Willies Gone?

[Billso]

My guy on the inside, who is as sharp as a marble btw, tells me all the seniors are leaving at the end of the year as well. I got no reason not to believe.

Name them or GTFO!

 

[QuadCityHawkeye]

No. I just know people connected to the team...related to players...who verify that there are plenty of guys in the locker room who are every bit as tired of the offensive pathos as many of us are. I was told after the ISU game that Derrick was gone...he wasn't going to play for a coach that wouldn't throw the ball.

And there will be more.

I can back this up as well. The offense is going to see several underclassmen players leave who have logged minutes this year leave. As I've said before there are plenty of kids who don't like the offensive philosophy. Nic Simonek was the only one publicly who said this style didn't fit him but he's not the only one who feels this way.

 

[doclee]

For all of you who trashed me for "wild unsubstantiated rumors" a few weeks ago....

Bite me.

A snowflake or two don't make a blizzard.

 

[allup86]

I was interested to see how the catch allocation went this year compared to the rest of the conference as well. Here's something I pulled from the stats page at ESPN:

Team........     WR    TE    RB    OTH
Illinois.....   62.9%    10.2%    26.9%    0.0%
Indiana......    69.7%    7.3%    22.9%    0.0%
Iowa.........    51.8%    23.8%    21.3%    3.0%
Maryland....    74.3%    2.7%    23.0%    0.0%
Michigan....    75.0%    14.2%    10.0%    0.8%
Minnesota...    50.7%    30.7%    17.3%    1.3%
MSU.........       77.6%    14.0%    7.7%    0.7%
Nebraska....    78.3%    5.0%    15.0%    1.7%
NW..........       81.0%    0.0%    18.3%    0.7%
Ohio State..    42.6%    16.4%    41.0%    0.0%
Penn State..    64.3%    22.8%    12.9%    0.0%
Purdue.......    46.4%    24.8%    28.1%    0.7%
Rutgers......    63.2%    11.2%    17.6%    8.0%
Wisconsin...    52.8%    27.0%    19.1%    1.1%

Good stuff. Thanks for looking that up! What strikes me the most (besides being similar to Wisc/Minn/Pur/tOSU) is that jNW doesn't have anything going to a TE. It makes sense, I just had not thought of that at all.

 

[docholihawk]

You may be missing the salient point. What would be best is if he didn't transfer because we were using him to beat Power-houses like Iowa State and Maryland.

What would be the salient point would require an action by KF. If I was Willies I wouldn't want to be here, unhappy and waiting for KF to change his stripes. It would be perfect if it worked out like you say but I think if I was Willies and I stayed I'd be thinking of the recruiting pitch and then resentment would set in which would not be healthy for Willies or the Iowa program.

 

[hawkfan2679]

Good stuff. Thanks for looking that up! What strikes me the most (besides being similar to Wisc/Minn/Pur/tOSU) is that jNW doesn't have anything going to a TE. It makes sense, I just had not thought of that at all.

They had Vitale listed as a DB for some reason, which I corrected to WR. I think he is probably the closest thing they have to a TE...he certainly has more of a TE build than a normal WR. But I think their TE allocation is more a function of their offense (and the position that ESPN has the guy listed at in their system!).

 

[CPHAWK82]

What I've heard is that he wasn't getting along with Kennedy... Team wasn't surprised. They are that he's leaving now and not the end of the year. But not that he's leaving in general. I figured the boards would be hot and heavy over this and ya'll haven't let me down. Pretty bad deal. Program gets a kid that they can use for 4 years to be a stretch the field stud and they go running him off. Watch him go team up with Lazard at ISU.... I'll puke all over myself if he does that.

If that's true, I hope that doesn't become a pattern between Kennedy and Iowa's receivers. Iowa already went through Coach K and what he did to the D line attrition over a 4 year period. It appeared Kennedy was making progress with these receivers and seemed like a good hire during the Spring.

 

[docholihawk]

What? Not throw the ball? Iowa is 5th in the conference in pass attempts so far this year. There are only 2 teams (IL and PSU) that have thrown significantly more passes.

80% of our passes are more like running plays.

 

[allup86]

Jon Miller
@HawkeyeNation


Per Iowa release, Willies transfer to be closer to ailing father. "We wish Derrick well should he decide to leave Iowa City."


9:50am · 28 Oct 2014 · TweetDeck

 

[docholihawk]

I hope he doesn't leave, but if true this just doesn't make sense. Unless he's injured, and there is no chance of playing the rest of the year, making a decision to leave mid-season normally just doesn't happen. Most players are going to play out the year if there is any possibility at all of seeing the field. I still believe there is more to this story, which we may or may not learn about.

I also think there's something that tipped the scale. Maybe just a confrontation with KF and Willies didn't like what was said. Maybe he was just so frustrated and it built up to a point he couldn't take anymore. I don't have inside information but with this being Iowa football I'm guessing we'll never know.

 

[linus19]

I can't believe that anyone would want this to happen. Too much potential for this leading to very long down period for the program. I leaning toward wanting KF out, but let's make it as clean of a break as possible.

What's the difference if it's a mass exodus at the end of the season, or the slow, gradual decline we are going through now? The long period of decline is going to happen regardless.

Kirk needs to be given the bottom line at the end of this season much like the Fraud was given. Though I do think Kirk is a man and wouldn't immediately seek a job at a football only school like Northern Illinois or place like that.

 

[Easton]

Jon Miller
@HawkeyeNation


Per Iowa release, Willies transfer to be closer to ailing father. "We wish Derrick well should he decide to leave Iowa City."


9:50am · 28 Oct 2014 · TweetDeck

Nope. Gotta be a mass exodus. Cover up.

 

[docholihawk]

It's also clearly against Jon's policies for the board. Not to mention that I wouldn't do that to a kid/family still in the program or the insider that shared the info with me. (I indicate WRs and from there it didn't take much to narrow it to a couple of names)

As for the "number of times we passed", as others have pointed out it's where those passes went. If you've been watching the games and don't understand that... there's no explaining it.

I'll accept your explanation on names but what is this about passes. Inever made a post about passes other than the one where I said 80% of our passes look like runs. Maybe you clarify what you're talking about her.

 

[Knight78]

Keep in mind that Willies had a major fight with Nico Law this summer, and that fight precipitated Nico Law's exodus from the Iowa program. Nico had friends on the team, and there's a chance that those friends did not make life easy for Willies these past few months. It might have been playing time that pushed Willies to leave, or it might have been team chemistry/culture.

Or, it might be something not at all related to football.

 

[Knight78]

The offense hasn't evolved with college football. 10 years ago a lot of offenses were like Iowa's. Do the same thing for 16 years and people will figured it out.

But that's just it... we AREN'T doing the same thing we were when KOK was OC. We are passing horizontally instead of vertically and completely forgot that we need to run the football. Or do we all here not remember that we used to get our bigger runs starting in the late third quarter after grinding down the teams?

 

[BlindDogScooter]

Why not? Think it is smart move in my mind. Think about it if your not contributing the way you think you can or believe you should be why would you risk injury playing for a program you don't no longer want to be a part of.

And this is precisely what's wrong around this forum... what we have
is a bunch of barely legal adults whose moral compass says it's perfectly
OK... even laudible... to walk out on your team mid-season.

There's really no answer for that... it's indicative of what society has become.

 

[hawkdrummer1]

Nope. Gotta be a mass exodus. Cover up.

---

-Per HawkeyeHeaven who texted with his Mom:
"He is not getting the opportunity to grow like he was led to believe"

-Myself and several others here were told following the ISU game (by sources within the team) that he was unlikely to stick around for a coach that wouldn't throw the ball down field. He was definitely disillusioned by our pathetic offense (as are some other players)

So, while his Father may very well be ill, put the above two items together with the fact that Rock Island is only an hour away...(hardly a prohibitive distance) and you have a convenient warm and fuzzy press release. Take another drink of the kool-aid

 

[Knight78]

What's wrong with Taylor Swift?

Really?

She'll NEVER rock it like Joan Jett. She'll never be the vocalist Aretha is (much less, what Aretha was in her prime). The only reason she's on so much is she's eye candy - and there's plenty of eye candy without the annoying nasal voice.

 

[BirdsOfPrey]

Football at its core is a team game. A coach has to treat all his players in a manner thats fair to everyone. At Iowa, players are expected to succeed in the classroom, work hard in practice, put in time in the weight room, put in time in the film room, represent the University of Iowa off the field respectfully, be a good teammate, and act within the laws of the state of Iowa. In exchange, players get a free education, meals, room & board, top notch medical treatment, travel etc. Derrick is an adult, he made the decision to attend the school & he committed to Coach Ferentz & Iowa's brand of football. He's been in the program for a year & a half and was beginning to show his talents. Why give up on what you worked hard for - next year he would have been a starting receiver. Leaving in the middle of the football season means he quit on this team & his teammates. I'd like to believe this young man has more character than that. There's likely a personal reason for his actions. Grades or family issues are likely issues. Blaming KF personally for every transfer or drop out is blatantly ignorant. Before reading this message board, I'd never met a Hawkeye supporter anywhere who wished all the Hawk players would transfer or quit or that Iowa would get killed in all their remaining games.

 

[BLKNGOLD48]

Anyone thinking Willies leaving mid season is OK, this is a major problem and this might just be the beginning. I have no clue what happened, and KF saying he wants to be close to his sick Dad is BS. Most fans don't buy that BS anymore or at least I don't. Personally, I think the ship is sinking, and has been for years. How GD is still employed after the last 2 season is beyond me, but KF gives him praise. I like KF, but I honestly believe it is time for a change, and I know that will probably not happen with his buyout and contract, but if we see some talented players like Willies jumping, that has me worried about the future. I think there is more coming, hate to say it. Very frustrated right now, we're 5-2, and in the hunt for the west division and it seems to me that the team is falling apart. I think there is some players that are as frustrated as the fans right now too. I hope I'm wrong, but this just does not feel right.