What did the anti-Ferentz Crowd Think of Saturday?

[okeefe4prez]

Hell no. Saban’s, Dabo’s and urbans aren’t coming out of the woodwork to coach Iowa.

And here's the thing - Dabo played at Bama and half of Clemson fans you talk to who aren't blinded by Dabo's success are scared shitless that the day Nick retires Dabo will be announced as his successor within 5 minutes and Clemson will fall back to normalcy. I just think of the times Ferentz had where he probably could have left and who the "hot" coaches were. They've pretty much all been fired.

Fitz is another guy who has opportunities but he has loyalty to his program even though he is realistic about its potential. I think at the end of the day a lot of good coaches would be better off staying somewhere with a normal 8-4 ceiling and collecting $4 million than chasing a title at a fallen blue blood. The problem is those fallen blue bloods will toss your ass on a whim.

 

[BigD]

College football is also consolidating more and more power around the blue bloods anyway. With the playoffs now, the odds of a great Iowa team, or even like a great Wisconsin team or MSU team of making the playoffs and then winning 2 games are slim to none. Wisconsin and MSU have been as good developmentally as any program in the country the last 10 years, and they simply don't have the talent and depth to beat two consecutive teams in the playoffs that recruit at an elite level that have 4* and 5* backups at every position. It is what it is, and if Iowa could become a 10+ win team more often, that is what I hope for.

I would be happy with that also. Also that it be more enjoyable to watch on offense. I’d rather lose playing a wildcat type of offense rather than ....................... well I don’t know how you describe what we do. Zone blocking, and an occasional pass to the tight end?

 

[Jonrn]

And here's the thing - Dabo played at Bama and half of Clemson fans you talk to who aren't blinded by Dabo's success are scared shitless that the day Nick retires Dabo will be announced as his successor within 5 minutes and Clemson will fall back to normalcy. I just think of the times Ferentz had where he probably could have left and who the "hot" coaches were. They've pretty much all been fired.

Fitz is another guy who has opportunities but he has loyalty to his program even though he is realistic about its potential. I think at the end of the day a lot of good coaches would be better off staying somewhere with a normal 8-4 ceiling and collecting $4 million than chasing a title at a fallen blue blood. The problem is those fallen blue bloods will toss your ass on a whim.

Yes and I think for this reason I’ve warmed to Brian over the past couple years. He’s not going to be the next Dabo, but he has grown up flooded with Iowa culture and roots and doing things the Iowa way (which I define as developing underrated and high character prospects/recruits). I think he has his dad’s character and ways, but also maybe a little more fire, charisma and emotion which I think is needed.

 

[BigD]

And here's the thing - Dabo played at Bama and half of Clemson fans you talk to who aren't blinded by Dabo's success are scared shitless that the day Nick retires Dabo will be announced as his successor within 5 minutes and Clemson will fall back to normalcy. I just think of the times Ferentz had where he probably could have left and who the "hot" coaches were. They've pretty much all been fired.

Fitz is another guy who has opportunities but he has loyalty to his program even though he is realistic about its potential. I think at the end of the day a lot of good coaches would be better off staying somewhere with a normal 8-4 ceiling and collecting $4 million than chasing a title at a fallen blue blood. The problem is those fallen blue bloods will toss your ass on a whim.

Totally agree with your last paragraph. Ferentz knows which side of his bread is buttered (a Hayden type analogy there). He knows he has fallen into a really good gig and he was never going to give it up to go to a blue blood program. I think the same could be said about the NFL.

 

[Jonrn]

Fair points.

It’s just hard to concede and give up the hope.

I agree and every year I fantasize about making that playoff trip, but we are not south of the mason Dixon line and 5 Star recruits aren’t coming to rescue this team. Look how impressive AJE is, not imagine you are Clemson, Alabama or Georgia and those guys make up most of your team. I love Easley, vandeberg and now groeneweg, but as small town former walk-ons they hardly play in the same universe as a WR crew in the upper echelons of the SEC.

 

[NoBeer]

How many of our coaches are wanted by other programs? Not many. That says something.

This is a weak hot take.

1) Ferentz clearly has a spoken or unspoken agreement with his coordinators... you don't jump ship and I'll never fire you. For the most part that has been true with very few exceptions. People outside the program know that and know they would be wasting their time. Phil Parker could be a mid major head coach already and working his way to a P5 job IMO. He's every bit the coach that Narduzzi is. If Narduzzi can coach at Pitt, Phil could be at a similar program.
2) Not every work environment is the same. At the end of the day coaching is a job and you have to like your employer. I bet Iowa is a good place to work.

 

[tksirius]

This is a weak hot take.

1) Ferentz clearly has a spoken or unspoken agreement with his coordinators... you don't jump ship and I'll never fire you. For the most part that has been true with very few exceptions. People outside the program know that and know they would be wasting their time. Phil Parker could be a mid major head coach already and working his way to a P5 job IMO. He's every bit the coach that Narduzzi is. If Narduzzi can coach at Pitt, Phil could be at a similar program.
2) Not every work environment is the same. At the end of the day coaching is a job and you have to like your employer. I bet Iowa is a good place to work.

Will he never fire them or will he? Lol

 

[taffaej]

Great topic Rob.

It was ruff... to muster only 3 points the first half shows the lack of preparation that went into the game. It shows the lack of ability to coach on the sidelines and make changes on the fly.

Yes we had a few younger players in their and a real game is much different that practice but we had players out of position at linebacker and DB. As the game went along we moved a few player around, in and out and found a better combination but isn't that what all of the practices are for? This is not the first second or third time the coaches have had the wrong players in the game.

As in most games we wore them out in the second half and that credit goes to coach Doyle and his crew. We shouldn't have needed a second half.

I am NOT anti-Ferentz, I am anti terrible football, anti average football.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

The other 1985 starting receiver, Scott Helverson, was a walk on as well.

In fact, he didn't go on scholarship until late in his redshirt sophomore year.

Bill Happel in high school may have been a better defensive back than receiver.

Let's not forget, though, that the WR scholly situation was due to The Greatness of Willie Guy waiting in the wings. I started going gray by the time he finally made it to Iowa City!

 

[BigD]

Sadly I think that yes, it is too much. We see it every week, Iowa coaches are unable to get top receiving talent to Iowa city, and watching a team run a more spread offense with no talent is horrific. You end up with Nebraska or Minnesota last year. Iowa’s pro-style offense can be infuriating, but with 3rd rate receivers and RBs its all we can hope for.

Another advantage those SEC players get is $1500 handshakes from boosters while the Iowa players only get $100 handshakes. Yes, I wasnt happy to hear about the $100 handshakes but former Hawkeyes I have talked to have said it happens. Do I really get upset about it while the BTN pours in hundreds of millions in profit off of the efforts of these young college students? Nope

I just don’t get the Saban affect. Alabama was down for a
long, long time. Saban was just moderately successful at other programs before going to Bama then BAMMMMMM instant dinasty. Somethings wrong with this picture.

 

[hunter3553]

sarcasm.

But no, I miss the year where we had Tate and down to our 17th running back. That was college football. Run to open up the pass. Get your skill players the ball. Open it up. That was the best year of the Ferentz era. The year where he couldn't play offense like he wanted.....

That year definitely wasn't better than 2002. Did you even watch football that year they definitely didn't "run to open the pass"

 

[hunter3553]

Give any coach enough time, he'll have the most wins in program history.

So Bo Schembechler was a fraud as well at Michigan? It took him 21 years to become Michigan's winning-est coach, oh and he also has the most loses as well.

 

[okeefe4prez]

Another advantage those SEC players get is $1500 handshakes from boosters while the Iowa players only get $100 handshakes. Yes, I wasnt happy to hear about the $100 handshakes but former Hawkeyes I have talked to have said it happens. Do I really get upset about it while the BTN pours in hundreds of millions in profit off of the efforts of these young college students? Nope

I just don’t get the Saban affect. Alabama was down for a
long, long time. Saban was just moderately successful at other programs before going to Bama then BAMMMMMM instant dinasty. Somethings wrong with this picture.

Saban won a title at LSU, dude. He got MSU up to 9 wins in his last year and they were on probation due to Perles when Saban took over. He wasn't just "moderately successful." Saban is a slightly less risk averse version of Ferentz with a vastly superior recruiting base.

 

[BigD]

So Bo Schembechler was a fraud as well at Michigan? It took him 21 years to become Michigan's winning-est coach, oh and he also has the most loses as well.

I liked Bo. Hard nosed SOB and no participation trophy talk from that guy. There is just something fun about beating Michigan or Ohio State. I am still chuckling over how we pummeled the buckeyes last season. Eat dirt Urban!!!

 

[okeefe4prez]

Phil Parker could be a mid major head coach already and working his way to a P5 job IMO. He's every bit the coach that Narduzzi is. If Narduzzi can coach at Pitt, Phil could be at a similar program.

Illinois football has made a lot of mistakes, but not hiring Phil Parker when they hired Lovie Smith has to be right up there as one of the biggest. Parker has coached up more diamond in the rough kids than anyone in P5 football and would have given them just the guy they need to lock down the kids out in the country in Illinois and some decent Chicago area kids and get back to at least mediocrity.

 

[DBAHawkFan]

I am NOT anti-Ferentz, I am anti terrible football, anti average football.

This is more in line with how I feel, though I am struggling to separate the fact that we play a boring terrible offense and yet that isn't related at all to our head coach.

KF has decided, and decided a while ago that this is the Iowa football fingerprint. We will not out-scheme you, we are going to do the same 12 plays every week and hope for the best.

As for my thoughts on this past game. It was crap. I had to go to a bar to watch since my cable provider was carrying the PSU game, and there were quite a few Iowa fans around. Nobody was really even watching the game after the first half. Everyone had any joy sucked out of them by that performance, one that we see week in and week out, year in and year out.

Yes, they came out and played better in the 2nd half. It also helps that the teams we play seem to have horrible passing attacks. NIU could have done more damage on the ground, but they'd go away from it to try something cute in the air.

In the end, our weight advantage on the lines won out. That is something that won't happen once we get into Big10, and I'm concerned our offense won't get more than the 66 yards we put up last time against WI.

The biggest issue of all of this, and goes back to the quote. Iowa plays BORING football. It's not fun to watch. Iowa always looks like it's 10 years behind in development, blocking, passing, CATCHING.....but then we put it together for one game a year (last year OSU) and people think it's the norm instead of fluke it is.

 

[BigD]

Saban won a title at LSU, dude. He got MSU up to 9 wins in his last year and they were on probation due to Perles when Saban took over. He wasn't just "moderately successful." Saban is a slightly less risk averse version of Ferentz with a vastly superior recruiting base.

Nine wins to me is moderately successful. Things change when you go down south to any SEC school. The Big Ten Standards are more stringent as far as academics.

Even at MSU or LSU he didn’t come close to what he is doing at Bama.

 

[hawkeyebob62]

So Bo Schembechler was a fraud as well at Michigan? It took him 21 years to become Michigan's winning-est coach, oh and he also has the most loses as well.

Excellent point. Great post!

 

[okeefe4prez]

We will not out-scheme you, we are going to do the same 12 plays every week and hope for the best.

There is actually a lot of nuance in Iowa's offense. Davis had too much nuance with those weird option passing routes he had that required independent reads, but Iowa's offense actually does have a fair amount of nuance.

 

[okeefe4prez]

Nine wins to me is moderately successful. Things change when you go down south to any SEC school. The Big Ten Standards are more stringent as far as academics.

Even at MSU or LSU he didn’t come close to what he is doing at Bama.

Dude, if Iowa has probation that includes recruiting restrictions and a scholarship restriction and goes on to win 9 games (MSU won 10 that year because they beat Florida in a bowl game and that was back in the 11 game seasons) I would think it was a miracle. Shit, the guy beat Michigan and Ohio State in the same year. He got TJ Duckett and Plaxico Burress to go to East Lansing. That is not mediocrity, bud. And winning the title at LSU is not mediocrity. He left LSU for the pros, otherwise he might be in the midst of a ridiculous streak of titles there.