Wadley's transformation

I didn't read all the comments so if someone referred to this already, I apologize..

Maybe this a larger part of why Iowa doesn't get more of the "top talents" in recruiting than we think we should. I think Kirk sees what he knows is important in a kid. He wants kids that will work hard and trust his coaching and guidance. He wants the kids that he can develop on his own. Maybe he doesn't even want a lot of those 4 star kids because they maybe some of them have developed bad habits and relied on their talent. I don't know. This obviously isn't the case for every situation, but I do wonder this all the time about why Iowa doesn't get loads of 4 and 5 star Lineman because we are a known Offensive Line NFL Factory. So if you are a 4 star lineman, why aren't you coming to play for a NFL line coach as your head coach? Maybe because he'd rather have the 2 and 3 star kids... i don't know. Interesting to think about
 
Hawkfnntn said:
Well his reason for quitting and wanting to leave was his sick father I believe right? Hardly something to label one as a quitter over that's a bit harsh... Unless you don't believe that. I can see how something like that would tear a kid up. Making life decisions under those conditions can't be easy. I wasn't in on any of those sit down meetings so who knows what those conditions were and how reasonable they were or weren't. At that point it was up to DW to decide how much he wanted to still be a Hawk or not. I think KF was well within his rights to do what he did. And DW his to decide to not stay. At the end of the day that's what it boils down to. I just think calling the kid a quitter in blanket kind of way isn't completely fair to him since we just don't know enough..
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If his fathers health played a large role in his decision to quit then I understand. I'm just not convinced that's the case. There was so much speculation and the comments that eventually came out about him not being happy with his playing time prove that there was more going on than just his father's health troubles. In that situation, it would be convenient to say I'm leaving because of my fathers health as opposed to I'm leaving because I'm not happy with my playing time.

Did moving to Texas and going to Texas Tech bring him closer to his Dad?
 
deanvogs said:
Lol, no dice. He was 3rd string behind 2 much better players
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And he had a little bit of success at Louisiana Tech. It's not like he went to LSU and tore it up, it's Louisiana Tech. I don't blame the guy for leaving because he was 3rd string and wouldn't have seen the field. This will always happen in this day in age. Anyone who would hold that against KF does not understand college athletics.
 
DP5555 said:
If his fathers health played a large role in his decision to quit then I understand. I'm just not convinced that's the case. There was so much speculation and the comments that eventually came out about him not being happy with his playing time prove that there was more going on than just his father's health troubles. In that situation, it would be convenient to say I'm leaving because of my fathers health as opposed to I'm leaving because I'm not happy with my playing time.

Did moving to Texas and going to Texas Tech bring him closer to his Dad?
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Well I believe some time went by and his Dad ended up not being in as rough of shape too. So sure if you believe the internet rumors that PT was his main gripe then there's that angle on it. And it is true that he'd mentioned that to a degree cause I think CJ acknowledged as much at one point. I can't remember now where his Dad was I think AZ or somewhere that direction but I forget now. It's fair to say that may have been a factor but I won't say it was the largest beings his fathers health was involved. I just give that benefit of the doubt to him. Whether that makes me naïve or not..
 
Hawkfnntn said:
Well I believe some time went by and his Dad ended up not being in as rough of shape too. So sure if you believe the internet rumors that PT was his main gripe then there's that angle on it. And it is true that he'd mentioned that to a degree cause I think CJ acknowledged as much at one point. I can't remember now where his Dad was I think AZ or somewhere that direction but I forget now. It's fair to say that may have been a factor but I won't say it was the largest beings his fathers health was involved. I just give that benefit of the doubt to him. Whether that makes me naïve or not..
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I don't know that the reason really matters because it was an isolated incident. If we had guys who we all felt were really talented every year, then yes I think it would be fair to say there is a problem with the style of coaching. Sometimes it just doesn't work out, and a guy moves on. I loved what I saw from Willies in limited action, but it doesn't sound like it was a fit for both parties, so it's beyond time to move on. I know that DW isn't the point of the thread but he just keeps coming up, so I felt like giving my two cents :)
 
Hawkfnntn said:
Well I believe some time went by and his Dad ended up not being in as rough of shape too. So sure if you believe the internet rumors that PT was his main gripe then there's that angle on it. And it is true that he'd mentioned that to a degree cause I think CJ acknowledged as much at one point. I can't remember now where his Dad was I think AZ or somewhere that direction but I forget now. It's fair to say that may have been a factor but I won't say it was the largest beings his fathers health was involved. I just give that benefit of the doubt to him. Whether that makes me naïve or not..
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I think his Dad was in or around the Vegas area if I remember right. FWIW.

I agree with DJL though. Didn't mean to derail the thread talking about Willies again. My point was simply that Ferentz isn't the kind of guy who is going to have unfair expectations for a player. He and a player may not see eye to eye, but there's always a reason behind his expectations and that reason is usually Ferentz simply wanting to do what he believes is in the players best interest. 18-22 year old kids don't always want to hear that though and they certainly aren't always going to agree.
 
I think that ultimately what KF does is try to get the most out of these kids. You simply can't play someone who isn't putting in the work that they need in order to become the best player than can be. As a coach the most meaningful thing you can dangle in front of a player is playing time. Put in the work, do what we ask and you will see the field. That is how it works, and should work in both the real world and on the college football field. Unfortunately we have become so accustomed to really gifted athletes skating by on talent alone, because many are willing to let them do that.

Back to the point though, I have a feeling we are really going to have fun watching Wadley the next two years at RB. He now has the size and build to get 15-20 touches a game, and he is going to make some HUGE plays for us this year.
 
deanvogs said:
I think that ultimately what KF does is try to get the most out of these kids. You simply can't play someone who isn't putting in the work that they need in order to become the best player than can be. As a coach the most meaningful thing you can dangle in front of a player is playing time. Put in the work, do what we ask and you will see the field. That is how it works, and should work in both the real world and on the college football field. Unfortunately we have become so accustomed to really gifted athletes skating by on talent alone, because many are willing to let them do that.

Back to the point though, I have a feeling we are really going to have fun watching Wadley the next two years at RB. He now has the size and build to get 15-20 touches a game, and he is going to make some HUGE plays for us this year.
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I will agree that KF more then most subscribes to that style of running a program. Winning and losing does factor in here though. Which is why much to his angst he played DJK a lot...
I agree that Wadley will be great his speed vision cutting and overall quickness are the things that can't be taught. 15 touches a game would be perfect for him. With Daniels getting about that to 20 as well.
 
I wonder if Wadley still carries the football with him wherever he goes, challenging people to catch him unaware and knock it out.
 
DP5555 said:
Do you really think there's a chance that what Kirk was asking of Willies was unfair? Just hypothetically speaking without knowing the details of the situation do you really think that Kirk would do that?

Again, hypothetically speaking without knowing the details, I would guess that Kirk wanted DW to be a man. He wanted him to understand that the world doesn't revolve around him no matter how talented he is. He is still expected to perform his duties just like everyone else on the team and if he's falling short of that then it's his fault he isn't getting the kind of playing time he expected. If he chose to leave the program mid-season then he isn't going to simply be welcomed back with open arms just because he's talented. What does that teach the kid? It teaches him the same thing he's learned his entire life... that he can do things his way because his talent is so great that no one cares otherwise. That's not Kirk's style. Kirk does care otherwise. He cares about what kind of person you are and the person you are going to become. I have little doubt that he explained to Willies what he would need to do in order to regain his position on the team, and Willies didn't feel like it was a reasonable request so he decided to go in a different direction.

Chances are 10 years from now DW will probably look back on the circumstance and realize what Kirk was trying to do for him. He was a quitter. I don't make special rules for talented quitters. I don't expect Ferentz to either. A quitter is a quitter in my book. He let his team down because he was putting himself before the team. That isn't going to work in Iowa City. That's not the way they run the program. You wonder why a guy like DJK was in the doghouse his entire career? He was all about himself. That's where that story begins and ends.
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Funny, each time someone speculates that it could be ferentz' fault, even if only partially, you pull out the "do you really think ferentz..." card. Then you go on to print nothing but pure speculation on why "it" is always the player's fault. Saint Ferentz.

If you believe Ferentz is human, then you believe he is faulty, just like the rest of us, and makes mistakes. Regarding Willies, the offense should have revolved around him and CJ. Instead it revolved around JR and MW. You do what you have to to keep DW.
 
ArvadaHawk said:
Funny, each time someone speculates that it could be ferentz' fault, even if only partially, you pull out the "do you really think ferentz..." card. Then you go on to print nothing but pure speculation on why "it" is always the player's fault. Saint Ferentz.

If you believe Ferentz is human, then you believe he is faulty, just like the rest of us, and makes mistakes. Regarding Willies, the offense should have revolved around him and CJ. Instead it revolved around JR and MW. You do what you have to to keep DW.
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LOL, revolve the offense around DW? Come on Arvada, dude wasn't even good enough to be one of the top 2 WR at the time. He wasn't anywhere near close to KMM and Smith. He was splitting time with Powell, MVB and Hillyer. Heck a 6 man WR rotation is pretty short really. He was getting about as much time on the field as he showed he deserved. The very last thing you do is give special treatment to a RS FR because he things he da man, and is above the team.

KF isn't a Saint, and he has certainly made a ton of mistakes and he would tell you as much himself. Yet if you look at History, it will tell you KF is perfectly fine with players coming to him and quitting the team. Pat Angerer did just that. LTP did just that. Sean Welsh did just that. I'm sure many others have done the same. KF handles those situation pretty well. Contrast that to how DW handled it. He quit the team through social media. He asked back on the team through social media. He sat down with KF to try to get back on the team, and he left yet again. Maybe I'm a rocket scientist, and can connect the dots, and come to a logical conclusion, because it seems that many can't do this.
 
ArvadaHawk said:
Funny, each time someone speculates that it could be ferentz' fault, even if only partially, you pull out the "do you really think ferentz..." card. Then you go on to print nothing but pure speculation on why "it" is always the player's fault. Saint Ferentz.

If you believe Ferentz is human, then you believe he is faulty, just like the rest of us, and makes mistakes. Regarding Willies, the offense should have revolved around him and CJ. Instead it revolved around JR and MW. You do what you have to to keep DW.
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Funny you just proved yourself to be a moron. DW, at that point in his career, didn't know the offense. Did you even watch the games? Yet, you would run your offense through the guy. Genius!
 
ArvadaHawk said:
Funny, each time someone speculates that it could be ferentz' fault, even if only partially, you pull out the "do you really think ferentz..." card. Then you go on to print nothing but pure speculation on why "it" is always the player's fault. Saint Ferentz.

If you believe Ferentz is human, then you believe he is faulty, just like the rest of us, and makes mistakes. Regarding Willies, the offense should have revolved around him and CJ. Instead it revolved around JR and MW. You do what you have to to keep DW.
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No question KF has made mistakes, and he has really frustrated me with some decisions over the years, but to say the offense should have revolved around DW is an outrageous statement. Surely you can't be serious???
 
Is it a given that the hard worker starts over the slacker with more talent?

I am not so sure. If the slacker still does more to help the team win than the hard worker, he will play. I truly do believe the coaches convince themselves, sometimes with good reason, that the hard worker, the one who does what he is told to do, gives the team a better chance to win.
 
guffus said:
Is it a given that the hard worker starts over the slacker with more talent?

I am not so sure. If the slacker still does more to help the team win than the hard worker, he will play. I truly do believe the coaches convince themselves, sometimes with good reason, that the hard worker, the one who does what he is told to do, gives the team a better chance to win.
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My instincts tell me that most of the time at Iowa, the slacker doesn't really get played over the hard worker, despite talent levels. I think the biggest exception to this is probably DJK, who had a bit of a reputation of kinda sliding by on talent alone. I think Wegher may have been the same way. Both ended up with their own version of trouble as a result. I think that the "hard work" mantra isn't just hard work in the weight room, but, to some extent, a reflection of simply working hard in all aspects (citizenship included). It would seem to explain the staff's desire to get Darby to prep school, Willies quitting, Wadley's time in the doghouse over not meeting weight goals, DJK insisting that KF and co. submarined his career, etc.
 
I don't think Iowa has ever 'revolved' their offense around a WR before have they? I think Kasper caught a bunch of balls (relatively speaking) at Iowa his SR year for KF. But that'd be about the closest to it. So DW would have had to be really special for that to have happened and there'd have to have been no running game to speak of. Even the year Tate had no running game they spread it around a lot. DW may end up being pretty darn good but that doesn't mean Iowa would have revolved their offense just to force feed him. So long as Iowa can run the ball and has TEs that are good. (Both are usually the case) Iowa's just not going to have a single receiver catching 80 plus balls they just spread it around too much.
 
HawkInATX said:
My instincts tell me that most of the time at Iowa, the slacker doesn't really get played over the hard worker, despite talent levels. I think the biggest exception to this is probably DJK, who had a bit of a reputation of kinda sliding by on talent alone. I think Wegher may have been the same way. Both ended up with their own version of trouble as a result. I think that the "hard work" mantra isn't just hard work in the weight room, but, to some extent, a reflection of simply working hard in all aspects (citizenship included). It would seem to explain the staff's desire to get Darby to prep school, Willies quitting, Wadley's time in the doghouse over not meeting weight goals, DJK insisting that KF and co. submarined his career, etc.
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I don't think DJK's issues had anything to do with his work ethic. Everything I've heard about him suggest he was a monster in the weight room and obviously didn't seem to take many plays off when on the field. I'm sure 99% of his problems stemmed from his 'social life' and/or attitude.
 
AdamHawk said:
I don't think DJK's issues had anything to do with his work ethic. Everything I've heard about him suggest he was a monster in the weight room and obviously didn't seem to take many plays off when on the field. I'm sure 99% of his problems stemmed from his 'social life' and/or attitude.
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He definitely wasn't afraid of hard work. He was a beast in the weight room. He just liked to pick and choose when he applied himself and that didn't fly well with Ferentz.

His off the field behavior didn't help things either.
 
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