I just want to get this post out of the way now

The back seven on defense is going to be very good/athletic. Our DL will be no worse than in 2011 and I think will be better. The DL should be a lot deeper.
 
as to save some headaches this fall.

The 2012 Iowa defense is going to approach 2000 levels. This group is in a rebuilding mode, not reloading. The attrition they have had up front is coming home to roost this year and it's going to be painful. That bill was going to come due, and this is the year of the payment.

Iowa may have to be more aggressive on offense than Kirk typically likes to have a chance to win games this year, because the defense is not going to do it. I think after the 2012 season ends, we'll look back fondly at the 2011 numbers, which are the 'worst' of the KF era outside of 1999 and 2000.

That said, I see a brighter 2013, where the DL starts to resemble its old self. Hopefully one of the young safeties can channel his inner Bob Sanders in run support next year, as Iowa is really, really going to need it.

So, no calls for Phil Parker's head. You can see this train coming down the track in March. Heck, you could hear the whistle blowing back in January.

In 2000, Iowa's defense allowed:

440 yards per game. It will not be that bad. Was 378 in 2011
27.50 points per game...I think it could be like that. It was 23.85 in 2011
194 rushing yards per game...I could see 175+ in 2012. It was 156 in 2011

The hawks are in for a challenging year for sure. KF saw this coming and decided to make changes on staff. Unfortunately with the new OC, the pressure on the Def front is going to be problematic as I believe the offense will struggle early with the new off schemes. the hawks may lose a few games that fans have chalked up in the win column, and they could certainly be home games.
 
Wow Jon, the way Im reading your initial post, your pretty much throwing the D under the bus and they havent even played a down yet. I do agree it doesnt look very good on paper but 2010 looked awesome and came up pretty short. Also, nobody picked Shonn Green to be the Doak winner. Anything can happen. Im waiting until I see a game or 2 before passing judgement.
 
I'm not sure how you can have the experience we have in the back seven and think we can have a year even remotely like we had in 2000. I don't see it. Lowery is pretty damn good and would have probably kept Hyde at safety last year had he not been hurt. The only one with a ??? in the back seven is Law, and he looks pretty damn athletic.

Jon, I'm calling you out. This prediction could rival 12-0 or close to it.
 
I'm not sure how you can have the experience we have in the back seven and think we can have a year even remotely like we had in 2000. I don't see it. Lowery is pretty damn good and would have probably kept Hyde at safety last year had he not been hurt. The only one with a ??? in the back seven is Law, and he looks pretty damn athletic.

Jon, I'm calling you out. This prediction could rival 12-0 or close to it.

It will be the most challenged defense since 2000. I think this team will give up more PPG allowed than it did a year ago. They are going to allow more rushing yards than they did a year ago. When both of those things happen, it will be the 'worst' performance in those categories by an Iowa defense since 2000. I do not expect those numbers to be worse than they were in 2000, but 'worst since'
 
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I'm not sure anyone knows what the inevitable is. Also not sure if Iowa should decline we could place this on the departure of KoK. Notwithstanding that you and I disagree on this, it isn't a fair assumption right now.

Sounds like you work for that minor league Chicago cubs pr department.
 
It will be the most challenged defense since 2000. I think this team will give up more PPG allowed than it did a year ago. They are going to allow more rushing yards than they did a year ago. When both of those things happen, it will be the 'worst' performance in those categories by an Iowa defense since 2000. I do not expect those numbers to be worse than they were in 2000, but 'worst since'


I haven't read this thread nor will I, but I will say this. If these things happen it will not alieviate any headaches. It will only add....

Interestingly enuff, that 3-9 team in 2000....played...
 
11-3.... K-st
9-3....Western Michigan
9-3...Iowa St
10-2..Nebbie
8-4....tOSU
9-4...Wiscy
8-4...NW

and a bunch of 5-6, 6-6 teams and gave up 330 pts getting better and better and better all year long. This team has more speed and future NFL talent and overall winning experience than that team. So Im not saying your wrong, but it would be pretty darn sad and its also not indicative of how tough "that" schedule was. So quite frankly it may be immaterial as a comparison really.
 
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It will be the most challenged defense since 2000. I think this team will give up more PPG allowed than it did a year ago. They are going to allow more rushing yards than they did a year ago. When both of those things happen, it will be the 'worst' performance in those categories by an Iowa defense since 2000. I do not expect those numbers to be worse than they were in 2000, but 'worst since'
If you're right, then I'd say we're looking at a losing record; and I just can't buy into that.
 
rThis team has more speed and future NFL talent and overall winning experience than that team. So Im not saying your wrong, but it would be pretty darn sad and its also not indicative of how tough "that" schedule was. So quite frankly it may be immaterial as a comparison really.

This team does not have more NFL talent than the 2000 team

Sanders
Clark
Galley
Keading
Cole
Clauss
Roth
Babineaux
Gallery
Steinbach
Nelson
Considine
Kampman

There are more I am sure, those just come to mind real quick.

That said, if this year's D does better than last year's D in ppg allowed and rushing yards per game allowed it will be due to the soft early sched. I still think they will be hard pressed to beat last year's totals
 
I don't think there is any way this team wins fewer than 7 games. Not because I believe we are truly an 8 win team against a tough schedule, but it we just protect our home turf (minus a possible loss to Nebraska), and win a couple of road games at Indiana and Northwestern -- no reason to think this team can't notch 7 or 8 wins.

Our dline will struggle at first. But I think our back 7 will be very tough.

I might sound more like a Cubs fan at the beginning of the season but I truly think this team will exceed expectations.
 
This team does not have more NFL talent than the 2000 team

Sanders
Clark
Galley
Keading
Cole
Clauss
Roth
Babineaux
Gallery
Steinbach
Nelson
Considine
Kampman

There are more I am sure, those just come to mind real quick.

That said, if this year's D does better than last year's D in ppg allowed and rushing yards per game allowed it will be due to the soft early sched. I still think they will be hard pressed to beat last year's totals


Really you know this for sure.....We already know based on past experience and that 2000 team in particular it likely has a lot of talent we don't know about just like back then, right?! I watch the Hawks a lot to Jon and I’ve chatted with you a few times on here and on sound off. No one knew that team had that kind of talent and I’ve been fairly decent at gauging Iowa draft talent in recent years. Not their record, that’s too fickle, but history tells us we probably have multiple OL, TE's, Lbers and DB's and yes even future DL's that will eventually enter into the NFL and they are undoubtedly faster.

Just for point of clarification that I TOO remember that far back, Fred Barr made a NFL roster if memory serves and I know Grant Steen played in NFL Europe and was therefore placed there by some team and they were on that team, right?! I almost didn't toss that NFL talent thing in there just because of this potential rebuttal, and it can't be proven yet, but in all honesty that 2000 teams’ talent and comparison is quite apropos. We have no clue where this team will stack up and I choose to believe this staff continues to recruit better and better every year.

I know what you are trying to do. You want to keep the wolves at bay but that ain’t going to happen. If we lose KF will still suck and if we win a lot it will just be proof that he should have made changes sooner. I hope this staff didn’t fall down on the recruiting trail enuff that we can build something out of what we have…and if they did, it certainly isn’t a consolation or good excuse and I’m no finger pointer as you may remember. I get pretty frustrated with our fans, but if our D is bad, then that’s on us…I won’t be “ok” with it for sure! But I won’t call for heads either.
 
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This team does not have more NFL talent than the 2000 team

Sanders
Clark
Galley
Keading
Cole
Clauss
Roth
Babineaux
Gallery
Steinbach
Nelson
Considine
Kampman

There are more I am sure, those just come to mind real quick.

That said, if this year's D does better than last year's D in ppg allowed and rushing yards per game allowed it will be due to the soft early sched. I still think they will be hard pressed to beat last year's totals

PS...It’s worth noting I meant pure Defensive talent not total and Roth wasn’t on that team and Consindine was a frosh walk-on and Babs was a 235 LB Full back recruit. Also in the spirit of full disclosure Derek Pagel was on that team (another young walk-on though) as was Matt Bowen, but again, if our recruiting isn’t way better now and it has proven to be just by shear NFL placement, then shame on us.
 
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I haven't read this thread nor will I, but I will say this. If these things happen it will not alieviate any headaches. It will only add....

Interestingly enuff, that 3-9 team in 2000....played...
 
11-3.... K-st
9-3....Western Michigan
9-3...Iowa St
10-2..Nebbie
8-4....tOSU
9-4...Wiscy
8-4...NW

and a bunch of 5-6, 6-6 teams and gave up 330 pts getting better and better and better all year long. This team has more speed and future NFL talent and overall winning experience than that team. So Im not saying your wrong, but it would be pretty darn sad and its also not indicative of how tough "that" schedule was. So quite frankly it may be immaterial as a comparison really.

In addition, that team was beating Minnesota in the season's last game until two starting defenders went out with injuries. And THERE is where I think this year's D will NOT be as hamstrung, i.e., depth. Experience is sort of a wash, given that some of the 2000 guys were also undergoing position changes, new coaches/systems, etc., whereas this year's D may be short on experience, but depth is arguably better and there is little "change" with the new coaches in terms of sets, systems, etc. "Tweaks" there will be, but "newness" shouldn't be as much of a factor.
 
This team does not have more NFL talent than the 2000 team

Sanders
Clark
Galley
Keading
Cole
Clauss
Roth
Babineaux
Gallery
Steinbach
Nelson
Considine
Kampman

There are more I am sure, those just come to mind real quick.

That said, if this year's D does better than last year's D in ppg allowed and rushing yards per game allowed it will be due to the soft early sched. I still think they will be hard pressed to beat last year's totals

Jon, look at your list. Nelson, Steinbach, Gallery, Clark and Kaeding were, or became, offensive players.
 
I'm a little bit more optimistic, over the past 12 years we've been used to a consistently very good defense carrying the team. The offense has been consistently very average (argument can be made for "below average"). I think this years defense is going to be no worse than last years, in fact production wise I think it will be pretty much the same. To win this year we are going to have to look more like a Big12/Pac12 team than a B1G team, the offense will have to carry the load. I think the 2012 seasons goes however our offense goes.

The light at the end of the tunnel on the defense is the youth, the defense will only get better as the season goes on as the guys gain more experience.

My biggest concern is Special Teams, that worries me a bit.
 
After thinking about this I felt I ought to toss in…I honestly have no clue really. I’m a football fan and a life fan and I look at things through the prism of as much positivity as I can muster (some days are better than others) with a slant towards an ethereal, philosophical approach. Steeped in history, tradition and general experience. …

Meaning Iowa could actually blow, it is possible, but what do we really know?! Jon is a good fan and a knowledgeable one at that, so he may be spot on. Iowa is less experienced, that’s a fact. Though history has shown many, many high school, college & professional teams with great experience and talent have failed miserably. We have also seen it go the other way and often. This very Iowa team has done it many times and I remember clearly how many people told me in 2007 we had NO talent and we were in trouble….

The truth is Iowa has had talent, so if it is all gone that’s sad. If it just inexperienced, heck that happens everywhere all the time… The reality is I do understand we are Iowa and on the one hand I hate that self-defeating attitude though it has some merit. But not necessarily in the talent vein how many tend to think…the problem is it takes a lot to break thru that final level and it’s not just talent. Furthermore as USC and Texas among others have proved throughout the 80’s and 90’s it can all get away from you in a hurry, too! Michigan St, Minne both teams that 40 and 50 years ago were national powers, have yet to ever get back their consistently. The over-arching point being we have been fairly consistently talented, yes we do have to develop some, but we (based on the past decade) have had loads and loads of NFL draft picks’ and free agents. I say again, if that is gone, then that’s a minor tragedy!

The problem is we have lost ground with the whole “We are Iowa and we are coming at youâ€￾ attitude we once had. We may be in a struggle this year that’s true, but I don’t get the we will be down this year but then good next year….I have seen Iowa fans and sports fans say that over and over and over again. The problem is it rarely happens that way. The good news is it often happens a year or 2 early…the bad news is…..it leads to the wow we will really be good again then next year and it is there that we are “just Iowaâ€￾……:(
 
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