Former NW QB Shares why Cats are Besting the Hawks

[Easton]

Subtract the recruiting area? Evanston is just over 230 miles from Iowa City....we're not talking about Florida or Texas... they're in the same neighborhood, and the same recruiting area.

The difference in resources and academic requirements far, far outweighs any location advantage.

I would say being closer to chicago is far better than being close to solon. Their fans have the ability to give money just no reason to so far. Iowa will never have a chicago in its backyard.

As mentioned academics are not stopping stanford.

 

[ShadasRevenge]

I would say being closer to chicago is far better than being close to solon. Their fans have the ability to give money just no reason to so far. Iowa will never have a chicago in its backyard.

As mentioned academics are not stopping stanford.

Right, but say you're a kid from from Chicago with offers from every team in the B1G with campuses within a days drive - your home campus is probably the last one you'd consider. I think the "Chicago's B1G Team" angle is more about them cornering the market on coverage in the Chicago media than recruiting. For the longest time, they were so bad the local rags didn't bother to really cover them. It doesn't help that Notre Dame is really close, and that during football season the Cats are fighting for space along with all the other pro teams in the city along with the Illini.

 

[hawkfan340]

Read okeefe post about same record. I assumed he was referring to first 8 years. Maybe I was wrong but his post was not clear.

But you put in 2 BCS games in your post above which did not occur in the first 8 years.

I assume OK4P is comparing the most recent 7 years for both coaches, during which their overall records are similar, KF has a 3-2 bowl record with 1 BCS win vs. Fitz 1-4 bowl record with no BCS appearances, and no league titles of any kind for either coach.

As I don't hold bowl record in special regard, I only give KF a slight edge in acheivement, but with the use of far greater resources and recruiting advantages. Overall, I can't see how an unbiased observer would not rate Fitz's performance higher over the past 7 years considering those things.

 

[HomerChampless]

Actually that is like learning someone's poker tell, telling them you know it, and they continue to use their tell and tip you off to what type of hand they have.

'Cept KF hardly changes...

 

[HomerChampless]

Iowa's D can't keep up with NW, and Iowa's O can't keep up with, let's face it, anyone. Blame KF. He likes the D to win ballgames. Still can't explain that high scoring win Iowa had against NW in the 2011 season.... Who had control of Iowa's O then? Not KF.

 

[deanvogs]

'Cept KF never changes...

I don't really see Fitz changing either....he just has better players now to run his systems.

Very few successful Coaches are changing their systems from year to year. They do some tweaking (not to be confused with twerking).

 

[HomerChampless]

I don't really see Fitz changing either....he just has better players now to run his systems.

Very few successful Coaches are changing their systems from year to year...

You're saying KF is successful against NW? In which universe?

 

[Easton]

But you put in 2 BCS games in your post above which did not occur in the first 8 years.

I assume OK4P is comparing the most recent 7 years for both coaches, during which their overall records are similar, KF has a 3-2 bowl record with 1 BCS win vs. Fitz 1-4 bowl record with no BCS appearances, and no league titles of any kind for either coach.

As I don't hold bowl record in special regard, I only give KF a slight edge in acheivement, but with the use of far greater resources and recruiting advantages. Overall, I can't see how an unbiased observer would not rate Fitz's performance higher over the past 7 years considering those things.

You are right I have my dates all off.

 

[deanvogs]

You're saying KF is successful against NW? In which universe?

Where did I say that? I was talking about Fitz. Try reading more and twerking less Homer.

 

[FreedComanche]

I don't really see Fitz changing either....he just has better players now to run his systems.

Very few successful Coaches are changing their systems from year to year. They do some tweaking (not to be confused with twerking).

Dean, even though you hate my guts, I do got respect for you. So please take what I'm about to say with some humility. Nobody was calling for kf to change his offensive system. All we were saying is do offensively what you have to do to WIN the dang game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[HomerChampless]

I don't really see Fitz changing either....he just has better players now to run his systems.

Very few successful Coaches are changing their systems from year to year. They do some tweaking (not to be confused with twerking).

Read your own post again, then. Sigh.

 

[thecaptain]

Shadasrev you are right but it seemed closer in the 2nd half but maybe my booze was clouding my judgement- ha ha

 

[deanvogs]

Read your own post again, then. Sigh.

I don't really see Fitz changing either....he just has better players now to run his systems.

Very few successful Coaches are changing their systems from year to year. They do some tweaking (not to be confused with twerking).

You're saying KF is successful against NW? In which universe?

One last try.....Where did I say KF is successful against NW????

 

[DP5555]

It's probably also worth mentioning that the Iowa passing attack is now very similar to the style that has given Iowa's defense so much trouble. The main difference being the fact Iowa doesn't have an athlete like Colter running the offense. However, the fact they've gone uptempo since the spring will help the defense when it comes to facing teams like Northwestern, Purdue, and Indiana.

There's no doubt Northwestern has out-coached and out-schemed Iowa during Kirk's tenure. I'm anxious to see if the changes Kirk has made will start to address these weak points.

 

[deanvogs]

Dean, even though you hate my guts, I do got respect for you. So please take what I'm about to say with some humility. Nobody was calling for kf to change his offensive system. All we were saying is do offensively what you have to do to WIN the dang game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now worries Freed. I too wish that the offense was better under KF. I was hoping for positive changes last year, but proved to be a disaster. I am hoping things got fixed, and will be better this year, and then really take off in 2014 offensively.

 

[nationalchamps]

You know I love you dean, but this simply isn't the case anymore. Norm's defense was great with the old guard of coaches in the Big Ten. But it is awful against the new crop. That is why we are having problems with Minnesota, Indiana and Purdue in addition to Northwestern. That is why directional Michigan schools beat us. The spread has percolated down to a lot of high school teams now and there are plenty of 2 or 3 star QBs who are content to sit back and take a handful of yards at a time. The defense is such that unless you have a Roth or Clayborn up front and a very solid LB corps to cover the slot guys as well as provide run support, it's gonna be a long day. We've seen a lot of those long days, like back in 2005 with the young d-line, in 2006 and 2007 with the LB dropoff after Greenway and Hodge left, in 2008 until the defense began to gel (recall Juice looking like John Elway the week prior to us getting it together and beating PSU), 2010 when Edds and Angerer were gone and I don't even need to go into the last two years.

But with 3 senior LBs, I have a gut feeling we will be okay there and I suspect Davis or someone on the d-line is going to step up and we'll be pretty salty on defense. But then next year, with 3 new LBs, it could get ugly again. But this year's defense gives me cause for optimism.

This is exactly right. Kurt and company were slow to react to the offense being run in college football the past 10 years. Why does everyone think we were able to hang with the Wisconsin's and the Michigan's for so long? The majority of offenses 10 years ago was more of a pro-style offense (like we had been running) and now the majority of offenses being run is the spread option. Until we go to a different style of defense to stop that style I'm afraid history is going to repeat itself.

 

[Sparky]

It's probably also worth mentioning that the Iowa passing attack is now very similar to the style that has given Iowa's defense so much trouble. The main difference being the fact Iowa doesn't have an athlete like Colter running the offense. However, the fact they've gone uptempo since the spring will help the defense when it comes to facing teams like Northwestern, Purdue, and Indiana.

There's no doubt Northwestern has out-coached and out-schemed Iowa during Kirk's tenure. I'm anxious to see if the changes Kirk has made will start to address these weak points.

I wouldn't call 3 yard passes an attack.

 

[HomerChampless]

Dean, so KF's unwillingness to deviate from his standard game plan is not an indication of greatness in KF (as you've posted that other 'great' coaches don't deviate from their game plans)? For the record, you're saying KF, In your opinion, who acts like a great coach when he doesn't deviate from his game plan is NOT a great coach? For some reason, I can't copy or italicize. in my post. Substitute 'great' for successful at your leisure.

 

[deanvogs]

Dean, so KF's unwillingness to deviate from his standard game plan is not an indication of greatness in KF (as you've posted that other 'great' coaches don't deviate from their game plans)? For the record, you're saying KF, In your opinion, who acts like a great coach when he doesn't deviate from his game plan is NOT a great coach? For some reason, I can't copy or italicize. in my post.

I don't really see Fitz changing either....he just has better players now to run his systems.

Very few successful Coaches are changing their systems from year to year. They do some tweaking (not to be confused with twerking).

It was a simple statement Homer, I'm not sure why your panties are in a bunch over it. The most successful guys do what they do with tweaks to the system, not complete system overhauls. I never said KF was successful or unsuccessful, and I'm not sure where or why you even came up with that. I never said EVERYONE who sticks to their systems is successful, as that would be a foolish thing to say....(see Rich rod at Michigan)

 

[hwk23]

Nothing shocking here. We consistently have better talent than NW so there must be some reason they beat us and I don't think it's execution. It's strategy and game planning. Northwestern knows how to beat us and it's not a fluke. Not everything is execution, that's only one part of the game.