okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
Ferentz has better talent and our low admission standards, good facilities and rabid fanbase have allowed us to draw far better athletes than Northwestern.
Ferentz is very good at making minor changes in game in the trenches and many times we've seen just a tweak here or there really change the flow of the game. But Ferentz misses the big picture and is loathe to make a change at QB, whereas Fitz will readily pull his starter if he is ineffective and his backup QB is always prepped and ready to play.
Last night, Kain Colter was absolutely terrible throwing the ball and the Cats found themselves down 4 against a beatable foe. Fitz pulled Kain in favor of Siemian, who is a great passer but a mediocre runner. The offense got on track in a rain storm and Siemian took them down the field twice and put up 10 points in two drives in the fourth. Siemian had the game winner last week. 3 QBs played in Northwestern's win in Lincoln last year. In 2009 when we played the Cats, Mike Kafka was dinged and so Persastrong came in and they ran a 2 QB system that managed to beat Iowa in very ugly fashion (but they still won). When we went to our backup in that game, he mustered up 82 yards on a 9/27 performance.
The post-game interviews with our staff were telling. We heard things to the effect of "Well, our backup QB doesn't get any reps with the first string." Why the hell not? Northwestern is bound by the same practice restrictions as Iowa and they managed to get three QBs into their rotation last year. God help Iowa if we ever have a slew of injuries and need to go three deep.
Late in 2010, O'Keefe was also asked about JVB's progress. O'Keefe sounded angry and his response was something to the effect of "How the hell should I know how the backup QB looks? I never see him practice."
In 2008, we all had seen the JC experiment unwinding before our eyes, and the Pitt game in particular was one where Ricky was the better QB. Ricky moved the team in the first half, but was benched the entire second half in a game we lost by one stinking point where a win would have led to a 10 win season (assuming we still won our bowl game).
Yesterday's loss was a team effort, no doubt, but Ferentz and Co. have for the most part been good at making the tweaks, but categorically oblivious to making any macro changes. Sometimes a guy with lesser physical tools has better mental tools and the guy who is best in practice isn't always the best at game speed. Sometimes the starter just needs a series off to recoup in the face of serious heat. Sometimes the starter takes a big shot and needs a breather. Sometimes the starter is just having an off day. Query whether our staff has any ability whatsoever to make those macro changes like Fitz will make to try to spark the offense.
Ferentz is very good at making minor changes in game in the trenches and many times we've seen just a tweak here or there really change the flow of the game. But Ferentz misses the big picture and is loathe to make a change at QB, whereas Fitz will readily pull his starter if he is ineffective and his backup QB is always prepped and ready to play.
Last night, Kain Colter was absolutely terrible throwing the ball and the Cats found themselves down 4 against a beatable foe. Fitz pulled Kain in favor of Siemian, who is a great passer but a mediocre runner. The offense got on track in a rain storm and Siemian took them down the field twice and put up 10 points in two drives in the fourth. Siemian had the game winner last week. 3 QBs played in Northwestern's win in Lincoln last year. In 2009 when we played the Cats, Mike Kafka was dinged and so Persastrong came in and they ran a 2 QB system that managed to beat Iowa in very ugly fashion (but they still won). When we went to our backup in that game, he mustered up 82 yards on a 9/27 performance.
The post-game interviews with our staff were telling. We heard things to the effect of "Well, our backup QB doesn't get any reps with the first string." Why the hell not? Northwestern is bound by the same practice restrictions as Iowa and they managed to get three QBs into their rotation last year. God help Iowa if we ever have a slew of injuries and need to go three deep.
Late in 2010, O'Keefe was also asked about JVB's progress. O'Keefe sounded angry and his response was something to the effect of "How the hell should I know how the backup QB looks? I never see him practice."
In 2008, we all had seen the JC experiment unwinding before our eyes, and the Pitt game in particular was one where Ricky was the better QB. Ricky moved the team in the first half, but was benched the entire second half in a game we lost by one stinking point where a win would have led to a 10 win season (assuming we still won our bowl game).
Yesterday's loss was a team effort, no doubt, but Ferentz and Co. have for the most part been good at making the tweaks, but categorically oblivious to making any macro changes. Sometimes a guy with lesser physical tools has better mental tools and the guy who is best in practice isn't always the best at game speed. Sometimes the starter just needs a series off to recoup in the face of serious heat. Sometimes the starter takes a big shot and needs a breather. Sometimes the starter is just having an off day. Query whether our staff has any ability whatsoever to make those macro changes like Fitz will make to try to spark the offense.
