Prepping for a glorious 2016-17 season
- Thread starter desihawk
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deanvogs
Well-Known Member
Well, I need to be intellectually honest, so that is why I blast KF and you for stuff like that. I get what you are saying, I really do, and that is why in most losses I don't totally lose my sh!t. I realize we are probably just a couple plays from a win. Yet I'd say at least 2-4 games come down to that each year. Ultimately you are what your record says it is though. For instance you think Iowa is lucky that Wisconsin fumbled on the 1 yard line. Well you have to also credit Iowa for making a player, and CAUSING the fumble. The Wisconsin lineman was knocked into Stave because of quick, great penetration, he didn't just step back for no reason. Same with the Pitt game, Iowa had to get to a certain yard line to be in position to make a game winning FG, and CJ made several plays to get them there, to even get the opportunity. You see that as luck, I see it as execution.
Just like MSU had to execute a 21 play 9 minute drive to beat Iowa. I don't see that as "lucky", that was MSU executing. They won the game, but if you are being intellectually honest, wouldn't you have to say they were "lucky" to convert on 4th down, to convert that 3rd and long earlier in the drive? I mean you can say all day Iowa was a couple plays away from being 10-4......they were also 1 play away from the college football playoffs.
Golfer
Well-Known Member
"For instance you think Iowa is lucky that Wisconsin fumbled on the 1 yard line".
I never said this, nor do I think it.
I didn't think the FG against Pitt was one of Iowa's breaks either. Nor do I think MSU's scoring drive was luck.
I never said any of this.
Breaks are obvious missed holding calls in a close game on a TD run. A one possession game for the other guy on here. That's the stuff I'm referring to. We got a lot of breaks to go our way this season. A lot. It's just the way it goes.
No need to get upset, and start crediting me with things that I don't think just because I'm pointing out some things that transpired.
I swear, you'd think I was someone one here that was constantly critical the way some of y'all react to a couple of observations and opinions. When Iowa has had bad seasons in the past, I've pointed out that we were 6-8 plays away from being decent. And I realize that you are what your record indicates. You see, in life I maintain you are your net worth, so I play to win every day. It's not like I enjoy it when Iowa has a bad season, or I have a bad year in business, but I am a realist about both. Probably why I don't post that often on message boards. It's not like I'm stealing my employer's time, I see it as stealing my own money from myself.
Trump - Make America Great Again! Ah, how I miss those dysfunction employee liberals that used to be on here.
I never said this, nor do I think it.
I didn't think the FG against Pitt was one of Iowa's breaks either. Nor do I think MSU's scoring drive was luck.
I never said any of this.
Breaks are obvious missed holding calls in a close game on a TD run. A one possession game for the other guy on here. That's the stuff I'm referring to. We got a lot of breaks to go our way this season. A lot. It's just the way it goes.
No need to get upset, and start crediting me with things that I don't think just because I'm pointing out some things that transpired.
I swear, you'd think I was someone one here that was constantly critical the way some of y'all react to a couple of observations and opinions. When Iowa has had bad seasons in the past, I've pointed out that we were 6-8 plays away from being decent. And I realize that you are what your record indicates. You see, in life I maintain you are your net worth, so I play to win every day. It's not like I enjoy it when Iowa has a bad season, or I have a bad year in business, but I am a realist about both. Probably why I don't post that often on message boards. It's not like I'm stealing my employer's time, I see it as stealing my own money from myself.
Trump - Make America Great Again! Ah, how I miss those dysfunction employee liberals that used to be on here.
HawkeyeDenis
Well-Known Member
My thought on the Rose Bowl is that we knew there were a lot of teams more talented than Iowa, but none better coached. Iowa got to 12-0 with coaching. We have a lot of good players and a couple of exceptional players. Iowa doesn't have the guy who can take over a game. If Iowa can just string together a few good years they can get the recruits to notice this program. We know it's among the best in the country, but the talking heads need to get on board and realize this is a top tier program. Looking forward to a new season again.
HawkeyeWalker
Well-Known Member
I like both you guys.
I would say any 10+ win season, by anyone outside of the perennial and cyclical dominant teams(and usually they even need a few), usually includes a fair share of breaks. MSU had a few huge, noticeable ones, including the crazy one against Mich (but lost a game but a huge break going against them)
That said, as mentioned above, we had almost every won game well in hand in the 4th qtr.
Did we benefit overall by a favorable schedule?, no doubt, but im not sure we benefited from an abnormal amount of breaks(no more than any other 10+ win teams anyway), the only one I can really recall that was huge was the Wisky goalline fumble. CJ and Kings playmaking, along with the best execution I've seen from Iowa in years, resulted in a lot of "breaks".
Much like "luck", sometimes you create your own breaks, the Hawks did a lot of that. More than in the past 4-5 years.
I would also mention losing your potential all merican DE for half the season, your leading RB for multiple games is pretty significant bad breaks. IMO, we win the B1G Championship if Ott is available.
Next year will be interesting. I have much higher expectations than usual, and that scares me.
I would say any 10+ win season, by anyone outside of the perennial and cyclical dominant teams(and usually they even need a few), usually includes a fair share of breaks. MSU had a few huge, noticeable ones, including the crazy one against Mich (but lost a game but a huge break going against them)
That said, as mentioned above, we had almost every won game well in hand in the 4th qtr.
Did we benefit overall by a favorable schedule?, no doubt, but im not sure we benefited from an abnormal amount of breaks(no more than any other 10+ win teams anyway), the only one I can really recall that was huge was the Wisky goalline fumble. CJ and Kings playmaking, along with the best execution I've seen from Iowa in years, resulted in a lot of "breaks".
Much like "luck", sometimes you create your own breaks, the Hawks did a lot of that. More than in the past 4-5 years.
I would also mention losing your potential all merican DE for half the season, your leading RB for multiple games is pretty significant bad breaks. IMO, we win the B1G Championship if Ott is available.
Next year will be interesting. I have much higher expectations than usual, and that scares me.
So Golfer, you don't think the 2 plays I mentioned were lucky breaks but you think we benefited from quite a few other ones? I honestly can't think of any others in any game that was close. The Vandy fumble recovery after the unlucky fumble against ISU maybe? I call that play a wash.
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
Guys, guys, guys! I think we all agree, 12-2, great season, we don't see 'em like that very often (if ever) in Iowa City.
We got breaks this year, and we had bad calls against us, and we had great plays, and we had some "ouch" plays. That's football, as KF likes to say (ok, he says it a ton).
What we really "can" be is a team that experiences more 9-win seasons than 6-win seasons. We certainly should, in any 10-year span, average 8.5 wins, with one season without a bowl game (assuming we get back to 30 or so bowls versus the current 40) each decade. Sure, we "should" be a step above what we've been recently, but we also aren't Oklahoma or FSU, let alone obviously not being "top-echelon elite".
I do think it's getting turned around. But we are not--and never will be--a perennial Top 10 team. But we can get to Top 20 and maybe Top 15, IMO. But, on average, that's our ceiling. Making the CFP once in a while would be great. Making it to the title game would be gravy. Winning it would be other-worldly.
We got breaks this year, and we had bad calls against us, and we had great plays, and we had some "ouch" plays. That's football, as KF likes to say (ok, he says it a ton).
What we really "can" be is a team that experiences more 9-win seasons than 6-win seasons. We certainly should, in any 10-year span, average 8.5 wins, with one season without a bowl game (assuming we get back to 30 or so bowls versus the current 40) each decade. Sure, we "should" be a step above what we've been recently, but we also aren't Oklahoma or FSU, let alone obviously not being "top-echelon elite".
I do think it's getting turned around. But we are not--and never will be--a perennial Top 10 team. But we can get to Top 20 and maybe Top 15, IMO. But, on average, that's our ceiling. Making the CFP once in a while would be great. Making it to the title game would be gravy. Winning it would be other-worldly.
Alright I'm geeked up by the AJ commit. Is it possible for a junior commit to set a tone for a season? Maybe. I hope it just happened. Holy smokes this '17 class could be our best in a long time. Might just kick start spring ball and set a great tone. Might be a game changer.
deanvogs
Well-Known Member
Nothing personal man. I just think it is silly to play the If's and But's game. I think it is silly to do it to put lipstick on a season (IE, saying we "should have won 2 more games"). So I just think it is equally as silly to do the same saying we should have lost more games, or we were "lucky" to win the games we did. That is all.
Suffice to say Iowa has the best 3/4ths of a Dline class for 2017 already wrapped up. Having AJ, Harris and Kirkpatrick that's a 5,4 and a 3 star. I think Harris may end up being a 5 star. He's a Vince Wolfork sized monster now. It'll be interesting to see how Doyle and the staff handle him. What weight will they try and get him down to. I've heard his weight as being everywhere between 350 and 4 bills. I'd like to think they'd love to get him closer to 330ish if possible. I'm also fired up to see just how big of an impact AJs early commitment will make on the recruiting front. He seems like a very nice kid that other kids gravitate towards. Tyler Cook and him seem to be buddies and I'm not sure what the tie is between them since Cook is a basketball player. I know AJ plays Bball too maybe they crossed paths there I'm not sure. But if AJ can help round up a monster class (with a playmaking receiver or two being on my wish list) That will be the ultimate domino effect of AJs commitment.
Golfer
Well-Known Member
It's might be silly, but breaking down past performances and seeing them for what they are and aren't are vital in life, and college football is no different to me. I view it in a very businesslike manner, and a 6-3 ugly victory is a victory. A loss to MSU is a loss, and there is no moral victory in this as I see it. A loss to ISU is a loss, and equal to any and every other loss. Getting breaks and winning, and not getting breaks and losing still result ultimately in a loss or victory.
FWIW, I still am horribly disappointed about the MSU game. It's a game we could have, and possibly should have won. Seldom do I get very emotionally attached to any single game, but this one really ended the season for me. I just see it as 12-2, a very, very good record, with one hugely disappointing loss, and one loss that I didn't really care about. Not at all rational, but I'm not alone in this view.
For me to not recognize that given how Iowa's teams are made up that in order to achieve an above average season we need breaks going our way seems to be denying reality.
It's just the way I process things. I'll spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out who and what we have coming back next season, go to every game, several practices both open and closed, and regardless of the outcome, understand Iowa football, coming at the time I am the busiest, is a welcome recreational break, and serves a healthy purpose in my otherwise busy fall.
I'll always favor Florida bowl games because I'm there that time of year, so it's convenient, but do believe it is marginally helpful to play on the East coast for recruiting purposes and exposure. I see nothing good coming out of West coast games. Superstitious or not, past results on the West Coast are hardly good, so we're lucky less people watch these games.
Now I've moved on (mostly) to thinking about whether Iowa can break what seems to be the trend for disappointing seasons when there are expectations. It's almost always been about linebackers at Iowa, so we'll find out eventually whether I like the answer or not. One large variable, and again Kfer is absolutely correct in this, is whether the athletes buy in, and work all off season. For whatever Kfer is or isn't, one thing he shares with me is the ability to **** people off with his comments, and seemingly to have no concerns about doing so. Frankly, he is deadly accurate with most of the comments that **** people off. I mean seriously, what is he supposed to say after a game like either Tennessee or Stanford? That's football? Well, he's right.
FWIW, I still am horribly disappointed about the MSU game. It's a game we could have, and possibly should have won. Seldom do I get very emotionally attached to any single game, but this one really ended the season for me. I just see it as 12-2, a very, very good record, with one hugely disappointing loss, and one loss that I didn't really care about. Not at all rational, but I'm not alone in this view.
For me to not recognize that given how Iowa's teams are made up that in order to achieve an above average season we need breaks going our way seems to be denying reality.
It's just the way I process things. I'll spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out who and what we have coming back next season, go to every game, several practices both open and closed, and regardless of the outcome, understand Iowa football, coming at the time I am the busiest, is a welcome recreational break, and serves a healthy purpose in my otherwise busy fall.
I'll always favor Florida bowl games because I'm there that time of year, so it's convenient, but do believe it is marginally helpful to play on the East coast for recruiting purposes and exposure. I see nothing good coming out of West coast games. Superstitious or not, past results on the West Coast are hardly good, so we're lucky less people watch these games.
Now I've moved on (mostly) to thinking about whether Iowa can break what seems to be the trend for disappointing seasons when there are expectations. It's almost always been about linebackers at Iowa, so we'll find out eventually whether I like the answer or not. One large variable, and again Kfer is absolutely correct in this, is whether the athletes buy in, and work all off season. For whatever Kfer is or isn't, one thing he shares with me is the ability to **** people off with his comments, and seemingly to have no concerns about doing so. Frankly, he is deadly accurate with most of the comments that **** people off. I mean seriously, what is he supposed to say after a game like either Tennessee or Stanford? That's football? Well, he's right.
