Glenn Mason Territory

[gohawkz]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I DESPISE this argument. Who says that by letting Ferentz go, we would be required to hire someone who isn't as good? Where is that in the coaching search rule book? It is certainly possible that we would find someone who could do better. The Glen Mason/Mr. Davis references are just infuriating.

I don't want Ferentz canned. But this would never be an argument that I would use to defend him. Because it's ridiculous.

EXACTLY. Agree 1000%

 

[HawkPrdatr40]

I was just talking to someone yesterday about Glen Mason. He had solid, competitive teams. Yet, Minny "reached for the next level." Well, they found it.

I've been attending games for a few decades now. Sure, I get frustrated, but now is the time to hang in there. We'll be fine.

Seriously you really think that Minnesota thought they were going to the next level with Tim Brewster hire?? Brewster was a Tight Ends coach everywhere he has been. He was not a next level hire and don't think many ever thought that.

Next level you say? Maturi had no clue about what the next level was or even if they would get there, he wanted a new vision and new voice. hahahaha. Oh and let's not forget that exactly one year to the day after he Maturi gave Mason a new five-year contract he was fired.

What Maturi said: The thing that blew me away was the no guarantee's. that is classic..

The timing caught many by surprise because Mason had just completed the first year of his new long-term deal and national signing day for high school recruits is Feb. 7. But athletic director Joel Maturi said he and university President Robert Bruininks concluded that the program needed "a new vision, a new voice."There are no guarantees," Maturi said at a news conference. "I do believe sometimes a change in voice, in vision and leadership brings you some hope and some energy. I believe that was needed for this football program at this time."

Maturi showed just how clueless he was and it showed in a log shot hire with Brewster. That is not taking a step to go to the next level that was a wing and a prayer. His comments only prove just how lost he was.

 

[BSpringsteen]

you know its pretty easy to spot those who have never played sports or competed at any kind of competitive level from those that have

Yeah Duff - being the captain of the JV football team in 9th grade really makes one an authority on the subject.

 

[ChosenChildren]

Ok, some perspective.

I started attending Iowa games in 1961. We had 18 consecutive losing seasons starting that year, and won about 30% of our games. 30%!

Jerry Burns was the first coach. He was a great coach, and proved it later by taking the Vikings to numerous division championships. Why didn't he win at Iowa, if it is so easy? Can you explain it?

Then we hire Ray Nagel. A great offensive coach. We set all kinds of scoring records and offensive records. But we never finished better than 5-5. Why?

We fire Nagel and hire Lauterbur. Lauterbur had won 20 consecutive games at Toledo. 20! A great coach. A great leader of men. Everybody wanted him. A great hire. He lost at Iowa. A lot. Why?

Then we hire Bob Commings. A fiery coach. Great recruiter. Passionate. Bump Elliott's guy. A former Hawk (like Stoops). We lose. A lot. Why?

Why did all of these coaches lose? Because the elite players don't want to come to Iowa. PERIOD. Don't you people get it? Iowa City is in the middle of nowhere. A crummy climate. No population. No big city. No academics. Very little tradition. Nada.

My point is - it takes a special coach to win at Iowa. Hayden Fry may have been one of the greatest college coaches who ever lived. Look at the great coaches that trained under him. Alvarez. Snyder. Bielema. Fry was special. He recruited a lot of marginal players and made them into great players.

Ferentz does the same thing. He takes average talent (because that is all he can really get) and turns them into competent, and sometimes great, Big Ten players. Ferentz is a special coach. You won't do better, and you are delusional if you think you can. He is safe at Iowa. He will never be fired. The crybabies on this board need to quit whining and get behind this team. We are rebuilding. God, the analysis that goes on on this board. No one knows what the hell they are talking about. It is going to take a couple years. We returned the fewest starters in the Big Ten. The cupboard is a little bare right now. We will be back. Live with it.

 

[DuffMan]

you know its pretty easy to spot those who have never played sports or competed at any kind of competitive level from those that have

Yeah Duff - being the captain of the JV football team in 9th grade really makes one an authority on the subject.

It has nothing to do with being an authority. It has to do with separating those that have learned how to handle/cope/deal with losing and failure from those who can't.

 

[HawkeyeMike23]

It has nothing to do with being an authority. It has to do with separating those that have learned how to handle/cope/deal with losing and failure from those who can't.

Yes because complaining about a football coach on a message board gives you a real sense of how someone handles adversity in their own life. Give me a ******* break.

 

[FalseMirage]

It has nothing to do with being an authority. It has to do with separating those that have learned how to handle/cope/deal with losing and failure from those who can't.

Yes because complaining about a football coach on a message board gives you a real sense of how someone handles adversity in their own life. Give me a ******* break.

It does because sports, and games in general are a microcosm of life, hence the phrase "chess IS life."

 

[eyekwah]

Ok, some perspective.

I started attending Iowa games in 1961. We had 18 consecutive losing seasons starting that year, and won about 30% of our games. 30%!

Jerry Burns was the first coach. He was a great coach, and proved it later by taking the Vikings to numerous division championships. Why didn't he win at Iowa, if it is so easy? Can you explain it?

Then we hire Ray Nagel. A great offensive coach. We set all kinds of scoring records and offensive records. But we never finished better than 5-5. Why?

We fire Nagel and hire Lauterbur. Lauterbur had won 20 consecutive games at Toledo. 20! A great coach. A great leader of men. Everybody wanted him. A great hire. He lost at Iowa. A lot. Why?

Then we hire Bob Commings. A fiery coach. Great recruiter. Passionate. Bump Elliott's guy. A former Hawk (like Stoops). We lose. A lot. Why?

Why did all of these coaches lose? Because the elite players don't want to come to Iowa. PERIOD. Don't you people get it? Iowa City is in the middle of nowhere. A crummy climate. No population. No big city. No academics. Very little tradition. Nada.

My point is - it takes a special coach to win at Iowa. Hayden Fry may have been one of the greatest college coaches who ever lived. Look at the great coaches that trained under him. Alvarez. Snyder. Bielema. Fry was special. He recruited a lot of marginal players and made them into great players.

Ferentz does the same thing. He takes average talent (because that is all he can really get) and turns them into competent, and sometimes great, Big Ten players. Ferentz is a special coach. You won't do better, and you are delusional if you think you can. He is safe at Iowa. He will never be fired. The crybabies on this board need to quit whining and get behind this team. We are rebuilding. God, the analysis that goes on on this board. No one knows what the hell they are talking about. It is going to take a couple years. We returned the fewest starters in the Big Ten. The cupboard is a little bare right now. We will be back. Live with it.

There is only one thing I disagree with you about; there is academics. It is isn't Harvard, but it is certainly better than most FBS colleges. You are right that those who were not around before 1979 don't appreciate what kind of turn around Iowa football had. Iowa had no facilities and Fry changed that. Once the new football practice facility is completed Iowa will have some of the best in the country. Thanks to Fry and Ferentz the facilities have improved immensely.

 

[hawkfan340]

Ok, some perspective.

I started attending Iowa games in 1961. We had 18 consecutive losing seasons starting that year, and won about 30% of our games. 30%!

Jerry Burns was the first coach. He was a great coach, and proved it later by taking the Vikings to numerous division championships. Why didn't he win at Iowa, if it is so easy? Can you explain it?

Then we hire Ray Nagel. A great offensive coach. We set all kinds of scoring records and offensive records. But we never finished better than 5-5. Why?

We fire Nagel and hire Lauterbur. Lauterbur had won 20 consecutive games at Toledo. 20! A great coach. A great leader of men. Everybody wanted him. A great hire. He lost at Iowa. A lot. Why?

Then we hire Bob Commings. A fiery coach. Great recruiter. Passionate. Bump Elliott's guy. A former Hawk (like Stoops). We lose. A lot. Why?

Why did all of these coaches lose? Because the elite players don't want to come to Iowa. PERIOD. Don't you people get it? Iowa City is in the middle of nowhere. A crummy climate. No population. No big city. No academics. Very little tradition. Nada.

My point is - it takes a special coach to win at Iowa. Hayden Fry may have been one of the greatest college coaches who ever lived. Look at the great coaches that trained under him. Alvarez. Snyder. Bielema. Fry was special. He recruited a lot of marginal players and made them into great players.

Ferentz does the same thing. He takes average talent (because that is all he can really get) and turns them into competent, and sometimes great, Big Ten players. Ferentz is a special coach. You won't do better, and you are delusional if you think you can. He is safe at Iowa. He will never be fired. The crybabies on this board need to quit whining and get behind this team. We are rebuilding. God, the analysis that goes on on this board. No one knows what the hell they are talking about. It is going to take a couple years. We returned the fewest starters in the Big Ten. The cupboard is a little bare right now. We will be back. Live with it.

Why did Fry choose Iowa? Look it up. He said many times he saw a great environment for winning and he couldn't figure out why the football team had never put it together here.

Also, your bagging on tm is getting tiring. Again and again he's said he doesn't want KF fired; just wants people to discuss it rationally instead of from a sky-will-fall base assumption.

I agree with him. KF is a great coach. Based on performance, he deserves to stay. But to say things would automatically implode without him is an irrational argument.

 

[kuhntz]

What are your expectations?

When you play 12 games and have the resources that Iowa spends on football. Top 25 finishes 8-9 times out of 10 years, is what I expect. 7-5 is not getting it done.

How many years removed from the 18 straight losing seasons before Fry arrived do we have to get before expectations can rise? We're on 32 years since then...the century mark, 2079 the year that Iowa fans can stop being satisfied with simply winning because 100 years ago they had two horrible decades of football?

FWIW, I still don't believe firing KF is the answer, but I am certainly frustrated seeing him pass up opportunities to win a game.

 

[DesMoinesHawki]

losing AT penn state is laying an egg? maybe you need to accept that IOWA is not that good. penn state was favored in the game. therefore they won a game they were supposed to

Laying an egg from the perspective we did not come ready to play. Scoring 3 points against the same PSU team that struggled against Indiana. PSU is not that good ... and on the flip side, yes, it is true ... we are not good either. Was just expecting us to have a better performance.

 

[DesMoinesHawki]

Yes because complaining about a football coach on a message board gives you a real sense of how someone handles adversity in their own life. Give me a ******* break.

Exactly!

 

[DesMoinesHawki]

I dont buy for one second we were flat or unemotional. I think that's complete horse ****. I think we lost a ******* football team because the other team played better.

PSU played "okay." We were absolutely flat. Scoring 3 points against a "so-so" defense is not necessarily playing inspired football.

 

[MoseSchrute]

I still maintain that it's time for Ferentz to really earn his money and bring in some new blood to this coaching staff.

Like maybe a co-defensive co-ordinator? I like Norm and he can stay as long as he wants if you ask me; but it might be nice to have a guy down on the field who can fire up the guys, and also be able to get out and do some recruiting! I know you can only have a certain number of coaches, though.

 

[JHHawk]

JoePa finally yielded to common sense and played McGloin the last three quarters.
That made PSU a 50% better team immediately than at IU. Bolden was killing their offensive continuity. Second half, McGloin hit some deep out patterns,and suddenly they are running the ball very well...no mystery.

Just watch this PSU team win most of the rest of the their games,and every home game the rest of the year.
I re-watched this game tonite on BTN..the 60 minutes version that is every play.
Iowa looked better in this game than given credit for. PSU had several huge breaks in this game that really won it for them. Drops by all 4 off our leading recievers cost Iowa points. The richocet off the official was worth 20 yards for PSU from the 50 to the 30 to allow them to score their first fg. The jump ball that Moye caught with 3 Iowa defenders around him was a freaking miracle. Iowa did not get on that fumble early in the second half. And the only td was scored after a blitz caused an Iowa fumble..otherwise this game ends 6-3.

Iowa played better than I thought,but the drops cost us at least 13 pts.

Relax gang, KF is the best coach for Iowa and he is not going anywhere.

 

[racerhawk]

Seriously you really think that Minnesota thought they were going to the next level with Tim Brewster hire?? Brewster was a Tight Ends coach everywhere he has been. He was not a next level hire and don't think many ever thought that.

Next level you say? Maturi had no clue about what the next level was or even if they would get there, he wanted a new vision and new voice. hahahaha. Oh and let's not forget that exactly one year to the day after he Maturi gave Mason a new five-year contract he was fired.

What Maturi said: The thing that blew me away was the no guarantee's. that is classic..

The timing caught many by surprise because Mason had just completed the first year of his new long-term deal and national signing day for high school recruits is Feb. 7. But athletic director Joel Maturi said he and university President Robert Bruininks concluded that the program needed "a new vision, a new voice."There are no guarantees," Maturi said at a news conference. "I do believe sometimes a change in voice, in vision and leadership brings you some hope and some energy. I believe that was needed for this football program at this time."

Maturi showed just how clueless he was and it showed in a log shot hire with Brewster. That is not taking a step to go to the next level that was a wing and a prayer. His comments only prove just how lost he was.

take a deep breath.

Edit: I was making the point that sometimes, when football programs try to make a change, it doesn't work out. Actually, a lot of the time it doesn't work out. Perhaps we agree?

 

[racerhawk]

Ok, some perspective.

I started attending Iowa games in 1961. We had 18 consecutive losing seasons starting that year, and won about 30% of our games. 30%!

Jerry Burns was the first coach. He was a great coach, and proved it later by taking the Vikings to numerous division championships. Why didn't he win at Iowa, if it is so easy? Can you explain it?

Then we hire Ray Nagel. A great offensive coach. We set all kinds of scoring records and offensive records. But we never finished better than 5-5. Why?

We fire Nagel and hire Lauterbur. Lauterbur had won 20 consecutive games at Toledo. 20! A great coach. A great leader of men. Everybody wanted him. A great hire. He lost at Iowa. A lot. Why?

Then we hire Bob Commings. A fiery coach. Great recruiter. Passionate. Bump Elliott's guy. A former Hawk (like Stoops). We lose. A lot. Why?

Why did all of these coaches lose? Because the elite players don't want to come to Iowa. PERIOD. Don't you people get it? Iowa City is in the middle of nowhere. A crummy climate. No population. No big city. No academics. Very little tradition. Nada.

My point is - it takes a special coach to win at Iowa. Hayden Fry may have been one of the greatest college coaches who ever lived. Look at the great coaches that trained under him. Alvarez. Snyder. Bielema. Fry was special. He recruited a lot of marginal players and made them into great players.

Ferentz does the same thing. He takes average talent (because that is all he can really get) and turns them into competent, and sometimes great, Big Ten players. Ferentz is a special coach. You won't do better, and you are delusional if you think you can. He is safe at Iowa. He will never be fired. The crybabies on this board need to quit whining and get behind this team. We are rebuilding. God, the analysis that goes on on this board. No one knows what the hell they are talking about. It is going to take a couple years. We returned the fewest starters in the Big Ten. The cupboard is a little bare right now. We will be back. Live with it.

Your post should be pinned to the top of the board. Great post.

 

[Section136]

When you play 12 games and have the resources that Iowa spends on football. Top 25 finishes 8-9 times out of 10 years, is what I expect. 7-5 is not getting it done.

How many years removed from the 18 straight losing seasons before Fry arrived do we have to get before expectations can rise? We're on 32 years since then...the century mark, 2079 the year that Iowa fans can stop being satisfied with simply winning because 100 years ago they had two horrible decades of football?

FWIW, I still don't believe firing KF is the answer, but I am certainly frustrated seeing him pass up opportunities to win a game.

Dumb. Going off of the very quick research I did, From 2000-2009 no team finished in the AP Top 25 all 10 years. Only 5 finished in the AP Top 25 in 9 of those years (Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Texas, Georgia and Ohio State). And only 2 more finished in the AP Top 25 in 8 of those years (Florida and LSU).

So for the first decade of the 2000's only 7 college football programs met the exact expectations you have for the University of Iowa. The expectations some fans have, yourself included, are borderline insane.

 

[1977Hawkeye]

If you want actual expectations in wins and losses I don't think that saying you expect to go 5-3 in conference every year is asking too much. Most years that gets us 9-3, some years 8-4. That's where we should be.

That's where I'm at. 8-4 or 9-3 is where I think we can, and SHOULD, be. In the regular season. +1 to that if we win a bowl game.

For people pointing out that Hayden only averaged a little over 7 wins.. The last part of his career definitely dragged that number down, and I believe the team typically played 11 regular season games back in those days, not 12.

Hayden consistently won 8-10 games pretty much every single year from the early 80's through the early 90's. That dropped off once alot of his top assistants started moving on to head coaching jobs.

That said, I don't want Ferentz replaced either. I agree with others though that think he needs to make some adjustments, including shaking up the assistant coaching staff in spots. Don't see it happening though - KF is as loyal as loyal gets.

 

[1977Hawkeye]

Dumb. Going off of the very quick research I did, From 2000-2009 no team finished in the AP Top 25 all 10 years. Only 5 finished in the AP Top 25 in 9 of those years (Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Texas, Georgia and Ohio State). And only 2 more finished in the AP Top 25 in 8 of those years (Florida and LSU).

So for the first decade of the 2000's only 7 college football programs met the exact expectations you have for the University of Iowa. The expectations some fans have, yourself included, are borderline insane.

This is a good post. But I agree with the previous poster that 7-5 is won't get it done. 7-5 will NEVER put you in the Top 25 at the end of the season.