Is Brian Ferentz Getting the Job Done?

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iowalaw

Banned
What is up with our anemic running game? I think it is fair to say that OL is far and away the position that we have the most talent at, year in and year out. This year is no different. OL is the position we have the most experience at. OL is the position we have the most star power at, in probably the best left tackle in the country and a top five center. So when you've got your top recruiting gems, your top talent, and your most experience all stockpiled at one position, you expect your OL to be manhandling opponents. Who would have guessed that with the experience we have at RB (with Weisman gaining 1000 yrds last year and Canzeri coming on as a potential star), that our running game remains nearly last in the Big Ten?? Not me. So what is the weak link? The running backs? NO, they have proven to be big time backs. The only logical explanation is execution/coaching of the OL. Why aren't huge holes opening up, particularly on the left side? Shouldnt 3rd and 1 be 100% automatic against D2 and MAC teams? YES!

Brian Ferentz has received more hype than any assistant on our staff, bar none. Was the hype earned? Objectively, you can go through the list of recruiting commitments and see that Brian has secured less commits than any of the other assistants. So he's certainly not a rock star recruiter (at least, not yet, and not compared to the other guys we have on staff). So what about as an OL coach? I guess the proof is in the pudding. In the past, Hawk fans over-hyped WR coach Campbell even though WR recruiting was awful and we led the league in dropped passes. Now Brian is getting praise because he is "enthusiastic" and yells and claps a lot, unlike his dad. But again, the proof is in the pudding. If our OL starts owning the line of scrimmage and Jordan Canzeri runs for 1100 yards, I will be the first to praise Brian. But as of now, our OL is bar none the most underachieving bunch on the field (unless you want to count the kickers, but none of those guys have any experience at all).
 
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BS. It's not the line. It's the passing scheme. Every team can stack the box because we hardly throw anything past 5 yards AND we run stretch plays or sweeps a lot. Iowa opened up the playbook on Saturday and started to go down field and caught Ball St. completely off guard. If Iowa opens up the passing game sooner then the run opens up as well.
 
iowalaw said:
What is up with our anemic running game? I think it is fair to say that OL is far and away the position that we have the most talent at, year in and year out. This year is no different. OL is the position we have the most experience at. OL is the position we have the most star power at, in probably the best left tackle in the country and a top five center. So when you've got your top recruiting gems, your top talent, and your most experience all stockpiled at one position, you expect your OL to be manhandling opponents. Who would have guessed that with the experience we have at RB (with Weisman gaining 1000 yrds last year and Canzeri coming on as a potential star), that our running game remains nearly last in the Big Ten?? Not me. So what is the weak link? The running backs? NO, they have proven to be big time backs. The only logical explanation is execution/coaching of the OL. Why aren't huge holes opening up, particularly on the left side? Shouldnt 3rd and 1 be 100% automatic against D2 and MAC teams? YES!

Brian Ferentz has received more hype than any assistant on our staff, bar none. Was the hype earned? Objectively, you can go through the list of recruiting commitments and see that Brian has secured less commits than any of the other assistants. So he's certainly not a rock star recruiter (at least, not yet, and not compared to the other guys we have on staff). So what about as an OL coach? I guess the proof is in the pudding. In the past, Hawk fans over-hyped WR coach Campbell even though WR recruiting was awful and we led the league in dropped passes. Now Brian is getting praise because he is "enthusiastic" and yells and claps a lot, unlike his dad. But again, the proof is in the pudding. If our OL starts owning the line of scrimmage and Jordan Canzeri runs for 1100 yards, I will be the first to praise Brian. But as of now, our OL is bar none the most underachieving bunch on the field (unless you want to count the kickers, but none of those guys have any experience at all).
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You do realize this was a strategic move by the coaching staff, right? They sacrificed scholarships on the OL because they saw it as a strength and put those extra resources into rebuilding the WR corps.
 
tm3308 said:
You do realize this was a strategic move by the coaching staff, right? They sacrificed scholarships on the OL because they saw it as a strength and put those extra resources into rebuilding the WR corps.
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You do realize that Brian does not recruit for the OL. Each coach recruits a region. Brian recruits all positions...he just has not been getting commitments like Kennedy, Morgan, and others have been doing.
 
Sparky said:
BS. It's not the line. It's the passing scheme. Every team can stack the box because we hardly throw anything past 5 yards AND we run stretch plays or sweeps a lot. Iowa opened up the playbook on Saturday and started to go down field and caught Ball St. completely off guard. If Iowa opens up the passing game sooner then the run opens up as well.
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I agree. They know we can't pass the ball very effectively for much over 15 yard routes so they bunch up and there is little or no room to run.
 
Pass protection has been very consistent, and very good. I don't care how good your line is, they can't block 9 with CB pinching in since they don't fear getting burnt over top...
 
biasedHAWKEYE said:
Pass protection has been very consistent, and very good. I don't care how good your line is, they can't block 9 with CB pinching in since they don't fear getting burnt over top...
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Isn't it more likely that pass blocking has been adequate because our qb dumps the ball off immediately rather than waiting for plays to develop? It's easy to have few sacks when you aren't standing back in the pocket and throwing deep.
 
The Texans wanted him pretty bad so I’ll take that as a sign that he’s “getting the job done."
 
iowalaw said:
Isn't it more likely that pass blocking has been adequate because our qb dumps the ball off immediately rather than waiting for plays to develop? It's easy to have few sacks when you aren't standing back in the pocket and throwing deep.
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If you watched the game, Jake had all the time he wanted on longer-developing plays also. Also, a guy who's forgotten more about football than I'll ever know (Gamefilm), considered the pass pro stellar.
 
so now we're going to dump on another coach named Ferentz. If you think the o line is the problem you truly have no clue.
 
iowalaw said:
Isn't it more likely that pass blocking has been adequate because our qb dumps the ball off immediately rather than waiting for plays to develop? It's easy to have few sacks when you aren't standing back in the pocket and throwing deep.
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No. Jake may not look down field forever, but going through progressions takes nearly as much time as locking onto one receiver and chucking it downfield. So the pass protection is not overrated due to Jake getting the ball out early...he's getting rid of the ball on-time, imo, and is pulling it down and running at the appropriate time. It's a matter of who he is dumping the ball off to.
 
iowalaw said:
You do realize that Brian does not recruit for the OL. Each coach recruits a region. Brian recruits all positions...he just has not been getting commitments like Kennedy, Morgan, and others have been doing.
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*Inserts foot in mouth*

That said, BF is also the least experienced coach. He doesn't yet have the same relationships with high school coaches as the other staff members have.
 
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I think we are having trouble running the ball because we won't put the best RB on the field for 20 + touches per game. I don't like RB by committee in a zone blocking scheme. A RB and O-line need some time to find those creases that yield more than 5 yards a play. They have to figure out who over-pursues, who takes bad angles, who is weak in run support, etc. It's hard to figure that out with 4 RBs getting 6 carries a game. How do you keep 4 RBs on the same page as the O-line, during the course of 1 game like that?
 
it's tough to get in a rhythm as a HB when all you get is one carry then have to jog back to the sidelines. Equal parts run blocking, using way too many HBs, the short passing game, and the fact that every defense can just load up the box with 8-11 guys every play. Until Iowa starts connecting on deep balls to guys who are actually fast (KMM and Vandeberg are not fast, they are possession guys) then defenses will continue to crowd the line.
 
LOL, remember a couple weeks ago when folks wanted to give BF a lifetime contract as HC? Two out of his three years now his unit has MASSIVELY underachieved.
 
Oline is above average so far, albeit against avg other lines. The running woes are on lack of vision, cutbacks as well as 8+ in the box.

I believe the Rb rotation will come together the next few weeks.

I would like to see a commitment to running this week, even if we force it a little, maybe even 40+ rushes.
 
mrolympia said:
it's tough to get in a rhythm as a HB when all you get is one carry then have to jog back to the sidelines. Equal parts run blocking, using way too many HBs, the short passing game, and the fact that every defense can just load up the box with 8-11 guys every play. Until Iowa starts connecting on deep balls to guys who are actually fast (KMM and Vandeberg are not fast, they are possession guys) then defenses will continue to crowd the line.
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I agree. It's hard to get any rythem when you are only getting a few carries. I hope we see a change in their approach with these carries.
 
Wow! We're dumping on him already and he's not even our head coach yet!

Lighten up, enjoy our undefeated season, and let the coaches worry about it.
 
Another week and another abysmal performance by what was touted as one of the top OLs in the nation in the preseason. While our RBs aren't great, they are getting smothered quite often at or before the line of scrimmage. The guys up front simply aren't blocking. While I know Brian Ferentz is untouchable among hawk fans, it's time to call a spade a spade. Hell, I have even watched Scherff whiff and give up a sack this week against a guy who was likely an unrecruited 2 star at ISU. What gives?
 
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