Miller: Are Hawkeye Offensive Problems Systemic?

[hwk23]

Scoring wise, we have only finished in the top half of the Big 10 three times under KF (2001 1st, 2002 1st and 2008 3rd).

Each of those three years (and only those three years) we were able to effectively establish the run and we were towards the top in rushing statistics. Those were also the only years our play selection was 60% run or more. Every other year we have been 6th or worse in rushing (last year 6th in rushing yards per game which was pretty good compared to most years but still 9th in scoring).

So if you want to score points in a KF offense and be successful on O you better be able to run the ball. Maybe it's due to KFs mindset, not sure, and maybe this year will be an exception to every other year.

If that means throwing intermediate/deep more often to spread the defense we better do it. It makes you wonder though why Wiscy is so much more successful year in and year out scoring and rushing (using different blocking schemes). Last I looked Wiscy and Iowa have about the same number of NFL OL.

 

[JHHawk]

Scoring wise, we have only finished in the top half of the Big 10 three times under KF (2001 1st, 2002 1st and 2008 3rd).

Each of those three years (and only those three years) we were able to effectively establish the run and we were towards the top in rushing statistics. Those were also the only years our play selection was 60% run or more. Every other year we have been 6th or worse in rushing (last year 6th in rushing yards per game which was pretty good compared to most years but still 9th in scoring).

So if you want to score points in a KF offense and be successful on O you better be able to run the ball. Maybe it's due to KFs mindset, not sure, and maybe this year will be an exception to every other year.

If that means throwing intermediate/deep more often to spread the defense we better do it. It makes you wonder though why Wiscy is so much more successful year in and year out scoring and rushing (using different blocking schemes). Last I looked Wiscy and Iowa have about the same number of NFL OL.

It is partially the skill players. Wisky has Tolzein and Wilson in the NFL. They also have Clay,Ball, White, Gordon and Clemens at rb....all better than all but Shonn Greene at Iowa. They just have had more explosive playmakers at rb and QB.

 

[PCHawk]

yeah, ferentz wants to keep the better players on the bench......these guys don't want to win.

This ridiculous post would make a little sense if choosing the best player at each position was always black and white. Sometimes the decision is difficult and you have to weigh the pros and cons of each player to decide who is better. It's here where I think Kirk struggles.

In my opinion Kirk has too high tolerance for physical mistakes and too low tolerance for mental mistakes. Because of his views on this he might be more apt to play someone who makes 5 physical mistakes over someone who makes 2 mental mistakes (the numbers are just an example).

I think he also places too high emphasis on not making bad plays and too low emphasis on making good plays. Because of this he might play someone who only makes 1 bad play but doesn't make any good plays over someone who makes 2 bad plays and 5 good plays.

The last thing that hinders his decisions in my opinion is his loyalty to the players who already earned starting spots. Maybe it's more of a fear of the unknown than loyalty but either way I think it takes allot more for a reserve to take the place of a starter than perhaps it should.

People always say that there is know way to know more than the coaches because we don't see them in practice which to an extent is true. But what we do see is the most important thing (how they play in games). We don't get blinded by loyalty because we like a guy more or because he "earned it". We don't see that one guy out performs another by a small margin in practice to earn the spot. All we see is the passion the other guy runs with when he gets in that the starter doesn't have (again just an example).

The last thing we see is the overly conservative personality of Kirk. If he is so conservative in every other aspect of coaching, it only stands to reason that he is overly conservative in how he chooses who starts in the tight races.

 

[brhawks18]

Okay,

Jon used to defend his taking a soft approach to criticizing Iowa football because of his necessity for gaining access to the program.



I don't think this statement is correct in any way. Jon has not been soft to my memory.

He used to cut KOK a break because so many of us on here, me included, would rip into KOK on a daily basis. He kept telling us it was KF who was conservative from an offensive standpoint and KOK was just doing what KF wanted. We didn't listen and he was correct all along.

As a matter of fact, KOK was probably a little to progressive for KF's liking. I'd love to have him back right now.

 

[lightning1]

It's a Careful Kirk Ferentz problem. He had a chance to go out and find an OC that was young and innovative. KF has plenty of contacts in CFB and the NFL. He certainly could have found someone to breathe fresh air into a stale, predictable and as others have noted, risk averse offense. He chose Greg Davis instead. Careful. How much harm can come from a 3 yard out pattern to an inside WR? Not much. It's not about the QB and it's not about the OC.

 

[Knight78]

From reading all the posts, which are all good, I think the overall frustration is Iowa plays it conservative at best and that it seems every ballgame is a 'come down to the wire or last possession.' Also, when is the last beat down we gave to an opponent?

I'd say that would have been November 29, 2013. We gave Nebby a beat down in their house 38-17, and it could have been worse.

 

[RocknRollface]

[/B]
It is partially the skill players. Wisky has Tolzein and Wilson in the NFL. They also have Clay,Ball, White, Gordon and Clemens at rb....all better than all but Shonn Greene at Iowa. They just have had more explosive playmakers at rb and QB.

Wislon played one year andTolezein was harldy a difference maker. Wisconsin simply runs a much better, more aggressive (especially und BB) and more complex offense than Iowa.

Just because they run allot doesn't mean they are doing the same things at all.

They run a much larger variety of plays, they throw the ball down field and take risks. They try to score as many points as possible every game.

Iowa try to take as few risks as possible every game. Different strategies.

 

[RocknRollface]

Okay,

Jon used to defend his taking a soft approach to criticizing Iowa football because of his necessity for gaining access to the program.



I don't think this statement is correct in any way. Jon has not been soft to my memory.

He used to cut KOK a break because so many of us on here, me included, would rip into KOK on a daily basis. He kept telling us it was KF who was conservative from an offensive standpoint and KOK was just doing what KF wanted. We didn't listen and he was correct all along.

As a matter of fact, KOK was probably a little to progressive for KF's liking. I'd love to have him back right now.

It was really pretty obvious if you knew what kind of offense KOK ran when he was a head coach.

People just wanted to believe everythin good was due to KF and Norm and need someone to blame for the bad.

 

[eyekwah]

I also love the fact that we have thrown 95 times in two games. When we step up in competition, you have to be able to beat teams in the air and if they load up to stop the run...you better have an answer. In the grand scheme, this is good for the passing game development. It will pay dividends.

Agree 100%.

 

[RocknRollface]

It's a Careful Kirk Ferentz problem. He had a chance to go out and find an OC that was young and innovative. KF has plenty of contacts in CFB and the NFL. He certainly could have found someone to breathe fresh air into a stale, predictable and as others have noted, risk averse offense. He chose Greg Davis instead. Careful. How much harm can come from a 3 yard out pattern to an inside WR? Not much. It's not about the QB and it's not about the OC.

He choose some one who had few other options and was willing to operate within the framework KF sets up. Which is basically we run a zone blocking scheme and we aviod doing a whole bunch of other things that the rest of the football world does becasuse it occasional results in turnovers.

Heck, he may not have even been able to find much else, the majority of OCs out there would want nothing to do with those ground rules. They wan't to score points not fart around with teams they could just as easliy be blowing out.

 

[NCHawker]

Here's an outside perspective:
Pregame

Postgame

 

[JonDMiller]

As a matter of fact, KOK was probably a little to progressive for KF's liking. I'd love to have him back right now.

If it were up to KOK, he would have gone with Stanzi to start 2008...and who knows what would have happened in those three early losses. Kirk wanted to give Jake C a few more chances...Ken won that one after the Pitt second half and the 'gut feeling'

 

[HawkeyeMike23]

If it were up to KOK, he would have gone with Stanzi to start 2008...and who knows what would have happened in those three early losses. Kirk wanted to give Jake C a few more chances...Ken won that one after the Pitt second half and the 'gut feeling'

I feel like history may be repeating itself this year.

 

[NCHawker]

for the record, I don't care about "conservative" or not. I want to see iowa put up some damned points for a change. Lots of points.

Points get you noticed, points get you 'style points', and 'style points' get you ranked, and noticed by recruits. And recruits get you more talent and talent gets you more wins.

 

[NCHawker]

 

[JonDMiller]

I feel like history may be repeating itself this year.

I really don't think it's even close to that.. Jake C couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, sad to say. He hit on 53% of his passes in 2007 when he was the starter, and less than 59% early 2008. Rudock is hitting nearly 70% of his passes so far, he's led his team to four comeback wins in his career as a starter, where Iowa has a 10-5 record in by the way.

Ricky Stanzi played a lot early that year...I think he played the equiv of one full game by the end of the Pitt game....Beathard has played one series, and when he played last year, he was hardly impressive save for the power of his arm.

This is his third year in the program now, and from what I hear, he is making many of the same mistakes or errors now than he did as a rookie....it doesn't inspire confidence from the staff. I am going to save some of the adjectives some (who are at practices often and who have played the game at the highest levels) have shared with me to describe his play at times. CJB wins the swimsuit competition but that don't win you the pageant on it's face...sure, it can turn a few heads but that isn't all that goes into being a quarterback. If it were, Dan McGwire would have beaten out Chuck Hartlieb and Tom Poholsky...but he didn't...and Hartlieb went on to be one of the most successful passers in Iowa history.

Stanzi did have better yards per attempt numbers than Jake R, and Jake R and Jake C yards per attempt are actually pretty close. I am not saying that there is only one way to go...and if CJB could make the right decisions consistently, he might be the guy...but he doesn't do that where it counts most to this coaching staff, and that is in practice.

But this really goes again the main theme that I see at play, and that is a mismatch with Davis...and that's not all on Davis, either.

 

[iowalaw]

I feel like history may be repeating itself this year.

Same here. Sure, Jon, no one can argue with Rudock's high completion percentage...but there is a reason his QB rating is so low in spite of the percentage. His throws are primarily very very high percentage dump offs to wide open running backs/TEs where the ball flies 2 yards and the back/TE then gets a couple extra yards after catch to artificially increase the "yards per catch."

 

[hawkdrummer1]

lots of comments, many thoughts, but here's the bottom line.

The Header on this piece could/should have been written at pretty much any time over the last 10 years. And the answer is...an obvious, Yes.

the OC is irrelevant. As long as KFz is the filter.. nothing resembling a powerful or effective offense will get through. It's all about risk management and ball control.

END.

 

[JonDMiller]

Same here. Sure, Jon, no one can argue with Rudock's high completion percentage...but there is a reason his QB rating is so low in spite of the percentage. His throws are primarily very very high percentage dump offs to wide open running backs/TEs where the ball flies 2 yards and the back/TE then gets a couple extra yards after catch to artificially increase the "yards per catch."

Please clear up that quote, as I did not say that nor do I think it. And the fact is, Beathard has done nothing to show anyone that he is the man over Jake. Nothing. People are just in love with a rocket arm. There are high school kids all over the country that have rocket arms, and not much else. If you have a rocket arm and you make good decisions, you're starting at quarterback at a major conference program likely not named Iowa

 

[HawkIPA]

Ricky Stanzi played a lot early that year...I think he played the equiv of one full game by the end of the Pitt game.

He played more than that, IIRC.

JC and Stanzi each started 2 games in the non conference in 2008 and they both played in all 4 games, I believe.