Fire Kirk

[oldhawk12]

Hayden Fry again? Kirk Ferentz has achieved more than Coach Fry and has this program playing at a high level. Both are amazing coaches and have been great to this state. But, going back to Fry is taking the program back to yo-yo win/loss totals. Like it or not, the last 9 years of Iowa football have been the best stretch in nearly everyone's lifetime. Just do the math.

If you really believe the best Iowa football teams in our lifetime has been the last 9 years then i can’t help you because you don’t get it. The Hayden stretch from 81-early 90s was far and away better and it isn’t close. In every way other than meaningless wins

 

[headlock]

With our Deffense/Special Teams the past three years all he needed from his offense was one or two plays a game (Williams long TD run vs Wisconsin for example)

All he needed from the offense was to protect the ball and Hill failed miserably, and was getting worse. Interestingly our D was also way down this year in terms of taking the ball.

Our D and special teams will probably take a step backward next year due to graduation and personnel losses.. With the west coast teams coming in next year scores in the teens won't cut it..

If I can see that as a middle-aged overweight beer guzzling jimoke, someone who is getting paid top dollar for such observations has to see it.

I think off season plans ro improve the offense has been an afterthoughts since Stanley left. It has to be top priority now, even if it pushes the outer boundaries of Kirk's comfort zone.

Kirk has been good for Iowa but the landscape has changed with one division. So he might be smart to retire sooner than later. I can’t give him to much credit though making the money he’s made playing in the west division. He’s really been blessed like all head coaches at Iowa you have a job as long as you want it .

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Alfraud was getting fired after that season, it wasn't that NM lured him away it was that he knew the writing was on the wall and was looking for any offer. Remember the Tyler Smith transfer? That was the nail in his coffin.

Those of you that consistently post on here about how lowly Iowa is and how the program couldn't possibly lure away any high caliber coaches are sadly mistaken (as usual). Iowa HAD Bob Stoops but Bowlsby refused to pull the trigger...it's a well told story. You know, the guy who won a national championship and was a Hawkeye legacy...yeah we could have had that guy instead of Ferentz. And possibly HIS family too. You know, the guys that are actually coaching winning programs throughout the country and aren't getting mocked by commentators and radio programs throughout the country.

So stop thinking small and worrying about tomorrow...Michigan sure as hell isn't. They're going to win a Natty and then lose it in two years after the investigations but nobody cares.

Iowa City is just as nice of a campus, facilities, fan support and finances as any other major D1 program. Have any of you been to Clemson, SC or Columbia, MO or Louisville, KY or any college town lately not named Iowa City? They are really no different than IC but their fans sure as hell don't always play the, 'oh, we're poor little insert college town and can't attract top talent or coaching. It's total BS.

Iowa pays top 5 coaching salaries. Iowa has homegrown talent in our backyard. Iowa has the facilities and fan support that any other major D1 program enjoys.

My point? Stop being happy with a sub-.600 winning % coach and start thinking what we can accomplish.

............and maybe most important, Iowa has proven in the past to have a loooooooong leash for coaches. Iowa admin has been very patient with coaches.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I think we all know the infamous press conference question where Brian Ferentz was asked about switching things up at QB and he responded, "why? What's the upside?"

That line and that moment will live in a dark part of my brain for a long time hahaha. And there have been a few painful moments this year when I've heard my psyche whisper it back over and over again in my mind. It's all I could think about while watching this bowl game. And I don't mean to take things out on Deacon Hill, that's not my point. But something has been so sick and broken in our coaching staff for a long time. When we finally put Lainez in at the end and he haphazardly scrambled for first downs on about 4 straight plays... I realized that I knew it was going to happen exactly like that. Deep down, I think every Iowa fan knew that the moment we put in Labas or Lainez (or any hypothetical younger, reasonably talented underclassmen QB), they were going to show us a spark. How could they not?

It's frustrating that some combination of Kirk and Brian believes in their soul that the idea of benching your QB in favor of a younger gun is a sign of complete failure. And they would 100% rather manage the statistically worst offense in the history of the modern sport for multiple years running than cave in to the risk of changing it up.

And the other "logical" takeaway for me, as I reflect on these years and the end of the BF era as offensive coordinator, is that BF (both Brian and Kirk actually), own zero accountability for the fact that we don't have capable players. And we've heard it all in press conferences, talking about injuries, back luck, etc. Deep down in his gut, BF did not think that benching Deacon Hill was an option. Why? Because there is no one else on the roster who is even close to being capable of stepping in. And that, is why he is out of the job. Because on one hand, we know he is flat out wrong and wildly ignorant. But even if he was right, the roster/talent/depthchart is his responsibility. And he failed. Goodnight, you crazy goddamn season of Iowa Hawkeye Football.

This is a great post. Spot on.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

no one is expecting Iowa to compete regularly like OSU and Michigan.

It's more like 11-11 records vs Northwestern and losing to teams that we should never lose to

Or having an inept to poor offense 8 out of 10 years.

....or just being able to compete against decent or top teams anymore. The way they have been playing against top 15 teams has been horrific.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Hayden Fry again? Kirk Ferentz has achieved more than Coach Fry and has this program playing at a high level. Both are amazing coaches and have been great to this state. But, going back to Fry is taking the program back to yo-yo win/loss totals. Like it or not, the last 9 years of Iowa football have been the best stretch in nearly everyone's lifetime. Just do the math.

Also, Fry assembled a coaching staff of coaches who had ambitions of being head coaches. I remember hearing he actually seeked out those guys. Fry also was a coach who brought in a more of a passing game to the Big 10. He brought in that "different" offense and the league had to adjust to it. He was a trendsetter if you will.

KF has not been and his offense in now stale and has been defended for decades at this point.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

Also, Fry assembled a coaching staff of coaches who had ambitions of being head coaches. I remember hearing he actually seeked out those guys. Fry also was a coach who brought in a more of a passing game to the Big 10. He brought in that "different" offense and the league had to adjust to it. He was a trendsetter if you will.

KF has not been and his offense in now stale and has been defended for decades at this point.

I think Fry's coaching tree is unreal and it is cool how that worked out. I also don't care. I care about wins at Iowa, and I don't care if it is through coaches who have been in the system for 20+ years like Parker, or coaches who move in and move up in 2 years. There are different approaches to assembling a staff and Fry and KF have proven both can work.

Yes, the offense is stale. A new OC can fix that. Or not. The point is, the notion that KF is beyond adjusting his approach has been proven wrong before. He has tweaked the D with more blizting and the Cash, moved practice to the mornings, has been more aggressive on 4th downs, has embraced the portal as needed, etc. He can adjust. Whether he can do it with respect to a new OC and new approach after the booting of his son? We shall see.

 

[kicker22]

I don't know where I stand anymore with regards to whether a change at the top is needed. However the landscape is definitely changing and while it's been pointed out that KF has dominated our rivals and established recent dominance in the west, those days are over. It's no longer what can KF do against the teams in the west and the three crossover games.

The east and west divisions are now a thing of the past and TBH I'm scared shitless of where I see this program with Washington, Oregon, USC and UCLA coming into the conference knowing that we don't have the fortune of playing significantly weaker opponents game in and game out going forward like we did with divisions. I see us currently at best the 6th or 7th team in the conference, but that is based on playing both sides of the ball and I'm not convinced that a new OC changes anything from a performance or recruiting standpoint on the offensive side of the ball.

What KF did worked in a weak division, but does it work when the need for an offense becomes even more important. I'll never question KF's philosophy that defense and limiting turnovers win games, but I can't help ask why he couldn't use a dominant defense and special teams to open up the playbook offensively and take more chances on the offensive side of the ball.

 

[HuckFinn]

I don't know where I stand anymore with regards to whether a change at the top is needed. However the landscape is definitely changing and while it's been pointed out that KF has dominated our rivals and established recent dominance in the west, those days are over. It's no longer what can KF do against the teams in the west and the three crossover games.

The east and west divisions are now a thing of the past and TBH I'm scared shitless of where I see this program with Washington, Oregon, USC and UCLA coming into the conference knowing that we don't have the fortune of playing significantly weaker opponents game in and game out going forward like we did with divisions. I see us currently at best the 6th or 7th team in the conference, but that is based on playing both sides of the ball and I'm not convinced that a new OC changes anything from a performance or recruiting standpoint on the offensive side of the ball.

What KF did worked in a weak division, but does it work when the need for an offense becomes even more important. I'll never question KF's philosophy that defense and limiting turnovers win games, but I can't help ask why he couldn't use a dominant defense and special teams to open up the playbook offensively and take more chances on the offensive side of the ball.

I think most of us are very concerned about where Iowa football (and men’s’ basketball) will fit in the new BT. It is a new game, for sure, with multiple unknowns. Ambiguity is a bitch. At the same time, I am excited to see what Iowa will do to adjust to a vastly different environment. Think of it as an adventure. This from a guy who watched Evy’s teams, Frank Lauterbur’s teams, Hayden’s, and KF’s. And Mr. Davis. And Lute. And Alford. And Lick. And Fran. It ain’t the destination. It’s the journey.