Why does KF not like to be held accountable?

[mgr4hawks]

Not a clue? But with us paying him 4 mill per year gives anyone the right to question anything he does. O'keefe needs to lose his job.

 

[theiowahawkeye]

Numerous special teams gaffes cost the Hawks against Wisconsin; it was the only area on the field where Wisconsin was better.

Are you seriously going to blame the players for that fake punt? The COACHING STAFF failed to call for punt safe - just like BB knew they would. Yes, they were predictable - and it cost us that game. No, that loss most certainly was not due to a lack of execution. It was a lack of coaching.

 

[HawksFlyHigh]

I haven't read through the rest of this thread, so maybe some will echo my comments.

Who are you to say it isn't?

None of the losses this year came when Iowa just get completely blown off the field - in all five, Iowa made enough mistakes to leave the door open, and in all five, the opponent took advantage of the opportunity.

Hell, in all five games, it came down to execution - or rather, the lack of it.

Special teams **** the bed against Arizona, giving away 14 points in a game Iowa lost by a touchdown.

Numerous special teams gaffes cost the Hawks against Wisconsin; it was the only area on the field where Wisconsin was better.

Offense the has the ball with 6 minutes to go against NW with a chance to get some first downs and kill the clock, they don't do it.

Same for Ohio State, same thing for Minnesota.

In four of those five games (Arizona being the exception) Iowa had the ball - and the lead - past the halfway mark of the 4th quarter. In every instance, neither unit did their job. You can say that's on the coaches, I can say it's on the players.

Kirk has fallen on the sword MANY times in the past, so it's odd that you pick now to say the he refuses to accept accountablilty. It simply isn't true.

I agree with your prmise that players need to make the plays. Execution is the name of the game.

But you can't absolve Ferentz and the staff this year. They have done a poor job adjusting, especially in late game scenarios. Especially considering the situations.

They deserve the criticism they are getting. The players do as well, although it would be hard to keep listen when you're getting beat the same way and your coach does nothing about it.

 

[ShadasRevenge]

Are you seriously going to blame the players for that fake punt? The COACHING STAFF failed to call for punt safe - just like BB knew they would. Yes, they were predictable - and it cost us that game. No, that loss most certainly was not due to a lack of execution. It was a lack of coaching.

Interesting interpretation there, considering I never mentioned the fake punt at all. I'm thinking more of the PAT the got blocked or the botched snap on a field goal - you know, the four points Iowa left on the field in a game they lost by one.

Getting a PAT blocked and botching a snap on a field goal is certainly not coaching. It's execution.

 

[PatrickAdamovicz]

Because he is smart enough to know that he has the University of Iowa by the balls.

He understands that it would be very difficult for Iowa to find a better coach and one that would stay even with offers to leave.

He also understands that the Iowa FB program is one bad hire away from being a bottom level B10 program, just like the BB team.

Its a tough situation for fans to deal with. Mainly because donations from season ticket holders go to the athletic budget which is where he gets his salary. Directly or indirectly, fans are paying his salary, yet he doesn't have to answer to them or like the original poster said, he gives a smart *** remark.

I disagree with this! Big Time! Iowa has a sustained program. Has been for 30 years now. Not to mention a banged out stadium, with good facilities and a load of money funneled toward it. This isn't 1970. Oh and btw, a 3.5 million dollar salary to boot.

 

[ShadasRevenge]

I agree with your prmise that players need to make the plays. Execution is the name of the game.

But you can't absolve Ferentz and the staff this year. They have done a poor job adjusting, especially in late game scenarios. Especially considering the situations.

They deserve the criticism they are getting. The players do as well, although it would be hard to keep listen when you're getting beat the same way and your coach does nothing about it.

I'm not. My greater point (which I did not articulate well) is that there is enough blame to go around for everyone to get a big piece. From coaching, special teams, defense, offense - the collapse was a collective effort. You can't pin the blame on any one person or unit.

Perhaps the lack of adjustments being made on defense was due to lack of experienced personnel at key positions.

Believe me, I'm just as frustrated and upset as anyone else is.

 

[Bigtenchamp]

It is actually the opposite. It works with poor offenses because it forces the other team to earn their way down the field, thus shortening the game and shortening the game, and taking away potential scoring opportunities.

What makes Indy's defense go is that Peyton gives them a lead alot, and their pass rush off the edge is one of the quickest in the game. They get a pass rush with four more than we do due to the speed of their edge.

Can you give me an example? I don't know the types of defenses that major colleges run.

But I really think you are off there (though i get your logic)

Ball control defense is never a philosophy I have ever heard in my life - that the DEFENSE is trying to shorten the game for the offense. That would lead to a tired, pounded, ineffective defense.

I get your logic dude but that's just never anything I've ever heard of. The cover two defense is basically the idea that you soley use your defensive line to stop the run and pass rush and drop your LB's. This type of defense used to be the fad but now is pretty dormant in the NFL (things goin in cycles)

If you look at alot of Defensive dominant NFL teams they run blitzing packages and have a offense that runs the ball alot

Pittsburgh
Balitmore
Tennesee
Giants

 

[clicheusername3]

Can you give me an example? I don't know the types of defenses that major colleges run.

But I really think you are off there (though i get your logic)

Ball control defense is never a philosophy I have ever heard in my life - that the DEFENSE is trying to shorten the game for the offense. That would lead to a tired, pounded, ineffective defense.

I get your logic dude but that's just never anything I've ever heard of. The cover two defense is basically the idea that you soley use your defensive line to stop the run and pass rush and drop your LB's. This type of defense used to be the fad but now is pretty dormant in the NFL (things goin in cycles)

If you look at alot of Defensive dominant NFL teams they run blitzing packages and have a offense that runs the ball alot

Pittsburgh
Balitmore
Tennesee
Giants

The cover 2 is now about 5 years old and the NFL has moved on because offenses adjusted to it. Thats the problem. Iowa doesn't adjust with the times. Offenses are ahead right now in CFB, and they are WAY ahead of Iowa's antiquated defense. It's evolve or become extinct, and Iowa is not evolving their offense or defense. And screw anyone that brings up USC and whoever else runs a pro-style offense I don't want to hear about it because Iowa isn't USC or any other team for that matter because every pro-style offense isn't created equal.

 

[silvanthalas]

In four of those five games (Arizona being the exception) Iowa had the ball - and the lead - past the halfway mark of the 4th quarter.

And if we could score more than 2 offensive touchdowns each against Indiana, Northwestern, and Minnesota, then it wouldn't have come down to the last possession of the game.

 

[ShadasRevenge]

And if we could score more than 2 offensive touchdowns each against Indiana, Northwestern, and Minnesota, then it wouldn't have come down to the last possession of the game.

Very true. Not really sure if you're agreeing with me or not.

 

[HawksFlyHigh]

Can you give me an example? I don't know the types of defenses that major colleges run.

But I really think you are off there (though i get your logic)

Ball control defense is never a philosophy I have ever heard in my life - that the DEFENSE is trying to shorten the game for the offense. That would lead to a tired, pounded, ineffective defense.

I get your logic dude but that's just never anything I've ever heard of. The cover two defense is basically the idea that you soley use your defensive line to stop the run and pass rush and drop your LB's. This type of defense used to be the fad but now is pretty dormant in the NFL (things goin in cycles)

If you look at alot of Defensive dominant NFL teams they run blitzing packages and have a offense that runs the ball alot

Pittsburgh
Balitmore
Tennesee
Giants

The 2006 Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings before they got Brett Favre.

Less and less teams are running it anymore because it is not as effective in modern day football.

 

[hawkeyz10]

Iowa is one bad hire away from being in the same or worse position that Michigan, Tennessee or Notre Dame is in right now...Traditional power houses with national title history, that are floundering badly.

If things can change that dramatically at places that have deeper pockets than Iowa, bigger recruiting advantages than Iowa, a better platform for success than at Iowa, they sure as hell can happen at Iowa real quickly.

People assume that this is the new 'floor'...that winning 27 games over three years is the baseline of what we should expect every year.

Sorry, but you are creating your own problem and you are emoting it to everyone else, then you need to check yourself.

That doesn't mean that this year wasn't a disappointment. It also doesn't mean that last year is some norm, either.

Georgia barely got to 6-6 this year after a disappointing season last year. Florida is 7-5. Texas is 5-7. Tennessee is 6-6. Notre Dame is 7-5. USC is 7-5.

These programs have so many more advantages than Iowa it would choke a billy goat. Their fans are disappointed too, but these are not apples to apples comparisons. Iowa is the interloper, in a pure college football aristocracy point of view, on this list.

For a number of reasons, this team didn't have it this year. I am writing up as many things as I can think of as to why that might have been, and then we can look at it and talk about what we think the real problems were, etc.

But I remain steadfastly convinced, as do most people I speak with that live in the football world, that Kirk Ferentz is in the cream of the crop, and especially for Iowa.

Some will scoff at this, some will say I am kissing his *** or whatever. I really don't care what you think of me, otherwise I would have been long gone by now doing something else. It's what I believe, given the obstacles Iowa has to overcome in this sport, and how well they have done that under Ferentz.

You can hope for more, but when your basis for expectations is on a foundation of hope with little material evidence beyond speculation, that's on you.

It still doesn't white wash this year; things were set up to do much better than they did, and they didn't get over.

But people are acting like this program has been a chronic disappointment under Ferentz, which is BS, plain and simple.

Jon - I don't agree with everything you say, but I have always agreed with what you say in this post. KF is extremely frustrating for many reasons, but if the next 10 years are the same as the last 10, then I will be extremely happy. Still waiting for you to point out what you saw on Saturday that causes you to believe many of the players did not quit on KF.

 

[ShadasRevenge]

He does not get paid to answer questions. He is paid to coach football.

And this notion of these "softball" questions are ridiculous. I often times sit in on the press conferences at the Football Complex and if he doesn't want to answer a question, he dodges it or gives a very, very, VERY brief answer.

But (we) the press do try. More than many of you think.

This small sampling of your posts suggests you're more of a fan than a member of the press.

I don't think any of the above reasons are correct.

Let's stop making Kirk out to be some villain. He's not.

However the OP brings up a great point that myself and others have thought about as well. Kirk is not accountable. The entire coaching staff is not accountable. When we contentiously failed in close games in his time here, something needs to change. We all know the players change at least every four years.

When you have this much talent and go 7-5, something needs to change.

11-2 was nice, but Kirk said it himself we were a few plays away from being 7-5.

Well, 11-2 once every 7 years isn't going to cut it for me. I demand much more ROI.

Tell us what that is. We're all aware that Iowa lived on the edge and survived in 2009, and that they lived on that same edge in 2010 and did not. The difference between this year and last is the players (on both sides of the ball) didn't come through when they needed to. Yes, the coaches made some major gaffes, but in every instance where you want to point that out, I can point out three or four where if the players had just done their jobs, the coaching would not be an issue.

What ROI are you referring to? If you're a member of the press, you don't pay to get into games, and you sit in the press box, right?

Like I've said, they get asked and he dodges them. You can't force someone to say something they don't want to say. Kirk is a smart man. He knows how the media works.

Give me a REALISTIC question to ask him tomorrow and I'll do my best.

You don't insult a coach of slam him and expect any respect or cordial answer by the way. So let's all remember that.

My question I have prepared is "While the execution has obviously been a factor in the losses, do you think the coaches could change anything or be doing anything different to help the players execute better?"

As a member of the press, you obviously know that there is no press conference tomorrow.

 

[seepig]

Players and coaches need to be held accountable. If coaches are stupid enough to put the punt return personnel in instead of the punt safe folks they deserve what they get with the WI game. Bottomline last year was a boom and this year was a bust. In boom years things just go right no matter what you do wrong...in bust years things go against you but as coaches you don't just accept it you try and do SOMETHING to shake the troops up get them out of the doldrums. This coaching staff has clearly demonstrated they are going to run the same damn things regardless and that is either arrogance or stupidity and I don't think Kirk or his staff is STUPID. I agree with those that have stated if we could get the next 10 years like the past 10 we'd all be pretty happy. Now that means we should expect 2 more Big Ten titles and that concerns me...I don't see it in our future.

 

[ShadasRevenge]

Players and coaches need to be held accountable. If coaches are stupid enough to put the punt return personnel in instead of the punt safe folks they deserve what they get with the WI game. Bottomline last year was a boom and this year was a bust. In boom years things just go right no matter what you do wrong...in bust years things go against you but as coaches you don't just accept it you try and do SOMETHING to shake the troops up get them out of the doldrums. This coaching staff has clearly demonstrated they are going to run the same damn things regardless and that is either arrogance or stupidity and I don't think Kirk or his staff is STUPID. I agree with those that have stated if we could get the next 10 years like the past 10 we'd all be pretty happy. Now that means we should expect 2 more Big Ten titles and that concerns me...I don't see it in our future.

And if the players are smart enough to not get a PAT blocked or handle a long snap properly, Iowa isn't in that position in the first place.

The fake punt is an easy target, and one that the coaching staff certainly deserves criticism for. That being said, that one play is not the only reason Iowa lost that day.

 

[seepig]

Totally agree with you Shadas...my giving that one example is just that one small example and your examples are also small examples any of those things go right and we may have walked away with a win. The major point in my post was agreeing with the earlier post that if the next 10 years go as the last 10 we'd be pretty happy because I don't think KF's group are stupid but I think being unwilling to change makes them arrogant and I think arrogance is going to cost them games along with poor execution and concentration by players. I do stand by my final statement that I don't think we'll see 2 more Big Ten titles under the Ferentz regime especially with Nebraska entering the picture. I'll even go one step further in stating that Ferentz and this staff will never take Iowa to the Big Ten Championship game. Mark my words.

 

[VenturaAce]

Not sure why fans thirst for some kind of self-flagellation by KF, as if him coming out and apologizing would change a darn thing about this past season.
If changes are needed he will not make a big production ...he will just quietly change the approach in the offseason.

I understand your point, but there are 59,000+ season ticket holders that have more than a little bit of a sour taste in their mouth from a p!ss poor effort down the stretch. To think we had Wisky and OSU both beat at home to only lose plus the NW and Minnesota debacles, and be a WR drop in the endzone away from losing to Indiana, leaves you more than baffled about where the team and coach's heads were at. The idea of a quiet change between now and next September sounds really cool...except I kind of expected that on more than a few occasions. To play so conservatively with a senior, 3 year starter QB and senior laden WR/TE that were clearly respected by opposing coaches (just look at the coaches all Big Ten team's today), is downright embarassing. If you are as well paid and talented of a coaching staff, you should at least be open to what your team is capable of doing, but we don't, we our same old self and we should expect nothing than what we're accustomed to at Iowa. I only wonder how predictable we'll be with a new QB and WR corps next year!

I do think that a forthright KF would do everyone a lot of good. For him to deflect any prickly ? at all with some smartallick response like we're accustomed to is a bit discouraging and disrespectful of the media. I'd respect the fact that he would step up and take some accountability for this team's shortcomings, after all he is only human too, but it sure would help morale between now and September just the littlest bit. I just don't see any quiet change occurring, it hasn't occurred to this point, even through 2006-2008, so I wouldn't expect it now either. And our coaching staff gets grayer (and wiser?!? doubtful) while we'll lose a step or two in the recruiting circuit. I'm not saying drastic coaching changes or schemes, but I do think a fresh perspective from both coordinators is desperately needed. At the very least, an appreciation that some flexibility and willingness to be the least bit unpredictable will do us a lot of good and actually be a bit more difficult to gameplan against. Just my thoughts...

 

[sergeanthulka]

I think you may have misunderstood me or I probably did a poor job of typing it out.......I don't want any answers, I'm way past that. What I DO want, though, is an admittance that the coaching staff royally f*cked the year up by not being smart.......putting Stanzi under center against Arizona when you knew they were going to come after him.......not putting on the punt safe against Wisconsin when the whole f*cking stadium knew it was coming........constantly putting linebackers on slot guys and watching those guys burn us in 3rd down after 3rd down. Those are NOT execution problems.....those are coaching problems. Period. End of sentence. And I'd like to know that those f*ck ups will be addressed by the start of next season. If not, I may as well start planning to fill those Saturday's in with something else.

Let's use the fake punt against Wisky as an example.

You say that you want KF to admit that he 'f*cked the year up'. Well, in regards to what I saw...it looked to me like we were in punt safe - regardless of field position, down & distance - the rest of the FREAKING YEAR, after that game.

Isn't THAT an admittance that they 'f*cked up'? It was to me.

Against NW, after the outcry of how the staff mucked up the non-clocking of the ball against Wisconsin...Did you NOT see us tripping over each other to try to clock the ball at the end of the first half? Isn't that another admission that they screwed up? It was to me.

They're just not going to say it to you, Raw. I don't know why that rubs you so wrong...they don't owe YOU any answers. They owe us victories & will be evaluated accordingly.

The strange part is, I agree with you. The coaching staff is culpable for mismanaging a thousand aspects of this season. I just don't expect Kirk to verbally articulate in the media what all those issues were. He HAS a lot to answer for...I just happen to think that the soul-searching happens behind closed doors rather than in the media room...and I'm okay with that.

 

[theiowahawkeye]

Interesting interpretation there, considering I never mentioned the fake punt at all. I'm thinking more of the PAT the got blocked or the botched snap on a field goal - you know, the four points Iowa left on the field in a game they lost by one.

Getting a PAT blocked and botching a snap on a field goal is certainly not coaching. It's execution.

Had the coaching staff not been so insanely short-sighted and predictable none of that would have mattered. And who is responsible for having the kicking game working right in the first place? Who is responsible for putting a walk-on true freshman in as kicker?

 

[ShadasRevenge]

Had the coaching staff not been so insanely short-sighted and predictable none of that would have mattered. And who is responsible for having the kicking game working right in the first place? Who is responsible for putting a walk-on true freshman in as kicker?

So, a botched block (Watt literally walked right into the block), and a botched snap is coaching? Murray getting hurt and also being inconsistent is coaching?

But you're right about the fake punt not mattering if Iowa kicks a PAT or can execute the snap on a field goal properly.

Of course, in some peoples minds, the fact that the snap on a field goal wasn't screwed up the rest of the year is some sort of admission by the coaching staff that they ****ed up.