Ricky took a lot of heat for 2min drill performance, was it fair?

[tweeterhawk]

Ricky deserves some of the blame, but the majority of the criticism goes to the coaching staff.
The "deer-in-the-headlights" response to crunch time is becoming more obvious each year. This staff is very bad at 2 minutes drills and clock management.

I don't expect us to score every time we run the two minute drill, but I do want us to look like we at least practice it. We ran some of the most poorly executed two minute offense I've ever seen last year. The offense, Stanzi, the coaching staff all seemed like they were just completely panicked each time we were faced with that situation.

I agree with both of these. I was never sure whether it was that Ricky couldn't run a two-minute offense, that we didn't have one or that KOK was so busy checking with KF about what he wanted to run that the plays didn't get in or the effort simply fell apart.

As we discovered, other teams teams certainly seem capable of managing the clock and running time-efficient scoring drives in the last two minutes.

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

Clock managent is an integral component of your 2-minute offense. If your clock management is bad, then by definition... your 2-minute drill has a serious weakness.

I don't buy any of the excuses for the end of the Wiscy game. How can thousands of rube fans see plain as day what to do. (while it's happening, not after the fact) Yet an experienced coaching staff completely chokes on it. No explanation.

One thing that you're not appreciating is that the average fan does not view a football game as a strategy game. Most fans live in the moment and can focus on the moment. Unfortunately, coaches don't always have that luxury ... they are usually trying to plan things out several steps in advance. Thus, when something comes as a surprise to a coach ... something that doesn't mesh with their prior calculation ... it can throw them off. Usually, coaches get a little entrained in what they had previously planned to do. Thus, the "heat of the moment" can then lead to the sort of confusion that someone who lives in the moment may have trouble relating to.

 

[uofihawkInation]

I think the defense deverse just as much blame as Rick. He got the lead in every game they lost this last season (besides Zona, which he lead a comeback). Then the defense buckled in the clutch unlike last year. If they could have held on to a lead in any game this year, Rick wouldnt have been in such tough situations. But I also agree the clock management wasnt good this year.

 

[Imlivingthedream]

we have a staff that is tone deaf when it comes to in game adjustments and coaching on the fly.

if we tried to run the two minute drill at the end of the first half occasionally and got some practice, it might improve.

 

[westview]

Ricky would not throw the ball away and took too many sacks when in the 2 minute drill. I heard the NFL announcers say a sack really lessons chances of scoring and must be avoided. I do not know how hard the coaches worked with Ricky on throwing the ball away.

 

[whammer33024]

It is not ricky's fault. Kok is clueless during a 2 min drill as it tkes forever to get a play in. They should just let the qb call those plays in the huddle or at line
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[hawkdrummer1]

One thing that you're not appreciating is that the average fan does not view a football game as a strategy game. Most fans live in the moment and can focus on the moment. Unfortunately, coaches don't always have that luxury ... they are usually trying to plan things out several steps in advance. Thus, when something comes as a surprise to a coach ... something that doesn't mesh with their prior calculation ... it can throw them off. Usually, coaches get a little entrained in what they had previously planned to do. Thus, the "heat of the moment" can then lead to the sort of confusion that someone who lives in the moment may have trouble relating to.

Understand your point, but it again ignores that....those surprises are part of the game. Just like like coaching a defense what to do when the ball suddenly changes possession on an INT, coaches need to be prepared to manage the clock based on what happens in the flow of the game...not be hand-cuffed by what they pencilled out in the coaches meeting on Wednesday. Coaching is all about adjustments and reacting to the flow of the game.

Knowing when to call a timeout or when to spike the ball...throw the ball out of bounds etc is a basic part of football strategy. The fans making that call in the "heat of the moment" are doing so based on their experience watching football games and knowing what needs to happen based on the game situation. A highly paid Div I football coach should know too.

 

[hawkfan2679]

One thing that you're not appreciating is that the average fan does not view a football game as a strategy game. Most fans live in the moment and can focus on the moment. Unfortunately, coaches don't always have that luxury ... they are usually trying to plan things out several steps in advance. Thus, when something comes as a surprise to a coach ... something that doesn't mesh with their prior calculation ... it can throw them off. Usually, coaches get a little entrained in what they had previously planned to do. Thus, the "heat of the moment" can then lead to the sort of confusion that someone who lives in the moment may have trouble relating to.

But once you get into a 2 minute situation, there are no 'several steps in advance.' There is right now...2 minute drill isn't a surprise. With our penchant for close games, hell, it almost is to be expected (either at the half or at the end of the game). There is a reason that most coaches (I'm sure ours do as well; it just doesn't look like it) have a specified time in practice to run a 2 minute package against a live defense.

You can certainly call it getting entrained in what they want to do or something catching them by surprise; I call it ****-poor in-game management and poor preparation.

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

But once you get into a 2 minute situation, there are no 'several steps in advance.' There is right now...2 minute drill isn't a surprise. With our penchant for close games, hell, it almost is to be expected (either at the half or at the end of the game). There is a reason that most coaches (I'm sure ours do as well; it just doesn't look like it) have a specified time in practice to run a 2 minute package against a live defense.

You can certainly call it getting entrained in what they want to do or something catching them by surprise; I call it ****-poor in-game management and poor preparation.

I'm not excusing the coaches. Furthermore, the surprise to the coaches wasn't the 2 min drill ... but rather the surprisingly small amount of time that ticked off the clock. Had they foreseen that there would have been so much time left ... they would have already indicated ahead of time that Ricky should spike it.

Anyhow, I'm with everyone else ... the coaches continually bungle time-management issues at the end of games. Even when we win ... it's usually not without a few time-management errors.

However, contrary to what other say ... the coaches are typically VERY good when it comes to in-game adjustments. The bigger issue has more to deal with time-management issues (during the 2-minute drill).

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

You can certainly call it getting entrained in what they want to do or something catching them by surprise; I call it ****-poor in-game management and poor preparation.

I highly doubt that it deals with lack of preparation. The issue is that not everybody thinks well or quickly on the fly. As a case in point ... I'm a mathematical physicist who knows my stuff well ... and yet I'm also slow and ponderous. Thus, when I'm asked to think quickly on my feet ... I most likely stumble.

 

[hawkdrummer1]

I highly doubt that it deals with lack of preparation. The issue is that not everybody thinks well or quickly on the fly.

Not everybody can catch a football either. So they don't become wide receivers. (Herb Grigsby aside)

A coach...should having coaching skills. Managing a game from the sideline is among the most basic of requirements...first paragraph of job description stuff.

It's not rocket science...(or mathematical physics)

 

[hawkfan2679]

I highly doubt that it deals with lack of preparation. The issue is that not everybody thinks well or quickly on the fly. As a case in point ... I'm a mathematical physicist who knows my stuff well ... and yet I'm also slow and ponderous. Thus, when I'm asked to think quickly on my feet ... I most likely stumble.

I hear you. But as the post above me states, thinking on the fly is part of being a coach. If everything went according to plan this coaching thing would be pretty easy.

I've been coaching at various levels for the past 8 years...if I really bungle the 2 minute drill in a game 1 of the season because I'm not thinking well or quickly on the fly, I'm going to make sure that I don't make the same mistake again. I owe it to the kids I'm coaching to give them the best chance to win. If that means I have to create a load of if/then scenarios on my call sheet and memorize them backwards in forward, I'm going to do it. As yet another posted alluded to above, history continues to repeat itself with this staff. Time and time again we have shown the inability to properly manage the clock in late game situations. ****** the plays, use 2 minute drill specific hand signals, don't change personnel or formations...generate a PLAN for what we are going to do.

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

I hear you. But as the post above me states, thinking on the fly is part of being a coach. If everything went according to plan this coaching thing would be pretty easy.

I don't really agree there. The biggest part of coaching is what goes on OFF the field.

EVERY coach makes mistakes and has failings. Iowa is hardly the only program that has difficulties when it comes to the 2-min O. Frankly, it's usually the teams that already run a high-tempo O that tend to have the least difficulty running the 2-min drill. However, the flip side to those teams is that sometimes they don't eat up enough clock!

Anyhow, back to my original point. From my perspective the toughest and most important job in coaching is the TEACHING that goes along with it. Many coaches think that they're good teachers just because they know their $hit really well ... however, the art of teaching concerns how well you can convey that information to the players. It also concerns the ability of the coaches to foster a LEARNING ENVIRONMENT where players appreciate the emphasis placed upon fundamentals and the hard work that goes into getting down the fundamentals. Many coaches and players want to get fancy right away ... and that's because the "fancy stuff" is sexy. However, relying too much on scheme to win games can sometimes come at the cost of undermining player development.

Needless to say ... the Iowa coaches are great teachers. And, quite frankly, I think that that is a fact that gets grossly undervalued by most fans.

 

[hawkfan2679]

I don't really agree there. The biggest part of coaching is what goes on OFF the field.

EVERY coach makes mistakes and has failings. Iowa is hardly the only program that has difficulties when it comes to the 2-min O. Frankly, it's usually the teams that already run a high-tempo O that tend to have the least difficulty running the 2-min drill. However, the flip side to those teams is that sometimes they don't eat up enough clock!

Anyhow, back to my original point. From my perspective the toughest and most important job in coaching is the TEACHING that goes along with it. Many coaches think that they're good teachers just because they know their $hit really well ... however, the art of teaching concerns how well you can convey that information to the players. It also concerns the ability of the coaches to foster a LEARNING ENVIRONMENT where players appreciate the emphasis placed upon fundamentals and the hard work that goes into getting down the fundamentals. Many coaches and players want to get fancy right away ... and that's because the "fancy stuff" is sexy. However, relying too much on scheme to win games can sometimes come at the cost of undermining player development.

Needless to say ... the Iowa coaches are great teachers. And, quite frankly, I think that that is a fact that gets grossly undervalued by most fans.

I'm not questioning this staff's ability to "coach 'em up" during the week...coaching IS teaching, and these guys seem to do a pretty good job of it.

What I was referring to is that there is more to it than Sunday through Friday (obviously). Being a great teacher, with the right amount of talent, can often overcome most game day ineffectiveness. But if the planning that they did do during the week went off without a hitch on Saturday, then that would make things pretty easy. The problem is, that's rarely the case...most often times it's the coach on the other side adjusting to make corrections, less often it's just one team having more talent than the other.

There is a degree of parity in college football...if you are a great teacher but you struggle to execute your plan, make adjustments, or react "on the fly" on gameday, your teaching is only going to go so far.

 

[homerHAWKeye777]

I'm not questioning this staff's ability to "coach 'em up" during the week...coaching IS teaching, and these guys seem to do a pretty good job of it.

What I was referring to is that there is more to it than Sunday through Friday (obviously). Being a great teacher, with the right amount of talent, can often overcome most game day ineffectiveness. But if the planning that they did do during the week went off without a hitch on Saturday, then that would make things pretty easy. The problem is, that's rarely the case...most often times it's the coach on the other side adjusting to make corrections, less often it's just one team having more talent than the other.

There is a degree of parity in college football...if you are a great teacher but you struggle to execute your plan, make adjustments, or react "on the fly" on gameday, your teaching is only going to go so far.

Understood. I'd definitely agree with much of that.

However, I would say that there are many coaches out there who are very good when it comes to the strategic side of the game who absolutely suck when it comes to teaching. Such coaches often compensate (or overcompensate) for their lack of teaching skills by focussing more on recruiting. Even a crappy teacher can still have some success "teaching" smart kids. Similarly, these recruiting-oriented coaches usually try to recruit kids who already have pretty refined football skills. This is particularly prevalent if you observe how many programs recruit offensive linemen.

I'm an educator and I'm painfully aware that there are A LOT of crappy teachers out there(that's not to say that I'm great teacher). Thus, I'm willing to bet that a large percentage of coaches out there, at least at the collegiate level, are only mediocre at teaching. That's one of the reasons why I think that there are so few programs that really tend to stand out as "overachiever programs." And for a similar reason, that's arguably one of the reasons why Ferentz is considered such a commodity in the coaching community.

Lastly, I DO believe that the Hawkeye staff tends to do a very good job when it comes to making in-game adjustments. Norm is obviously particularly astute at doing so. How often do opposing offenses tend to have some success against the Hawks on the first or second series only to pretty much get shut down for the rest of the game. The bowl game against Mizzou is yet another example of that. As for on O, there are many examples, but one of my faves is the '09 Wisky game. Because of Brett's intimate knowledge of our program, the Iowa coaches had to really dig deep in what we do in order to finally get the O on track. And that was a very good Wisky D playing against an Iowa O that had been contending with a high-level of adversity.

 

[Foval21]

I think part of the problem was that we got spoiled in 2009 with comebacks that we just expected it to happen in 2010.

I thought at the end of the Super Bowl that the Steelers would win because Big Ben is so good at the end of the game, but the truth is that most of the time you don't pull those situations out. For a career Ricky did about average with the 2 min drill. If one of the comebacks in 2009 didn't happen and one of them did in 2010 he would have the same stats yet he would be looked down upon for his 2 min drill ability. That is something I believe to be true. The kid was a very good college QB and had some difficulties at times that he had no power over like a RB that struggled picking up the Blitz (Coker at end of year), loss of a big play weapon (DJK), and sometimes the receivers just plain dropped the ball...what do you expect him to do pull a Necessary Roughness and get the ball to stick in the guys face mask?