Isn’t it interesting how two different people can have such drastic influences on their respective programs?? Brian sunk our offense to a point where it’s nearly impossible to recruit skill players, excluding runnings backs, to Iowa out of high school. We are constantly trying to pull a rabbit out of our hat at quarterback and it hasn’t worked. Our offensive problems still date directly to him. Conversely, Caitlin turned our women’s basketball team into a national brand that can attract multiple five star out of state recruits like never before. It’s quite the contrast.
Brian Ferentz - Caitlin Clark
- Thread starter BringBackBradBanks
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That’s a part of it too. But Brian had so much more offensive skill talent (excluding quarterback which he was directly in charge of) than Lester, and he did so much worse than Lester.
When you look back on 2017-2019, the guys we had on those rosters…to say we underachieved would be an understatement.
The longer I've been an Iowa football fan, the more I've come to realize that, while the whole Brian as OC fiasco didn't help things, it wasn't really the root cause of the problem.
Hell on the worst offense in modern Big Ten history Brian had an All-Pro NFL tight end, an All American running back, a starting NFL running back at receiver, and an All American receiver. It’s just astounding how he couldn’t utilize them.
No it isn't! Brian was born on third base and grew up thinking he hit a triple.
So ironic that we had one of the best offenses for WBB and the worst defense and the worst offense and best defense for FB
The WBB team had a really bad defense?
That's an honest question, I never watched a game (I know, I'm a terrible Hawkeye fan for that).
And to think, as bad as Fran was especially towards the end, he was producing NPOY multiple times. Our last Heisman finalist was 2008 and the only one that has had a shot was 2002. Kirk and by extension Brian brought the program down from a football perspective over the last 10 seasons.
I wouldn’t say it was as bad as I made it seem but it wasn’t good. I’m also very disappointed in you for that
Pulling a rabbit out of your hat must have similar probability to the chances of you having a clue what you're talking about
I think you mean men's basketball. Their offenses were routinely top 25 in many metrics, and their defenses only existed in theory.
The women actually had solid defenses during the Clark era, otherwise they wouldn't have made two National Championship games, beating teams like UConn, LSU, and South Carolina. I can promise you this.
The inability to recruit TEs is what's perplexing to me. It's like recruits just got tired of hearing Iowa was TE U, and wanted to change the narrative by going anywhere else.
That's about as good as any explanation for why highly-sought after TE recruits all but stopped looking at Iowa, because it wasn't simply because they're weren't getting the ball or that production was lacking and therefore costing them a chance at the NFL.
And this was a concerning trend BEFORE Lester was hired, and we've come to see how under-utilized the TE position is in his offenses.
Correct, but also, we were more than capable of putting up points in that stretch against average to below average opponents. It was when we had to play any team with a pulse that we got to watch them routinely fall flat on their faces and constantly looked overwhelmed trying to execute against good defenses (not even top 10 type teams, necessarily).
Tiresome, regurgitated posts. It's time to let Brian go.
Well, when we're still paying for it, it still merits some conversation.
He's not in Iowa anymore. I'm sure the UI is paying many out-of-state concerns as well.
We aren’t paying his pay checks anymore but we are for sure still paying for the disaster he turned out to be.
I’ve read this three times, and still have no idea what it means.
Sounds like my dad
Good observation, especially after the huge pick up for the women's team today. Clark started something for that program, something exciting, something to root for, something that was both fun to watch and competitive in the modern landscape of women's basketball.
On the other hand, the further we go into Brian's tenure, the worse our offensive numbers got, the worse the performances, and the worse the recruits. Instead of being a middle aged dude with a beer gut who thinks he's an intellectual, imagine putting yourself in the shoes of a high school student who's dream is to play in the NFL. You want to go somewhere exciting, somewhere that is competitive in the current landscape, and somewhere that shows off your skills and develops you into a League talent. Looking at what Iowa has done the past 4 years, why would you come here? Like women's basketball, we have to build something exciting, worth rooting for, something that is competitive in the current landscape of college football and attractive to players. The best example of that is what Cignetti is building at Indiana. He too has a run first offense, but everything about it is head and shoulders more exciting and enticing than what is happening here. No playing in the margins, just straight up *** kicking.
I love Kirk, but this is why I believe the game has passed him by. It's time for a shot in the arm with a new, young coach who can do what Cignetti is doing.
On the other hand, the further we go into Brian's tenure, the worse our offensive numbers got, the worse the performances, and the worse the recruits. Instead of being a middle aged dude with a beer gut who thinks he's an intellectual, imagine putting yourself in the shoes of a high school student who's dream is to play in the NFL. You want to go somewhere exciting, somewhere that is competitive in the current landscape, and somewhere that shows off your skills and develops you into a League talent. Looking at what Iowa has done the past 4 years, why would you come here? Like women's basketball, we have to build something exciting, worth rooting for, something that is competitive in the current landscape of college football and attractive to players. The best example of that is what Cignetti is building at Indiana. He too has a run first offense, but everything about it is head and shoulders more exciting and enticing than what is happening here. No playing in the margins, just straight up *** kicking.
I love Kirk, but this is why I believe the game has passed him by. It's time for a shot in the arm with a new, young coach who can do what Cignetti is doing.
Jeeeeebys keeeeeerist, Brian is long gone! Get the phuque over it! Water under the GD bridge…What does your therapist tell you to do? Try meditation.
Brian is long gone and yet we are still feeling the depths he took this offense to, costing Iowa multiple Big Ten Championships most likely.
Sounds like my dad
that makes me sad, pinkshizzle. I hope you guys can figure it out before it's too late.
I appreciate that. There is nothing to worry about, though, as I was just making a joke (which appears to have been poorly executed). Best wishes to you, good sir.
I mean in basketball you trade off certain aspects with a team because everyone plays offense and defense. In football, no matter the amount of gaslighting that Brian and Kirk tried to do explain complimentary football, having those Brian led offenses take the field in 2022 and 2023 was the absolute furthest thing from complimentary football. We would have been better off in many games just punting and playing defense the entire game.
Oh get over it! You see ignorant if you really believe this tripe.
Stick to pretending to know more than other Iowa fans about football. You actually coached that sport.
It's history, bi***ing about it doesn't change it. Even if you feel the need to bi*** about it over and over and over, every chance you get.
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Right. Brian was terrible, but who put him in that position in the first place?
How do we explain the years of little to no recruiting of quality skill position players before Brian?
Since you brought it up, I coached more basketball than football, and basketball is by far my sport.
I was trying to be nice, but the truth of it, is Bluder did not have a good defensive team in 24 years at Iowa. That's pretty commonly accepted.
Great offensive teams? Yes
Bluder also didn’t coach the worst offenses statistically in modern big ten history. So there’s that.