This ain't all Petras

Petras seems fine to me, a serviceable P5 QB. To remedy the ills with our offense right now, he'd need to be (a) a lot more accurate to overcome our WRs inability to get open or (b) a lot more mobile to turn sacks into positive plays (either scrambling for yards or extending plays until someone gets open).

Petras is unlikely to become significantly more accurate or more mobile, so everyone can just take a deep breath there.

As far as the OL goes, they had a rough game, but the KF era has taught me to have patience with the OL through the early season. I think we have good pieces, it just needs time to gel.

The WR group is a major weakness. There is definitely some technique involved, but the painful truth is most of the separation game is strength and athleticism. I don't see that suddenly improving, I think it is what it is.

Our defense is great. That's going to gift the offense some sorely needed short fields, but you can't count on that either.

To put drives together, I think we'll have to be hyper conservative. We absolutely cannot get into obvious passing downs, those will be major drive killers. That means lots of runs on 1st and 2nd downs, usually into the teeth of stacked fronts.

In the passing game, I think I'd lean heavily towards "short and structured". Plays designed to setup a specific throw to a specific guy with a safety dump off option, as opposed to longer developing "let's see what comes open" type plays.

Screens are also your friend. Goodson looks great catching out of the backfield and I think some bubble screens would be good too. Keep the defense honest sideline to sideline with those quick screens to the WRs but, for Christ's sake Brian, can we please not run them inside the opponent's 20?!?

Petras throws a nice deep ball, so when you feel like you have a down to blow, heave one downfield every couple quarters or so. Those rarely hit, but are critical in terms of keeping the safeties from over committing to run support.

Avoid sacks and other negative plays like the plague but, as a consequence, get real used to living with lots of run plays getting stuffed for no gain. Not all OCs are created equal and there hasn't been an OC born that is above criticism, but if you think that's an easy job, you're nuts.

The way things are shaping up, we'll have a great D and ST paired with an extremely limited O. Margins will be slim. Very slim. I really think we could play very near the ragged edge of our talent limits and, with a few bad breaks, lose 3-4 games. With a few good breaks, we could run the table.

As a fan, stock up on Pepto and try your best to see it as exciting rather than frustrating.


Most Excellent, Jack
 
No, it's not all Petras. It's also the offensive line and the play calling. I'll also throw some shade at the QB coach, Ken O'Keefe, he HAS to see some of the same issues we are. What is he doing about i?
You mean besides cashing $650,000 worth of checks each year?
 
There was one play where a very large defensive lineman ran Petras down from behind that made me think boy is he slow.
Speaking of speed: while the Ram DBack made a nice break on the Petras' INT, did anyone notice after the pick that the DBack and Iowa's WR #3 Tracy both started at about the same time in a footrace to the Iowa EZ? Did you notice that Tracy couldn't even run down a defensive back running with the football? (Goodson eventually tracked the dude down and made the tackle.) Tracy is supposedly Iowa's "explosive" receiver, so this should give us all a reality check and an idea of the limitations of Iowa's current WR room when it comes to scheming and 'getting separation'.
 
Speaking of speed: while the Ram DBack made a nice break on the Petras' INT, did anyone notice after the pick that the DBack and Iowa's WR #3 Tracy both started at about the same time in a footrace to the Iowa EZ? Did you notice that Tracy couldn't even run down a defensive back running with the football? (Goodson eventually tracked the dude down and made the tackle.) Tracy is supposedly Iowa's "explosive" receiver, so this should give us all a reality check and an idea of the limitations of Iowa's current WR room when it comes to scheming and 'getting separation'.
I'm sure there wasn't a second of 'Oh shit, I fucked up' there or anything. Over 100 yards or less, a second is all it takes.
 
With like 6 or 7 new faces on the Oline playing significantly for the first time and most of them still on the younger side this was bound to be a thing. It sucks that they can't settle on a core group and ride with them. I'm not a huge fan of rotating those guys so much like they do. But they do it because the coaches know they all aren't all that good so they are searching for who all might work the best together.

I wish that size wise our guys were bigger. Too many guys around 285ish. You look at some schools that can run it and their Olines are well over 300 closer to 320 accross the board and I don't think we have many over 300 do we? I don't know. I just wish we could run the ball at will more. It's nice to break a long one or 2 a game but we can't count on that anymore then completing 1 or 2 long balls a game either. It's sure nice but being able to run the ball for 4 yards a pop at will and convert 3rd and shorts with confidence is a big deal and right now we suck at it. Unless it's close enough for Petras to plow ahead to get we sturggle
 
With like 6 or 7 new faces on the Oline playing significantly for the first time and most of them still on the younger side this was bound to be a thing. It sucks that they can't settle on a core group and ride with them. I'm not a huge fan of rotating those guys so much like they do. But they do it because the coaches know they all aren't all that good so they are searching for who all might work the best together.

I wish that size wise our guys were bigger. Too many guys around 285ish. You look at some schools that can run it and their Olines are well over 300 closer to 320 accross the board and I don't think we have many over 300 do we? I don't know. I just wish we could run the ball at will more. It's nice to break a long one or 2 a game but we can't count on that anymore then completing 1 or 2 long balls a game either. It's sure nice but being able to run the ball for 4 yards a pop at will and convert 3rd and shorts with confidence is a big deal and right now we suck at it. Unless it's close enough for Petras to plow ahead to get we sturggle
Both of Iowa's lines are seriously undersized. It hasn't mattered much on defense because they have a quality rotation and also the MIKE looks like a DE with the range of a safety, but on offense it seems like it will spell trouble against defensive fronts the like of Maryland, Penn State, Wisconsin and (dare I say it) Nebraska.

Perhaps they consider kicking Ince to tackle with Britt and Schott locking down the guard spots, assuming the latter two are healthy.
 
1) For some unclear reason, I actually think our offense is going to figure some things out (...even as our schedule gets harder and we face better defenses in the Big10). I think we have a lot of great pieces offensively and we're just not putting it together. Albeit a few upperclassmen and even a returning starter at QB, our offense is young. And far too many of their drives are quick 3 & Outs. So they haven't quite found their flow in moving the chains, putting drives together, and finding their play-calling rhythm, etc. I think it will get better.

2) One thing we can probably all agree on... we need better results and efficiency in running the ball. We don't necessarily need it to look like the running game of old, but we need a consistently reliable run game. I also think this will come. And I hate to say it, but I think we need a better option that IKM. He is just NOT getting it done. The fumbles haven't helped him any... but he just doesn't bring enough punch to the fight. In the best case scenario, and we scheme block perfectly... he gets us like 8 yards. I can't help but think that one of the younger guys, like Gavin Williams, would bring more to the attack.

3) There seems to be some level of acceptance among our fanbase of the idea that Brian Ferentz can be our next head coach.. taking over from Kirk and maintaining much of our modern era success (in the last 20 years). By "acceptance", I mean that some online fans (on this forum, twitter, etc.) occasionally talk about Brian Ferentz as our future head coach in a somewhat realistic way.

I REALLY hope that we can put that idea to bed forever and never talk about it again. Thus far this season, we rank in the following spots out of 130 (FBS offenses):
#122 - offensive touchdowns (with 6)
#122 - yards/play (with 4.61)

If anyone uses the term "complimentary football", I am going to puke.
 
Both of Iowa's lines are seriously undersized. It hasn't mattered much on defense because they have a quality rotation and also the MIKE looks like a DE with the range of a safety, but on offense it seems like it will spell trouble against defensive fronts the like of Maryland, Penn State, Wisconsin and (dare I say it) Nebraska.

Perhaps they consider kicking Ince to tackle with Britt and Schott locking down the guard spots, assuming the latter two are healthy.
I think it'd be much better if they'd lock in a more set lineup (whatever it'd be) and kinda roll with it for awhile. They are rotating guys in almost every series it looks like and I just don't think that's helping a whole lot either. But heck if I know I've never coached Oline before
 
I would bet the farm that BF will not be the next head coach at Iowa.
After his name got dragged through the mud by some former Iowa players during that whole racial deal I find it hard to believe he would either... He's young enough that I could see him going somewhere else and becoming one and ending up back at Iowa as HC way down the road. But to just be handed the keys from daddy in a yr or 2 or 3 I can't see that happening now. I think Barta and KF might retire about the same time and a new AD would want to make their mark. But we'll see nothings happening in the immediate future
 
I read somewhere that Tom Brady has the quickest release in the NFL. I think its one of the most overlooked stats for QBs. Petras does not seem to have a quick release. Throw in the reality that when Petras moves sideways, he looks like he is stuck in mud, and he is going to get sacked more.
Our offense would improve dramaticlly if only Petras would get rid of the ball instead of taking sacks!!!
 
BF needs to go someplace else and learn to be a head coach before he takes over Iowa.

I agree with the general statement that he needs to learn more... but this is the exact kind of comment I was referring to when saying that some Iowa fans speak honestly about him being the next HC.

Can we please just step back from this idea of BF as our next head coach?? He's currently our OC and we honestly have one of the worst offenses in the country. What am I missing here?
 
I agree with the general statement that he needs to learn more... but this is the exact kind of comment I was referring to when saying that some Iowa fans speak honestly about him being the next HC.

Can we please just step back from this idea of BF as our next head coach?? He's currently our OC and we honestly have one of the worst offenses in the country. What am I missing here?
There is a pretty good chance it happens. He/both survived a pretty good challenge Politics means a lot. Poltically the team CEO holds a lot of power with the executive board (AD and Admin) Think back to our previous punter.

As mentioned before I live near Champaign and took my kids to the spring day for kids. I love soccer and spent some time with the kickers and got to kick a field goal (yes I'm bragging) walked up and nailed a high 47 yarder with a 2 step kick. I didn't get to try a longer one. They got to joking around with me and several off the special teams (not punters showed their stuff including punting). Some had been HS punters. They had 3 players that got off the biggest punts I've ever seen up close and personal and one guy ripped off one that seemed like it would leave the field. None of these guys were actually kickers/punters. My point is that NO WAY Iowa didn't have 5 or 6 guys better than the donor connected punter that were other position players.

Whether or not BF gets hired is not relevant to this board.

You are also missing that the OC works within the framework of the CEO of the team. At Universities, those in power honestly believe the process is more important than the outcome as long as acceptable goals are met. Admin's do not think like businessmen where outcomes are the bottom line.

BF did go rogue once and demolished that OSU.
 
Good points: poor performance as OC, rep perhaps tarnished by racial insensitivity. But no way I want him as the face of program based on personality and demeanor.

I feel we need to pass the ball on 1st down...ALOT! So far this year we've had more success using the pass to set up the run.

To me, Petras' biggest deficiency is that he goes brain dead once the play has started with respect to throwing the ball away.
 
I agree with the general statement that he needs to learn more... but this is the exact kind of comment I was referring to when saying that some Iowa fans speak honestly about him being the next HC.

Can we please just step back from this idea of BF as our next head coach?? He's currently our OC and we honestly have one of the worst offenses in the country. What am I missing here?
You're missing a hell of a lot.

Brian is a known commodity and would be a continuation of KF. I am not a BF fan, but I'd rather have him be the next head coach than take the 1,000,000 : 1 chance of finding a competent guy to take over. It's 99% luck. Nobody at LSU saw Saban and went, "Well, he flopped at Michigan State and had one decent season at Toledo, let's hire him because he's going to be the GOAT."

You people wanting to take some rando off the street and jeopardize 42 years of stability better be careful what you wish for. All things equal, which of the following options would you rather take a chance on?

Continued stability with Brian - 99% odds

Hiring a coach who will average 9-10 wins most years - 5% odds

Hiring a coach who will average .500 or worse and lead to a revolving coaching door - 95% odds

The only way I see the success we've had over the past two coaches continuing (remember, we don't feel it's all that successful but there are tons and tons of teams who would trade paces with us for this amount of stability) is if Kurt stayed on as AD like Alvarez did in Wisconsin, and we all know that ain't gonna happen. Name a more stable team in all of football over the same time span...

If we get a new HC not named Ferentz then everyone is gone. LeVar Woods, LaDell Betts, Brian, Kelvin Bell, PHIL PARKER, O'Keefe, Raymond Braithwaite...everyone. Everyone who has come up through the ranks learning this culture from the Hayden Fry days and how things are done here is out the door and you're getting a whole new culture, style of play, and you've lost that appeal to recruits of being a developmental program where anyone has a chance to rise up and play in the bigs. You get rid of Ferentz for an outsider, and the Hayden Fry era and culture is gonzo, baby. The Tigerhawk won't mean the same thing no matter how much you want it to because that kind of guy doesn't exist anymore. The closest you're going to get is to pass the keys down to someone who's lived it and breathed it already.

You dorks who want some fresh new paintjob of a coaching staff are out of your fucking minds. For every coach out there who can build a culture of winning the right way, there are 10,000 who don't have a fucking clue and who will tilt like a pinball machine. Use a little math and see that those odds are a real thing, no matter how good of a "fit" you think a staff is these days. If I told you there was a one in a thousand chance of you sticking your hand in a box to get a million bucks vs getting your hand chopped off would you do it? No way in hell. But you people wanting new staff think there's a predictability somewhere that makes it a smart bet. Fucking idiocy.

What if I said the odds somehow improved to 50:1 getting your hand cut off because we really did our research on a new coach...how 'bout then? Would you do it? I don't think any sane person would take 50;1 odds that a new hire coach would maintain Kirk's winning percentage in today's environment. Absolute stupidity and hubris. Show me 3 guys you think will be a good fit, and i'll show you 20 guys who were "the guy" at their respective programs and lasted 3 years before getting fired and starting the revolving door moving. Chances of us becoming the next nebraska are orders of magnitude higher than us continuing on with the 8-4 winning percentage we have now.
 
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