I am done being pissed at BF/Petras. They are not the problem

[jawdoc]

I screamed at the TV and cursed Petras and BF too many times to count Saturday, but after seeing KF's presser, they are not the problem.

Petras does not deserve to be booed or beat up on message boards. Does anyone doubt he is trying his best? He is a kid out there doing all he can, he just has not been given the right coaching, or he just doesn't have the goods. I think the latter, but who cares. Its not his fault he can't get the job done, and its not his fault he keeps accepting more chances from his HC. He is giving his all for Iowa. I am not going to boo his anymore. He just should not be on the field. Period.

Likewise with respect to BF, he either has his hands tied, or he sucks, or both. But again, whatever the problem with BF is, it all flows back to his Dad. Either Brian is a chef who can't choose his own ingredients, or he is just a bad OC. Either way, his Dad is the problem, not him, for putting him in a position to not just fail, but to do so in an embarrassing manner. Indeed, his Dad is hurting his future coaching prospects by allowing him to be so bad. I guess BF is a grown man and he could quit, but I am not going to fault him for trying his best too.

Stoops and Fran should be trolling KF. Hard truth.

I would go one level higher with Barta. Never liked that guy for many many reasons and he is the only one that can change anything

 

[trj]

Zero chance of that. He will be OC until Kirk retires, full stop.

BF loves and respects his father, if this starts taking away from his father’s legacy, he will move on.

 

[HuckFinn]

And this is exactly why I don't boo Iowa when a bad play is made. It's personal to these guys, how could it be not? If you boo when they don't go on 4th down when you know they should - i.e. a clear coaching decision, I am more flexible. Petras is doing his best, there is no doubt of that.

This post is important and accurate.

 

[HuckFinn]

I agree with most of this with exception to it all flowing back to his dad. I still firmly believe it's on BF as much as KF. Your absolutely right either BF can't choose "his own ingredients or he is just a bad OC", but at the same time Brian still is horrible doing what he does. Brian also has to understand that not only is he hurting the program he put blood, sweat, and tears into as a player, but he also knows that he's simply not getting it done and his dad for obvious reasons will never fire him. I guess I look at is from the perspective if I'm working for my dad, and care at all about the business, in this case the program, I'm showing myself the door knowing it's his reputation at stake.

Agreed. BF should fall in his sword and ask to be assigned to the O line staff. Ironically, that move could save BF’s career, which is now in serious jeopardy. Honestly, I fail to understand why this hasn’t happened. Disappointed.

 

[HuckFinn]

People pay a lot of good money and invest a lot of time to go to the games. Yes, not as much time as the kids put in practice/classroom studies.....or perhaps the time coaches put in for game plans.....but still very good money down.

The team just came off a Big Ten West Title and had a returning starting QB, a stellar defense and special teams. Sold out home games. There is a lot of frustration out there for scoring 14 total points in two games and a horrible loss to the clowns.

Yup

 

[HuckFinn]

If the season ends up the way it is trending, Brian will fall on the sword and step down. Given his baggage I have no clue where he ends up. TE coach on a NFL team? OL assistant coach on a bloated NFL coaching staff?

As for Petras I feel bad for him. Clearly, he is a mess mentally. The body language on the field, you can see the lack of confidence with each errant pass. Yet Kirk wants to continue to run him out there, out of pure stubbornness.

sidenote: Listening to interviews with Spencer Petras when he is just talking X(s) and O(s)...obviously, it doesn't translate on the field, but he is a football savant, he is really smart. I hope that this Iowa experience doesn't sour him on becoming a coach down the line.

Good post.

 

[eyekwah]

Dr Barbara Wilson, U of Iowa President, may have to intervene shortly. Every member of the football staff is a University employee and ultimately reports to her. She inherited a serious personnel issue with the relationship between a father and son being allowed to perform duties as a head coach and as an offensive coordinator. Obviously the Athletic Director didn't take any corrective action after last season, with ample evidence to do so based on results and criticism by former players. It should not be the AD's job to fire Brian but Kirk's. He made the hire with provision the AD was the person Brian was supervised by. This situation has been festering too long and now has erupted into a giant boil and won't be resolve within the athletic department.

On October 10th Iowa plays at Illinois and has two weeks off before playing Ohio State. I expect Iowa will be 2 and 4 and the offense will remain at the bottom of CFB statistics. The pressure for changes will be immense at that point. You can't fire the players but you can fire coaches. It would be an excellent point in the season for President Wilson asking Brian to resign and end the nepotism within the football program. The University has the evidence to justify firing Brian but giving him the opportunity to resign would be the gentlewoman's way to handle it.

 

[HuckFinn]

Dr Barbara Wilson, U of Iowa President, may have to intervene shortly. Every member of the football staff is a University employee and ultimately reports to her. She inherited a serious personnel issue with the relationship between a father and son being allowed to perform duties as a head coach and as an offensive coordinator. Obviously the Athletic Director didn't take any corrective action after last season, with ample evidence to do so based on results and criticism by former players. It should not be the AD's job to fire Brian but Kirk's. He made the hire with provision the AD was the person Brian was supervised by. This situation has been festering too long and now has erupted into a giant boil and won't be resolve within the athletic department.

On October 10th Iowa plays at Illinois and has two weeks off before playing Ohio State. I expect Iowa will be 2 and 4 and the offense will remain at the bottom of CFB statistics. The pressure for changes will be immense at that point. You can't fire the players but you can fire coaches. It would be an excellent point in the season for President Wilson asking Brian to resign and end the nepotism within the football program. The University has the evidence to justify firing Brian but giving him the opportunity to resign would be the gentlewoman's way to handle it.

Excellent observation.

 

[dahlhawk]

Agreed. BF should fall in his sword and ask to be assigned to the O line staff. Ironically, that move could save BF’s career, which is now in serious jeopardy. Honestly, I fail to understand why this hasn’t happened. Disappointed.

I thought at the end of last season that would have been the logical face-saving move, good for both Coaches, but....then they threw me for a loop and Kirk double, hell tripled, down. What ever happens to Kirk's rep. is all on him right now. Hire your son, said son underperforms and give said son raise and promotion. This would be ok if Kirk owned the company but last time I checked the U of I was a public institution. Kirk is bringing all this on himself. Seems almost like he's embracing it. Makes you wonder how hurt he was from the player's lawsuit and maybe never really will got over it, seems like he's got a chip on his shoulder these days.

 

[trj]

Dr Barbara Wilson, U of Iowa President, may have to intervene shortly. Every member of the football staff is a University employee and ultimately reports to her. She inherited a serious personnel issue with the relationship between a father and son being allowed to perform duties as a head coach and as an offensive coordinator. Obviously the Athletic Director didn't take any corrective action after last season, with ample evidence to do so based on results andH criticism by former players. It should not be the AD's job to fire Brian but Kirk's. He made the hire with provision the AD was the person Brian was supervised by. This situation has been festering too long and now has erupted into a giant boil and won't be resolve within the athletic department.

On October 10th Iowa plays at Illinois and has two weeks off before playing Ohio State. I expect Iowa will be 2 and 4 and the offense will remain at the bottom of CFB statistics. The pressure for changes will be immense at that point. You can't fire the players but you can fire coaches. It would be an excellent point in the season for President Wilson asking Brian to resign and end the nepotism within the football program. The University has the evidence to justify firing Brian but giving him the opportunity to resign would be the gentlewoman's way to handle it.

I'm not a defender of everything Brian Ferentz, but I believe he will do the right thing and move on after this year. His father's legacy is too important for him not to.

 

[dahlhawk]

I just hope the true heirs to Iowa's successful future don't abandon ship. Woods and Wallace, OC and DC in waiting or God willing one takes the HC. That's if Parker doesn't want it. If the change were to happen today I would still be thankful for Kirk's running of the program but would be so excited for the future, unlike I feel now.

 

[NCHawker]

I think there is a lot of culpability to go around. Clearly the O-line is not up to the job of playing D1 football. Its got to be part talent and part coaching. The talent part is due to poor evaluation and recruiting 2 to 3 years ago by anyone on the staff who recruited the players . The coaching part is the OLine coach they hired. bad players + bad coaching

KF's offense has always bothered me. He has a fixed and limited concept of what good offense should be. He's ok with rock fights. I hate it. 'we play close games' is a commonly spoken thing. We Iowa fans are doomed to more of the same until KF retires.

Iowa football will remain subdued and precluded from soaring due to the overwhelming gravity of Ferentz's limited views of offense.

Hanging on in quiet desperation is the Hawkeye way

 

[hawkinn3]

I don’t understand why Kirk is letting Brian sink the program. Brian had an NFL job, it’s not like he had no options.

Why give your son a job he wasn’t qualified for and watch him fail miserably continually?

The way to save face is to use every contact you have and get him an NFL job so it looks like he’s leaving for a promotion.

 

[Fryowa]

BF loves and respects his father, if this starts taking away from his father’s legacy, he will move on.

No way. Not a chance. BF is just as deluded as his dad.

 

[Fryowa]

Why give your son a job he wasn’t qualified for and watch him fail miserably continually?

Because he doesn’t think the failing is his (Brian’s) fault.

If you listen to any recent pressers KF blames it on everything but the QB and OC.

 

[rschneider]

Guys, the only reason Kirk has had any success at Iowa is because of Norm Parker and Phil Parker. That's it... A couple of outlier years on offense doesn't prove Kirk is a good head coach.

 

[FRANAMANIAC]

Guys, the only reason Kirk has had any success at Iowa is because of Norm Parker and Phil Parker. That's it... A couple of outlier years on offense doesn't prove Kirk is a good head coach.

Hate to admit it, but the longer he stays around the more this becomes apparent. The longer he digs in his heels, he is actually making his legacy worse.

 

[Gibsonian]

Dr Barbara Wilson, U of Iowa President, may have to intervene shortly. Every member of the football staff is a University employee and ultimately reports to her. She inherited a serious personnel issue with the relationship between a father and son being allowed to perform duties as a head coach and as an offensive coordinator. Obviously the Athletic Director didn't take any corrective action after last season, with ample evidence to do so based on results and criticism by former players. It should not be the AD's job to fire Brian but Kirk's. He made the hire with provision the AD was the person Brian was supervised by. This situation has been festering too long and now has erupted into a giant boil and won't be resolve within the athletic department.

On October 10th Iowa plays at Illinois and has two weeks off before playing Ohio State. I expect Iowa will be 2 and 4 and the offense will remain at the bottom of CFB statistics. The pressure for changes will be immense at that point. You can't fire the players but you can fire coaches. It would be an excellent point in the season for President Wilson asking Brian to resign and end the nepotism within the football program. The University has the evidence to justify firing Brian but giving him the opportunity to resign would be the gentlewoman's way to handle it.

And this will be all Kirk's doing. He had many chances to go different routes, but he chose this one. Bullheadedness is his blessing and his bane. You get what you earn, fatcat or not.

 

[okeefe4prez]

Your boy Saban is good at bringing in guys that are damaged goods and rehabbing them. I'm not saying he can turn BF into a head coach, but he could do a favor for his old friend Kurt and give his kid a cushy landing spot.

Mr. Saban's rehab clinic is not used for those purposes. It is used to (i) allow fired coaches to "mitigate damages" and F over their old team and (ii) keep talented guys off the market so Bama doesn't have to compete with them. Brian is nowhere near the caliber of guy Mr. Saban wants in his rehab program, but Kurt may Polaroids of Nick getting rowdy back in the day so maybe something could happen there.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

I thought at the end of last season that would have been the logical face-saving move, good for both Coaches, but....then they threw me for a loop and Kirk double, hell tripled, down. What ever happens to Kirk's rep. is all on him right now. Hire your son, said son underperforms and give said son raise and promotion. This would be ok if Kirk owned the company but last time I checked the U of I was a public institution. Kirk is bringing all this on himself. Seems almost like he's embracing it. Makes you wonder how hurt he was from the player's lawsuit and maybe never really will got over it, seems like he's got a chip on his shoulder these days.

But, you're coming off a 10 win season and representing the West in the BIG C-ship game. If Kirk's eyes, he's thinking we can fix the little things to improve or get over the top. This, even though the offense was bad and the defense bailed them out from having a 7-5 regular season.