One of the hardest things on a coach

[GesterHawk]

Honestly, neither am I.

 

[Knight78]

I would agree that we did see a more developed CJ on Saturday.
I ripped earlier for saying this, but he looked more willing to make the plays to move the chains. Whereas in the past, I just got the feeling he was trying to make only the passes that showed off his arm. He was a more complete QB than he has been in the past.

I would like to see how he handles a full 60 minutes, and this weekend would be a good time to see it.

If we play against Purdue like we did against Pitt, neither will see a full 60 minutes. We should have a sizable lead and there will be subs playing.

 

[Knight78]

U can no haz laffy? Y U so srs?

I take offense with that as well. You disrespect Rudock by purposely misspelling his name. Especially when you are upset with Coach Ferentz for playing Rudock. It's not like Rudock determines his playing time, whether he starts, etc. - Kirk does. Yet you continue to dis Jake.

 

[Knight78]

I don't understand why people say that jr makes better reads and decisions than cj. Nothing I have seen proves this. I watched cj make a couple excellent check downs in the Pitt game. The other thing is I would rather my qb take chances in practice. That's to me is what practice is for, a chance to test and learn your limits. If in practice you only do what you know u can do already, then how have you grown. Practice should be a time when you don't worry about making mistakes.

Then how are the coaches to make evaluations? Especially if the two players are close in talent levels. Here's what I see in your comment: If one player outdoes the other in practice by making better decisions and taking less chances with the ball.... throw that out the window and play the other guy.

As a former coach, I have seen very few times where a player is a "gamer". Practices ARE important. You go over and over and over the same play to improve your execution until it becomes automatic. You don't allow the players to "freelance" until they have the basic execution PERFECT. There was a commercial several years ago that stated it well: "Average players do something until they get it right. Great players do something until they can't do it wrong."

 

[okeefe4prez]

There was a commercial several years ago that stated it well: "Average players do something until they get it right. Great players do something until they can't do it wrong."

Wow, I was fixin' to disagree with you until I saw that last sentence. If a commercial said it, it must be true.

Just Do It

Be Like Mike

 

[Motigerhawk]

The play that sold me on CJ was the 3rd down pass where he hung in and zipped a ball to the TE while getting smacked in the mouth. Im not sure if JR would have done that and if he would have, I dont think he completes that pass. It had to be on a line.

I like JR and I like CJ, but if Im going to go into a game, I want the guy that stays in and takes a hit while completing a pass.

 

[Stratos]

If we play against Purdue like we did against Pitt, neither will see a full 60 minutes. We should have a sizable lead and there will be subs playing.

So maybe our third string QB gets a shot? By the way, who is our third string QB?

 

[thejumper5]

So maybe our third string QB gets a shot? By the way, who is our third string QB?

Tyler Wiegers, a true freshman from Detroit. Wiegers will redshirt this season, but he'll travel with the team and be prepped to play in the event of emergency. We should not expect to see him on the field unless both Rudock and Beathard are out with injuries.

 

[theboat]

I dont buy the practice excuse. I think it is just that, an excuse.

Beathard has looked better in the open practices as well. Considering Kurt got mad at Beatherd for scoring a TD lsst year, I just think his definition of bad practice is different than any other normal person.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

Oh, there's a dramatice difference alright: Riddick gets entire games to wow us with his habitual checkdown mediocrity, while Beathard gets to stand around with the rest of us and watch it.

Perhaps when it comes to checkdown throws there isn't much difference, except for Beathard's better ball location and way quicker release.

Riddick plays that second half against Pitt, odds are about 8:1 we're 2-2.

Watching Iowa football was balls to the walls fun during that second half. Admit it, you all felt it, and we all know what the primary variant was.

If you think they're close merely because one is starting over the other, consider this:

Brad Banks was always better than McCann.

Stanzi was always better than Christensen.

Brady was always better than Bledsoe.

Warner was always better than Green.

They were better even though they weren't starting. They didn't just magically become better. They always were. They just needed to overcome coaching obtuseness and get on the field.

Beathard is better than Riddick. You can see it. You can believe your eyes.

Fail. Banks said--ad nauseum--that he simply wasn't ready enough in 2001. Stanzi was not close to ready in 2006 or 2007. Arvell Nelson was slated to get a start over Christensen in 2007 but whizzed it down his leg. The bigger fact is Christensen was NEVER ready.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

The play that sold me on CJ was the 3rd down pass where he hung in and zipped a ball to the TE while getting smacked in the mouth. Im not sure if JR would have done that and if he would have, I dont think he completes that pass. It had to be on a line.

I like JR and I like CJ, but if Im going to go into a game, I want the guy that stays in and takes a hit while completing a pass.

You missed a great play by JR in OT against NW last year. Blitz coming at him, hits CJ in endzone for winning TD, didn't even see the play because he got knocked flat on his back.

 

[PCHawk]

Fail. Banks said--ad nauseum--that he simply wasn't ready enough in 2001. Stanzi was not close to ready in 2006 or 2007. Arvell Nelson was slated to get a start over Christensen in 2007 but whizzed it down his leg. The bigger fact is Christensen was NEVER ready.

If I was Banks I would probably say the same thing. I would compare myself from the end of my senior year to myself during my junior year and think "wow I was nothing back then compared to now".

There is a big window between not being ready to be a Heisman Trophy runner up and not being ready to be a better option over McCann. I think Banks was somewhere in that window. I'm sure there are some head coaches out there that might have agreed with Kirk on his decision but I bet a majority of them would have went with Banks.

I really don't even think Banks looked all that much better in the beginning of '02 as he did in his limited time in '01. He got better with game experience and he got better fast. It's a shame how it worked out.

 

[PCHawk]

I also don't think it was a horrible decision by Kirk because it's not like Banks was WAY better at the time. I think it's allot like the situation we have now where they are both really close but the one with no experience and a ton of upside seems to already have a slight edge with a good chance at quickly widening the gap.

it seemed obvious at the time that once Banks got some experience he would explode. The following year verified without a doubt that that was the case.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

If I was Banks I would probably say the same thing. I would compare myself from the end of my senior year to myself during my junior year and think "wow I was nothing back then compared to now".

There is a big window between not being ready to be a Heisman Trophy runner up and not being ready to be a better option over McCann. I think Banks was somewhere in that window. I'm sure there are some head coaches out there that might have agreed with Kirk on his decision but I bet a majority of them would have went with Banks.

I really don't even think Banks looked all that much better in the beginning of '02 as he did in his limited time in '01. He got better with game experience and he got better fast. It's a shame how it worked out.

I remember reading that he looked great in Spring game, but that receivers had to adjust on a good number of his throws. And between Solomon, CJ Jones and Mo Brown, he did get bailed out a few times by their making great adjustments. He also had a couple INTs that were more on the receiver. I remember one against PSU, I think off one off the TEs.

 

[PCHawk]

I remember reading that he looked great in Spring game, but that receivers had to adjust on a good number of his throws. And between Solomon, CJ Jones and Mo Brown, he did get bailed out a few times by their making great adjustments. He also had a couple INTs that were more on the receiver. I remember one against PSU, I think off one off the TEs.

Man I loved Mo Brown.

 

[GesterHawk]

The play that sold me on CJ was the 3rd down pass where he hung in and zipped a ball to the TE while getting smacked in the mouth. Im not sure if JR would have done that and if he would have, I dont think he completes that pass. It had to be on a line.

I like JR and I like CJ, but if Im going to go into a game, I want the guy that stays in and takes a hit while completing a pass.

I am not discounting CJ's play, but Jake has shown several times in his career that he willing to stand in the pocket and get socked in the mouth in order to get a pass off.

 

[tm3308]

It just seems juvenile and beneath our fan base.

You should have pushed through the pain and finished reading his post. He actually made a good point.

 

[tm3308]

I am not discounting CJ's play, but Jake has shown several times in his career that he willing to stand in the pocket and get socked in the mouth in order to get a pass off.

The willingness has certainly been there; if there's one thing you're not likely to hear criticized when it comes to Rudock's game, it's his toughness/pocket presence. But he can't make the kind of throw that Beathard did to Hamilton. No way could he have gotten enough zip on it to make that play (a play that was absolutely critical when you look back on it).

 

[GesterHawk]

The willingness has certainly been there; if there's one thing you're not likely to hear criticized when it comes to Rudock's game, it's his toughness/pocket presence. But he can't make the kind of throw that Beathard did to Hamilton. No way could he have gotten enough zip on it to make that play (a play that was absolutely critical when you look back on it).

Actually, yeah there have been some folks to criticize Jake on his toughness and pocket presence. I just don't get it.

There were also people on some of the other sights that compared him to a statue in the backfield. I don't get that one either. Randel-El he is not, but I think he uses his feet more effectively than any QB since Tate.

 

[GesterHawk]

You should have pushed through the pain and finished reading his post. He actually made a good point.

Nope, I am good. I am happy to read and discuss a summary of it as long as it does read like an 11 year old wrote it.