Davis goes under the microscope

[HawkeyeWalker]

This is the problem. He is who we knew he was. It's not GD's fault he is a terrible OC for the Hawks, it is KF's fault for hiring him.

Can't argue this. this is the worst of Kirk's mistakes...and there's a few.

 

[HawkeyeWalker]

I don't want to be a conspiracy theorist, but the officiating legitimately seems to be incredibly biased against Iowa this season. Wisconson - ZERO penalties. NDSU - ONE penalty. Northwestern - ONE penalty and it was just a lame false start. One game where the other team plays a perfect game whatever, but three games? Give me a break.

There have been more that were declined. but the point stands true. really remarkable disparity in the number of calls.

 

[hawkeye23]

Q. It seemed like the tempo this year, it’s got you guys going, some of the guys have indicated they want to do more of that, how are you going to approach that the rest of the season?

GREG DAVIS: We’re going to continue to look at the tempo, because I think there has been some spark when we have gone tempo.

I think there’s some misconceptions about tempo. Because a lot of times when you go tempo, and boom, boom, boom, the defense is not playing the way they would play in the whole ballgame, especially in the two minute world. Now all of a sudden they’re playing a little bit different.

This is from GD's presser yesterday when asked about uptempo. The second paragraph is great. Um.....c'mon GD, there's no misconceptions. That's EXACTLY why you run uptempo and not just predictably when the play clock skews you that direction. If it's ran a couple times by surprise you get the defense back on their heels. They do things differently, quicker and then you control the pace. Keeps them from digging in and dissecting what your formations are on.

 

[homes]

Not sure I even understand Davis's comments. Is having a spark on offense something to avoid, or something to encourage - does that actually need further evaluation, i.e., something they need "to continue to look at"? And, if going up tempo puts the defense in a position of doing something a little different, isn't that what is you're trying to achieve on offense? Further, if that's what happens in a two minute offense, when the defense is most likely to expect it, wouldn't it be even better if it's done in a portion of the game when the defense isn't as likely to expect it? These aren't meant to be rhetorical questions. I know that's all contrary to lining up with a fullback and running the ball, or lining up in the shotgun and passing the ball, but I thought keeping the defense off-balance was a good thing.

It occurred to me, maybe Davis is playing possum, and he didn't want to reveal his game strategy against Penn State, in which case, good. We'll see, we have 10 days to contemplate and pontificate on this.

 

[HawkeyeWalker]

Welp, turns out can't present information very clearly as well.

Whoa. I mean, whoa.

Kirk, this was/is a bad hire....and keeping him is indefensible.

 

[trj]

Welp, turns out can't present information very clearly as well.

Whoa. I mean, whoa.

Kirk, this was/is a bad hire....and keeping him is indefensible.

When Bobby Kennedy was brought in I was like let this play out. It is not going to work with GD with any sort of consistency.....it is time to cut bait.

 

[Caddy]

GD should be in an unemployment line. KF needs to make a hard decision this off season, but don't think he has the mustard to go thru with it. Abysmal and dismal is our offense under GD. The data talks, and bull&#*t should walk. Watching the game Saturday was like watching a python slowly squeeze the life out of his prey, a bit grisly.

The head coach is the problem.. The entire staff needs to be let go. Including Ferentz.

 

[HomerChampless]

There is a lack of innovations on the offensive side of the ball. One of the things Miller and Deace said that caught my ear, was to add plays with both Wadley and Daniels in the back field. There are things that can be done with what Iowa has, instead of what they don't have. Expecting this group of receivers to get a read pass route playbook isn't working when the receivers are cutting off corners on routes etc.

I've mentioned this a few times on this forum before: Put Wadley in at halfback and Daniels in at fullback (particularly when he weighted 230+). Heck, make Daniels an h back, a combination of fullback and tight end. Give some plays for your more offensive fullback/h back. Put them both on the field ALL THE TIME. Might just create a possibility of a professional career for Daniels.

Not enough receivers? Make Mitchell Jr. into a receiver, again.

You see, I think these changes would have more push back from KF than from Davis.

Posters poo-pooed the proposed changes.

 

[Joshbrown]

Let's see.

KOK was bad and he leaves - the fanbase cheers

GD is worse than KOK and he leaves - the fanbase cheers

Soooooooooooooo, the next guy will be worse than GD???????????

I'm already feeling the thrill of happiness for when the 3rd OC leaves.

 

[HomerChampless]

Let's see.

KOK was bad and he leaves - the fanbase cheers

GD is worse than KOK and he leaves - the fanbase cheers

Soooooooooooooo, the next guy will be worse than GD???????????

I'm already feeling the thrill of happiness for when the 3rd OC leaves.

When KOK was the head coach, he ran a modern 'spread-like' offense before Iowa hired him. Davis had a spread at Texas. When both OCs came to Iowa, they turned conservative in their play calling. It's not the OC, man. It's KF.

Fine, if KF wants a conservative don't make any mistakes offense, he'd better have a lights out defense to make up for the deficiencies of the offense. In that case, improve the Iowa defense. For crying out loud, stop giving up the big plays on defense.

 

[seepig]

So if you watched the Iowa game closely and looked everytime they were showing the play from behind CJ why is it that there never was an open receiver? So, is it no talent at the WR or GD with no ability to devise a scheme that gets players open?

 

[Joshbrown]

When KOK was the head coach, he ran a modern 'spread-like' offense before Iowa hired him. Davis had a spread at Texas. When both OCs came to Iowa, they turned conservative in their play calling. It's not the OC, man. It's KF.

Sir, you have made the sale.

 

[seepig]

This might not be the best thread for this but I'll put it here anyway. Kirk has absolutely no ability to make situational decisions on the fly. He goes 5 years without attempting a fake kick, then he does one two weeks in a row (one of which made no sense given the distance needed to score) only to go 19 more games never trying it again.

He pretty much never went for it on 4th down. Then all the sudden he goes for it every single time we have decent field position (again, even times it makes no sense given the distance needed) only to fail twice in a row recently and completely abandon it. There were 3 times last week we really needed to go for it, but he probably decided before the game even started that it wasn't working so he wasn't going to do it.

We used to rarely qb sneak with a yard to go. Then suddenly every single time without fail we rush to the ball and qb sneak. We are still having luck with that but when the day comes where we get stuffed twice in a row, we will never see it again.

It's just absurd that we can't see something new here and there. All it is is him finally deciding to try something new, over using it until it doesn't work a couple times, then completely shutting it down. Quick thinking under pressure is a big difference between a head coach and a position coach.

The best and most recent evidence of that is that he didn't know a TD and a 2 pt. conversion would've tied the game. Did you hear his comment when asked about that?! Not what you'd hope for from the $4.5M dollar man.

 

[seepig]

Not sure I even understand Davis's comments. Is having a spark on offense something to avoid, or something to encourage - does that actually need further evaluation, i.e., something they need "to continue to look at"? And, if going up tempo puts the defense in a position of doing something a little different, isn't that what is you're trying to achieve on offense? Further, if that's what happens in a two minute offense, when the defense is most likely to expect it, wouldn't it be even better if it's done in a portion of the game when the defense isn't as likely to expect it? These aren't meant to be rhetorical questions. I know that's all contrary to lining up with a fullback and running the ball, or lining up in the shotgun and passing the ball, but I thought keeping the defense off-balance was a good thing.

It occurred to me, maybe Davis is playing possum, and he didn't want to reveal his game strategy against Penn State, in which case, good. We'll see, we have 10 days to contemplate and pontificate on this.

I think KF pushed the uptempo idea out of GD's brain. Remember a couple seasons ago when we ran almost 90 plays on offense and controlled the game time wise and then it went away as mysteriously as it appeared. KF is concerned that we don't play enough D if we do that all the time. WHAT?! Isn't the idea to score 1 more point than the other team when the horn sounds? He's so wrapped up in the the PRO game that he hasn't figured out where college football has gone.

 

[hwk23]

When KOK was the head coach, he ran a modern 'spread-like' offense before Iowa hired him. Davis had a spread at Texas. When both OCs came to Iowa, they turned conservative in their play calling. It's not the OC, man. It's KF.

Fine, if KF wants a conservative don't make any mistakes offense, he'd better have a lights out defense to make up for the deficiencies of the offense. In that case, improve the Iowa defense. For crying out loud, stop giving up the big plays on defense.

Sounds like maybe they weren't the right guys for Iowa. Why not get an OC that can successfully run an offense like Iowa? If he can develop QBs and recruit also that would be perfect.

 

[uihawk82]

Sounds like maybe they weren't the right guys for Iowa. Why not get an OC that can successfully run an offense like Iowa? If he can develop QBs and recruit also that would be perfect.

KOK routinely had more counter play action in his offense. He knew how to coach and be an OCoord. I am sure he learned and knew I formation ground and pound before he coached the Spread.

Iowa had tendencies under KOK but those counter tendencies were just good enough. GD hardly ever has good counter tendencies, once in awhile and it seems this year the shotgun formation is a total give away.

 

[jldhawk]

I'm still mad kirk didn't challenge that spot.

I'm still mad he didn't go for it. Even with a bad spot we were moving the ball pretty well and should have kept the momentum going. I would have risked it that early in the game.