Heat Directed at JVB

Ferentz didn't pull Vanderberg last night because it was a big F U to everyone who questions almighty Kirk. We could have been down 60 and he wasn't going to pull him, it was all about proving a point of who is in charge and who knows best. Down 31 late in the game and instead of getting a young QB to get some game experience, he plays who has the biggest richard contest. Just priceless.
 
bighawkeyedaddy said:
Ferentz didn't pull Vanderberg last night because it was a big F U to everyone who questions almighty Kirk. We could have been down 60 and he wasn't going to pull him, it was all about proving a point of who is in charge and who knows best. Down 31 late in the game and instead of getting a young QB to get some game experience, he plays who has the biggest richard contest. Just priceless.
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4 million is pretty boss. :;((
 
I don't understand why we didn't bring Ruddock in the 4th quarter and at least give him 5-10 throws. That way next year he actually has some game experience if he is our QB next year. You would think KF would have learned the lesson when Stanzi went down against NW and that you are only 1 play away from the next guy coming in. And how the rumor is the backups are not ready it is based off of practice. It sounds like Tim Tebow is one of the worst practice QB in history the way people talked about Broncos camp last year but when the lights came on he was a gamer. Who to say Ruddock or someone else at another position wouldn't be the same way. Look what Weisman has done. I am sure we have some others that will play better than practice.
 
JonDMiller said:
At some point doesn't that become misdirected?

Through 21 career starts, including seven games of his senior season, he's 12-9. Two wins last year vs winning teams (11-2 Michigan and 7-6 Purdue) and two this year (7-1 Northern Illinois and 4-3 Minnesota). Minnesota will finish with a losing record.

As much as I didn't want to believe last year's 3000yds/25 TD passes were akin to empty calories, it's becoming nigh on impossible not to feel that way. It's not that I can't get myself to admit that, it's just that I don't think I've seen anything like it at Iowa.

James is 100% invested. He's given it all he has. Countless extra hours of his time to get better, to study, to try to improve but it's just not happening. I think he's probably tried too hard. It just doesn't seem like it's going to happen for him with five games to go.

I think the anger being directed at a player who is doin all he can, even if its not adding up to what the team needs, is unfair. James isn't the head coach. He's the guy the coach is calling on to lead the team.

If you have to have a punching bag, it should be the person who makes the decisions, not the players who are asked to take the field.

While we can all be frustrated when results aren't there, when things bubble over to anger and insults directed at players, you need to look in the mirror and figure out what type of personality or character deficiency you have and go about fixing it.

Kirk Ferentz decides who plays and who doesn't. If you want to direct criticisms at someone, that's a far more appropriate target and I guarantee you he'd say the same thing.

To that end, Kirk will have some interesting decisions the rest of the way. I will be shocked if he makes a change. In a way, I think he might see that as giving up on this year and these seniors because if Jake Rudock were anywhere near JVB, he would have probably played already. They are 4-3 and it's not a stretch to think there are two more wins out there, or at least that is probably how he sees it.

Everything I have heard, including in last six hours, confirms what I have heard all fall; the backups are not ready. It makes total sense because if one of them was, he'd be playing some.

There are obvious angles to criticize off of that reality; receuiting at the position is one of them

But I think the barbs, jabs, whatever that are being directed at JVB are off target. If he were quitting or not giving it his all, that's one thing. But he is; change your target.
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I think Jon is exactly right in his take on this. I have thought a lot about this the last day
and I am sure that is how Kirk is thinking.
Having said that i would love it if he had the same candor as Fran with his comments
about the team.
 
SamBrownlee48 said:
I was high on JVB to start the season. Still think he is a good, intelligent guy who will have a bright future ahead of him. I didn't want to see JR play, I wanted to see Vandy snap out of it.

But something happened and JVB is not the same QB he has been ever since I saw him in HS. Whatever happened, it's permanent. Let's get real. Vandy looks like JC out there this year and its mental thing that is not going to change. No hate for Vandy at all. I just never want to see him under center in the black and gold again.

And if in Kirk's mind there is no viable replacement, then he needs to go as well. Poor judgment makes for poor performance at anything in life, including coaching. In 2012, JVB is the worst starting QB in the Big Ten. And it isn't close. Since there isn't anything worse than worst, without even ever having seen a practice, it's pretty safe to say that the worst thing that could happen is we still have the worst QB in the Big 10.
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BEST STATEMENT ON THIS THREAD ABOVE..... We all know Ferentz' tendencies.... his stubborness, conservative play calling, playing not to lose.... along with this is that he doesn't like change in personnel with coaches or players. In general this is a positve trait because it gives a program stability. But, if JVB doesn't fit Davis' system, then the system either needs to be scrapped for the rest of the season or JVB needs to be replaced for the rest of the year.
 
bighawkeyedaddy said:
Ferentz didn't pull Vanderberg last night because it was a big F U to everyone who questions almighty Kirk. We could have been down 60 and he wasn't going to pull him, it was all about proving a point of who is in charge and who knows best. Down 31 late in the game and instead of getting a young QB to get some game experience, he plays who has the biggest richard contest. Just priceless.
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Sometimes... it really does seem this is what is going on.
 
JonDMiller said:
At some point doesn't that become misdirected?

Through 21 career starts, including seven games of his senior season, he's 12-9. Two wins last year vs winning teams (11-2 Michigan and 7-6 Purdue) and two this year (7-1 Northern Illinois and 4-3 Minnesota). Minnesota will finish with a losing record.

As much as I didn't want to believe last year's 3000yds/25 TD passes were akin to empty calories, it's becoming nigh on impossible not to feel that way. It's not that I can't get myself to admit that, it's just that I don't think I've seen anything like it at Iowa.

James is 100% invested. He's given it all he has. Countless extra hours of his time to get better, to study, to try to improve but it's just not happening. I think he's probably tried too hard. It just doesn't seem like it's going to happen for him with five games to go.

I think the anger being directed at a player who is doin all he can, even if its not adding up to what the team needs, is unfair. James isn't the head coach. He's the guy the coach is calling on to lead the team.

If you have to have a punching bag, it should be the person who makes the decisions, not the players who are asked to take the field.

While we can all be frustrated when results aren't there, when things bubble over to anger and insults directed at players, you need to look in the mirror and figure out what type of personality or character deficiency you have and go about fixing it.

Kirk Ferentz decides who plays and who doesn't. If you want to direct criticisms at someone, that's a far more appropriate target and I guarantee you he'd say the same thing.

To that end, Kirk will have some interesting decisions the rest of the way. I will be shocked if he makes a change. In a way, I think he might see that as giving up on this year and these seniors because if Jake Rudock were anywhere near JVB, he would have probably played already. They are 4-3 and it's not a stretch to think there are two more wins out there, or at least that is probably how he sees it.

Everything I have heard, including in last six hours, confirms what I have heard all fall; the backups are not ready. It makes total sense because if one of them was, he'd be playing some.

There are obvious angles to criticize off of that reality; receuiting at the position is one of them

But I think the barbs, jabs, whatever that are being directed at JVB are off target. If he were quitting or not giving it his all, that's one thing. But he is; change your target.
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The quarterback will often bare much of the blame. They are the most important player in this particular game. It comes with the territory.

In the end none of it matters if you can't produce. The world isn't lead by those that are simply nice and work hard.

produce
 
bighawkeyedaddy said:
Ferentz didn't pull Vanderberg last night because it was a big F U to everyone who questions almighty Kirk. We could have been down 60 and he wasn't going to pull him,

it was all about proving a point of who is in charge and who knows best.

Down 31 late in the game and instead of getting a young QB to get some game experience, he plays who has the biggest richard contest. Just priceless.
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Boom.
 
hawkeyebob62 said:
It's entirely possible Rudock/Sokol/Beathard aren't ready. Brad Banks wasn't in 2001, Stanzi and Arvell Nelson weren't in 2007.

So, why not let Weinke get a few series here and/or there. He's been in the program the same length of time as JVB, and presumably, his wearing a headset on the sideline means he's in the loop, QB-wise. So let him take a couple series, come out and say to JVB, "Their LBs tend right, the DBs are susceptible to a pump-fake, the DTs are thugs", or whatever else he might see. At worst, we get a 5th-year senior who is as team-first as JVB.
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Word is that Weinke's not even close to ready. Sorry man.
 
JonDMiller said:
Please name them. Lets just stick in the Big Ten.
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tm3308 said:
Illinois: Scheelhaase, O'Toole
Indiana: Coffman/Sudfield/Roberson (all have at least 50 attempts and ratings of 124.9 or better)
Minnesota: Gray/Shortell
Ohio State: Miller/Guiton
Northwestern: Colter/Siemian
Purdue: TerBush/Marve
Wisconsin: Stave/O'Brien (Biels pulled the trigger on Stave a while back, and have played well since)

Penn State, Michigan, Nebraska and Michigan State have all used their starters almost exclusively. Ohio State would also be on this list if Miller hadn't gotten hurt.

BUT, Guiton demonstrated he's capable with his performance yesterday. The other backups may be capable, too. But they haven't really been needed.

Iowa is the ONLY Big Ten team whose backup QB has logged ZERO PT this year.
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That went pretty poorly for you, Diesel.
 
g11 said:
Throwing a QB into the fire before he's ready can crush them. I'm fine with seeing JR against a weaker defense, but throwing him in there last night would of been a pretty terrible idea.
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Sure, it can crush a young QB if its a pressure situation, as with Nick Montana at Washington last year (he started vs. Oregon State due to Keith Price injury, laid an egg, was in tears in the postgame presser, and ended up transferring). But there was no pressure in the 4th quarter last night, and PSU's backups were in.

As I said elsewhere:
* if you're remotely open to a QB change or shared time, you play Jake to get him some experience
* if you're absolutely firm on starting JVB the whole year, you STILL play Jake, to protect your starter's health

So what nobody's really addressed is... what WAS Kirk thinking? The "show 'em who's boss" angle has some appeal, but a couple other explanations seem more likely. Not wanting to set Jake up for failure in a bad situation, and a genuine desire to score some points so the offense would have something positive to carry out of the game. I don't agree with the first (see above); the second has more appeal, but I'd still have worked Jake in for a series.
 
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Billso said:
Sure, it can crush a young QB if its a pressure situation, as with Nick Montana at Washington last year (he started vs. Oregon State due to Keith Price injury, laid an egg, was in tears in the postgame presser, and ended up transferring). But there was no pressure in the 4th quarter last night, and PSU's backups were in.

As I said elsewhere:
* if you're remotely open to a QB change or shared time, you play Jake to get him some experience
* if you're absolutely firm on starting JVB the whole year, you STILL play Jake, to protect your starter's health

So what nobody's really addressed is... what WAS Kirk thinking? The "show 'em who's boss" angle has some appeal, but a couple other explanations seem more likely. Not wanting to set Jake up for failure in a bad situation, and a genuine desire to score some points so the offense would have something positive to carry out of the game. I don't agree with the first (see above); the second has more appeal, but I'd still have worked Jake in for a series.
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This sums it up well. Why Rudock wasn't in for the final series is perplexing. The offense already got some points, and there was practically no time left. Seemingly perfect chance to at least let him get in a few handoffs.
 
Just a thought. If JVB is the best option KF has, why in the hell do you leave him in when they are getting blown out? Oh thats right, KF has a history of that. Remember Adam Robinson getting hurt when Iowa was blowing MSU out a few years ago? It is what it is.
 
The whole notion of players not deserving criticism and heat because they try hard is ridiculous. This is not the powder puff league. This is big time div 1 football. If you cant play, you most certainly deserve blame, criticism, heat, etc. If JVB cant handle the heat, then he most certainly is not ready for div 1 football. The boos at the game saturday night were well deserved. The effort, the play, the coaching were all horrible.

The fans spent their well earned money to come support the team, school, coaches, etc. When they experience the kind of effort given saturday night, then they are well in line to throw out the boo birds. Now the throwing stuff at the players going to locker room at halftime is not (i was not there to witness this).

If JVB is our best option at QB and the back ups are not close to being ready, then we are in trouble for the foreseeable future on offense. Now JVB can be the best person in the world, the hardest worker in practice; but if he cant get it done when it counts then who cares? He needs to ride then pine for is poor performance because quite frankly the backups cant possibly be much worse.
 
Regardless, shame on us for not having an option "ready" to be a QB. We're IOWA and deserve to have more leadership/accountability and a focus on depth.
 
How someone could watch Iowa football as closely as you have Jon and not be critical of JVB is to say the least, mind boggling.

GD and KF are not the ones regularly making terrible throws, locking on single receivers, making poor reads and not allowing a play to progress by getting rid of the ball to quickly.

JVB deserves the critisim he is getting, he has not shown the ability make the passes that are required in this or any offensive system.

No Iowa doesn't have the best offensive athletes in the B10 but when have we in the past? You can't consistently leave yards and points on the field each and every week and not expect criticism.
 
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