New Kirk is history!

[EstronHawk]

Forget rennovating the north end and just buy his and Barta's butt out to fire them both. It would be the best money ever wasted.

Kirk and Gary are best Bud's. They are seriously good friends. Barta will never fire him and Kirk will not leave until he wishes to do so. The two are just scratching each others back and collecting their pay checks. Last year Barta was interviewed on local tv and said he plans on staying at Iowa as our AD until he retires. I personally think we are stuck with these two for a good 10-12 years, unless the Iowa President does something.

 

[hawkeyemark]

Except we're not. The majority is happy with 7-5. That's why it's in KF's contract. Very few will ever actually cancel their season tickets. To many Iowa fans see Saturday home games as a tradition.

Remember when Michigan fans held a rally outside their AD's house three years ago? Can you ever imagine Iowa fans doing that? Those zealots are the driver of real change. Iowa fans will never have that type of passion. So yes, we as a fan base deserve this.

People say the same thing about our screwed up government that we get what we deserve. I agree with the sentiments expressed here to an extent and the national perception seems that Iowa accepts mediocrity and lives with it.

I would just say don't sell our fans short. Next season with a less attractive home schedule we will see far more empty seats and things will start to get ugly with the cost of the north end zone renovation and Kirk's contract looming in the background. Down the road the mega tv contracts will likely not continue with people moving toward streaming and cutting cable. The chickens will come home to roost one way or the other.

Most people's lives have become more difficult with the stagnation in incomes over the last 20 years or so and everything getting more expensive. People focus on making ends meet and providing for their kids and if Iowa football doesn't live up to expectations life generally goes on. You can make an impact by voting with your wallet and if we don't have fans as zealous as some of the blue bloods like Michigan that doesn't necessarily seem like a bad thing.

 

[phdsvp]

Iowa fans do accept mediocrity. Until they blow off bowl games and Iowa's playing in front of 40k empty seats, you get KF and Barta.

 

[NCHawker]

Back to the same old crap. GD needs to go as well!

 

[SCHawkeye2]

Fooled Barta....that's for damn sure

Not too difficult that.

 

[SCHawkeye2]

All New Kirk was is two fake FG in the OOC schedule, and adjusting to try to score at the end of the first half instead of taking knees.

The latter is a good new kirk, the former stupid because we have never tried a fake again.

I am so sick of crap offense. We don't adjust anything. NOTHING. While we had tendencies under KOK, at least we finished higher than bottom 3rd in stats.

I mean, how do we have a 2nd team all big10 QB, potential NFL draft pick and look THIS BAD???

How many 1st or 2nd team B10 players will Iowa have at the end of the year?

 

[Playmaker]

------Iowa fans do accept mediocrity.

Yes they do....had we marched on the U of I Presidents lawn following the 2014 season like Michigan fans did, Ferments might be gone right now,

 

[STILLBUSTER]

I'm not real, man; I'm just a made up character.

 

[HomerChampless]

We're too good of a fan base to have to put up with this staff.

No. This Head Coach.

 

[HomerChampless]

............. and recruiting.

Yeah. Recruiting. You can blame that on KF, too.

 

[HomerChampless]

Except we're not. The majority is happy with 7-5. That's why it's in KF's contract. Very few will ever actually cancel their season tickets. To many Iowa fans see Saturday home games as a tradition.

Remember when Michigan fans held a rally outside their AD's house three years ago? Can you ever imagine Iowa fans doing that? Those zealots are the driver of real change. Iowa fans will never have that type of passion. So yes, we as a fan base deserve this.

Those KF zealots, er, Iowa zealots sound like Jon Miller.

 

[HomerChampless]

............. and recruiting.

I can just imagine the conversation between Greg Davis and a prospective receiver or QB recruit for Iowa... Davis: "You'll come to Iowa to learn how to react to what the defense is giving you just like how they do it in the NFL. There will be some long down-the-field passes thrown (if the receiver is fast enough and can get open) to showcase the talents of QBs and receivers and alert some NFL scouts. You'll learn to be on the same page as the QB."

KF secretly thinking to himself and telling Davis later and coach blocking Davis: "'Yeah, but they'll have to learn how to block downfield. The quarterback will have to learn play action passing and throw to the tight ends...after a sufficient number of running plays have been called. And, oh yeah, QBs, receivers (and cornerbacks) will have to be treated just like every other athlete on the team which is less than the ole' conservative Head Coach..me."

 

[deanvogs]

LOL to anyone who ever believed there was a "New Kirk". New Kirk was about as real as the Easter Bunny is.

 

[kicker22]

In all honesty I'd be totally happy with 7-5 if it appeared that we were doing everything possible to stay on top. If it meant struggling to change schemes or switching to an entirely different brand of football. If we're fighting tooth and nail every step of the way and simply aren't good enough to compete week in and week out with the big dogs.

The problem I have is that we play a style in which 6-6 could very easily be 9-3 or vice versa and its the bouncing back and fourth that bothers me. Either change styles or figure out how to come out on top against the schools we typically play to the level of. But we don't do that.

 

[kicker22]

LOL to anyone who ever believed there was a "New Kirk". New Kirk was about as real as the Easter Bunny is.

I'm not so sure. IMO the "New Kirk" wasn't that different from "Old Kirk", but a slightly more aggressive at times and less conservative at other times version. Even if it meant being a little more aggressive or mixing things up a fraction of the time it was enough to get some extra wins. I think that's what we got last year. Just enough of a variation in the stubbornness to occasionally go out on a limb or try something different and I think the results could be there.

 

[ChosenChildren]

Wow. I wouldn't want to work for any of you guys. I can't even imagine what you would be saying if you were Michigan State fans right now. You are taking "what have you done for me lately" to the extreme.

Ferentz is a good coach. We would have won Saturday against Wisconsin with a healthy Kittle and a healthy Vandeberg.

Give it a rest

 

[blubberhawk]

I'm not so sure. IMO the "New Kirk" wasn't that different from "Old Kirk", but a slightly more aggressive at times and less conservative at other times version. Even if it meant being a little more aggressive or mixing things up a fraction of the time it was enough to get some extra wins. I think that's what we got last year. Just enough of a variation in the stubbornness to occasionally go out on a limb or try something different and I think the results could be there.

Part of the new Kirk involved CJ Beathard. He made some great plays to get us in FG range to make a 57 yarder to beat Pitt. CJ made a great run against ISU from near our own goal line to rescue us in that one. ISU was horrible and we barely managed to get out of that one with a win. We were 12-0. How many wins did ISU have? We were almost coached out of that win.
The "New Kirk" was hardly visible again in Madison as Wisconsin shot themselves in the foot, numerous times to keep us in that game. Tommy (complete more passes to the opponent) Armstrong was instrumental in our great win at Nebraska.
Same old Kirk, just some big plays made by CJ and our FG kicker. Try to keep games close, regardless of the opponent and hope for the best.
It could be quite some time before the stars align in our favor again.

 

[Hawk90]

I love how in all three of their interviews (Ferentz, Davis, Parker) they referenced players from last year now on NFL rosters as not being here now as a reason for the drop off this year. It isn't THEIR fault they were not coaching up the next class, it wasn't THEIR fault they were not recruiting better, it was not THEIR fault they were making poor coaching decisions during games. In summary, we suck this year because we lost some key players......because apparently that only happens at Iowa, nowhere else. Tired of the excuses, fire somebody....anybody.

 

[kicker22]

I love how in all three of their interviews (Ferentz, Davis, Parker) they referenced players from last year now on NFL rosters as not being here now as a reason for the drop off this year. It isn't THEIR fault they were not coaching up the next class, it wasn't THEIR fault they were not recruiting bettter, it was not THEIR fault they were making poor coaching decisions during games. In summary, we suck this year because we lost some key players......because apparently that only happens at Iowa, nowhere else. Tired of the excuses, fire somebody....anybody.

Very valid point and I think if this years recruiting class loses more commits and/or somehow doesn't pan out then they'll find a way to flip it (pun intended) and won't hold themselves accountable. I think that's why the Eno situation bothers me so much in the fact that our recruiting classes have been lacking and we lack the athletes to make our style of play work. Our stubbornness results in a failure to make changes to benefit our style of play, and now may be showing its face in the recruiting process.

Results are not going to improve if no changes are being made. We either need to make adjustments or recruit better. It was looking as if the recruiting better may have been helped out by our on field success last year, but not that's no longer a certainty.

There has to be a scapegoat somewhere and unfortunately that scapegoat could be the very same players that they're using to fill in for the ones we're missing out on.

 

[Hawk90]

Very valid point and I think if this years recruiting class loses more commits and/or somehow doesn't pan out then they'll find a way to flip it (pun intended) and won't hold themselves accountable. I think that's why the Eno situation bothers me so much in the fact that our recruiting classes have been lacking and we lack the athletes to make our style of play work. Our stubbornness results in a failure to make changes to benefit our style of play, and now may be showing its face in the recruiting process.

Results are not going to improve if no changes are being made. We either need to make adjustments or recruit better. It was looking as if the recruiting better may have been helped out by our on field success last year, but not that's no longer a certainty.

There has to be a scapegoat somewhere and unfortunately that scapegoat could be the very same players that they're using to fill in for the ones we're missing out on.

I agree completely. What sticks with me is Parker's comment on Mends; "I think when you look at Aaron Mends, I think he’s great athletically. I think his progress has not been where we think it needs to be to go out there and be out there on a full-time basis." If he is talking about not picking up the system....then coach him up. If he is talking about attitude, so what, get him out there and see if he has game. Why would you not play your best athletes and instead play a D3 caliper walkon in his place?