Guest View: Is Ferentz Legacy Fading?
- Thread starter JonDMiller
- Start date
Kirk has 8 losing seasons in the B10 conference and 6 winning seasons with the last few seasons being some of the weakest in B10 history. His records have been padded by fluff OOC scheduling. 0 Rose bowls. 0 outright conf championships. He's done good things at Iowa, but let's not get crazy folks. Barta has us in an absolute mess. It's hard for me personally to see the light at the end of the tunnel. To me it appears that the things that frustrate me about Ferentz are the things that he becomes more and more staunch in. I do not enjoy the apathy I'm feeling on Saturdays.
A very good article written with passion. KF's formula worked and could still work except when the offense gets so bad it is no help to the defense. I wrote a thread last year showing what would have happend since 2001 if the hawks had scored either 7 or 3 more points in all the games. If the offense were just a little more scoring efficient the record would have been outstanding, we all know this.
The question has to be asked, which is harder to accomplish, have your defense which averages giving up 17 points a game squeeze down to giving up only and avg of 10 points per game (in this high scoring era) or is it easier to make some changes so an offense that avgs 20 points a game scores and avg of 30 points per game. The offensive change has the more opportunity.
We know the stats for KF's three parts of the team, great defenses, very good special teams, but average to below average offenses.
Now we see what happens to the two legs of the three legged stool of "KF's formula" when the offense totally fails.
I implore them to fix the offense, then Indiana coach has over there for the most part.
SirJamaLot
Well-Known Member
Next season will give you your answer, Ferentz is not going to change his conservative coaching style, he has had success with it and knows it will work with the right personal. Unfortuantely, they have done a poor job of recruiting enough talent to be successful. I hope they win at least 7 games next season but I would bet it won't happen.
NCHawker
Well-Known Member
I was taken back by the ironic twist calling for Brian to be the OC. I think that's premature. I'd look to MAC or other smaller conference for someone that shows promise.
You have to think that Athletic Directors around the country view this KF contract saga as a cautionary tale.
This is well put"
The schemes that made Ferentz so successful to start are now so predictable that Iowa loses to teams with significantly less talent year after year. The risk aversion that kept Iowa close against formidable opponents now keeps them close against the MAC. We don’t scheme around our strengths but instead around neutralizing our opponent’s strengths. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like we scheme to win; we scheme to cause our opponent to lose.
You have to think that Athletic Directors around the country view this KF contract saga as a cautionary tale.
This is well put"
The schemes that made Ferentz so successful to start are now so predictable that Iowa loses to teams with significantly less talent year after year. The risk aversion that kept Iowa close against formidable opponents now keeps them close against the MAC. We don’t scheme around our strengths but instead around neutralizing our opponent’s strengths. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like we scheme to win; we scheme to cause our opponent to lose.
ColoradoHAWKEYE
Well-Known Member
I think their recruiting of talent can only be as good as KF recruiting of coaches. He appears to have failed miserably thus far. The continuation of square pegging into a round hole is an extention of KF stubborness to adapting.
His legacy will be determined by what he accomplishes the next two years. Right now it is C+ and still falling. 2 years from now he will be redeemed back to a B or bought out of contract with a C-/D. Only time will tell.
NCHawker
Well-Known Member
Its all about execution. So they practice the same 7 plays over and over and then he sees that they're not executing those, so in October they cut it back to 5 plays, in november its 3 plays. They can't execute. Problem is they can't execute because the other team knows what they are going to do. KF's reply? We just need to execute better. Slam your head against the wall.
tubahawk
Well-Known Member
First, I must chuckle in the irony that Jon is "changing" his approach about allowing guest contributors by starting off with a guest contributor advocating a change in KF's standard operating procedures.
What a nice article with a perspective that I hadn't heard before. Scott has actually made a plausible case for Greg to be replaced at the end of the year. However, I'm not convinced it will happen, primarily because of Ferentz's history of loyalty.
Thanks, Jon & Scott.
What a nice article with a perspective that I hadn't heard before. Scott has actually made a plausible case for Greg to be replaced at the end of the year. However, I'm not convinced it will happen, primarily because of Ferentz's history of loyalty.
Thanks, Jon & Scott.
JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
I can understand that. I have actually invited people to write in the past. Never really worked out for a number of reasons, including some on my end. Scott contacted me about an idea for a story, I said go for it and he sent this to me. I felt it was well thought out, even if I may not agree entirely with the replacing Davis part.
1977Hawkeye
Well-Known Member
I think you're counting the 4-4 seasons as losing seasons, but I otherwise agree with your post.
I would say that KF's entire reputation as a "great coach" is pretty much entirely based on what he accomplished from 2002-04. And quite frankly, I am sick to death of talking about those years, because those days are long gone. At the risk of sounding like a "what have you done for me lately" kind of guy, KF has done very little since 2004 - coming up on a decade ago. 2009 was a big year. 2008 was a year where the team got hot the last few games of the year and snuck into the final polls at something like #23 after winning their bowl game, but otherwise were unranked the entire season. It's been pointed out that team was 5-4 at one point.
I appreciate what Kirk accomplished through 2004 as much as anybody, and I don't think it's a fluke. You don't finish Top 10 in the country three straight years on luck, or if you aren't a good coach. But it's clear that the program is not the same now as it was then. Status quo is not going to get the program back to the levels we want it to be, IMO.
S
Scorpio79
Guest
The author wrote that article like a boss.
Pooker
Well-Known Member
I don't know about that being substantiative piece -- after I read it sounded more like a rant than anything else.
Some of these guys would have fired Hayden Fry after his record in the 92,93,94 seasons. Would that have been a good idea?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with knowing who you are and paying to those strenghts. If Iowa was losing big every time out and there was a question of effort -- then maybe you have a construct for criticism. But the effort is there and we just are not winning the close games now. When we start -- all these 'problems' go away.
Some of these guys would have fired Hayden Fry after his record in the 92,93,94 seasons. Would that have been a good idea?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with knowing who you are and paying to those strenghts. If Iowa was losing big every time out and there was a question of effort -- then maybe you have a construct for criticism. But the effort is there and we just are not winning the close games now. When we start -- all these 'problems' go away.
homes
Well-Known Member
If the plan was for Davis to be the interim hire to pave the way for Brian Ferentz to get experience to be the OC, it was a major bust. Now, Ferentz is left with the choices of keeping Davis to follow through with the plan, meanwhile the program would be suffering, I believe, immeasurably and perhaps irrevocably, or make a change to bring in a long term OC and scrap the interim idea (and perhaps foil the BF as OC plan) or fire Davis and promote BF, probably before he's ready.
If I had a vote, I go with 2 or 3, probably 2.
Related, but not new topic-worthy, aside from an All-American QB, which every team can use, who are the ideal personnel for Davis' offense? And does Iowa have anyone close to that on its roster or its recruiting class?
Davis joked at an I-Club function that his offense was to throw long on every down. I wish he wasn't joking compared to what we've seen this season.
If I had a vote, I go with 2 or 3, probably 2.
Related, but not new topic-worthy, aside from an All-American QB, which every team can use, who are the ideal personnel for Davis' offense? And does Iowa have anyone close to that on its roster or its recruiting class?
Davis joked at an I-Club function that his offense was to throw long on every down. I wish he wasn't joking compared to what we've seen this season.
If this site ran "point-counterpoint" pieces like this weekly, or otherwise on a regular basis, I think it would be a strong addition. Like the Hawkeyegamefilm analyses, it may also go a long way to differentiate this site from some of the others. There are certainly no shortage of topics, but finding people that write well enough would be the challenge. The author of the above article writes pretty well.
Travisam;973140[B said:
Also, for comparison. Hayden Fry's B10 conference records: 11 winning seasons. 4 losing seasons. 5 seasons at .500. If you want to go apples to apples. Fry was 10 winning, 1 losing and 3 .500 seasons in his first 14 seasons a la KF.
Comparing KF's accomplishments to Fry's is laughable IMO.
The lets not change because "3 OC's in 3 yrs" thing deserves a LOL.
That's just so Iowa and so B1G. Ignore issues and hope they go away.
We all see it isn't going to work. But we should wait because 3 OCs in 3yrs is difficult?
We shouldn't change our OC that is running an offense that his players don't run well nor understand but we shouldn't change because it might set them back. Set them back from what?
L O L
That's just so Iowa and so B1G. Ignore issues and hope they go away.
We all see it isn't going to work. But we should wait because 3 OCs in 3yrs is difficult?
We shouldn't change our OC that is running an offense that his players don't run well nor understand but we shouldn't change because it might set them back. Set them back from what?
L O L
