SIAP - Howe throws one up and in.

[hawkfan2679]

#1 are you serious? So again, simply fans in the seats guarantees success? Not a chance. If it was as simple as pumping money into a program everyone would be 12-0 every year. Every team in the Big Ten is putting money into their programs. New facilities, higher paid coaches, etc. That alone does not equate to victories. I'm sorry but the actual coaches still do play some part in the game.

#2 - Wisconsin and Iowa run extremely similar offenses. Of course personnel is going to be different. More or less you agreed with me on this one.

#3 - my point was very clearly stated, you cannot point out the plays where the ball bounced our way and ignore the plays where the ball didn't bounce our way. So absolutely you can compare blocked field goals to blocked extra points, fake punts, etc. Each of those plays required at least one person to make a good play. None of it was dumb luck. Even Sash's INT. it was a result of pressure on the Indiana QB. It's not like he handed the ball to Sash and said here you go. So, yeah I'm serious Clark. Are you?

#4 - How many teams not named Ohio St have won more than 2 Big Ten titles in the last 10 years? ZERO. Iowa 2, Michigan 2, Penn St 2. We finished 7th in the nation in 2009. The way most Hawk fans talk, you guys wish 2009 wouldn't have happened, because then firing Ferentz would be a slam dunk in your minds. About 15 months ago this program was at an all time high. Yeah, things have been disappointing since then, but seriously in 15 months you go from Ferentz being revered to being kicked out of town, all because we are 15-10 in that time span? It's ridiculously short sighted. But that is society today. I know you will be cheering for another disappointing year next year so you have something to ***** about, but I'm hoping we make improvements next year, and I know with certainty in my mind a coaching change will set this program back several years. It's not as easy as people want to believe.

1) Did you watch the Iowa/Purdue game this year? Have you ever seen NW's slightly greater than HS-sized stadium, or the Indiana complex (although they did just get an upgraded weightroom facility)? There are vastly different levels of pumping money into a program...so I don't think every team would be 12-0 if it was about money going into a program. Our facilities and fan support is far greater than that of Minnesota, Indiana, NW, etc...which is what the original point you responded too suggested.

2) Basically what you are trying to say is that Wisconsin and Iowa are similar because they take the snap from under center and like the hand the ball off? Maybe I just have a more discernible palate for variances in schemes...because I don't feel there are very many teams anywhere that do what Wisconsin does.

3) Was there pressure on Chappel on that throw? I know we got close but I think the pinball was created because the ball was deflected in the first place. I simply can not compare a blocked PAT in the first quarter of a game to a blocked FG on the last play of the game, much less a second attempt at a winning FG being blocked. Plus, how many FG's/PAT's actually get blocked? How many are blocked on game winning kicks? How many times are they blocked consecutively? Sure, someone had to make a good play. But if their hand is one to two inches one way or the other, one of those kicks aren't blocked and we start 2009 with an absolute thud loss to UNI. I'm trying to remember a play that I would consider luck in 2009 that didn't go our way.

4) 2009 was an anomaly. We may have been one of the hottest teams in the country at the end of 2008 (the loss to Illinois notwithstanding, a good example there of allowing an underdog to bite you). Sure, it was great when we won in 2009, but the way we were winning felt like the other shoe was going to drop at some point. It just took a lot longer than expected due in large part to a few of the plays listed above. Our "divine intervention" ran out when Stanzi got hurt. Thankfully our fan support allowed us to get a decent at-large BCS bid and we drew the best possible opponent...I realize a win is a win, but I couldn't believe how many games we played that year where we snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

I don't know how you can be so certain that a new hire would set the program back, but then again I'm not necessarily calling for an all-out house cleaning either. It could be Michigan 2007 (RichRod bringing all offense and no defense to the B1G and not faring well) or it could be Florida 2005 (Zook ousted because he wasn't doing enough and Urban Meyer coming in and winning 2 NC's and being one game away from another opportunity). We won't know for a while because with his buyout, KF isn't going anywhere anytime soon, unless it's on his own accord (which I doubt, given his posh situation here).

 

[silvanthalas]

We run this program like a business, we will not overly show our emotions.

Worse, our coaches will not learn, will not adjust, will not adapt.

 

[CGHawk]

Why can't Minnesota win 7; or Indiana? Or purdue? Year in and year out? Iowa has only had two years in 10 they did not have 7 wins. Sorry, but that brings a smile to my face

Because MN only gets to play Iowa once a year.

 

[archiehawk]

Gotta agree with pretty much evrything Howe wrote.

 

[Billso]

Hey bud,

Your stupid point 2 is stupid on your part, wisky and msu play to WIN, not to not lose and their coaches know how to make in game adjustments ours don't, so don't be a total d-bag

Huh. You mean like this year (Wisconsin losing 33-29 to a bad OSU team) or last year (Iowa 37-6 over MSU), or 2009 (Iowa 15-13 over MSU, 20-10 over Wisconsin), or 2008 (Iowa 38-16 over Wisconsin)?

Is that what you meant about wisky and msu playing to win?

Just checking, I wouldn't want everyone to misunderstand and inadvertently think you were a moron.

 

[Thawki]

All right then, hawkfan33.

How many schools int he B10 have as many conference championships in the time that we have or as good a record as Iowa? Is that mediocrity? You infer that we are only better that the worst teams in the conference and that is hardly the case.

But I wouldn't expect you to recognize that. Then you wouldn't have an argument.

 

[Billso]

That was actually a rather poor article by Rob and I usually like him. He doesn't seem to like Ferentz a whole lot and I'm sure the DJK tussle they got into has something to do with it.

He intentionally wrote an entirely inaccurate statement just to make his story sound better. Namely he wrote:

"Yes, there's a bowl game to be played. That could be in Houston against somebody like Tulsa or SMU. Pretty exciting, huh."

He isn't that dumb. He knows the bowl in Houston is against a Big 12 team. And he knows Iowa won't fall to the Ticket City Bowl against the listed C-USA teams, but to say Iowa might play in Houston against Texas A&M doesn't sound so bad, so he intentionally mixes up the teams with the bowl game to make his story sound better. That's just bad journalism.

He's changed it to say "That could be in Texas".

Still, while theoretically possible, I believe there was zero chance of the Ticket City even prior to Saturday's games. As I told him on his site, I thought it was trying a bit too hard to make a point.

Some fair points overall though. Not his best work but not bad. Clearly written from frustration, which I mostly share.