Does Anyone Feel Like The Ship Will Be Righted Come Next Year?

[Cydkar]

You sure about next seasons schedule? Adding Rutgers and Maryland may change who Iowa plays next year in the leaders division.

Not how scheduling works.

 

[DTF]

If GD is back, there is no hope.

 

[racerhawk]

wouldn't you agree that next year will come down to how well the new QBs will do? We are going to have a QB with no big time game experence.

How is Iowa going to be better? As we saw in the ISU game no matter how well the D plays you got to score!

Yes, but there's more to it.

There are so many areas of difficulty on this team. Both lines need to be solid. We aren't winning many games with a defense that performed like they did the last two weeks. And of course, the biggest issue is the offense. The entire offense. VDB has been awful, but we seem to lack speed at skill positions.

My only hope is that next year, the O line will be dominant, and we'll be able to use a two back system and git r done vs. beatable teams. Also, I hope the D line (and defense overall) improves enough to not get blown off the ball.

Btw--our safeties were just sad against talented teams.

 

[IOWuh9]

Short answer? No. I really don't think this ship is going to be righted by this staff. I've been a huge Ferentz supporter over the years but he seems to be slipping behind the game. It would be great to eat crow this time next year. Until then, we'll just pad our bowl game fund.

 

[ihawkeye]

Way to much to over coming. But that's just football here in Hawkeye land. Be prepared for more 4-8 season and not standing a chance to win most bigten teams. If KF won't make a few changes than expect the same result.

 

[Ozhawk]

The only fix is to change the offense and recruit JUCOs. Its amazing how rapidly the hawkeye football fan in me is deflating. I am starting to lose interest. Call me out if you want but I doubt there is another "measly $500 donor" to replace me. If next year is the same I most certainly find alternative plans for fall saturdays which I will have an extra $1200 to spend on whatever entertainment replaces college football. It just aint worth it.

 

[BLKNGOLD48]

Have you seen our schedule next year? You think fans are going crazy now, wait til we have back to back 4-8 seasons.

 

[DuffMan]

What none of you rats realize is that the recruiting hit for this season won't be felt until the 2016 season or so because thags when this years class will be comming of age. The recruits for the next two seasons came in post Orange Bowl victory and are solid.

Next year with a much more expereinced lineup we go 7-5, the year following we flirt w the bten title game.

The guy who's realy going to feel this is who ever takes over for kirk when he retires in 2015 or 2016.

 

[HawkeyeFan57]

Ferentz is probably great in front of parents in the recruiting process. But he is boring as hell when it comes to hyping his program on the podium and at the game. He acts like an 75 year old man that has been through it all, seen it all, and heard it all, and is not going to get too excited about anything.

People want to see a little fire in the belly enthusiasm from their coach (Bielema, Fitzgerald, Meyer, Hoke, etc.), a little animation on the sideline. This is a sport about enthusiasm and energy, not a game about strictly outsmarting your opponent. I get the feeling KF thinks he can outsmart the competition, play the "awe shucks is me" game, and hopefully sneak out a 3 point victory(cause that is who we are). I think we lose out on many high school recruits because of this. You can have KF's personality in the living room of the recruit, but on the playing field, I want to see some emotion and energy from my coaches and players.

Bend but don't break, be cautious on offense (so not to turn the ball over), play field position (if you have a top defense), have a great punter and kicker, blah, blah, blah. Does this sound like a recipe for winning boring football. How did that recipe work for Todd Lickliter? It appears that KF is in line with Lickliter...and the fans want the high energy, smash mouth football, run up and down the field with energy. You have to have talent to do that, but KF has no one but himself to answer on this one. He can't use the Obama, blame it on George Bush bs. KF has to own this record, look in the mirror, and fix it, or leave.

 

[NCHawker]

For those that think we've hit rock bottom, think again. When I look at the schedule next year, I see only 2 wins. Here's my way too early W/L of the 2013 schedule:

Northern Illinois - Loss. We barely escaped this year and we've completely tanked while NIU has taken off and hasn't lost a game since. Lynch has put up 2,500 yds passing and 1,500 yds rushing. They return most of their production next year.

Missouri State - Win. They're bad....even for an FCS team.

@ ISU - Loss. Jack Trice is a house of horrors for KF. They're already grooming Richardson for next year and so far, so good. This one might get ugly.

W. Michigan - Win. KF has to get the Bronco bugaboo off his back sometime, doesn't he?

@ Minn - Loss. Haven't won at TCF Bank since it opened. They are on the upswing and will have the benefit of the extra bowl practices this year. They retake the pig.

MSU - Loss. This one's probably a toss up, given the complete meltdown of both programs. However, given that they have the more experienced returning QB, I'll give them the edge.

@ OSU - Loss. The only place KF has never won and it won't happen this year. Braxton Miller is just the type of QB that makes Iowa look like a high school team. It'll get ugly.

Northwestern - Loss. Venric Mark and Kain Colter will run wild.

Wisconsin - Loss. There was a time not too long ago (2010, to be exact), when Iowa and Wisky were on the same level and fighting to see who could gain the spot of 3rd best B1G team. Then the fake punt happened and it's been all down hill for Iowa ever since while Wisky has gone to 2 straight Rose Bowls since then.

@ Purdue - Loss. Maybe if this were at home, I might give Iowa a slight edge. But with it on the road, I give the edge to the Boilers.

Michigan - Loss. Gardner looks to be the real deal and all those great recruits Hoke has been bringing in will be a year older and more experienced. Home blowout.

@ Nebraska - Loss. Make us their rented mule for a 3rd year in a row.

Final synopsis - 2-9 overall and 0-8 in the conference. We come full circle from 1999.

you want cheese on that crow?

 

[deanvogs]

The whole "stale scheme's" thing is played out. A pro style offense still works in today's football. Just look at most of the SEC teams, and Stanford. The bigger question is how KF and Co. plan on running a power running game, with a quick hitting short passing game. As we have seen this year, that is a recipe for failure. If you are going to go with a power running game, you need a KOK type passing game the stretches the field and makes defenses pay for stacking the box.


The more I watch this failed experiment the more I wish the KOK haters never got their wish and forced him out. This is a bowl team with KOK as OC (I'm not saying they would be a good team, but rather they win 6). Vandenberg was at least half way competent in last years schemes.

I want to go on record right here, right now, and declare that I admire deanvogs for his staunch refusal to stop drinking from the pitcher of ferrents koolaid.
Keep guzzling, dean!

JD, can you please allow Scorpio back so he can apologize to me?

I think the offense looked much better this year, as GD really stopped with the horizontal passing game, and went PA and down the field with the passing game. I forgot how much I was ripping on the GD passing schemes last year with all the horizontal 1-3 yard passes. Seems the coaches saw the same thing when they looked back at last year as well.

Oh, and some of the "predictions" for this year are just funny.....props to Duff though for seeing 7 wins for this year.

 

[SpiderRico]

you want cheese on that crow?

Note to self....dont post immediately after an emotionally charged end to a bad season!

In my defense, i pulled myself together before the season started this year and predicted 9-3....so Ive got that going for me! (see jon's thread for "on the record predictions). So my posts here are cancelled out by that prediction!

 

[HawkIPA]

I already started a thread about why and how the offense will be improved, in 2007 Iowa went 6-6 and ended the season losing to Western Michigan and the year before they went 6-7
then is 2008, Stanzi took over with no experience as a RSSO and went 9-4, helping was a unexpected performance from Greene in the Running Game. also that was the season SO Ballard and RSSO Claybourne stepped up their game,

Who would have thought ol herby would be spot on and all the other elite football minds in this thread would look like idiots?

 

[Hawkfromnorwalk]

Nope. This is the Titanic dude. It doesn't get "righted" it just sinks to the bottom of the abyss...

Oops...

 

[hawkfan340]

I think we will see improvements next year. Our lines will be better and our running game will be better. I am honestly not as nervous at QB as some, I think one of those guys will do just fine and they have other people competing for the job unlike this year. That 2008 class hurt.

The whole "stale scheme's" thing is played out. A pro style offense still works in today's football. Just look at most of the SEC teams, and Stanford. The bigger question is how KF and Co. plan on running a power running game, with a quick hitting short passing game. As we have seen this year, that is a recipe for failure. If you are going to go with a power running game, you need a KOK type passing game the stretches the field and makes defenses pay for stacking the box.

The more I watch this failed experiment the more I wish the KOK haters never got their wish and forced him out. This is a bowl team with KOK as OC (I'm not saying they would be a good team, but rather they win 6). Vandenberg was at least half way competent in last years schemes.

The offensive line will be very good next year so the running game will be improved and the QB will have time to throw the ball. The defensive line play should be improved next season which will make the entire defense better. I think predicting 2 wins next year is a little extreme, Iowa should be competitive in most of these games.

Props to these dudes. Almost prescient.

 

[hawkfan340]

To be fair to all the despondent posters, this thread was created close to rock bottom. 2012 crushed the life out of almost all of us.

 

[3GHawk]

all but the strong

 

[GoHawks24]

To be fair to all the despondent posters, this thread was created close to rock bottom. 2012 crushed the life out of almost all of us.

I predicted 5-7, with a ceiling of 6-6. So I was totally wrong, and wayyy off. And I couldn't be happier that I was. I'm an idiot, and here's me eating some crow...

 

[MNHawkeyeFreak]

I know a good place for this thread.....

 

[Tkingpin]

I think I probably predicted 6 - 6 like a bunch of people did. I felt that the injuries to the OLine, particularly the 2 in 3 plays vs PSU killed us. the improvement in the OLine and return of some good veteran RBs would be better than 2012.

I have to hand it gto GD. I think HE is the one that moved more toward smash-mouth football, which the team had personnel for, and away from his preferred style of offense. I did NOT think that would happen and it had a positive effect.

the Enormous difference is how much better the DLine became. On top of that improvement, look at how often they blitzed! did anyone see Phil Parker doing that "Raider alignment?" Phil Parker should win Assistant coach of the Year for the performance of that defense. If not him, Jim Reid should get it. What a terrific defensive front 7.

Quite frankly, after the NIU loss I didn't see the staff making any of these changes either. It was so obvious that we couldn't get to the QB with the front 4 and Lynch picked us apart when he had all day. I don't care who you are, you did not see a Top 10 defense coming into the year, or even (especially) after the NIU performance. It also helped that we really only had 2 injuries, that I can recall. Lomax, who was basically lost for the year and Alvis. Desmond King and Hardy really stepped up.

Great job by the coaching staff. Apparently, the didn't forget how to coach.