DesMoinesHawki
Well-Known Member
Iowa football is on a slippery slope. We have underperformed for two seasons now (especially last season). There is cause for concern -- as fans and as an athletic program. We used to see Iowa teams get stronger as the season progresses. Instead, the opposite has taken place the past two seasons.
We lost to teams we should not have lost to. I did not expect us to beat Nebraska but I did expect us to put up more of a fight. The offense was hit and miss all season. Yes, the "stats" look okay but they don't tell the story of what took place on the field. Against good defenses (against average defenses, for that matter) we tripped and stumbled. We put points on the board against mediocre defenses.
We are too predictable. Way too predictable. Our defensive linemen are undersized. Our offense simply disappeared in big games (i.e. MSU, PSU, Nebraska). After watching Kirk stick by his guns in once again playing upperclassmen I am left scratching my head regarding the talent we may (or may not have) waiting in the wings.
This team has no fire. For the past few years if Iowa trailed heading into the fourth quarter I have had no confidence we could come back and win the game. When we do get a lead we don't know how to put a team away (i.e. the ISU's, Minnesota's, Indiana's, and Purdue's of the world). We get a lead. We sit on the lead. We get conservative ... Next thing you know, the opponent is right back in the game.
When I can sit back and predict (the majority of the time) what our next play will be then I strongly assume the coaching staff of the opponent knows what is coming. Yes, execution is behind everything ... But sometimes you need to try and catch your opponent off guard.
I have been an Iowa fan for 30+ years ... so have witnessed a lot of ups and downs in Iowa football. We aren't at the level we were in Hayden's last couple of seasons but we are showing a pattern that should raise some eyebrows. Kirk's loyalty to his staff and certain players I think hurts him -- on some levels.
No one can question if Kirk is an A+ individual and no one can question the good he has done for Iowa football. But to simply live in the past and "relive" the records and teams in the early 2000s is not going to "fix" the apparent problems that exist today. Something is not quite right in the program as of late. The coaches did not all of a sudden forget how to coach. But, I think they have not adjusted with the times. Maybe it's the talent? When you have a two-deep with more than one or two walkons in it you sort of scratch your head and wonder how that is possible. Yes, there are walkon success stories ... But is a walkon from Thor, Iowa better than (let's say) a third-team all stater out of Florida?
Having the same staff in place for 13 years has its positives and negatives. Positive in the fact you can sell that to kids ... that "hey, look, we are going to be here your entire college career." ... On the flipside, anyone who is in the same job for 13 years can become content and not realize they could or should be doing things differently. That maybe a fresh pair of eyes can come in and shake things up a bit. Thirteen years is a long time to remain the head coach with the same staff in tow. You get comfortable. Especially when you remain with the same group of people for that amount of time.
Think about your own job and if you were in it for 13 years with the exact same coworkers for each of those years. How creative would you be? How inspired would you be? If you were collecting a nice paycheck you might settle for how things are and not shake things up because you have a good situation going. I think that describes the Iowa coaching staff. It's good to have people move around. Bring in new people. Get new ideas.
I really hope Kirk does take a hard look at the program and where it is and where it is going. On paper, next year does not look any better. This year we were supposed to have a favorable schedule and a veteran offense with a lot of weapons and experience. Next year we lose some of that experience. And our defense ... we had seniors in the lineup but they never really came together as a unit. And next year the sledding is not going to be any easier because the also-rans of the conference are getting better.
I think Barta and Kirk will need to have a nice long talk at the conclusion of the season. Yes, Kinnick is still full every Saturday but that may change ... And the worse thing you can do is to ignore the problem(s) and assume everything will fix itself. And you can't live in the past ... Imagine telling your boss that hey "well, I have not performed very well the past couple of years but remember the hell of a year I had in 2004?" ... See how far that gets you
We lost to teams we should not have lost to. I did not expect us to beat Nebraska but I did expect us to put up more of a fight. The offense was hit and miss all season. Yes, the "stats" look okay but they don't tell the story of what took place on the field. Against good defenses (against average defenses, for that matter) we tripped and stumbled. We put points on the board against mediocre defenses.
We are too predictable. Way too predictable. Our defensive linemen are undersized. Our offense simply disappeared in big games (i.e. MSU, PSU, Nebraska). After watching Kirk stick by his guns in once again playing upperclassmen I am left scratching my head regarding the talent we may (or may not have) waiting in the wings.
This team has no fire. For the past few years if Iowa trailed heading into the fourth quarter I have had no confidence we could come back and win the game. When we do get a lead we don't know how to put a team away (i.e. the ISU's, Minnesota's, Indiana's, and Purdue's of the world). We get a lead. We sit on the lead. We get conservative ... Next thing you know, the opponent is right back in the game.
When I can sit back and predict (the majority of the time) what our next play will be then I strongly assume the coaching staff of the opponent knows what is coming. Yes, execution is behind everything ... But sometimes you need to try and catch your opponent off guard.
I have been an Iowa fan for 30+ years ... so have witnessed a lot of ups and downs in Iowa football. We aren't at the level we were in Hayden's last couple of seasons but we are showing a pattern that should raise some eyebrows. Kirk's loyalty to his staff and certain players I think hurts him -- on some levels.
No one can question if Kirk is an A+ individual and no one can question the good he has done for Iowa football. But to simply live in the past and "relive" the records and teams in the early 2000s is not going to "fix" the apparent problems that exist today. Something is not quite right in the program as of late. The coaches did not all of a sudden forget how to coach. But, I think they have not adjusted with the times. Maybe it's the talent? When you have a two-deep with more than one or two walkons in it you sort of scratch your head and wonder how that is possible. Yes, there are walkon success stories ... But is a walkon from Thor, Iowa better than (let's say) a third-team all stater out of Florida?
Having the same staff in place for 13 years has its positives and negatives. Positive in the fact you can sell that to kids ... that "hey, look, we are going to be here your entire college career." ... On the flipside, anyone who is in the same job for 13 years can become content and not realize they could or should be doing things differently. That maybe a fresh pair of eyes can come in and shake things up a bit. Thirteen years is a long time to remain the head coach with the same staff in tow. You get comfortable. Especially when you remain with the same group of people for that amount of time.
Think about your own job and if you were in it for 13 years with the exact same coworkers for each of those years. How creative would you be? How inspired would you be? If you were collecting a nice paycheck you might settle for how things are and not shake things up because you have a good situation going. I think that describes the Iowa coaching staff. It's good to have people move around. Bring in new people. Get new ideas.
I really hope Kirk does take a hard look at the program and where it is and where it is going. On paper, next year does not look any better. This year we were supposed to have a favorable schedule and a veteran offense with a lot of weapons and experience. Next year we lose some of that experience. And our defense ... we had seniors in the lineup but they never really came together as a unit. And next year the sledding is not going to be any easier because the also-rans of the conference are getting better.
I think Barta and Kirk will need to have a nice long talk at the conclusion of the season. Yes, Kinnick is still full every Saturday but that may change ... And the worse thing you can do is to ignore the problem(s) and assume everything will fix itself. And you can't live in the past ... Imagine telling your boss that hey "well, I have not performed very well the past couple of years but remember the hell of a year I had in 2004?" ... See how far that gets you
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