify, but they had to have some effect.

The point being this Iowa team is talented. More so than they have ever been and based on NFL alumni, they are routinely one of the more talented teams in the nation year in and year out. Rarely are we outclassed on the field talent wise, yet we still need that little extra heart beat and what I call Iowa attitude to really be at our best.

I’m not really sure we had that last year. When you read about Ballard, A-rob, DJK, others I have to say maybe just maybe we were playing on “pure†talent and not enuff passion and effort. I know DJK was a real lightning rod for the Iowa fan base, but I don’t think it is out line to say he was a solid player but a real distraction both at the same time. For me I never liked the way he went up and challenged for the ball and I still lay half of that NW interception on him, the other half on Stanzi for even throwing the ball. I am convinced if he made “any†effort that ball doesn’t get picked or at worst it gets picked and the guy falls right there. He didn’t even have to make a play on the ball he just had to stand there and then run….

Over the last 10 or 12 years we have learned a few things about this staff and team……..

1) They recruit better and are way more talented than many assume….
2) This staff teaches the game as well or better than anyone….
3) They will put together a solid game plan and be in pretty much every game..
4) They will make solid adjustments regardless of what they proletariat thinks..
5) They NEED to play with that IOWA ATTITUDE to really be great…

Yes we have our failings and yes I do agree the staff could improve on their time management and 2 minutes situations. But as a rule this team has top 15-talent yearly, but if we have distractions and NON-team players we will NOT met or exceed expectations, period….

I honestly feel like we have a whole new outlook this year and as I have said elsewhere I really think the player turnover bodes well for the upcoming season. I’m not concerned with the defections or our talent, because I know it’s there. I’m concerned about the team first attitude, the hard work and the focus necessary to excel.

I really think the Mike Daniels and James Morris and Marcus Cokers and James Vandenberg’s are really going to lead this team to big things. Every time I read about something “last year’s†team did it further solidifies that thought in my head. As good as DJK was I really think he was a catalyst for poor team effort and chemistry. I know that will upset some, and he was hardly alone, but there HAD to be a reason why he was ALWAYS in KF’s dog house. And I certainly trust KF over DJK……all that is water under the bridge though.

I am just really excited about this “new†team. If our coaches can mange team morale and focus (another HUGE underrated part of their jobs) I think the sky is the limit.

Chad

 

[sergeanthulka]

I agree with the gist of your post. The issues that plagued the team over the last year had to have had a significant impact on the bottom line. I believe character will often show up in the 4th quarter -- and this team struggled mightily in the 4th quarter last year.

I also think the MAIN culprit in last year's season was not having Norm. It just didn't look like a Hawkeye defense out there last year. Historically, Norm is able to make subtle tweeks to the scheme to get big second half stops, sacks, & TO's -- largely, those were absent last year. I'm HOPING that having a close to healthy NP does wonders for our defense. Part of this is that I also refuse to acknowlege that, perhaps, some of those guys on defense weren't quite as good as we thought they were -- perhaps that's my rose-colored Hawkeye glasses talking -- I really don't know.

But it's hard to argue that something (more likely many smaller things) wasn't quite right with last year's team, on both sides of the football. We should have been better...

 

[Stiles]

I don't smoke pot or do drugs, never have. However, just because you do, doesn't mean you don't give 110% when on the field. I believe DJK, Ballard and others gave their all. Iowa was a couple of plays way from a 11-2 record.

Don't overthink it.

The year before they could of been 8-4 just as easily as 10-2 in the regular season.

 

[cmhawks99]

I agree with the gist of your post. The issues that plagued the team over the last year had to have had a significant impact on the bottom line. I believe character will often show up in the 4th quarter -- and this team struggled mightily in the 4th quarter last year.

I also think the MAIN culprit in last year's season was not having Norm. It just didn't look like a Hawkeye defense out there last year. Historically, Norm is able to make subtle tweeks to the scheme to get big second half stops, sacks, & TO's -- largely, those were absent last year. I'm HOPING that having a close to healthy NP does wonders for our defense. Part of this is that I also refuse to acknowlege that, perhaps, some of those guys on defense weren't quite as good as we thought they were -- perhaps that's my rose-colored Hawkeye glasses talking -- I really don't know.

But it's hard to argue that something (more likely many smaller things) wasn't quite right with last year's team, on both sides of the football. We should have been better...

I think you said a lot right there in the highlighted segments.

I think we had a lot of solid young men, even if they did smoke a little refer. I say that because I hate to “judge their characterâ€￾ because it sounds so strong. Yet your premise is still dead on, the commitment was clearly lacking in those 4th quarter situations. Both defensively which was highly uncharacteristic and offensively.

I also think Norm’s absence was huge and that gives me hope and anxiety both at the same time. Hope because with him back it means we will be better just because and anxiety because he obviously can’t coach forever.

Now I am a believer that close wins and losses, over time, seem to even themselves out. But I also believe a good staff (which we have) will win more than they lose. But the way in which we seemingly lost all 5 games in similar fashion leads me to believe, that Norm being absent did hurt, we were missing that little extra heart beat for whatever reason and our Lb injuries finally got to be too much. We have depth but when you get down to your 9th, 10th and 11th Lbers there is going to be some pain. Especially they way we use our Lbers… Good for next year experience wise, but bad for last year…..

Chad

 

[Stiles]

You fail to mention their lack of 3rd down excusion late in games. If they convert 3rd downs, then the defense doesn't have to stop everyone in the fourth quarter.

Little things lose games sometimes, it has nothing to do with "commitment" or want to.

I know one for a fact that one the hardest working, fan favorites of the last 15 years at Iowa, is and was a pot smoker. Nobody would ever question his commitment and want to.

Iowa is know different than any other college football team in the number of players that smoke.

 

[cmhawks99]

I don't smoke pot or do drugs, never have. However, just because you do, doesn't mean you don't give 110% when on the field. I believe DJK, Ballard and others gave their all. Iowa was a couple of plays way from a 11-2 record.

Don't overthink it.

The year before they could of been 8-4 just as easily as 10-2 in the regular season.

Too much in your statement to really break down in a short dialogue and I don’t want to offend or get to “deep”…..so with that said……

I get your thoughts I really do and I care little what they do in their free time, and although I no longer drink or do drugs I did a lot as a high school football player. While doing so I too gave 110%...I was highly competitive and pretty good. All the same there is no way my conditioning was ever at its best nor was my focus, just simply because of the nature of the drugs…

When you are a highly trained, highly conditioned athlete, anything you do in-season that deters that conditioning of body AND mind cuts back on your abilities. It’s medically documented so to say otherwise would be wishful thinking. Furthermore it would undermine and erode the confidence and trust of those around you NOT doing it.

Chad

 

[cmhawks99]

You fail to mention their lack of 3rd down excusion late in games. If they convert 3rd downs, then the defense doesn't have to stop everyone in the fourth quarter.

Little things lose games sometimes, it has nothing to do with "commitment" or want to.

I know one for a fact that one the hardest working, fan favorites of the last 15 years at Iowa, is and was a pot smoker. Nobody would ever question his commitment and want to.

Iowa is know different than any other college football team in the number of players that smoke.

Didn't need to be mentioned because the offense had its failings as was noted and it is less shocking than the defensive issues that we rarely have. Furthermore I knew several kids in high-school who were brilliant, got 30 plus on their ACT’s, one found a question on the ACT that was wrong and at one time was working for NASA.

All the same I don’t want them leading my football team or setting my examples……

Chad


PS…..never did I imply our football team is any different than most. Janorous Jenkins is proof of that. All the same he just got booted.

 

[SpiderRico]

After 12 years, this is what we know.....

Kirk Ferentz is an "NFL guy" and will always run his program in an "NFL way". That works REALLY well when you have a team that has players with "professional" attitudes.....meaning guys that are leaders, guys that do the necessary work, guys that prepare.

If you look back to the years that we had success, record-wise, it's easy to see this. In the years 2001-2004, we had guys like Betts, Sanders, Gallery, Clark, Steinbach, etc. These guys not only went through the worst losing streak in Hawkeye history, they were natural leaders.....both vocally and through their actions. Even when we had off-the-field issues, our play didn't suffer because we had leaders on the team that refused to allow that to happen.

When you look at 2005-2007, we really didn't have any natural leaders. Even Tate mentioned after his playing days that there were divisions in the locker room between the "older" and "younger" crowd. That is a manifestation of a lack of player leadership.

2008 and 2009 saw the emergence of some great leaders. Stanzi, Angerer, Moeaki, etc. Remember the quote that some people had Ferentz saying about Moeaki being one of the Top 5 most important players in his tenure? I have always felt it was because he was one of the leaders that helped bring us out of our 3 year funk from 2005-2007. Even though he didn't have a large role, production-wise, he was a great leader that most guys looked up to and he always took a "professional attitude" with him.

I never saw, nor "felt" that we had great leadership last year. Even the head man himself on defense, Norm, was out of commission last year. I really think that the vacuum we had, from a leadership standpoint, had as much or more to do with the results on the field than anything else.

I could be WAYYY off base, but that's how I feel.

 

[cmhawks99]

After 12 years, this is what we know.....

Kirk Ferentz is an "NFL guy" and will always run his program in an "NFL way". That works REALLY well when you have a team that has players with "professional" attitudes.....meaning guys that are leaders, guys that do the necessary work, guys that prepare.

If you look back to the years that we had success, record-wise, it's easy to see this. In the years 2001-2004, we had guys like Betts, Sanders, Gallery, Clark, Steinbach, etc. These guys not only went through the worst losing streak in Hawkeye history, they were natural leaders.....both vocally and through their actions. Even when we had off-the-field issues, our play didn't suffer because we had leaders on the team that refused to allow that to happen.

When you look at 2005-2007, we really didn't have any natural leaders. Even Tate mentioned after his playing days that there were divisions in the locker room between the "older" and "younger" crowd. That is a manifestation of a lack of player leadership.

2008 and 2009 saw the emergence of some great leaders. Stanzi, Angerer, Moeaki, etc. Remember the quote that some people had Ferentz saying about Moeaki being one of the Top 5 most important players in his tenure? I have always felt it was because he was one of the leaders that helped bring us out of our 3 year funk from 2005-2007. Even though he didn't have a large role, production-wise, he was a great leader that most guys looked up to and he always took a "professional attitude" with him.

I never saw, nor "felt" that we had great leadership last year. Even the head man himself on defense, Norm, was out of commission last year. I really think that the vacuum we had, from a leadership standpoint, had as much or more to do with the results on the field than anything else.

I could be WAYYY off base, but that's how I feel.

Spider,

That was poignant stuff and I’m inclined to agree with you. I have said numerous times over the last several years that our key is leadership, effort and focus. I have watched this team slowly and surely develop a lot of talent. Talent isn’t our problem, sometimes leadership is……

I really think we have some very good natural leaders on this up-coming team.

Chad

 

[smhawk]

I blame a lot of it on Norms absence, I think our defense not only missed him on game day but through practices. This might even accounted for making sure the defense was in top shape when you look at how winded we were in the 4th quater sometimes.

I love players who are coming back for senior year even though they're NFL ready, but this could sometimes be viewed as less reasons to be motivated. Clayborn ability was great, but he just didn't look the same as his junior year. His gut looked bigger, seemed slower. His ability was still there, and was our best option, but if it was the case he put in less work this year... this can effect those around him as well, especially being a senior.

Even saying that I was and still am thrilled that he came back, but not sure he was necessary was a great leader on defense.

 

[MidnightBlueSix]

I was actually in a really similar situation in HS. As a sophomore, I was called up to play varsity at LT but never saw much playing time. That year, we won one game. It was the season opener and the opposing team had about half of their starters ineligible due to not turning in the first homework assignment or two in a couple classes.

That year, our QB, PK, SS, RB, TE, and all 3 LBs had serious drug problems. Ecstasy was the big one, but they also drank a bunch, smoked reefer, did coke, etc. It got to the point where they were popping pills in the back of the bus on the way to road games. About half of those guys were back for my junior year and I was made the starter. Another one win season later and the team was in disarray. My senior year, those guys were gone and we made the playoffs for the first time in school history (this was 2002, school opened in 98).

Those of us who saw the team struggle due to lack of leadership got together before the season and vowed not to let that happen again. I think that will happen this year. Seniors like Prater, Nielsen, and McNutt don't want to relive last year again. Hopefully we'll see true leadership. It's hard to play well if you can't trust your leaders.