Howe: Special Season Despite Crash Landing

Oh wow, I seen the band got back together......of course I'm talking about the band of trolls.....
 
okeefe4prez said:
Man, I tossed up something awhile back about this team feeling like one of those old Big East teams that had a remarkable record and then the wheels came off once they played someone. I was uniformly dismissed by the posterati on this board. Welp, this team is who I thought they were. Remember, this team is a Wisconsin goalline fumble and 4 Tommy Armstrong picks away from prolly the Outback Bowl.
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You're dismissed again.
 
It's really hard to feel good about this season after the last two games. The luster definitely wore off but is I look back to August I predicted a 7-5 season I feel alright. We have 4 trophies, I'm happy about that. What I'm not happy about was I bought into the hype that we could hang with the big boys. It's my fault I feel the way I do today.
 
mmills88 said:
I'll remember this season as huge success. Between the Cubs and the Hawks, it has been the best 8 months of sports of my lifetime. I will always remember this team as a champion. I've never enjoyed a season more than this one. You could feel the connection between coaches and players as a team that truly cared for one another and enjoyed playing the game. That's so refreshing to watch a group of young men who put the team first. They are a class-act. They deserve your respect.

In the Big Ten Championship game, I've never seen an Iowa team play harder than it did that day. That's what I'll remember, not the loss.

Obviously today didn't go as planned, but to me, it takes NOTHING away from the season these kids and coaches had. I watched every minute...it was great to see CJ's resiliency, Akrum's TD. I have so much respect for the job these warriors did. To bash them is misguided and gutless.
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Let me guess, you believe in participation ribbons? Everybody gets a trophy? They deserve our respect? Seriously, get over yourself... Nobody here is bashing the players, and I think they get plenty of respect... One can be a true fan, and critical at the same time, and also see this team and season for what it was/is. The critical comments are directed at the staff for not having the team prepared, failure to adjust to anything during the game, you're not ready to play when the first play of the game is a 75 yard to pass to the running back that you are focused on stopping, and the glaring lack of ability to recruit the athletes to compete outside of our division.
 
Some of you boneheads are a freakin' hoot! Talking about how the last two games showed that Iowa isn't an elite team.

Go ahead... tell me... which one of you geniuses thought Iowa was an elite team last August? All I heard was a ton of b*tching about how the defense dominated the offense in the Spring game. We were gonna be lucky to win 6 with that weak offense. The coaches should all have been fired. The players were untalented. Hell... the cheerleaders probably weren't any good either. Oh yeah... Barta should have been fired, too!

You guys are a collective piece of work. You hammered the team and the coaches then... they ripped off 12 straight victories... now you b*tch because they aren't elite when not a single one of you ever thought they were even close to elite.

Buncha whiney hypocrites if you ask me.

GO HAWKS! GREAT YEAR!!
 
Caddy said:
Let me guess, you believe in participation ribbons? Everybody gets a trophy? They deserve our respect? Seriously, get over yourself... Nobody here is bashing the players, and I think they get plenty of respect... One can be a true fan, and critical at the same time, and also see this team and season for what it was/is. The critical comments are directed at the staff for not having the team prepared, failure to adjust to anything during the game, you're not ready to play when the first play of the game is a 75 yard to pass to the running back that you are focused on stopping, and the glaring lack of ability to recruit the athletes to compete outside of our division.
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I believe in wins and losses, not participation trophies. We lost 2 games, but lets compare it to the rest of P5 football. The only teams that will lose less games than Iowa are Bama (1 or 2 losses), Clemson (0 or 1 losses) and Ohio St. (1 loss) That is it, of all the P5 teams in college football only 3 teams loss less games. Heck if Bama loses, they will have lost 2 games as well, and then only 2 teams in the country that loss less games.

Does it suck that we lost 2 games, well yeah it sure does suck. Do I think you are a real fan? Sure, for all I know you can be the biggest fan in the world, so I do assume that you are a big Hawk fan since you are posting here. What is for sure though, is that you are also an idiot (big fan or not). That you can't keep perspective when Iowa loses a game.

Fans all have different perspectives. I know that I am happy as sh!t that I don't have the same perspective as you do.
 
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docholihawk said:
It's really hard to feel good about this season after the last two games. The luster definitely wore off but is I look back to August I predicted a 7-5 season I feel alright. We have 4 trophies, I'm happy about that. What I'm not happy about was I bought into the hype that we could hang with the big boys. It's my fault I feel the way I do today.
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^^^^ This pretty much sums it up for me as well. 12-2 is a great season and being bummed out is all on me. I saw the warts late in the year and chose to look the other way ..........It was going to catch up with them at some point and it finally did.
 
BlindDogScooter said:
Some of you boneheads are a freakin' hoot! Talking about how the last two games showed that Iowa isn't an elite team.

Go ahead... tell me... which one of you geniuses thought Iowa was an elite team last August? All I heard was a ton of b*tching about how the defense dominated the offense in the Spring game. We were gonna be lucky to win 6 with that weak offense. The coaches should all have been fired. The players were untalented. Hell... the cheerleaders probably weren't any good either. Oh yeah... Barta should have been fired, too!

You guys are a collective piece of work. You hammered the team and the coaches then... they ripped off 12 straight victories... now you b*tch because they aren't elite when not a single one of you ever thought they were even close to elite.

Buncha whiney hypocrites if you ask me.

GO HAWKS! GREAT YEAR!!
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If u are in top 4 throughout year and ultimately in the Rose Bowl, there is an argument to be made that you are in fact a top team. Many pundits argued against that fact all year and many hawk fans defended the team. When it came time for the final exam, Iowa flamed out proving many neighsayers correct. Not sure how people are hypocrites for discussing facts.

This team was pry more of a top 15-25 team, which many would have taken pre season. However when u run the record to 12-0, but then lose the last two to the best teams u played, things feel a bit hallow.
 
RobHowe said:
Yeah, the Rose Bowl sucked. But the good memories far outweigh the bad this season:

http://hawkeyenation.com/2015/howe
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It WAS a special season even though Iowa was a few plays away from being a 9-3 team instead of 12-0 just as last year they were a few plays away from being a 9-3 team instead of 7-5. This living on the edge stuff is hard to take most games and most years.

The coaching staff absolutely failed this team in preparing for Stanford. Those close to the program will look back on the 12 wins and think what a great season it was. Nationally, most of what will be remembered is that Iowa was over rated with their 12 wins and the Rose Bowl embarrassment confirmed this.

Lastly, after watching Michigan pound Florida, I see what a REAL coach can do in developing talent. It's hard to believe, although it really shouldn't be, how much better Rudock looked in 1 year in Ann Arbor over his 4 years in Iowa City. I really thought he was limited talent wise. My apologies to him.
 
brhawks18 said:
It WAS a special season even though Iowa was a few plays away from being a 9-3 team instead of 12-0 just as last year they were a few plays away from being a 9-3 team instead of 7-5. This living on the edge stuff is hard to take most games and most years.

The coaching staff absolutely failed this team in preparing for Stanford. Those close to the program will look back on the 12 wins and think what a great season it was. Nationally, most of what will be remembered is that Iowa was over rated with their 12 wins and the Rose Bowl embarrassment confirmed this.

Lastly, after watching Michigan pound Florida, I see what a REAL coach can do in developing talent. It's hard to believe, although it really shouldn't be, how much better Rudock looked in 1 year in Ann Arbor over his 4 years in Iowa City. I really thought he was limited talent wise. My apologies to him.
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Lol about Michigan. They are loaded with 4* and 5* kids. KF could have taken that team and won as many games with them. Iowa would have beaten Flordia in a bowl game as well, as Florida can't score.

Oh and nationally people will remember them like they did after the 2002 Orange Bowl.....which is a damn site better than they have been viewed over the last 5 years
 
deanvogs said:
Lol about Michigan. They are loaded with 4* and 5* kids. KF could have taken that team and won as many games with them. Iowa would have beaten Flordia in a bowl game as well, as Florida can't score.

Oh and nationally people will remember them like they did after the 2002 Orange Bowl.....which is a damn site better than they have been viewed over the last 5 years[/QUOTE


The state of Iowa will remember the 12 victories. Nationally the beating they took in Pasedena is what will be talked about and they are already saying Iowa shouldn't have been there.

Take you Hawkeye blinders off. I am not saying KF is horrible and should be gone or anything of the sort. He's as classy a coach as there is in college football. We are lucky he's the Hawk coach. But, the game plan for the Rose Bowl was beyond horrid.

For what it's worth I'd love to see Brian Ferentz be given the opportunity to be the head coach when KF retires. His passion, intensity and knowledge would be great for the Hawks.

Do you think the team and coaches are satisfied with the 12 wins and 2 losses in their last 2 games? No way. They are probably pretty pi$$ed of right now and know there's work to do.
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brhawks18 said:
The state of Iowa will remember the 12 victories. Nationally the beating they took in Pasedena is what will be talked about and they are already saying Iowa shouldn't have been there.

Take you Hawkeye blinders off. I am not saying KF is horrible and should be gone or anything of the sort. He's as classy a coach as there is in college football. We are lucky he's the Hawk coach. But, the game plan for the Rose Bowl was beyond horrid.

For what it's worth I'd love to see Brian Ferentz be given the opportunity to be the head coach when KF retires. His passion, intensity and knowledge would be great for the Hawks.

Do you think the team and coaches are satisfied with the 12 wins and 2 losses in their last 2 games? No way. They are probably pretty pi$$ed of right now and know there's work to do.
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I said Iowa will be viewed like they were after the 2002 Orange Bowl.....they got their azzes kicked then as well. I don't think the national media will be fawning over us at all.

I don't think the team is satisfied at all with the way they finished the season (players or coaches). Like always they will get right back to work on next year.
 
deanvogs said:
I said Iowa will be viewed like they were after the 2002 Orange Bowl.....they got their azzes kicked then as well. I don't think the national media will be fawning over us at all.

I don't think the team is satisfied at all with the way they finished the season (players or coaches). Like always they will get right back to work on next year.
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The 2002 team was athletically better than this team and their schedule wasn't questioned like this years team.

This team DID NOT quit in the bowl game though like MSU did in the 4th quarter against Bama. That's a direct result of the leadership of the upper classmen.

The Iowa program is class all the way.
 
I still enjoyed the season. It's a lot easier to enjoy these kinds of collapses when you have nothing financially invested.
Would I consider the season a failure? I think a lot of the players really wanted that BIG Title. When they fell short, the player motivation went south soon after. I won't remember this season as particularly special. It didn't make me want to run out and make a 10K commitment to next season. So, I guess that says all there needs to be said.
It will be interesting to see how next season unfolds. We have more than enough returning starters to win the West again.
 
I was really glad to see Rudock do well in the bowl game but good grief, Michigan faced a bad Florida team, not an elite team like Stanford (did you see Rudock struggle in some of Michigan's other games). Claiming that Rudock magically acquired new and improved QB skills this year is absurd. He looked every bit the same game manager this year as last year, which is exactly what Michigan needed. Worked for him and for them. Great, but it was hardly evidence of dramatic improvement. Most QBs look good when they have time to throw and receivers to throw to. Beathard looks good (at times) despite lacking time to throw or top notch receivers to target. Give him time and better receivers and he'll look great!
 
Tigerhawk222 said:
I was really glad to see Rudock do well in the bowl game but good grief, Michigan faced a bad Florida team, not an elite team like Stanford (did you see Rudock struggle in some of Michigan's other games). Claiming that Rudock magically acquired new and improved QB skills this year is absurd. He looked every bit the same game manager this year as last year, which is exactly what Michigan needed. Worked for him and for them. Great, but it was hardly evidence of dramatic improvement. Most QBs look good when they have time to throw and receivers to throw to. Beathard looks good (at times) despite lacking time to throw or top notch receivers to target. Give him time and better receivers and he'll look great!
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Rudock overall did better this year then he did at Iowa. He was sacked one less time this year than last year. Face the facts. He was coached better at Michigan than he was at Iowa.

The Hawks do not develop skill position players well at all. How many QB's, running backs and wide receivers from Iowa are on active rosters in the NFL? Not many. How many lineman (offense and defense), tight ends and LB's are on active rosters? Quite a few. Why they don't develop the skill position players is confusing to me. The staff says they're a developmental program. If so develop them.

Did you watch Iowa's receivers run routes during the game, not get open and just stand there? Why they don't move to try and get open was disappointing to me as a fan. The announcers mentioned it more than once and showed replays to prove their point. That's all on coaching.

I'm not mad or wanting anybody gone. Just saying if you say you develop players then develop all positions. Would you attend Iowa if you were a receiver, back or QB? I was born a Hawkeye, but would not attend there if I played one of these positions.
 
The bottom line question(s) are....

Do you feel satisfied winning the B1G West, and making the B1G champ game knowing you went up against mediocre talent and interim coaches?

or

Do you want to see Iowa represent well against truly good teams?

I think we saw Iowa's ceiling this year. Not a bad thing. Who can argue against 12-0 and a hell of a showing in Indy? But if you're looking for something higher, elite if you will, I'm afraid we're going to be perpetually disappointed.

It all comes down to one's true expectations.
 
brhawks18 said:
Rudock overall did better this year then he did at Iowa. He was sacked one less time this year than last year. Face the facts. He was coached better at Michigan than he was at Iowa.

The Hawks do not develop skill position players well at all. How many QB's, running backs and wide receivers from Iowa are on active rosters in the NFL? Not many. How many lineman (offense and defense), tight ends and LB's are on active rosters? Quite a few. Why they don't develop the skill position players is confusing to me. The staff says they're a developmental program. If so develop them.

Did you watch Iowa's receivers run routes during the game, not get open and just stand there? Why they don't move to try and get open was disappointing to me as a fan. The announcers mentioned it more than once and showed replays to prove their point. That's all on coaching.

I'm not mad or wanting anybody gone. Just saying if you say you develop players then develop all positions. Would you attend Iowa if you were a receiver, back or QB? I was born a Hawkeye, but would not attend there if I played one of these positions.
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Pretty much what holds us back in the really big games.
 
Seth53 said:
The bottom line question(s) are....

Do you feel satisfied winning the B1G West, and making the B1G champ game knowing you went up against mediocre talent and interim coaches?

or

Do you want to see Iowa represent well against truly good teams?

I think we saw Iowa's ceiling this year. Not a bad thing. Who can argue against 12-0 and a hell of a showing in Indy? But if you're looking for something higher, elite if you will, I'm afraid we're going to be perpetually disappointed.

It all comes down to one's true expectations.
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So I take it by the way you've been acting since Indy you want Iowa to be elite.

Not one person expected this Iowa season and for that KF is being ripped to shreds by fans, who can't be satisfied because the expect and or want more and more and more. Bottom line is this any fan who can't see the overwhelming positivity that came from this season, honestly is a fan that can never ever be pleased.
 
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