Story: The Mystery of Noah Fant’s Usage Remains Hot Topic with Hawkeyes
- Thread starter RobHowe
- Start date
RobHowe
Administrator
I would agree. It still doesn't explain why you don't have one of your better offensive weapons in the field more, especially with KF saying they're better with him on the field and that defenses focusing on him opens up things for others.
BTW, Fant is the lead sports story at the Omaha World Herald:
LINK
We all agree there. He should be out there either split wide or on the end. Would argue that as a wide they have to respect him more than any of our wide receivers. And it is just weird since BF came from New England where they do this all the time.
94HawkMA
Well-Known Member
The NW game would have been the perfect time to use Fant at WR. Especially with Brandon Smith out.
The whole point is, he is one of Iowa's best players. He should be on the field. Obviously, there is something else going on that isn't being released. There is just something very wrong with this team. Talent wise, Iowa should not lose to NW. Iowa was outcoached.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Vegas likes sensible odds so they can be sure to make their $$$$$$. Vegas doesn't even want to touch it.
homes
Well-Known Member
What is worse? Ferentz's botching the handling of Fant's playing time this year or Beathard's playing time his sophomore year? I go back and forth - both are grossly poor decisions. And, I'm not buying his explanations, either. I'm a supporter of Ferentz by and large, but on this, he's missed by a mile.
homes
Well-Known Member
After the 6-1 start, this might end up qualifying as a season-long Bad Beat on Van Pelt's show.
bjohnson1102
Member
I think the obvious thing that we're all glossing over is the simplest explanation, which still bears out this week with the recent suggestions that Noah is still a first round pick. His metrics (vertical leap, 3-cone, etc) aren't going to change much, therefore this season has minimal impact on his NFL value. While I realize there may have been some family tweets, Mom, Dad and Noah all know the value of the upcoming draft. First round money comes with a guaranteed contract of likely 3 years with the 4th year optional.
Kirk is never going to throw a player under the bus for playing it cautious by waiting for a guaranteed NFL contract, which is why you hear Kirk saying nothing but great things about Noah. By labeling him a specialist, it helps "justify" limited snaps, while still maintaining a more cautious approach to the season.
If you don't think there wasn't concern in the Fant camp after the jet sweep concussion, then you better take a look at the NFL money and realize the risk of getting injured at this point. I'm sure the coaches would love to play Noah more, but if there has been any hint from the Fant family about playing time and injuries, it is likely that the coaches are quietly respecting the families wishes, which may appear contrary to some of the tweets you've seen. But above all else, we all know Kirk is loyal, and generally speaking, the families of his players really like him. There is a reason for that....
Frustrating that we haven't seen a ton of him, particularly with the recent losses....
homes
Well-Known Member
That's some real insider stuff you got going there. I bet Drew Ott feels let down by Ferentz right about now. I guess we won't see much from AJ Epenesa for the rest of the year either, much less next year.
hawkeyes87
Well-Known Member
It makes no sense that they would hide this.
If he wants to sit out, why not just announce it? We've already seen similar things in cfb the last couple years.
Or, tell people he's injured.
bjohnson1102
Member
Like I said smartass, might not be the kid's choice entirely....
bjohnson1102
Member
Unless Fant doesn't necessarily want his teammates to know the reasoning....
hawkeyes87
Well-Known Member
So if the teammates don't know, you think KF would risk pissing off his entire team for 1 guy?
I'm nut buying it...
bjohnson1102
Member
Why would the entire team be pissed? Because of losing games? Maybe I guess, but when you're a team, you generally don't buy into the hype of a single guy making the team. In this case, we all can obviously see that Noah could be on the field making a difference, but for the players, next man in is a real thing, not to mention, there's no guarantee Stanley is even going to throw him the ball anyway, as you can quite often see playing out when Nate is in the game.
Put yourself in these shoes for a minute; you have some of the best metrics ever produced at tight end prior to your draft-eligible season; nothing will likely change those metrics. If that's my kid, sorry but the NFL is far more valuable than whether or not Iowa wins 8 games or 11. You may consider that selfish, but Noah Fant (and any first round pick from any school) is one injury away from making zero money. He would literally lose millions. As a Hawk fan, I want Noah playing; as his family, I would cringe every time I saw him get hit. Those are facts....
hawkeyes87
Well-Known Member
I'm not arguing that he may have decided to sit!
I'm arguing that they'd have just announced that and not turned the situation into a fiasco. This is hurting KF's reputation and will hurt recruiting. Those are facts.
bjohnson1102
Member
That's fair. I think if we had won these last three games, this would be far less of an issue and Kirk wouldn't be answering these questions to begin with, so there's that.
