It wasn't KOK and it isn't GD. KF is the author of our awful offense.

[1977Hawkeye]

Our anemic offense falls at the very feet of our OC. Note his job title.

I tend to agree. I'm sure GD and KF are on the same page as the type of offense and the basic types of plays that we are running.. So KF is, to at least some degree, also partly responsible. But I tend to look to the OC for what specific plays are being called on any given down more than the head coach.

Iowa has typically had average to poor offenses under KF. The years where Iowa has actually been respectable on O are the years where it had some playmakers (2002 - Brad Banks, that OL, some good receivers, etc. and 2008 - Shonn Greene).

I saw someone post a breakdown of Iowa draft picks, listed by position and most of our NFL drafts have been OL or on defense, but very little on offense at the skill positions - QB, RB or WR. I think there were just three: Stanzi, McNutt and Greene.

I think our lack of offense is generally a talent issue. Once again, we've had better offenses in years where we've had particularly good playmakers on that side of the ball. Not so much otherwise. Gotta recruit better in those areas IMO. Just my 2 cents, for what that's worth.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

Ted...I was was never a fan of the 70s, the clothes, the hair/sideburns, disco, and much of the other music other than the Stones, The Who, Aerosmith and the classic rock types. You are stuck in that era too and haven't evolved. You probably have a 70s porn mustach and wear paisley shirts with bell bottoms pants. Ted doesn't get much attention these days so he has to cling to his guns for comfort. Sad.

Whether you like it or not, GD is the offensive coordinator and is calling the plays, not KF. It's very clear...he has full reigns of this offense. IMO, our team is so much harder to prepare for now, then we were under KOK. Our problem is with the skill personnel and their youth and inexperience against top flight defenses. This team is evolving...we just went through the phase of beating the teams we should beat. Now, it's stepping up to beat teams that are in the top tier of our conference or rankings. It's no different than what it has been...it's a progression. I was hoping to see us step up yesterday, and we did defensively, but our offense just isn't there yet. IMO, our coaches need to realize running back is a serious issue for us. We need a play maker there and someone who can make the offensive lines job easier...not more difficult. Weisman is a fullback, so play him there, and find a back that can put pressure on a defense and get to the hole quickly and have some wiggle to him. The WR and TE's should continue to improve and the WR's could break through next year. It's all headed in the right direction.

<<Our problem is with the skill personnel...>>

Wrong. We have the personnel AND the skills, for the most part. Just read the play-calling drive-by-drive. Look at the situations we faced and tell me there isn't one single person on this board who didn't/doesn't know our skill guys aren't being utilized properly.

As an example, after the pick on the pass attempt to Powell, did we EVER try it again? Did we EVER stick with a run scheme? Good God, at one point I wondered why we bothered playing our RBs, because GD defaulted to the 2012 flashback sequence that obviously haunts him.

Here, in a nutshell, is the GD offense flow-chart:

First quarter

Try run play:

If successful- ****** If unsuccessful-
Repeat...ad nauseum *** 2 to 3 yard "out", preferrably slowest receiver

If both of above have failed:****
Try TE

Success- ***** No success-
Abandon TEs, try run play *** What the hell, throw
deep...or Bullock...or Weisman...outside
-----------------------

OK, NOTHING is working! My options are...

Hey, let's run it!...or...This might just be the time for a 3-yard out!...wait, no, how about...throw dee...no, TE is always a possibility...or...we can always try Mark outside again, just go the other way...or maybe...

***********************************************************************************

The above are merely my views. They don't reflect the Official position of the 99% of HN posters who know it to be the case.

 

[Easton]

You're absolutely correct. Kirk doesn't call the plays, nor did I suggest that he did. But I believe your original comment was that KF wasn't responsible for the play calls (slow stretch plays that everybody hates). I would have to disagree with that stance. When you have final say or veto power on something, you're responsible for it because you have the power to change it and chose not to.

This may shock most people here but most head coaches are the same. Do you think they wear the headset because it looks cool? Having veto and dictating plays are separate.

Even if he does dictate it the OC can determine when and with whom the plays will be run.

 

[528646]

I've always said that OC is the one job that 90%+ of fans think they could do better. That < 10% segment are the fans of teams that are lucky enough to root for a team that has an OC who is recognized as an offensive genius in the media, etc (which, in many cases, probably has much more to do with personnel and less to do with the OC's particular brand of genius).

I'm not saying KOK or GD are/were perfect OC's, I'm just saying it is a little more complicated than "why are you running! PASS!" and "why are you passing?!? RUN IT!!!" (which is what it boils down to for many fans...completely discounting what might be going on on the defensive side, trying to break tendencies, etc)

 

[kicker22]

I honestly thought it was a great game, not perfectly executed by either team but a hard fought game. I truly believe that offensively iowa made adjustments at the break to help them get back into the game. I also think that the defense (despite the first and final drives of the game) gave LSU more than they could handle. As much as people complain about the play calling, IMO I think the game came down to a muffed punt by KMM.

I thought from a game perspective it was two evenly matched teams grinding it out, and thought we gave one hell of an effort.

Side note, I do however feel that it was a national coming out party for Desmond King. Huge game on a national stage for a freshman.

 

[doclee]

Our anemic offense is the result of an inexperienced young QB, a less experienced back-up QB, young receivers who lack seperation speed or superior route running skills, less than ideal running backs due to attrition/injury etc. and playcalling that is limited by the above conditions. Pretty sure KF never played a down since becoming Iowa's coach.

You need a serious lesson: You cannot make concise, accurate, perfectly logical statements on this board and expect to be complimented. Regardless, I pass along my compliments on a good post.

 

[tm3308]

You're absolutely correct. Kirk doesn't call the plays, nor did I suggest that he did. But I believe your original comment was that KF wasn't responsible for the play calls (slow stretch plays that everybody hates). I would have to disagree with that stance. When you have final say or veto power on something, you're responsible for it because you have the power to change it and chose not to.

Being okay with a play call and dictating it are not the same. He might be okay with it, but he's not telling Davis to run the stretch to Weisman.

 

[homes]

Ferentz didn't call Weisman stretch plays against a defense too fast for that to be effective. He may be responsible for the style we play, but he's not calling the plays.

He may not call the play, but he certainly can call off that play from continuing throughout the game. Both KF and GD seem to have a blind spot with that call (i.e., with Weisman carrying the ball). What is it about the defenses they're facing that makes them believe that play will consistently work, when it consistently does not seem to work, particularly against big, strong DLs?

 

[Makavelihawk]

If someone thinks the offense now is the same as KOK's offense then they don't watch much football.

Same as in crappy.

 

[1standgoalat1]

Our anemic offense cannot be blamed on the OC, regardless of who the OC is. Nothing has changed since KOK's departure and once again we saw KF completely blow a game after our D played their tails off. Rudock should have been benched after the 1st quarter--he could not move. Second, no OC in their right mind would feature a plodding, north-south runner like Weisman while Canzeri sits. I don't want to read garbage comments about his fumble, because KMM fumbled and did not get benched. How many 3rd and 1's did we have and capitalized on none because we did the OBVIOUS and ran Weisman into the teeth of their defense. Even the fake punt was botched, as Weisman did not see the giant hole on the right and ran right into the defender. By themselves, none of these are damning, but together they show complete incompetence. I won't even get into KF's denial that it is a necessity to get the backup QB reps during the season.

Coaching isn't the probem. It''s talent. WR comes to mind.

 

[RocknRollface]

Our anemic offense falls at the very feet of our OC. Note his job title.

Strikingly similar looking offense and results to his predecessor.

Must be a coincidence.

 

[hawkdrummer1]

If you're married, this explanation will clear it all up. Or if you have a boss...or if you are/were a kid still living with your parents.

Your boss doesn't need to tell you what he wants you to do every "play". You have an idea what they want, what they will tolerate, and what's going to get you in hot water. And you know that even though you get to make your own choices... they better fall within a certain "suggested" framework...or you're going to hear about it.

KFz has plenty of time in meetings and practices to make it clear what he wants his OC to do. On game day...Davis knows how much freedom he does...or doesn't have. And he complies if he wants to work under his HC.

 

[Billso]

If you're married, this explanation will clear it all up. Or if you have a boss...or if you are/were a kid still living with your parents.

Your boss doesn't need to tell you what he wants you to do every "play". You have an idea what they want, what they will tolerate, and what's going to get you in hot water. And you know that even though you get to make your own choices... they better fall within a certain "suggested" framework...or you're going to hear about it.

KFz has plenty of time in meetings and practices to make it clear what he wants his OC to do. On game day...Davis knows how much freedom he does...or doesn't have. And he complies if he wants to work under his HC.

Yahtzee.

 

[22hawkeyes]

If you're married, this explanation will clear it all up. Or if you have a boss...or if you are/were a kid still living with your parents.

Your boss doesn't need to tell you what he wants you to do every "play". You have an idea what they want, what they will tolerate, and what's going to get you in hot water. And you know that even though you get to make your own choices... they better fall within a certain "suggested" framework...or you're going to hear about it.

KFz has plenty of time in meetings and practices to make it clear what he wants his OC to do. On game day...Davis knows how much freedom he does...or doesn't have. And he complies if he wants to work under his HC.

Well put. Greg Davis won't be around forever, he's not young. Kirk, on the other hand may be around forever. We will see what happens when the next OC comes around.

 

[AZHAWKFAN1]

<<Our problem is with the skill personnel...>>

Wrong. We have the personnel AND the skills, for the most part. Just read the play-calling drive-by-drive. Look at the situations we faced and tell me there isn't one single person on this board who didn't/doesn't know our skill guys aren't being utilized properly.

As an example, after the pick on the pass attempt to Powell, did we EVER try it again? Did we EVER stick with a run scheme? Good God, at one point I wondered why we bothered playing our RBs, because GD defaulted to the 2012 flashback sequence that obviously haunts him.

Here, in a nutshell, is the GD offense flow-chart:

First quarter

Try run play:

If successful- ****** If unsuccessful-
Repeat...ad nauseum *** 2 to 3 yard "out", preferrably slowest receiver

If both of above have failed:****
Try TE

Success- ***** No success-
Abandon TEs, try run play *** What the hell, throw
deep...or Bullock...or Weisman...outside
-----------------------

OK, NOTHING is working! My options are...

Hey, let's run it!...or...This might just be the time for a 3-yard out!...wait, no, how about...throw dee...no, TE is always a possibility...or...we can always try Mark outside again, just go the other way...or maybe...

***********************************************************************************

The above are merely my views. They don't reflect the Official position of the 99% of HN posters who know it to be the case.

LOL If nothing else Bob you have a great sense of humor!

 

[ArvadaHawk]

I would like to ask those of you who point the finger at GD for Iowa's offensive shortcomings; be it play calling or personnel, if you believe KF has any input at all with peronnel packages, game planning and play selection? Or, do you believe KF sits in silence all week long and lets his coordinators do everything? If you feel KF sits in silence, and if you believe Iowa's offense isn't reaching it's potential, then shouldn't KF fire GD? The reality is that Iowa's offense, this season, looked almost identical to most all of the offenses that Iowa trotted out during the KOK era. Do you think GD went back and studied KOK's offensive schemes and philosophies so that he could implement KOK's offense?

 

[WinOneThisCentury]

<<Our problem is with the skill personnel...>>

Wrong. We have the personnel AND the skills, for the most part. Just read the play-calling drive-by-drive. Look at the situations we faced and tell me there isn't one single person on this board who didn't/doesn't know our skill guys aren't being utilized properly.

As an example, after the pick on the pass attempt to Powell, did we EVER try it again? Did we EVER stick with a run scheme? Good God, at one point I wondered why we bothered playing our RBs, because GD defaulted to the 2012 flashback sequence that obviously haunts him.

Here, in a nutshell, is the GD offense flow-chart:

First quarter

Try run play:

If successful- ****** If unsuccessful-
Repeat...ad nauseum *** 2 to 3 yard "out", preferrably slowest receiver

If both of above have failed:****
Try TE

Success- ***** No success-
Abandon TEs, try run play *** What the hell, throw
deep...or Bullock...or Weisman...outside
-----------------------

OK, NOTHING is working! My options are...

Hey, let's run it!...or...This might just be the time for a 3-yard out!...wait, no, how about...throw dee...no, TE is always a possibility...or...we can always try Mark outside again, just go the other way...or maybe...

***********************************************************************************

The above are merely my views. They don't reflect the Official position of the 99% of HN posters who know it to be the case.

Seriously, our issue isn't at the skill positions. Ok, let me ask you a question. Our number one running back who gets 70% of the carries is Mark Weisman, a true FB. Do you think he is better than any of the number one's at other B10 schools? Let's go through a few...Carlos Hyde, no; Lankford, no; Vendric Mark, no; White, no; Melvin Gordon, no; Donnell Kirkwood, no; Ameer Abdullah, no; Fitz Toussant, no. Those are just a few off the top of my head. These are all guys that every week make their offensive line better because they can create on their own. Weisman doesn't create anything...but he does pound, which is useful.

At WR, name one guy who has performed at a B10 level...or who after the catch makes people miss and is a nightmare in open space...you know, someone who gets a little opening, and next thing you know they are making people miss, sharp cuts to open lanes, etc, and a threat to house it. KMM, no; Smith, shows promise, but no; Hillyer, shows promise, but no; Powell, shows promise and straight ahead speed yes, but defense altering threat at this point, no; Shumpert, no. We have young guys that show promise, and we have more possession type receivers, but none have risen to the point of a Marvin McNutt (in college) or DJK.

Are any of these guys in the same class as Abbrederis, Gallon, or Robinson? Let me ask you this, did you see the receivers that Missouri puts on the field, Clemson puts on the field, Oklahoma puts on the field, Florida State puts on the field...need I go on? All these guys are a nightmare when they get there hands on the ball on short passes and all can beat you deep with speed. Thats a skill position player. We aren't there.

See where I'm going here. It's skill position players and their experience and talent. I believe we have made strides in recruiting the past few years...but it isn't on the field yet.

 

[HomerChampless]

IMO, as long as KF's offensive style is ultra-conservative and players aren't allowed to show their athleticism on the field, it doesn't matter if Iowa gets the athletic recruits. Most assuredly, athletic recruits will take notice and go to schools that are willing to show their athleticism.

Iowa's D used to be ultra-conservative like the O, but Phil has changed a few things, and, IMO, more and more athletic recruits on D will come to play for Iowa.

 

[WinOneThisCentury]

IMO, as long as KF's offensive style is ultra-conservative and players aren't allowed to show their athleticism on the field, it doesn't matter if Iowa gets the athletic recruits. Most assuredly, athletic recruits will take notice and go to schools that are willing to show their athleticism.

Iowa's D used to be ultra-conservative like the O, but Phil has changed a few things, and, IMO, more and more athletic recruits on D will come to play for Iowa.

Come on Homer, so Iowa doesn't run bubble screens, slant patterns, or double moves? We do all those things and other than Powell, who has scared anyone with that stuff? KMM has done a good job with the double move stuff. Think about our bubble screens...we ran it to KMM and Powell mostly...the athleticism/ability is no where near where it needs to be. Powell can house it with the lane, but he hasn't shown, when the defense gets there that he can make something out of nothing...or at least make a guy miss and pick up 7-8 yards. I think he can get there though. I'm not talking about doing it against Central Michigan or Iowa State...I'm talking about making plays against OSU, MSU, and LSU...top Division 1 defenses. That's what we need to compare ourselves to...otherwise 8-5 becomes our ceiling.

Somebody needs to sell the WRs that Missouri is getting that we throw the ball too. WR is a major need...and I'm hoping the class we just brought excels. I think Powell, Hillyer, and Smith have considerable upside, but their window to develop is now.

 

[RocknRollface]

IMO, as long as KF's offensive style is ultra-conservative and players aren't allowed to show their athleticism on the field, it doesn't matter if Iowa gets the athletic recruits. Most assuredly, athletic recruits will take notice and go to schools that are willing to show their athleticism.

Iowa's D used to be ultra-conservative like the O, but Phil has changed a few things, and, IMO, more and more athletic recruits on D will come to play for Iowa.

Likewise it doesnt matter who the OC is.