DesMoinesHawki
Well-Known Member
Okay ... a day away from the keyboard did me some good. I did a little lurking last night to get a vibe of what is on Hawk fans' minds. So I decided to sit down and pen a novel (hey, I write for a living) ... No doubt this loss hurt. And it hurt a lot. This is and was a bad Minnesota team. There was no excuse for losing. None. Losing to Penn State was tough but Penn State is at least showing signs of having a pulse.
We are all Hawk fans and we all want to enjoy the fruit of success. And that is why the loss at Minnesota cut so deep. Seeing our Hawks lose to a first-year coach and give that first-year coach his first Big 10 win. And, the game strongly resembled our loss against Minnesota last year -- again, another very poor team with an interim coach at the helm. Five losses in a row on the road leaves you scratching your head a bit.
The schedule this year set up very nicely for the Hawks. In fact, I would say this was one of out most favorable schedule in quite some time. The Big 10 is down this year and we did not have Ohio State or Wisconsin on the schedule.
I haven't read all of the threads that point toward a coaching change, etc. I can understand and appreciate the sentiments because I was pretty fired up last night after the game.
I still think Kirk is the right coach for the Hawks and we all know the good he has done for Iowa football. I don't think any of us would give away our multiple bowl appearances and Top 10 finishes. I don't think we forgot about Kirk's winning Big 10 and national coach of the year. Or the fact we have sent 50 or so players to the NFL. Lots of accolades for Kirk and the staff. Kirk has been good for the program and he re-energized what has always been a rabid fan base.
All of that being said, I do think it is fair that Kirk faces a little scrutiny now and then. You can't ignore the elephant in the room (his $3.5 million +) contract. With that high of a salary the university showed its commitment to football and commitment to winning. And Kirk has brought plenty of winning to Iowa. None of us would question that.
However, I think it is fair for fans to question the coaching as of late and the direction where the program is headed. I think the world of Kirk. Have met him a few times and know he is just a great human being -- who happens to be a good football coach.
The world of college athletics has turned into a business. Much like the corporate world, coaches (i.e. CEOs) are being compensated large amounts of money to win -- and win now and win often. With that investment (salary) come expectations. And in today's "what have you done for me lately" world, Kirk is fair game game scrutiny as any leader is.
As a CEO of a large company you are always adjusting, making changes, adapting to the times. You recruit the best people you can find and you train them to make your company successful. Same in coaching. You find the best coaches and players and you coach them to win. It's on your shoulders. It's about the people. It's about your performance.
When a company struggles the CEO comes under fire. That is the name of the game. The CEO is the leader; the one responsible for the performance of the company as a whole. The CEO can't simply say to investors, "well, times are tough," and simply going on doing things the way he has always done them.
For me, that is the one main sticking point I have about Coach. When he does take on a direct question (one that might actually be considered a tough question by media standards) he gives a very short or sometimes sarcastic remark and then moves on.
When opposing coaches say they always know what to expect out of Iowa (i.e. from an offensive/defensive scheme) is that a good thing? Is it a good thing an opposing coach can scout Iowa by watching game film from last week ... or from five years ago, and pretty much see the same thing? What may have worked in the past might not work tomorrow. You have to adapt to the times.
There are a lot of factors that play into the success of a program. But it all starts at the top. Why are we thin on the defensive side of the ball? Why are we losing or struggling against the likes of Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa State)? Why are we a completely different team on the road versus playing at home? Yes, upsets happen in college football ... But this has happened more than once.
I have been a diehard Hawk fans for 30+ years. Lots of ups and downs in that time. Lots of frustrating losses, etc. What is different for me this time around is what seems to be a pattern -- losing to inferior opponents; playing poorly on the road; becoming way to predictable.
And yes, Coach's salary plays into it as well. Hayden resurrected Iowa football. And Kirk came in and gave us even more excitement. Hayden was never one of the highest paid coaches. Kirk is -- not only in the big 10 but on a national level as well. If we want to become an average program (note to the naysayers: I am not forgetting Iowa's overall record the past decade; I am talking about now) then why not simply bring in a fresh-faced coach and pay him $800,000 a year? Why? because we don't consider ourselves to be an average program and we don't want to settle for becoming an average program, and the university has shown that by rewarding Coach nicely for his services.
No, the sky is not falling. For me, there are much worse things that can and do happen in life than losing a football game. That being said, it does not mean we should turn our head and never offer up questions as to why we lost against a bad Minnesota team; that we should never question Coach about decisions made on the field; or raise the point have we become too predictable ... Where there is smoke there is usually fire, right? Or at least a few sparks ... Something is not quite clicking in Iowa City ... The "glory" of the past decade has faded a bit. No, we don't expect top 10 finishes and Big 10 titles every year ... But we should expect to beat the Iowa States, the Minnesotas, etc. Simply saying "well, this is how we have always done it and will always do it" can become smug -- especially when that way is simply not working.
The road is not going to get any easier (this year or next). We can go one of two directions ... And if we continue doing the same 'ol same 'ol ... well, that direction may be one none of us like.
We are all Hawk fans and we all want to enjoy the fruit of success. And that is why the loss at Minnesota cut so deep. Seeing our Hawks lose to a first-year coach and give that first-year coach his first Big 10 win. And, the game strongly resembled our loss against Minnesota last year -- again, another very poor team with an interim coach at the helm. Five losses in a row on the road leaves you scratching your head a bit.
The schedule this year set up very nicely for the Hawks. In fact, I would say this was one of out most favorable schedule in quite some time. The Big 10 is down this year and we did not have Ohio State or Wisconsin on the schedule.
I haven't read all of the threads that point toward a coaching change, etc. I can understand and appreciate the sentiments because I was pretty fired up last night after the game.
I still think Kirk is the right coach for the Hawks and we all know the good he has done for Iowa football. I don't think any of us would give away our multiple bowl appearances and Top 10 finishes. I don't think we forgot about Kirk's winning Big 10 and national coach of the year. Or the fact we have sent 50 or so players to the NFL. Lots of accolades for Kirk and the staff. Kirk has been good for the program and he re-energized what has always been a rabid fan base.
All of that being said, I do think it is fair that Kirk faces a little scrutiny now and then. You can't ignore the elephant in the room (his $3.5 million +) contract. With that high of a salary the university showed its commitment to football and commitment to winning. And Kirk has brought plenty of winning to Iowa. None of us would question that.
However, I think it is fair for fans to question the coaching as of late and the direction where the program is headed. I think the world of Kirk. Have met him a few times and know he is just a great human being -- who happens to be a good football coach.
The world of college athletics has turned into a business. Much like the corporate world, coaches (i.e. CEOs) are being compensated large amounts of money to win -- and win now and win often. With that investment (salary) come expectations. And in today's "what have you done for me lately" world, Kirk is fair game game scrutiny as any leader is.
As a CEO of a large company you are always adjusting, making changes, adapting to the times. You recruit the best people you can find and you train them to make your company successful. Same in coaching. You find the best coaches and players and you coach them to win. It's on your shoulders. It's about the people. It's about your performance.
When a company struggles the CEO comes under fire. That is the name of the game. The CEO is the leader; the one responsible for the performance of the company as a whole. The CEO can't simply say to investors, "well, times are tough," and simply going on doing things the way he has always done them.
For me, that is the one main sticking point I have about Coach. When he does take on a direct question (one that might actually be considered a tough question by media standards) he gives a very short or sometimes sarcastic remark and then moves on.
When opposing coaches say they always know what to expect out of Iowa (i.e. from an offensive/defensive scheme) is that a good thing? Is it a good thing an opposing coach can scout Iowa by watching game film from last week ... or from five years ago, and pretty much see the same thing? What may have worked in the past might not work tomorrow. You have to adapt to the times.
There are a lot of factors that play into the success of a program. But it all starts at the top. Why are we thin on the defensive side of the ball? Why are we losing or struggling against the likes of Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa State)? Why are we a completely different team on the road versus playing at home? Yes, upsets happen in college football ... But this has happened more than once.
I have been a diehard Hawk fans for 30+ years. Lots of ups and downs in that time. Lots of frustrating losses, etc. What is different for me this time around is what seems to be a pattern -- losing to inferior opponents; playing poorly on the road; becoming way to predictable.
And yes, Coach's salary plays into it as well. Hayden resurrected Iowa football. And Kirk came in and gave us even more excitement. Hayden was never one of the highest paid coaches. Kirk is -- not only in the big 10 but on a national level as well. If we want to become an average program (note to the naysayers: I am not forgetting Iowa's overall record the past decade; I am talking about now) then why not simply bring in a fresh-faced coach and pay him $800,000 a year? Why? because we don't consider ourselves to be an average program and we don't want to settle for becoming an average program, and the university has shown that by rewarding Coach nicely for his services.
No, the sky is not falling. For me, there are much worse things that can and do happen in life than losing a football game. That being said, it does not mean we should turn our head and never offer up questions as to why we lost against a bad Minnesota team; that we should never question Coach about decisions made on the field; or raise the point have we become too predictable ... Where there is smoke there is usually fire, right? Or at least a few sparks ... Something is not quite clicking in Iowa City ... The "glory" of the past decade has faded a bit. No, we don't expect top 10 finishes and Big 10 titles every year ... But we should expect to beat the Iowa States, the Minnesotas, etc. Simply saying "well, this is how we have always done it and will always do it" can become smug -- especially when that way is simply not working.
The road is not going to get any easier (this year or next). We can go one of two directions ... And if we continue doing the same 'ol same 'ol ... well, that direction may be one none of us like.
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