Meltdown will begin if............
- Thread starter deanvogs
- Start date
WinOneThisCentury
Well-Known Member
I think I'm going to melt down tonight as a trial run so I'm ready tomorrow. Is that defeatist?
Robowe
Well-Known Member
9-3 would be disappointing, even though objectively we could say Iowa beat the teams it should have, and lost to the teams it should have. But it would be the second straight year with no signature wins, and we would continue to be second-banana to our cheese-filled overlords to the northeast. Beating Wisky and losing to the Gophers would be even worse, that would be watching a lower-tier team surpass you.
But the thing that has me down on the season (and the reason I have not been around this site since the Mich game) is the disappointment with the offense. By the best measures (efficiency metrics), the offense was solid the past 2 seasons (largely buoyed by some big games against bad defenses), but even then their performance against the big dogs did not inspire much confidence. This year the offense has regressed (59th in football outsiders' efficiency metric, after being 45th and 47th the last 2 years), and we have seen what they have to offer against the best defenses we have faced (it isn't pretty). And we have 2 elite OTs, a draftable 3rd year started at QB, and solid skill-position talent. Sure, some interior OL injuries (Banwart was a big one), but all teams face obstacles.
People that think that our coaches are clueless, or that we just need to do "this one obvious thing" and all will be better are idiots. This stuff is hard, and our millionaire coaches and scholarship athletes are competing against other millionaire coaches and scholarship athletes. But you can't objectively look at the job our offensive coaches are doing this year and feel that they are putting our athletes in the best position to be successful (compared to other top staffs). And I am not sure why you would expect things to change going forward. I have been hoping experience would be the magic elixir to allow the BF-led offense to become elite. But there has not been tangible improvement over the last 3 years. If we haven't seen it yet, why would it change going forward?
So I am not going to believe tomorrow, but I will hope. If we win on the backs of a tremendous defensive effort, I will thank the football Gods that Phil Parker has stayed at Iowa for all these years. If we win on the backs of a tremendous offensive game-plan, maybe I will change my mind about the future. If we lose and it looks like Michigan or PSU, then hope kind of dies, too.
Go Hawks.
But the thing that has me down on the season (and the reason I have not been around this site since the Mich game) is the disappointment with the offense. By the best measures (efficiency metrics), the offense was solid the past 2 seasons (largely buoyed by some big games against bad defenses), but even then their performance against the big dogs did not inspire much confidence. This year the offense has regressed (59th in football outsiders' efficiency metric, after being 45th and 47th the last 2 years), and we have seen what they have to offer against the best defenses we have faced (it isn't pretty). And we have 2 elite OTs, a draftable 3rd year started at QB, and solid skill-position talent. Sure, some interior OL injuries (Banwart was a big one), but all teams face obstacles.
People that think that our coaches are clueless, or that we just need to do "this one obvious thing" and all will be better are idiots. This stuff is hard, and our millionaire coaches and scholarship athletes are competing against other millionaire coaches and scholarship athletes. But you can't objectively look at the job our offensive coaches are doing this year and feel that they are putting our athletes in the best position to be successful (compared to other top staffs). And I am not sure why you would expect things to change going forward. I have been hoping experience would be the magic elixir to allow the BF-led offense to become elite. But there has not been tangible improvement over the last 3 years. If we haven't seen it yet, why would it change going forward?
So I am not going to believe tomorrow, but I will hope. If we win on the backs of a tremendous defensive effort, I will thank the football Gods that Phil Parker has stayed at Iowa for all these years. If we win on the backs of a tremendous offensive game-plan, maybe I will change my mind about the future. If we lose and it looks like Michigan or PSU, then hope kind of dies, too.
Go Hawks.
That’s part of it. Currently Iowa is 88th in ypa rushing so there are many teams with some combination of better RB, better running QB and better blocking. I don't think our RB's are that bad. We were 100th in 2017 with Wadley. Beathard got us up to 59th in 2015, probably the best year since 2008, but we really need to better than that. I think the problem is our blocking scheme and other teams know our tendencies.
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
Sacks kill the rushing numbers. Explains a big part of our issue this year.
D
DDThompson
Guest
I picked Iowa to go 8-4
So I will meltdown if Iowa loses 3 or 4
I will probably melt down if Iowa beats Wisconsin and Minnesota and then loses to Nebraska or Illinois and Minnesota beats Wisconsin to “back” into the CG.
9+ wins is a good season.
So I will meltdown if Iowa loses 3 or 4
I will probably melt down if Iowa beats Wisconsin and Minnesota and then loses to Nebraska or Illinois and Minnesota beats Wisconsin to “back” into the CG.
9+ wins is a good season.
D
DDThompson
Guest
We’ll see if PP has anything to slow down Wisconsin’s rushing attack. The Badgers are going to focus on that - you know, predictable. They may even use 6-7OL just to inflict their will.
koralakers
Well-Known Member
I personally think 8-4 or better is good! With FOUR early departures, plus injuries, plus tough schedule, 8-4 is very good. Anything above, great.
I thought if you had a meltdown (or anything less than an 8-4 season) that would put you in the DaHaters club. You mean you can actually think Iowa might lose here and there and not be a member of the DaHater’s club?
Does that mean I’m now a member of the Defenders of the Faith club? This is so confusing.
Does that mean I’m now a member of the Defenders of the Faith club? This is so confusing.
We have to win out.
Nobody is going to like losing to Wisconsin again. Even if we win out after that, "we were one game short again". Second place is just another word for the best loser.
Nobody is going to like beating Wisconsin and losing to any other team left in the schedule.
It's November and it's time to break the rock.
Nobody is going to like losing to Wisconsin again. Even if we win out after that, "we were one game short again". Second place is just another word for the best loser.
Nobody is going to like beating Wisconsin and losing to any other team left in the schedule.
It's November and it's time to break the rock.
hawkdrummer1
Well-Known Member
7-5 is the floor. Win your non cons and beat the meh B1G teams...it's a gimme. 8-9 wins you have to beat somebody decent, maybe one big upset. 10 wins you've beaten some good teams
Motigerhawk
Well-Known Member
Im like KF in this regard, I dont have melt downs (wink, wink). Thats football. Sometimes the ball bounces your way, sometimes it doesnt. Sometimes the other team executes better than you do.
BUT 8 wins gets the bonuses all across the board. And a couple dudes leave early and it looks like the staff knows what it is doing.
BUT 8 wins gets the bonuses all across the board. And a couple dudes leave early and it looks like the staff knows what it is doing.
8-4 is a Kirk-year...enjoy!
This is a watershed game, where you would love to have an experienced and creative OC on the staff...we have, well, an immature hothead, who is in way over his head.
EstronHawkKing
Well-Known Member
did you have a meltdown last night?
