Miller: Next Coach In: Who Replaces Parker?

A lot of speculation here, but my guess is that Phil takes over and Wilson leaves. that leaves two spots open. I think Parker stays db coach as well and they get a young linebackers coach and a dedicated special teams coach. If Reese leaves than i would look for Brian to come home.
 
Just a reminder that Iowa struggled two years ago due to being wiped out at LB. At one point we had a RS freshman and a true freshman with no prior starting experience, playing as starters.
And this past season, we were the most inexperienced team in the Big 10 and one of the most inexperienced in the nation.
Due to the number of people who say Phil Parker is as sure of thing as there is, I would really be shocked if anyone else gets the job. In a positive light, there are plenty of examples of people who have replaced very good coaches and have had even greater success. One never knows.
 
For anybody that has met Ron Aiken...I don't know how you don't walk away extremely impressed. He is just so...SOLID.

Would LOVE him as the next d-coordinator...but I agree with an earlier post that he needs to be a huge part of the recruiting efforts. If he doesn't want to do that (after spending so much time in the NFL) that obviously needs to be addressed.
 
I think everyone needs to realize who will be making this decision. Mr. Conservative himself, Kirk Ferentz. To expect him to do anything other than take a knee like he always does is crazy.

That's why Iowa didn't beat Ohio State in 2009 when the Hawkeyes had the Buckeyes on the ropes in 2009 at the end of the game and Conservative Kirk chose to take the game to OT where the Hawkeyes lost. He's the same guy who refuses to attempt to score in the final two minutes before half, regardless of game situation. The same guy who put a gameplan in place in Lincoln that made it impossible to win, but also impossible to get blown out. That's safe for him, that's just his nature.

Sadly, Phil Parker will be the next DC at Iowa because it's the safest, not the best, thing to do. Ohio State or Nebraska, two teams that expect to be great, teams that coach, recruit, and hire with that in mind, will grab Stoops. That's just what it is to be an Iowa fan under Kirk Ferentz: 7-5 overall, 4-4 in conference, with an occasional 10 win season. That is what we should expect with Ferentz.
 
Who ever the new DC is, they will have a big job. Next year's team will have less experiance than this years team.
 
imported_NIUHawkeye said:
That's why Iowa didn't beat Ohio State in 2009 when the Hawkeyes had the Buckeyes on the ropes in 2009 at the end of the game and Conservative Kirk chose to take the game to OT where the Hawkeyes lost.
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On the ropes? Iowa had the ball on their own 32 with 52 seconds left. I would hardly call that 'on the ropes'.

I have my own complaints about the way Ferentz coaches, but your example is the lamest I ever see put out there and I get tired of seeing it all the time. He made the correct decision in that situation.
 
would co-D-coordinators be a little too new school for Ferentz? I see smartest move being parker and wilson as co-d coordinators. dont want to lose wilson
 
BSpringsteen said:
To the extent that KF worries, I think he is worried about the current situation. Iowa football at 7-5 is going to make his seat warm before whomever he hires.

Add to this, that while the circumstances were hardly fair, the defense had a cataclysmic breakdown last year under the watchful eyes of Phil Parker and Darrell Wilson.

It wouldn't be fair to blame them, but assume KF hired one of them and it was not so good, wouldn't people be looking at 2010 and asking KF what the hell he was thinking?

I just can't see an internal hire here unless Kirk was as sure about his choice as he is about his own job. The stakes for the next two years are just too high.
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Kirk doesn't care what other people think...he is going to do whatever he wants to.

He has a great opportunity to go for a home run here. But sadly, he'll likely bunt.

This hire is going to be very telling.....if he goes the safe route and promotes Parker...you can forget about any attempt to fix the problems this program has...or make any significant changes. It will be the same old dull, stale, predicatable gameplan on both sides of the ball.
 
Guys. Isn't it just your wishful thinking that Ferentz will pick a DC in Norm's mold?
JonDMiller said:
In the column I wrote earlier on Sunday night, I quipped that the Iowa football program is going to have a tough time remaining the Iowa football program without Norm Parker. I believe that, yet I think the program will probably keep the 'spirit' of Norm alive and well with whom they hire to replace him.

That is to say that I believe Iowa's next hire is going to run a very similar scheme and could have been helping Norm run those schemes for all or part of the last 13 years.
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Guys. What facts support your theory that Ferentz will pick a new DC in Norm's mold? Is it because you think Ferentz doesn't like change?

Back in the late 1990's when Ferentz first head coached at Iowa, the B1G was pretty much a running conference.
Norm's defense was usually stout against the run. His defense usually had great defensive lines.
Iowa linebackers and safeties flowed toward the LOS to stop the run.
Iowa cornerbacks played a soft zone to prevent any receiver from getting past them.

Offenses in the B1G have changed - they're more complicated. Norm's defense hasn't changed. Norm's defense isn't athletic.

Ferentz is a conservative coach. IMO, in the past two years with more complicated offenses, too many 'holes' have been uncovered in Norm's defense. Ferentz still wants a strong defense. It just makes sense.

Finally, here's my 2 cents worth: I wouldn't want Phil Parker as the new DC. I'm not sure how much is his responsibility or Norm's, but Iowa's pass defense is, IMO, horrible. If Phil can't do the pass thing right, how could anyone expect him to be an effective DC?

Some posters are willing to run KOK out of town for the same.

EDIT: I noticed Mose Schrute says it'll be hard to replace Phil Parker as defensive backs coordinator if he's the new DC. Hey Mose, are you on something?
 
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HawkeyeTech said:
On the ropes? Iowa had the ball on their own 32 with 52 seconds left. I would hardly call that 'on the ropes'.

I have my own complaints about the way Ferentz coaches, but your example is the lamest I ever see put out there and I get tired of seeing it all the time. He made the correct decision in that situation.
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After coming back and tying the game up and grabbing all the momentum, getting the ball back with a chance to win the Big Ten on the road with a backup QB, yes, Iowa had Ohio State on the ropes. They needed to go 45 yards, maybe three completions, for a shot to steal that game on the road. Ferentz did NOT make the right decision in that game. If you agreed with his decision then or now, you'd be in the minority.
 
Thanks for info Jon. The Iowa D gave up four straight TDs to ISU at crunch time this year. I've never seen that before from an Iowa D. The coaches need to take some of the responsiblity for this performance. I think we need Aiken to breath new life into the D and get them back to all those late game take-aways they had in prior years. Someone from the existing staff will give us more of the same.
 
wasnt there some other reason that aiken wanted to leave iowa city?

i thought i remember some personal reason, but i cant recall.
 
Aiken is practically an "in house" hire. He stocked the NFL w/ Iowa defensive lineman during and after his tenure here. After this season Iowa should have a new found appreciation for what a NFL level D-Line brings to the table. Having a DC that knows exactly what to do in charge of the defense would be the safe decision. The question is would he be willing to come back to the IC area? Got to assume the $$ are there.
 
HomerChampless said:
Guys. Isn't it just your wishful thinking that Ferentz will pick a DC in Norm's mold?


Guys. What facts support your theory that Ferentz will pick a new DC in Norm's mold? Is it because you think Ferentz doesn't like change?

Back in the late 1990's when Ferentz first head coached at Iowa, the B1G was pretty much a running conference.
Norm's defense was usually stout against the run. His defense usually had great defensive lines.
Iowa linebackers and safeties flowed toward the LOS to stop the run.
Iowa cornerbacks played a soft zone to prevent any receiver from getting past them.

Offenses in the B1G have changed - they're more complicated. Norm's defense hasn't changed. Norm's defense isn't athletic.

Ferentz is a conservative coach. IMO, in the past two years with more complicated offenses, too many 'holes' have been uncovered in Norm's defense. Ferentz still wants a strong defense. It just makes sense.

Finally, here's my 2 cents worth: I wouldn't want Phil Parker as the new DC. I'm not sure how much is his responsibility or Norm's, but Iowa's pass defense is, IMO, horrible. If Phil can't do the pass thing right, how could anyone expect him to be an effective DC?

Some posters are willing to run KOK out of town for the same.

EDIT: I noticed Mose Schrute says it'll be hard to replace Phil Parker as defensive backs coordinator if he's the new DC. Hey Mose, are you on something?
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Dude, the guy knows how to develop defensive backs. That is an indisputable fact.
 
I love the idea of Aiken or Phil Parker as the guy... but I'd like to throw in the name of another ex-Hawkeye who will probably be available pretty soon, and has a sterling coaching resume:

Jim Caldwell

Downside of this hire is that JC has not worked on the defensive side for awhile, but the man can straight up coach. Maybe a little far fetched at this point, but crazier things have happened.

Another name that hasn't been mentioned is former Hawkeye, Tom Hayes, who is DC with Bill Snyder over at KSU. I would think Iowa could make a better offer, and he's a heck of a coach, and an Iowa man through and through.
 
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