Having Trouble Marrying These Two Idea's - Where is the middle ground?

[BSpringsteen]

Maybe Jon has been right all along.

Maybe we are really lucky to have KF. Maybe our margin for error is way thinner than we give it credit for.

Nebraska fell off the face of the earth for 3 years. Tennessee has gone to the toilet. Michigan has less wins in 3 years than Iowa has in 2 years.

So if schools like Michigan, Tennessee and Nebraska can go through these stretches than we are not immune, and we should consider ourselves lucky to have a coach with longevity and consistently winning.

But how do we marry this idea with the idea that we have left wins on the field in more years than not? How can we still be dissatisfied with 8.4 wins per year being good enough for Iowa while still being happy that we at least consistently get 8.4 wins per year?

Oy Vey.

 

[StickUP]

Maybe a new OC can call a KF offense better than KOK. Maybe not.

Maybe a bend but don't break offense can get off the field quicker with a blitz or two. Maybe they give up a big play TD instead.

Maybe you want to look behind curtain number 2 for something better, but you end up with Steve Alford. I want to see Iowa be better, but I have no idea how to do it.

 

[deanvogs]

Maybe Jon has been right all along.

Maybe we are really lucky to have KF. Maybe our margin for error is way thinner than we give it credit for.

Nebraska fell off the face of the earth for 3 years. Tennessee has gone to the toilet. Michigan has less wins in 3 years than Iowa has in 2 years.

So if schools like Michigan, Tennessee and Nebraska can go through these stretches than we are not immune, and we should consider ourselves lucky to have a coach with longevity and consistently winning.

But how do we marry this idea with the idea that we have left wins on the field in more years than not? How can we still be dissatisfied with 8.4 wins per year being good enough for Iowa while still being happy that we at least consistently get 8.4 wins per year?

Oy Vey.

What I don't get is how some people DON'T understand this. Look at Texas, Florida this year. Michigan, Nebraska, Tennessee made hires that decimated them. USC was down for years before Pete. Miami hasn't been anything for over a decade. Notre Dame has been a joke for 10-20 years now. Florida St. has been down. Alabama was nothing for years and years before Saban.

It really isn't even worth wasting your breathe arguing with the idiots who think that getting rid of KF would be a "good thing".

 

[ThunderHawk]

What I don't get is how some people DON'T understand this. Look at Texas, Florida this year. Michigan, Nebraska, Tennessee made hires that decimated them. USC was down for years before Pete. Miami hasn't been anything for over a decade. Notre Dame has been a joke for 10-20 years now. Florida St. has been down. Alabama was nothing for years and years before Saban.

It really isn't even worth wasting your breathe arguing with the idiots who think that getting rid of KF would be a "good thing".

Getting rid of Ferentz would be a horrible thing.

But you gotta be able to close out football games and get the defense off the field on third and long.

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

So if schools like Michigan, Tennessee and Nebraska can go through these stretches than we are not immune, and we should consider ourselves lucky to have a coach with longevity and consistently winning.

But how do we marry this idea with the idea that we have left wins on the field in more years than not? How can we still be dissatisfied with 8.4 wins per year being good enough for Iowa while still being happy that we at least consistently get 8.4 wins per year?

Oy Vey.

How to marry them? Easy ...

- Increased parity in college football as a whole (heck, Va. Tech a team that attended a BCS bowl, also lost to a FBS team early in the season)

- Iowa also scraped by and still won their fair share of close games

- Randomness in college football ... the luck of where the ball bounces can influence swings in momentum in a game. But also ... can the team exploit such swings in momentum?

- "Cat herding" ability. Not all "cat herders" who have some success stroking the egos of big-time recruits still manage to do so with incredible consistency. And those who do are far from the norm. Mac Brown seemed to be pretty good at it ... however, his squads were also well known for underperforming given the "inherent talent" of their players. Similarly, you have Urban Meyer step back and attempt to better balance his family life with his coaching duties ... and you look at a Gators squad that underperforms. In my opinion, Ferentz and Co aren't terribly good "cat herders" ... however, they are proven teachers. Furthermore, when they have outspoken leaders on the field ... that tends to translate to the field too.

 

[spudhawk]

Iowa's basic philosophies will never go out of style- ball control offense with smart fundamental defense.

I think Ferentz and his staffs' weakness are game to game adjustments. I think they are so good at teaching their system that they struggle with trying something new that is unproven to them. Iowa under Ferentz is rarely going to use the element of surprise and when they do and it is wildly successful people fawn over one or two calls.

I can't think of a better coach for Iowa than Ferentz, but I wish he would make some fundamental changes for some specific game situations. I want Iowa to dominate lesser competition- we saw that early this season. I want Iowa to adjust to the scheme opponents are playing- we saw that in the bowl game. I would like for Iowa to trust their players to do more on both sides of the ball. Waiting for a team to beat themselves won't always work, especially when their scheme is predicated on our weaknesses on defense.

One last thing- the special teams must improve and has the potential to. But this used to be a strength consistently and Iowa's best years have had multiple big plays by the special teams and very, very few errors. I understand the difficulty in shifting the responsibilities of the coaching staff, but for a coach who believes in margins and is willing to play things close to the vest special teams must be a dominant force to tip things in our favor against equal or better opponents and to give us a big edge against inferior opponents. If Ferentz keeps his staff intact maybe he needs to personally take over those duties. He wouldn't be the first college coach to handle those duties.

 

[BSpringsteen]

I just wish Ferentz could get out of his own way and realize once in a while that he has a sexy team to use his vernacular.

He needs a big year next year. 9-10 wins.