Old Kirk Narratives Die Hard

[CP87]

Old Kirk Narrative: Kirk always finds ways to lose games they shouldn't.

New Kirk (from 2015 onward) reality: Iowa is 29-3 as a favorite, with a 90.6% win rate as a favorite trailing, only Alabama and Clemson over that span.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Old Kirk Narrative: Upperclassmen have earned their union card, and they will play over more talented underclassmen.

New Kirk reality: 14 of the 22 offensive spots from the most recent 2-deep are Fr/So, and 9 of the 22 defensive spots. In the lead-up to the season (based upon spring 2-deeps and projections), Iowa was projected to have the 73rd most experienced team in the nation (out of 130 teams surveyed by Phil Steele).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Old Kirk Narrative: Iowa doesn't put away inferior teams and plays too conservatively.

New Kirk Reality: Since 2015, of all of the P5 teams that have been favored in at least a third of their games, Iowa has the 2nd best performance against-the-spread as a favorite (on average they beat the spread by +6.0, trailing only Penn St. who has a +6.4 average).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Old Kirk Narrative: Iowa is overly conservative and predictable.

New Kirk Reality: For the past 2 seasons, Iowa has been varied in their personnel groupings, their play calling out of personnel groupings, their run game, and their pass game. Last year it did not fully show do to lower levels of talent and execution, which is on the coaches. But this recent run is not, as some people have said, because Brian Ferentz read Basic Football for Dummies and has dramatically changed how he schemes or calls plays. The Hawks are doing the same stuff as last year, but they are doing it better. And the beautiful thing is, a little success snowballs. More yards per play leads to more first downs leads to more advantageous play-calling situations leads to more reps and more experience which all leads to a vastly improved product. But while what we are seeing now is very different from the Greg Davis offense, it is the same offense as last year, just run better.

 

[tksirius]

About damn time! Amirite?

 

[CP87]

About damn time! Amirite?

'01-'04 was great. For whatever reason '05-'14 was overwhelmingly mediocre. '15-onward is setting up to be pretty good right now. Next year's team will be uber-talented.

 

[uihawk82]

Those 4 narratives or old narratives are all linked together. Losing close games if you have more talented people on the bench, getting better recruits who can start as sophs and even Freshmen. being less predictable and better in play calling. And yes making the plays.

Geez who would have thought????? Well actually most of us knew this could happen.

 

[#1DieHardHawk]

I think the reason the narrative about losing games he shouldn't persists because, for your average fan, memories go back much further than 2-3 seasons.

Let's face it, Kirk does have a long history of winning at least one game he has no business winning, and, losing at least one game he has no business losing. The losses have been well documented (I'm still irritated about the '07 WMU loss...).

Narratives that take a long time to develop, take a long time to go away.

That said, I like the direction the program is going in right now. It's hard to put a finger on it, but there's a different "feel" to the whole program. Right now, it's a good mix of character, work ethic, attitude and improving talent, combined with a coaching staff that finally is warming up to the idea of a little innovation.

 

[trj]

'01-'04 was great. For whatever reason '05-'14 was overwhelmingly mediocre. '15-onward is setting up to be pretty good right now. Next year's team will be uber-talented.

Barta was hired in 2006, that explains 05-14. Barta allowed KF a 6 or 7 year stretch to eliminate some of his stubboornness.

Moving forward, let's see how "new Kirk" deals with expectations, because 2019 expectations will be very high.

 

[revkev73]

Old Kirk narrative...have a decent record but when playing vs a talented team...the doors are blown off, non competitive, embarrassing.

New Kirk narrative...yet to be written. That is a big step into the final frontier.

(The big game this year was Wisconsin, piddled away, not blown away)

 

[JoeyLabasForPresident]

Old Kirk narrative...have a decent record but when playing vs a talented team...the doors are blown off, non competitive, embarrassing.

New Kirk narrative...yet to be written. That is a big step into the final frontier.

(The big game this year was Wisconsin, piddled away, not blown away)

We’ll see how PSU goes. I think the coaches fully intended to get Brian that signature win to build his resume against Wisconsin. Since that fell through, I think we will get their all against Penn State. I’m happy they are having something of a down year.

 

[Hawk1960]

Interesting analysis.

The turnaround may have happened with this meeting between Kirk and his assistants. Scotty plays BF. The Klingons are Nebraska fans. Coincidence? I think not.

 

[skinnykilmer17]

Jesus that's good stuff. Nice find Trekkie.

 

[skinnykilmer17]

I hope the aggressive play calling continues but I like what I have seen the past two weeks.

Can we have a redo of the Ohio St ending of 2009 with this mindset?

See that is the key. Will KF's sphincter curl up in another moment like that? Keep winning and we may just find out.

 

[99topdawg]

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Old Kirk narrative...have a decent record but when playing vs a talented team...the doors are blown off, non competitive, embarrassing.

New Kirk narrative...yet to be written. That is a big step into the final frontier.

(The big game this year was Wisconsin, piddled away, not blown away)

I've read it 3 times and still don't know what the hell you are saying or trying to get across.

 

[revkev73]

Kirk has a narrative of losing those big signature games, getting blown out, embarrassed.

That narrative might change but not yet, Wisconsin was one of them. Pissed away.

I want a new Kirk narrative on this...

I like this team. It shows progress towards a higher goal and seems to offer a new way of coaching/philosophy perhaps under the influence of BF. If so, good for him. He can write his own narratives when pops moves on and becomes the highest paid "advisory coach" in college history. Certainly that "contract" is already written and in safe of the AD.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

^^ Well, KF has had some big wins against some highly rated teams as well over the years, knocking a couple out of NC contention, actually. 2009 Penn St, last years OSU, etc.

But, if you are referring to the Rose Bowl and big games like the BIG championship game, I can buy that. Yes, still waiting to get over that hump.

 

[SteveGarvey1]

Interesting analysis.

The turnaround may have happened with this meeting between Kirk and his assistants. Scotty plays BF. Coincidence? I think not.

Up til a couple of years ago, Kirk was more like Spock, using logic to determine everything, not letting his half-human blood allow emotion and gut-feel to determine a course of action. Captain Kirk must have gone through the space-time continuum a few years ago in coming up with this more adventurous, yet illogical course of action when it comes to play-calling and such.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Up til a couple of years ago, Kirk was more like Spock, using logic to determine everything, not letting his half-human blood allow emotion and gut-feel to determine a course of action. Captain Kirk must have gone through the space-time continuum a few years ago in coming up with this more adventurous, yet illogical course of action when it comes to play-calling and such.

Captain Kirk in the past was able to control the noobs/assist coaches in his program. Now it seems Capt. Kirk is being outnumbered and his views/ideas overturned. He's given in to the fresh ideas, which is refreshing in itself.

 

[Hawk1960]

Captain Kirk in the past was able to control the noobs/assist coaches in his program. Now it seems Capt. Kirk is being outnumbered and his views/ideas overturned. He's given in to the fresh ideas, which is refreshing in itself.

I think that's the case.

I forgot to mention in the video the "klingons" are Nebraska. Clinging to the past ... but like a cat on a greased flag pole, they just keep sliding down.

 

[CP87]

Up til a couple of years ago, Kirk was more like Spock, using logic to determine everything, not letting his half-human blood allow emotion and gut-feel to determine a course of action. Captain Kirk must have gone through the space-time continuum a few years ago in coming up with this more adventurous, yet illogical course of action when it comes to play-calling and such.

I think you could argue the opposite. For a long time, Kirk was making decisions based upon "coaching wisdom," which is really nothing more than a fear of being second-guessed (i.e., deciding based upon emotion). That is why you punt instead of going for it, take the 90% chance FG instead of going for the 60% change TD, lean on the run instead of the pass, etc.. Those are things that coaches have been doing for decades, and if you continue to fall in line the criticism will be muted. But logical analysis says you should almost never punt, that a 60% chance of 7 points is better than a 90% chance of 3, and that passing will yield more productivity than running (even though "three things can happen when you pass, and two of them are bad").

So if anything, he is being controlled less by fear of second-guessing, and he is making logical decisions about what will give the team the best chance to win.

 

[WinOneThisCentury]

So, old dogs can learn new tricks. Good to know.