Harty: Is Ferentz’s way still working?
Kirk Ferentz probably would’ve preferred to play scrabble with Jim Rome or Dick Vitale more than attend his weekly news conference with reporters Tuesday.
You knew that many of the questions would rub Ferentz the wrong way just like Rome and Vitale supposedly do because reporters would want Ferentz to make some sense out of Saturday’s 22-21 loss to what was perceived as a lousy Minnesota team.
Ferentz’s way of making sense out of the 22-21 setback was by saying what he often says after an unexpected loss — that it’s just part of the game.
He says it because he believes it, but also because Ferentz can’t give reporters the answers they want without him tossing individual players and coaches under the bus.
That was apparent when Ferentz was asked if the problems on defense were a personnel thing or a schematic thing.
“I’ve noticed we’re not getting it done,” Ferentz said. “Simple as that. We just have to play better. There’s a lot of factors involved, personnel, injuries, scheme. That’s like any phase of football.
“We’ll just continue to work. We’ve had success in the past, and we’ll continue to work for that in the future.”
Ferentz also still believes strongly in the things that helped to build the Iowa program the first time under his watch when hardly anybody saw it coming.
He isn’t going to make drastic changes even though to some the situation looks bleak heading into the last third of the schedule beginning with Saturday’s game against No. 13 Michigan at Kinnick Stadium.
That could ultimately lead to Ferentz’s demise at Iowa, but at least he’ll go down standing by his beliefs.
That’s why I still give this team a slight chance to prove the naysayers wrong this season because whether you think that Ferentz is too conservative or too boring or too predictable or too stubborn or paid too much money or too unaware on special teams, he still does a lot of things the right way, not the least of which is protect the dignity of his players and coaches.
He also has a knack of winning games when we least expect it.
Fans and the media can say that Saturday’s loss to the 1-6 Gophers was inexcusable and embarrassing, but you’ll never get Ferentz to say it because that would not only be an insult to Minnesota, but also to the game of football.
The tears that Ferentz often sheds after a pivotal victory come from him knowing how hard it is to win at Iowa.
Now that being said, it still doesn’t change the fact that Iowa is 6-6 over its last 12 games dating back to last season.
It also doesn’t change the fact that Iowa is ranked in the lower half of the Big Ten in almost every defensive statistical category, including dead last in pass defense.
And it doesn’t change the fact that Iowa got burned on special teams Saturday with Minnesota recovering an onside kick for the second-straight year against the Hawkeyes.
We could be witnessing Ferentz having to rebuild the program for a third time, which is extremely rare for a coach to do that at the same program.
What makes this skid different than the previous one, which lasted from the beginning of the 2006 season until midway through the 2008 season, is that it’s happening so soon after the last skid and during Ferentz’s 13th season as coach.
This isn’t to say that fans are suffering from Ferentz fatigue or Ferentz overkill or whatever you want to call it. But the longer a coach stays in one place, the more you risk alienating some fans and becoming stale.
Iowa still is light years ahead of where it was when Ferentz was hired as Hayden Fry’s successor in Dec. 1998.
But it’s not above being average and probably never will be.
Another thing that’s different about this current skid is the ongoing health issues of defensive coordinator Norm Parker.
It has to hurt Iowa to no longer have Parker on the road recruiting because he’s one of the faces of the program, not to mention a funny guy when he wants to be.
Iowa already has enough disadvantages with regard to recruiting. So to create another one is just asking for trouble.
The fact that a rumor about former Arizona coach and former Hawkeye Mike Stoops being hired as the new defensive coordinator at Iowa continues to fester is partly a result of fans feeling uneasy about the situation on defense.
I finally asked Ferentz about the rumor Tuesday, and let’s just say he wasn’t thrilled that I did.
“You mean Dan McCarney is not available,” Ferentz said sarcastically in reference to the former Iowa player, former Iowa State coach and current North Texas coach, who some fans have wanted to replace Parker. “I’m not responding to that stuff.
“Somebody said (something to me about it) last week and I said the same thing, you mean Dan McCarney is not available. Wasn’t that the rumor eight years ago? I lose track of all that stuff.”
What Ferentz doesn’t lose track of is the next challenge ahead. His one-game-at-a-time approach gets boring, but it’s also one of the reasons he’s been successful.
You’re either with Ferentz or you’re not at this stage.
His way has worked before at Iowa, but that doesn’t mean it’ll keep working.
We’ll just have to wait and see.
Category: Iowa Hawkeyes Football
It’s disappointing to see Harty’s column jumping into the chat room area, but I suppose it must reflect the talk that’s actually going on in Iowa. I live on the east coast and marvel at the way Iowans are convinced they should be dominating the college athletics scene. For our fan base, location, size of school, and everything else, the Hawks do incredible well. Has everyone forgotten what geniuses Ferentz and especially Norm Parker were considered less than two years ago when we completely shut down GA Tech?
Yes, this year’s team is disappointing, and yes, last year’s team underperformed. But look around the country — teams in far better locations with more tradition suffer through the same thing. The difference at Iowa is that we have a coach who does things the right way, who keeps the program something we can respect and be proud of. (Not true of most of the programs out here.) I sincerely hope all the amateur offensive and defensive coordinators online who expect us to win the Big Ten every year don’t manage to force Ferentz out. We will never get anyone *remotely* as good if we do, and we’ll do lasting damage to the job (just as we did to the basketball program when the online maniacs forced out Tom Davis).
If the team tailspins for another 3-5 seasons, then okay — maybe it will be time to go, and surely Ferentz will see that. But I sincerely doubt that will happen . . . Ferentz has brought the program through lulls before. The critics say that’s settling too low — but be realistic. If Iowa fired Ferentz and brought in some up-and-coming coach, the *best* that would happen is that he’d have a few successful years en route to a better job somewhere else. What’s great about Iowa is that we’re *not* one of those stepping stone schools. If Iowa has *any* chance of raising the program’s level to the top tier, it’s going to be because recruits and assistant coaches want to come to the program because of Ferentz and the stability and professionalism of his program. I watched the Minnesota game too, and it was painful — but give them a chance, and for god’s sake count your blessings.
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Thank you! for once there is a hawkeye fan that thinks the way i do. It just bothers me that the media always forces the issue of getting ferentz out at iowa when they dont consistantly win 9 or 10 games. How ignorant can people be. I am a crazy die hard Hawk fan. I know the i know all the hieghts,weight of players , incoming recruits and pretty much always on top of all hawk info BUT im not an IGNORANT FAN. the Hawks have had the best decade in history under ferentz. WE JUST WON THE ORANGE BOWL! and last year we beat a quality Missouri team. We get 3 star recruits. we dont reload every year like TEXAS,ALABAMA,USC,FLORIDA ETC. why cant people understand that. I am a happy iowa fan. we make it to bowls most of the time and every 3 to 5 years a bcs. BCS every couple years at iowa is unrealistic. Ferents is paid well because iowa has won alot in the past decade, he gets to bowls, packs the stadium and makes players better and recruiting the right way. i dont care if he makes 5 million, he’s the best coach for iowa! without ferentz we would be like indiana and minnesota every year. I cant believe that i’ve had to argue with hawkeye fans about this. yes Minnesota was a disapointing loss but any givin saturday anyone can win, thats why you play the game. media and ignorant people that have never played dont realize what goes into playing a game. its more than what the media or fan sees. I cant stand the media. especially when they try to get ferentz fired or get him to move to an nfl team. they always start stuff. without ferentz hawkeyes fans would be disappointed more so than not. he is a respected coach and lucky to have him this long. he’s loyal. oh and another tid bit. from the last two years (09,10)every starter but one is on an nfl roster so hawkeye fans need to relax a bit and not be unrealistic. we knew we were replacing 26 seniors this year. relax they are doing the best with what they have.
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Right On Shimmy!
And two year ago these irate fans would have lined-up to mow his lawn.
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You need to relearn the meaning of “ignorant” so you will cease to use it so incorrectly.
- Just because people demand/desire more from KF and staff doesn’t make them ignorant.
- Just because people don’t agree with you that an occasional really good season should be a “realistic” standard for all Hawkeye fans doesn’t make them ignorant (he’s had ONE since 2004 = 1 in 7 years).
- Just because people, such as yourself, are willing to accept what little bit of explanaion KF gives regarding the attrition that’s hit the program AGAIN doesn’t make everyone else ignorant (“they’re doing the best they can with what they have” = is a copout and ignores the real issue = recruiting woes).
- Just because people, such as yourself are seemingly scared witless about KF (or his staff) ever being replaced doesn’t mean that others share your view, therefore making them ignorant.
- Just because others aren’t as giddy as yourself about NFL-caliber players graduating from Iowa doesn’t make them ignorant. In fact, to many others, it paints YOU as ignorant for flaunting the NFL stats when Iowa’s only had 1 double-digit winning season of the past 7.
- Just because you’re willing to overlook the fact that Ferentz consistently makes the same game management mistakes now as he did 10 years ago – and causes us to be beat more regularly by lesser teams – doesn’t make everyone else ignorant. In fact, again for many, it would appear that YOU would be the ignorant one for your blind loyalty.
Lastly, the “aww, shucks, we’re just Iowa, we CAN’T never be no good every year – it’s an honor just being competitive sometimes” attitude that has prevailed to this point in Hawkeye Nation (it has to be prevalent, or else more pressure for changes to the program would have been applied several years ago) is maddening to us “ignorant” people. People with even a modicum of football intelligence do not expect Iowa to be a forever “elite” program, but it should be more consistently successful that it has been most of the past 7 years. MANY people are FINE with KF staying around, provided he’s willing to admit the program has weaknesses and make some adjustments in staff/philosophies/game management for the betterment of the program. His “way” of doing things has allowed Iowa to slide back to “Solid at best” status, making it the THIRD time he’ll have to rebuild things to “very good/excellent” levels of accomplishment.
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Well said, Billy. I agree 100%. Kirk Ferentz’s inconsistency in preparing his teams for lesser opponents and his (or his coordinators’) unwillingness to make correct game adjustments is disappointing. Today, my buddy and I are watching the UM game. In UM’s final drive, Iowa plays base D against 3-4 WR sets, allowing UM to just drive down the field with ease. Norm’s belief that his LB’s can cover D-1 WR’s despite getting owned by NW and other lesser opponents is maddening. My buddy, who is a high school defensive coach and not an Iowa fan, couldn’t believe they weren’t in dime or nickel at the end of the game. It says it all.
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The reason it’s so rare to see a program rebuilt three times is because most big time football programs don’t tolerate it. I have to question the thought process behind saying the program has been rebuilt twice already. One good season out of five is not a program that is rebuilt. If it truly is rebuilt then there should be a string of back to back good seasons. You have to give it to Kirk on the three top ten seasons in a row. Now that is rebuilt, but show when the so called second rebuilding stage happened?
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I also commented on an article that Peterson wrote that had a similar theme. Make no mistake,Ferentz is the right guy for Iowa. I just wish he or his staff would get their stuff together on situational in-game decisions especially late in the game. You can disagree with taking a knee with 1:20 left at the half or other things like that but you can’t disagree that Ferentz is a pretty class act who is very well respected by people who would know what a good coach is. The fact that he has placed so many players in the NFL and didn’t have very heralded recruiting classes tells you he and his staff are developing players and teaching them how to play football and like Barta said he is graduating 83% of his players. That is impressive and speaks to the core of what this is supposed to be about, student athletes. I don’t like losing to Iowa State and Minnesota either but give me a choice between a Gene Chizek and a national championship or Kirk Ferentz and some losses to teams we should have beaten? I’ll take Ferentz every time. I’m glad he’s our coach, now if he would just get some help with anticipating fake punts, onside kicks, and how to manage a clock at the end of games….
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Re: KF’s NFL development program =
If Iowa is so good at developing so much NFL talent, why doesn’t Iowa win more? Whether they’re heralded recruits or not makes no difference – if they’re good enough to make it in the NFL, then why can’t they be more successful in college? Is it all just dumb luck? Overwhelming competition? What is it? So far, KF’s backers cannot logically explain how this works.
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Excellent point about talent and wins. In a way, it is kind of an indictment on the coaching staff. If they have 3 d line guys in the NFL, what happened in the last half of last year?
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Parker’s health is a huge issue. I understand loyalty, but when your D-coordinator can’t recruit (let alone walk) and is fading pretty noticably as he is 70ish, it has to have an impact on how the D has played last year and this year. Iowa needs to honor Norm and move on to get a first-class D-coordinator (not Stoops or Phil Parker, please); one that has Norm’s commitment to the fundamentals, but also has flexibility in formations and schemes.
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As Albert Einstein is quoted as say, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Even the new Minnesota coaching staff figured out what Iowa does, and devised strategies to beat Iowa’s pretty obvious tendencies.
And now coaching staffs at all Iowa’s upcoming opponents can not only see what Iowa does, but see what beats what Iowa does (including playing intense football for 60 minutes).
We’re toast!
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Yes, Iowa may be a little ahead of 1998′s 3-8 record. But how far ahead? What if they lose out, then I would argue that they aren’t “light years ahead.” Iowa is the same as when Fry was here, a couple 8, 9, or 10 win seasons then a couple 5, 6, 7 win seasons and that’s with 1 less non-conference patsy on the schedule. Ferentz’s way might be the right way when it comes to doing things right, ethically, morally, and as a team, but the schemes are old and easily game planned for. Yes, I know it’s all about execution, but why not throw something out there that the other team isn’t prepared for which will make it less likely that they’ll execute. Most true Iowa fans aren’t calling for Ferentz’s head or anyones for that matter. All we want is some fire and passion, different schemes for different teams. And we should not settle for the we’ll lose to 1-2 teams that we shouldn’t and beat 1-2 teams we shouldn’t. Why the tradeoff? Why not beat everyone you should and have an upset here and there. If you look at the Minny and ISU games, look at how much more energy their players were playing with. Why don’t Iowa players play with the fire and passion, why don’t the Iowa coaches show that. Eventually you take on the attitude of your leadership and right now it dull, boring, and has no passion or fire. Show us that you’re having fun and maybe we will, too. And sportswriters need to stop making excuses, a loss is a loss whether it’s the right way or the wrong way.
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SPINE…Don’t preach to us and don’t tell us what we Iowa fans should expect especially if you are one. Maybe because you are on the East Coast you are too far away to get a sense of what is going on with the program. I love KF as much as everyone else but some things have to change to get better. Waiting for another 3-5 years to see if things change? Really? Waste almost $20 million dollars on his salary to see if things change not to mention all the money season ticket holders and fans spend? Is that fair? I hope KF stays but something has to change when it comes to in-game decisions. KOK needs to be given the opportunity to open up the offense as we have the tools to score alot of points and at this point we need to mix up our defense. Our LB’s are too injured and slow to get sideline to sideline like they are suppose to..we get no pressure from the front 4. Try a blitz every now and then, man coverage…etc. We as Iowa fans don’t expect 11-2 seasons but we do expect to beat teams that are worse than us. That MN team was one of the worst teams in the country! Also, I don’t get why people say we can’t recruit to Iowa. Nebraska has the same challenges we do and so does Wisconsin…we need to stop making excuses and realize we can get good players here!
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Season by season record the last 6 years:
2005 regular season: 7-4
2006 regular season: 6-6
2007 regular season: 6-6
2008 regular season: 8-4
2009 regular season: 10-2
2010 regular season: 7-5
For the last 6 seasons, he has gone 44-27, which gives him a winning percentage of .595 since 2005 – that is NOT impressive. Aside from 2008 and 2009, his teams have under performed big time and the potential of a second straight bad season is before us in 2011. Also, his teams have consistently under performed against weaker teams (i.e. Iowa State, Northwestern, Indiana, last 2 years with Minnesota).
So are you happy with his performance these last 6+ years and should we keep him?
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Take out the fluff teams and what do we have?
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Keep griping everyone and you’ll get your wish. Coach Ferentz will get sick of being underappreciated (as anyone who had coached so successfully and represented a university so well would) and will leave for any number of jobs he can have. The new Ray Nagel era is right around the corner.
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Oh yes, the “pre-Fry” paranoia! I was waiting for that. Here’s my response:
It won’t happen again. AFter the Alford chapter in basketball, it led to an even shorter chapter for Lickliter. While it’s COMFORTABLE for people to just accept whatever KF produces, this is not 1975 and people want accountability for their buck. It’s possible, though highly unlikely, that the Nagel era would return for three reasons:
1. He’s very dead
2. Iowa is still a solid program right now with KF – but has been sliding down the scale every season (save 2009) from above-average/good of 2004.
3. If Barta DOES make a bad hire, he’ll be gone and the new AD will be able to try again 3-4 years in – NOT 13-14 years
Lastly, I’m all for KF staying IF he makes some staffing/philosophical changes. If not, then he and his stubbornness are welcome to explore other opportunities – including Penn State, who won’t stand for 6-8 win seasons as soon as JoePa is gone – those days will be gone.
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We’ve got a top tier coach who enjoys living in Iowa City, and who, I would imagine, will coach for another 7-10 years. Any other top tier coach who would consider Iowa would do so for the money. Name one who wouldn’t then leave for a premier job the second any success makes him a hot commodity.
The stability that HF & KF have brought to the program is the reason it’s done, in my opinion, extremely well. When Coach Ferentz leaves, I’m afraid the revolving door will start again with coaches either leaving because they are not successful or because they are.
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Under appreciated? He makes nearly $4 million a year. We just want to see better results.
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It’s the market,right or wrong.
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So, for all of you that want KF gone …
Who should Iowa hire, how much should they pay him and what are the expectations?
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Most true Iowa fans don’t want KF fired. We just want some changes made so Iowa doesn’t keep losing to ISU, Minny, NW, Indy or playing them in close games when they shouldn’t. We want the coaching staff to learn from their mistakes the first time and learn how to manage the clock, or take risks. Change things up somewhat so opposing teams don’t know what you’re going to do. The problem is that they believe too much in their system. They say it’s all about execution, yes it is, but obviously the players aren’t executing it then and the opposing team knows what is coming and executes better. Why not throw something different at them for a change.
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IowaFan:
Your rationale, logic and common sense aren’t appreciated in the comments section. Save it for the dinner table! Can’t you see that Try II is an all-things-KF EXPERT and is looking for a “word fight” rather than a discussion?
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We could start be finding some passion. but since administration doesn’t like the Stoops brothers that rules out a Mark Stoops with brother Mike along for D scenario. Chuck Long for O-coordinator? Not much passion there but a wealth of class and knowledge. McCarney as coordinator all day long….Bobby Elliot where did you go….Still may not be a good option for a head coach. Replacing coordinators should be a mandate however to keep this .500 machine rolling.
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YOU PEOPLE SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES. YOU SOUND LIKE NEBRASKA FANS. WE LOSE A COUPLE OF GAMES AND YOU WANT THE COACHES HEAD. KIRK IS A CLASS ACT AND WE ARE DARN LUCKY TO HAVE HIM COACHING OUR YOUNG MEN. YEAH MAYBE SOME MISTAKES WERE MADE, HAVE YOU NEVER MADE ANY? IF NOT IT’S PROBABLY BECAUSE YOU DONE NOTHING.
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As Hawk fans, we’re ALWAYS going to want a Natl Championship. What football fan doesn’t? The truth that we all have to accept is that U of I is NOT a sports centered school. We are extremely lucky to have some of the seasons that we have had, including 10-2. We’re not Florida, USC, or Georgia Tech. The simple fact is, U of I is focused on education and good sports teams are not a guarantee, but rather an afterthought.
Barta said as much in his interview this past week. Iowa will always be my team. It’ll hurt when we lose and it’ll be oh so sweet when we win.
To expect a championship is setting yourself up for disappointment. Expect a winning season, top 25 finish and a bowl game. Be ecstatic with a top 10 finish and a BCS game. And be THANKFUL that 83% of the kids playing Iowa football are graduating with a college degree that they worked hard for…and gave us some enjoyment in the process.
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Focused on education? Have any idea how hard it is to get into the University of Florida? This year’s Freshman class AVERAGE SAT is 1963 / ACT is 30 / GPA 4.3 out of 5.0. Not sure half of Iowa’s incoming Frosh would be admitted. Georgia Tech is about a standard deviation higher than Iowa’s as well.
On a separate topic, the best ticket for a new coach would be James Franklin @ Vanderbilt. He’s a first-year head coach and inherited virtually no talent, but has his nerds playing toe-to-toe with Georgia and Arkansas and should’ve/nearly beat both.
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4.3 out 5? what is a 5? is that a A+++??? Maybe i’m missing something because I graduated from Iowa.
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Actually topher, the 5.0 scale is for Advanced Placement/Dual Credit (HS/Juco) courses. Iowa has very few AP programs compared to other states. While they can prepare students better for the rigor of college-level material, many students take the courses in order to raise their GPA to “TOP TEN PERCENT” status = which in some states means automatic admission into any public state universities.
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I am not on either side of the fence relative to the IU ISU debate, but clearly ISU has a much stronger team this year. If I were a Hawk fan, I would not be all that sad to have lost to them and I would be remiss to include them along with references to a team like Minnesota.
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I agree with Iowafan. People can make excuses about population and location but right now Iowa is currently ranked 8th with most players in the NFL and 2nd within the BIG. Ferentz and staff develop players but they don’t put them in schemes and game plans to win consistently. The reason why Iowa wins and loses so many close games, since the 2005 season is the game plan or lack there of. That magical 2002 season and following two outstanding seasons was almost a decade ago. Iowa finished ranked in top ten from 2002-04. Those teams were loaded with high picks and many players who came to be NFL studs. The 2002-03 teams won many games in blow out fashion due to superior talent. Looking at that roster it’s hard to fathom how they lost to ISU, Purdue, and MSU during that era.
Now Iowa is still producing above average NFL talent after the 2002-2004 era, with 22 NFL players coming after that era. Game planning and poor play calling has cost Iowa a NINE games where they were double digit favorites in the past five years!
Brad Banks (Heisman Runner Up-CFL) Robert Gallery (1st Round 2nd overall), Bruce Nelson (2nd Round), Eric Steinbach (2nd Round), Fred Russell (NFL Free agent) C.J. Jones (Free Agent), Dallas Clark (1st Round), Jonathan Babineux (2nd Round) Jared Clauss (7th Round) Colin Cole (FA-NFL Starter), Matt Roth (2nd Round) Derreck Robinson (FA-NFL), Jovon Johnson (FA-NFL and CFL), Bob Sanders (2nd Round – NFL Defensive POY), DJ Johnson (FA) Sean Considine (4th Round) Derek Pagel (5th Round) Nate Kaeding (3rd Round)
That’s nine starters and one major contributer, Roth, who made multiple starts for NFL teams and a pro bowl kicker. Then there are an additional 8 starters from 2002 guys who went were on NFL rosters for a few games or seasons and that doesn’t include Grant Steen who was with the Pats for awhile.
Chad Greenway (1st Round – special teams and mop up 2002) Abdul Hodge (3rd Round- special teams and mop up 2002) Tony Jackson (6th Round), Ben Sobieski (5th Round), Peter McMahon (6th Round).
Those guys were contributors on special teams and key contributors.
Loyalty is one thing but new blood infuses teams with energy and creativity. When is the last time we had a coach leave for a better position? Joe Philbin left Iowa and ascended to the offensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers. Not saying Philbin would have stayed put but he had no chance to supplant O’Keefe. Would Iowa fans want to have a few years of a Philbin or another ten more of Ken O’Keefe?
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you left out we are a top 20 revenue program.
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There are a lot of knee-jerk, irrational thoughts floating around.
All those who are clamoring for new schemes are assuming that we have the players to execute. I read things like “our linebackers are slow” followed by “we need to blitz more” followed by “more man coverage” and I laugh and laugh. The rationale is that “at least we’d be trying something new.” These are novice armchair coaches who obviously haven’t noticed that Iowa has used blitzes, and 3-4 schemes, even nickel and dime schemes at times.
Who are you to say that you know better than the coaches, who put in 90-100 hours of work a week, about what dictates success?
In the years when the Hawks are good, is it because all of a sudden the coaches are “fired up” with “passion” or is it because we have good players who execute the gameplan and make plays. To win the game, your players must make plays. Period. It doesn’t matter if you perceive them to be “good” or not.
Iowa wins because players like Nathan Chandler and Ramon Ochoa make plays. Nate Kaeding made plays. Derek Pagel made plays. Shonn Greene made plays. Tyler Luebke made plays. Drew Tate made plays. Brett Greenwood made plays. Sean Considine made plays. Adam Robinson made plays. Matt Kroul made plays. Warren freaking Holloway. Do you get it? Most true Hawk fans could go on and on naming playmakers whose playmaking performances dictated wins and losses. When these players’ respective teams did not win, it likely was because the players did not make plays. Period.
Check yourself.
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Whitey:
Outward passion isn’t as evil as you think and doesn’t mean you’re a raving lunatic, especially when you’re team is struggling to “execute” the same playbook they’ve run for year or are not mentally “in the game”. Watch old game films – how many times did KF “erupt” at officials the first six years he was here versus the last six? How often did he sternly talk to a player/offense/defense on the sidelines after repeated mistakes/listless play?
Showing outward emotion isn’t just an evil thing – it’s actually helpful when used smartly. Considering the valleys we’ve had the past 5 years, a little more outward “explosions” might have been helpful – the calm approach to game and player management wasn’t that terrific.
Check YOURSELF.
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Westside – I’m willing to check. I don’t know how many times KF “erupted” at officials during the first 6 years versus the last 6. I don’t know how often he sternly talked to a player on the sidelines after repeated mistakes/listless play. However, I have a feeling that you don’t know either, and that the point you’re trying to make or the evidence you’re trying to point out is based on what you think you remember. I’m not willing to take other people at their recollections. I prefer hard evidence.
Secondly, my argument isn’t against passion and fire and brimstone. If that’s what works for a coach, great. I’m just not willing to be suckered into the argument that these aspects are what’s separating wins from losses for Iowa football – less than 2 years removed from a BCS bowl victory, nonetheless.
I stand by my original point. The schemes have remained consistent. The approach has been even-keeled. When the Hawks win, it’s because the players make plays, not because we changed schemes or ran exotic plays or because our coaches were demonstrative. You said it yourself! The players aren’t executing – at least not enough of them are. Otherwise, we’d be winning. And the next time the players collectively execute on the field, I’ll bet you we WIN.
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Whitey:
I agree that I don’t have any hard evidence about his demeanor, but even Eddie/Dolph have mentioned this before, and they ARE at every game, on the planes/buses, etc.
As far as execution, when you consistently run the same schemes, they become easier and easier to gameplan against. Couple that with lesser talent to run the schemes, and you have Iowa for most of the past 7 years. 2009 was special because we actually made plays to win most of the tight games, but the “wait for something to happen” philosophy he employs has cost us more game since 2004 than won us. The statistics bear that out.
As far as talent goes, it’s worse now than it’s been in YEARS – and there’s no real guarantees on if/when it will improve again. That is 100% on the coaching staff. Recruiting has fallen off/experienced attrition/hasn’t been developed quickly enough for several years now – and that’s 100% on the coaches. We can see with our own eyes now why last year’s DL never rotated = there was no one there capable of sticking in there even a few plays.
In conclusion, fire/brimstone certainly isn’t the only ingredient missing from Iowa’s formula for success, but occasionally it CAN help push a team mentally/physically further than even it thought possible. There’s so many weaknesses on down from game management issues (which we’re not talented enough to cover up/make up anymore) on down that simply “working harder” and “waiting for something to happen” will only guarantee continued struggles, not improvement or success.
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Why do so many players leave Iowa? I read somewhere on this site that we have one of the highest attrition rates. Why is that? We start sophomores and freshman when uppperclassmen should be playing but they’re gone. This could explain a lot
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Not sure everyone is completely ‘for or against’ KF, Pat, but a majority of fans DO want to see improvement on the schematic front. Like most coaches KF has strengths and weaknesses, and his greatest weaknesses are adapting schemes for specific opponents and handling in-game clock/timeout/special teams situations. The key for any employee at any level is to improve, but first you must admit a weakness and demonstrate a willingness to change. That’s not asking too much for someone pulling down $3.8 mil/year.
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Kirk is a great coach. I don’t think a lot of people want to see him leave. Anyone who seriously listens to or watches him through the media today has to notice his lack of zest the past couple years. He finally admits to a mistake and does so somewhat jokingly and almost seems to slap the fans in the face with it as that’s all they need for things to be okay or he says this cause “the fans think he should.” Some of his other comments this season just seem unusually Kirk. I don’t know if the game, performance on the field, coaching decisions, the supportive and non-supportive fans, administrative/donor pressures, a combo of all the above, etc are getting to him. Honestly, I think he needs to take some time at the end of this season and truly assess the goals for the program. After he has done that, who knows what will happen. More of the same, change? Who knows! I am trying to be objective as he is a great coach that does good things at Iowa, but I wonder how people don’t notice his change in demeanor towards fans, the media, and the comments he makes these days. He used to give some good, playful one-liners, but they seem almost bitter and nonchalant with regard to press, fans, and even the results of the game – win or lose. I love seeing my Hawkeyes win. I am often left in awe when we lose games we really have no business losing. It is more than just executing, the way the game goes, and we had a bad day. It was noticable in the stands at Minnesota last weekend the MN fans that were actually there were pumped and excited for the game. The Iowa fans were, too – but not nearly enough. The same is true of the players. I could go on and on, but everyone has already said a lot. Why repeat it all. I had so many MN fans come up and say it was great to beat you, but come-on, how’d that happen…two years in a row! Then they would ask tons of questions about our program, etc. They were almost as shocked to have won as we were to have lost! I really believe Kirk is a good fit for Iowa. Some things obviously need to change or improve. It is his job to step up and decide if changes are to be made – what they would or wouldn’t need to be, or decide if we stick with the game plan as we have known it for 13 years and see what happens. Go Hawkeyes! I think we will be up and ready to go for MI this weekend at home! Hawkeyes in another close one!
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iowahawkeye17:
I’ve mentioned this before but I’ll say it again: common sense, sound logic and strong rationale have NO PLACE here on these comment boards – none at all. This place is for “ignorant”, “lunatic” fans like me to spout “idiotic” and “moronic” things about demanding more from KF and crew than 7-8 win seasons.
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How does wanting a winning record against BCS teams become lunatic for a team that is in the top 20 on revenue generation and high on NFL players? How?
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It’s not. That was my point. I believe we’re on the same side of the fence here Ilhawk.
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It’s perfectly reasonable for a fan to question the performance of coaches, and, one could argue, a duty. Coaches are accountable in much the same fashion as elected officials. Most fans are sufficiently knowledgable about football to recognize when things are amiss. That said, there are always going to be the knee-jerk overreactive fans that have unrealistic expectations. By and large, though, Iowa fans tend to have a decent perspective.
Is Ferentz perfect? No. The real question is could we do better, and, for the most part, I doubt it. Sometimes the grass isn’t greener. A change in coaching staff, especially when the team is struggling could lead to a disasterous tail-spin. In many ways we are fortunate to have had a very good coach that stuck around. Not many programs can make that claim. That said, and I hate to say this because Norm is a great guy, I do feel that we need a defensive coordinator that’s energized and on the field. Psychologically, young players need that presence, and right now our defense looks lost and listless. It may be time for Norm to move on.
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I understand that Kirk Ferentz’s record for the last six years are awesome to you guys because it is little unknown Iowa in which it is:
2005 regular season: 7-4
2006 regular season: 6-6
2007 regular season: 6-6
2008 regular season: 8-4
2009 regular season: 10-2
2010 regular season: 7-5
but really it sucks and until you Hawkpunks get your ***’s out of mouths then you will always be in the bottom of the Big 10 and the rest of the NCAA schools like usually.
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steve:
Your last sentence really destroyed the credibility that the good point you made with your data had earned you. Perhaps you should mature a little bit longer – say 5-10 years – before you sign on here again.
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As my good friend and life-long coach (college, NFL) Deke Pollard once said to me when I was complaining about Iowa losing…..”if USC Mich. N D can have off years Iowa sure as hell can” ! I bleed BLACK & GOLD but we do not have the in built-in advantages that OSU MICH MSU have. GO HAWKS !!!
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So I case you guys didn’t already know, I’m not an Iowa grad. For some odd reason, we get a lot of Iowa games here in Nashville,TN and I started to watch them in 2002. What I really loved about them and what’s apparantly laking now, was how they would learn and grow each week. They used to completely take over games by November – especially on the O-line and defensive fronts. The growth from Sept. to Dec. was often staggering. As I said before the coach I see doing that best now is James Franklin at Vanderbilt. I guess I’m just a fan of student athletes playing beyond their natural abilities to beat NFL caliber Prima Donnas who view college as a step stool to the NFL. I guess I don’t watch football the way everyone else in the SEC does. While the talk shows bellow about the greatness of Les Miles and Saban, I’m thinking how could they not win when they’re stacked with 275 pound linebackers and RBs who run sub 4.4s. Best wishes Iowa. I miss your old teams hope you get your mojo back!!
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I am growing weary of hearing why our recruiting base and our location should make us happy with a .600 winning percentage over ten years when we pay a coach the fifth highest salary in the nation. A little perspective: The four guys ahead of him? Three (Nick Saban, Mack Brown and Bob Stoops) have all played for, or won, a BCS championship game in the past ten years. The fourth (Les Miles)has not, but his team is presently #1 in the nation, and he has not played for the BCS championship in large part because his team is in the same division of the same conference of the LAST two BCS champions!
As to our location: Tuscaloosa is not the center of things, exactly, but the fans of the Crimson Tide differ in at least one regard. They have no apologists telling everyone to be happy with what they have. They EXPECT to win. That counts for a lot more than you think.
Recruiting? Nebraska sits in Lincoln, in a less populous state than Iowa, and are not brimming over with blue chippers. They have no trouble recruiting.
Can the excuses, fellas. They do not fly. There is nowhere near enough “want to” in our program to get us past an endless string of Meineke Car Care, Beef O’Brady’s and Music City Bowls. It could be different. It could be different even if we did not get rid of the present staff. Learning from their mistakes would be a start, and for the money KF is paid, that’s not an unrealistic expectation.
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One last comment. Did anyone watch the Big Ten Icons episode on Dan Gable? What stuck in my mind, was Gable and his wrestlers say that Gable wanted to not only win but be greedy, “Take everything and give nothing” is what his motto was. That isn’t saying you play dirty or don’t play with class, it just means you show no pity and take every opponent seriously. Because of that attitude, the Iowa wrestlers could see the fear the other teams had before the match started and could see their will to win diminish. That is what the Iowa football team needs; you should go in to the games against NW and Minnesota with an attitude that you are going to dominate them and play that way. Could you see Gable, being “aww shucks, we lost…hats off to them” if they lost to a much lesser opponent? Absolutely not.
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What obviously frustrates the hell out of the media is that Ferentz is what he says he is. A $2 million a year college football coach who acts like a high school coach.
The guy really approaches the game the way he says, focusing on the players playing that week, doing the things they’ve done for 13 seasons now (that means running the same 8 plays and I am giving them credit for running it right and running it left as 2 different plays), and looking ahead only to Saturday.
Yes, it frustrates the hell out of the media who want him to wax philosophical about this or that, but that isn’t Ferentz.
That’s precisely why he has been so successful. He’s got an offense that rarely turns the ball over, that holds the ball, melts the clock, and shortens the game while also being very efficient at putting points up. It ain’t flashy, but flashy brings risk, risk means turnovers, and turnovers lose the game.
He combines that with a defense that doesn’t give up big plays and forces opponents to execute well, 9, 10, 11 or more plays in a row to march down the field. Most teams cannot do that most of the time. Again, about mitigating risk.
He does this with players he’s recruited to, say it with me now, mitigate risk. Take a good athlete (a multi-sport kid), with good work habits (say a team captain with good grades), put them in the weight room to build them up physically, then ask them to do the same fundamental things on the field over and over and over again for 4 or 5 years. It is hard not to do that and become a football player.
You want to question how Ferentz is doing things, but the fact is, taking average recruits, Iowa has put the 3rd most kids in the NFL. Only way to do that is if you are manufacturing football players.
For the last 10 years, Iowa has been in virtually every game they have played until the end, certainly virtually every Big 10 game. They give themselves a chance and, as Ferentz’s record indicates, more often than not they come out ahead.
Ferentz has been more consistent than Hayden Fry in an era when the Big 10 has been much, much tougher than it was in the 1980s or early 1990s. We should be very grateful that we have been blessed with the exact right head coach for the past 33 seasons. At some point in the next 10 years, we’ll likely have to go looking for another.
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