Press conference at 1:45

[85Bears]

Starting to think this douche is a troll

 

[AlexanderUrinis]

View attachment 1416170

Words troll. Use them?

 

[85Bears]

Words troll. Use them?

Another social justice warrior sock puppet from the off topic board , yawn

 

[3-D_chess]

Starting to think this douche is a troll

He's been here since 2019 and you've been on board since 2025

Name-calling ... Troll behavior or Substantive contribution ?

 

[uihawk82]

Yes, and Iowa is a 30+ point favorite. It would take a monumental effort to lose to this NIU team. It would be one of the greatest upsets in college football history.

Appalachian St beats Mich, no never, oh yes they did, for real. I could happen but that App St team had some damn good players

 

[uihawk82]

Bro, come on. Albany last year, was more than a shaky start. Both NIU and UNI will not be able to stop the run. There was never any risk in losing that game.

They can stop and slow down the run with a loaded box

 

[uihawk82]

As you can see, schedule wasn't exactly littered with P5 teams...excepting ISU


Hayden took most "top" teams off non-con schedule as soon as he could. As he said, "Those games leave us battered and bruised for the Big 10 games". Did he still have some tough teams on the non-con schedule? Sure. So has KF. Ranked or P5 teams in KF era, not even counting ISU

1999: #5 Nebraska
2000: #8 Kansas State, #1 Nebraska
2003: #16 Arizona State
2004: Arizona State
2006: Syracuse
2007: Syracuse
2008: Pitt
2009: Arizona
2010: Arizona
2011: Pitt
2014: Pitt
2015: Pitt

Since then, no ranked teams, and only ISU for P4/P5.

Hayden and Bump scheduled Colorado when they were very good or at least a few years before that game

 

[IowaCityLit]

Starting to think this douche is a troll

All of those programs have national titles. And aspirations for a title this year and every year. And none had a coach who hired and promoted Brian Ferentz.

KF really has brainwashed this fanbase. KF has done a good job. He’s also self-servingly set a ceiling that fans seem more than content with. Little ol’ Iowa should be grateful. Just ask KF. He’ll be the first to tell you.

 

[Hawkfan_08*]

It’s absurd. Both QBs haven’t been told who will start and both think they have a good chance to start.

How can you run a P4 top-25 program like this nowadays?

If I’m Northern Illinois I’m coming into Kinnick with a ton of confidence. Solely because of the QB situation. Do what SDsU did a few years ago. Literally 9 guys in the box, 1-1 on outside and see if either of these guys can make a forward pass.

I don't care how our offense changes. I would still do this every game against us.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

No only Monkey has to donate because he constantly complains about it.

To be fair, I am the first ever to complain about it on this board. What can I say other than that I'm a trendsetter.......

As for your demand that I donate real American currency to Iowa football's NIL fund:

Spoiler

 

[Hawkfan_08*]

It's hilarious, really. Most years, fans are ticked off at Kirk because he gets locked into one QB and seemingly refuses to consider a change.

This year, he appears to be staying open-minded, at least into the first game. And fans are labeling it "absurd."

Some folks just want a reason to b!tch, I guess.

Question: If a tree falls down in the forest, and nobody is around to hear it, is it still because of something Kirk Ferentz did wrong?

Just my two cents. It's not about not playing them both or being given a chance. It's about KF picking the wrong one moving forward. We rode with Deacon Hill over trying guys who went on to have success at the FBS level and not a alternate starter on a bad D2 team.

I'm also worried about the adage of "if you think you have 2 QBs, you usually have none." It's concerning neither separated during camp.

 

[hawkeyebob1962]

Hayden and Bump scheduled Colorado when they were very good or at least a few years before that game

And when they scheduled games like K-State, K-State wasn't good. At all.. And then Snyder went there, and the rest is history.

 

[hawkeyebob1962]

All of those programs have national titles. And aspirations for a title this year and every year. And none had a coach who hired and promoted Brian Ferentz.

KF really has brainwashed this fanbase. KF has done a good job. He’s also self-servingly set a ceiling that fans seem more than content with. Little ol’ Iowa should be grateful. Just ask KF. He’ll be the first to tell you.

Question: why do you stay around if you hate KF? It's not like anyone in U of I admin is lurking around, saying to themselves, "Boy I hope that IowaCityLit is able to convince everyone we need to dump Kirk".

Or maybe you ARE stupid enough to believe that...

 

[Max Rebo]

Just my two cents. It's not about not playing them both or being given a chance. It's about KF picking the wrong one moving forward. We rode with Deacon Hill over trying guys who went on to have success at the FBS level and not a alternate starter on a bad D2 team.

I'm also worried about the adage of "if you think you have 2 QBs, you usually have none." It's concerning neither separated during camp.

Thank you for sharing, and for sharing without the need to hurl insults at anyone who might disagree. I think you raise a fair point. At the end of the day, I think all of this hand-wringing about not naming a starter may have more to do with fans' fears that Kirk* is going to end up picking the wrong guy ... particularly when a great number of fans have already made up their mind about who the right guy is.

*-I know it's been reported that this will be Lester's decision, but Lester's decision will be made within the framework of Kirk's expectations. Similar to any organization with a strong leader.

 

[IowaCityLit]

Question: why do you stay around if you hate KF? It's not like anyone in U of I admin is lurking around, saying to themselves, "Boy I hope that IowaCityLit is able to convince everyone we need to dump Kirk".

Or maybe you ARE stupid enough to believe that...

You know I don't hate KF. It's a common, defensive reply to any criticism. I mentioned I think he's done a good job overall...in terms of keeping Iowa "relevant", maintaining some level of consistency, developing NFL players, etc.

But with a lot of college coaches and communities where the coach becomes entrenched, folks can't deal w/ the dichotomy of the situation. They think in binary terms.

KF, IMO, with the hiring/promotion of BF, literally allowed Iowa's offense to regress to the point that it became a laughingstock and national punchline. He (credit a lot to Phil and LeVar here) simultaneously built a top 5 defense and special teams and a bottom-feeder, inept offense. He had a golden opportunity to do what he preaches (complimentary football) that would have elevated Iowa to a CFP contender. But loyalty to his son and his overall stubbornness prevented it. Yet, he somehow managed to get credit for keeping Iowa relevant and winning 7-9 games when in reality he was solely responsible for lowering the ceiling on their potential. And I think it's because his objective really isn't the same as most P4 programs, at least in the SEC and Big 10.

He's trying to rectify it w/ TL hire. But there's no way you can convince me BF wouldn't still be the offensive coordinator if Beth hadn't intervened and done so immediately.

So, you have to acknowledge the good w/ the bad. And now here we are again, as far as I can tell, the only P4 program who's going into the season without a defined starter and with an approach of "first at bat" that just wouldn't fly at most places of Iowa's level.

I think one of the guys will ultimately separate themselves at the QB position, but to go into the regular season and treating the first (if not subsequent games) as auditions for the QB...well it's insanity.

 

[Jonesy5960]

You know I don't hate KF. It's a common, defensive reply to any criticism. I mentioned I think he's done a good job overall...in terms of keeping Iowa "relevant", maintaining some level of consistency, developing NFL players, etc.

But with a lot of college coaches and communities where the coach becomes entrenched, folks can't deal w/ the dichotomy of the situation. They think in binary terms.

KF, IMO, with the hiring/promotion of BF, literally allowed Iowa's offense to regress to the point that it became a laughingstock and national punchline. He (credit a lot to Phil and LeVar here) simultaneously built a top 5 defense and special teams and a bottom-feeder, inept offense. He had a golden opportunity to do what he preaches (complimentary football) that would have elevated Iowa to a CFP contender. But loyalty to his son and his overall stubbornness prevented it. Yet, he somehow managed to get credit for keeping Iowa relevant and winning 7-9 games when in reality he was solely responsible for lowering the ceiling on their potential. And I think it's because his objective really isn't the same as most P4 programs, at least in the SEC and Big 10.

He's trying to rectify it w/ TL hire. But there's no way you can convince me BF wouldn't still be the offensive coordinator if Beth hadn't intervened and done so immediately.

So, you have to acknowledge the good w/ the bad. And now here we are again, as far as I can tell, the only P4 program who's going into the season without a defined starter and with an approach of "first at bat" that just wouldn't fly at most places of Iowa's level.

I think one of the guys will ultimately separate themselves at the QB position, but to go into the regular season and treating the first (if not subsequent games) as auditions for the QB...well it's insanity.

I think I mentioned this already, but it's not insane if neither guy has to this day really shown out to be a starter quality performer. If they had that then they'd have named him. It's certainly not ideal, but they are hoping (and I understand that hope is not a strategy) that one of these guys goes out and doesn't shat the bed. Fans shouldn't expect a lot. IMO, at this point they're just looking for an effective game manager that won't hurt the team.

 

[Max Rebo]

You know I don't hate KF. It's a common, defensive reply to any criticism. I mentioned I think he's done a good job overall...in terms of keeping Iowa "relevant", maintaining some level of consistency, developing NFL players, etc.

But with a lot of college coaches and communities where the coach becomes entrenched, folks can't deal w/ the dichotomy of the situation. They think in binary terms.

KF, IMO, with the hiring/promotion of BF, literally allowed Iowa's offense to regress to the point that it became a laughingstock and national punchline. He (credit a lot to Phil and LeVar here) simultaneously built a top 5 defense and special teams and a bottom-feeder, inept offense. He had a golden opportunity to do what he preaches (complimentary football) that would have elevated Iowa to a CFP contender. But loyalty to his son and his overall stubbornness prevented it. Yet, he somehow managed to get credit for keeping Iowa relevant and winning 7-9 games when in reality he was solely responsible for lowering the ceiling on their potential. And I think it's because his objective really isn't the same as most P4 programs, at least in the SEC and Big 10.

He's trying to rectify it w/ TL hire. But there's no way you can convince me BF wouldn't still be the offensive coordinator if Beth hadn't intervened and done so immediately.

So, you have to acknowledge the good w/ the bad. And now here we are again, as far as I can tell, the only P4 program who's going into the season without a defined starter and with an approach of "first at bat" that just wouldn't fly at most places of Iowa's level.

I think one of the guys will ultimately separate themselves at the QB position, but to go into the regular season and treating the first (if not subsequent games) as auditions for the QB...well it's insanity.

I generally don't disagree with anything written here.

But I kind of see it in a different light. Every success Kirk Ferentz has had at Iowa -- and every failure -- has been the result of his steadfast belief in the culture of the Iowa Hawkeye program. At Iowa, the steadfast belief is that if you have the right attitude; if you prepare the right way; if you work hard; if you prepare and play smart; if you persevere; you will ultimately see success. Maybe not immediately, but inevitably.

And it's almost always true. Except when it's not.

With the Brian Ferentz hire as OC -- a hire that was as much a "culture fit" as there's ever been at Iowa -- I think Kirk believed that over time, it would be successful. Brian had the right attitude. He would prepare the right way. He would work hard. He would prepare and coach smart. He would persevere. In time, I'm sure Kirk believed, Brian would be successful. Except he wasn't. Because sometimes, culture alone, isn't enough. You've got to have actual talent and the right experience in your specific area. And despite his many strengths, and despite his devotion to the Iowa culture, Brian simply didn't have the talent and/or experience that you would find in someone like Tim Lester, or any of several qualified, experienced, OCs that could have been hired.

You can't rely on culture alone.

But I think this is Kirk's blind spot. You sometimes see it manifest in other ways, when "culture fit" is weighed too heavily in certain situations. Aside from at least one OC hire, one of the best examples is the team's selection of QBs, which starts from the guys we have recruited and extends right up to the guys we put on the field. I have often wondered whether or not we've put so much emphasis on finding QBs who are "culture fits" -- guys who can "lead the team," in Kirk's words, that we've not put enough emphasis on finding guys who can simply make plays. The hope has been that this would improve with the Tim Lester era, but it remains to be seen. Perhaps we'll know more in a few days.

But you can't really blame Kirk for trusting his culture so devoutly, and I don't. It's the reason he has had the success he has had, which has been tremendous by any objective measure. It's also just resulted in some blind spots, that have, at times, resulted in missed opportunities for greater success.

Apologies for going OT a bit here.

 

[IowaCityLit]

I think I mentioned this already, but it's not insane if neither guy has to this day really shown out to be a starter quality performer. If they had that then they'd have named him. It's certainly not ideal, but they are hoping (and I understand that hope is not a strategy) that one of these guys goes out and doesn't shat the bed. Fans shouldn't expect a lot. IMO, at this point they're just looking for an effective game manager that won't hurt the team.

I agree here. I'm not sure there's any other choice. I think it's more about the reality of being in this situation in the first place, or allowing the QB position to be in this type of situation when it seems like the roster overall is otherwise pretty darn solid. It just makes no sense to me.

But these aren't preseason/exhibition games. Iowa "should" be fine against Northern Illinois but who knows. But to potentially go into the Iowa State game still trying to find the best game manager...just setting yourself up for a huge disaster IMO. These 1st 3 games, with this overall roster, should be absolute guaranteed wins. But you and I both know, because of the QB situation, there will be a ton of anxiety and doubt at 3:15 Saturday afternoon. Beyond just the normal hand-wringing.

 

[IowaCityLit]

I generally don't disagree with anything written here.

But I kind of see it in a different light. Every success Kirk Ferentz has had at Iowa -- and every failure -- has been the result of his steadfast belief in the culture of the Iowa Hawkeye program. At Iowa, the steadfast belief is that if you have the right attitude; if you prepare the right way; if you work hard; if you prepare and play smart; if you persevere; you will ultimately see success. Maybe not immediately, but inevitably.

And it's almost always true. Except when it's not.

With the Brian Ferentz hire as OC -- a hire that was as much a "culture fit" as there's ever been at Iowa -- I think Kirk believed that over time, it would be successful. Brian had the right attitude. He would prepare the right way. He would work hard. He would prepare and coach smart. He would persevere. In time, I'm sure Kirk believed, Brian would be successful. Except he wasn't. Because sometimes, culture alone, isn't enough. You've got to have actual talent and the right experience in your specific area. And despite his many strengths, and despite his devotion to the Iowa culture, Brian simply didn't have the talent and/or experience that you would find in someone like Tim Lester, or any of several qualified, experienced, OCs that could have been hired.

You can't rely on culture alone.

But I think this is Kirk's blind spot. You sometimes see it manifest in other ways, when "culture fit" is weighed too heavily in certain situations. Aside from at least one OC hire, one of the best examples is the team's selection of QBs, which starts from the guys we have recruited and extends right up to the guys we put on the field. I have often wondered whether or not we've put so much emphasis on finding QBs who are "culture fits" -- guys who can "lead the team," in Kirk's words, that we've not put enough emphasis on finding guys who can simply make plays. The hope has been that this would improve with the Tim Lester era, but it remains to be seen.

But you can't really blame Kirk for trusting his culture so devoutly, and I don't. It's the reason he has had the success he has had, which has been tremendous by any objective measure. It's also just resulted in some blind spots, that have, at times, resulted in missed opportunities for greater success.

Apologies for going OT a bit here.

Really well-stated here. Good points and perspective all the way around. Agree. And again, it's a weird dichotomy. The culture, the brand, the identity, the system, the process...I do think it reflects KF's leadership style and overall approach to building and running a program. And I think he feels like, whatever the outcome, it's the right formula. Believing, generally, the outcome will be net positive. But I've heard too much from KF over these past several years to suggest that he's not necessarily worried about "elevating" Iowa football...or necessarily thinking in terms of CFP as being any sort of metric for success.

I'll be attending HawkTalk live tonight at the Vue. Looking forward to hearing KF comments and for the football season in general!

 

[Grayhair1981]

Kudos to Max and ICLit for an intelligent conversation. Those are rare around here

 

[HMB Trumpet]

I generally don't disagree with anything written here.

But I kind of see it in a different light. Every success Kirk Ferentz has had at Iowa -- and every failure -- has been the result of his steadfast belief in the culture of the Iowa Hawkeye program. At Iowa, the steadfast belief is that if you have the right attitude; if you prepare the right way; if you work hard; if you prepare and play smart; if you persevere; you will ultimately see success. Maybe not immediately, but inevitably.

And it's almost always true. Except when it's not.

With the Brian Ferentz hire as OC -- a hire that was as much a "culture fit" as there's ever been at Iowa -- I think Kirk believed that over time, it would be successful. Brian had the right attitude. He would prepare the right way. He would work hard. He would prepare and coach smart. He would persevere. In time, I'm sure Kirk believed, Brian would be successful. Except he wasn't. Because sometimes, culture alone, isn't enough. You've got to have actual talent and the right experience in your specific area. And despite his many strengths, and despite his devotion to the Iowa culture, Brian simply didn't have the talent and/or experience that you would find in someone like Tim Lester, or any of several qualified, experienced, OCs that could have been hired.

You can't rely on culture alone.

But I think this is Kirk's blind spot. You sometimes see it manifest in other ways, when "culture fit" is weighed too heavily in certain situations. Aside from at least one OC hire, one of the best examples is the team's selection of QBs, which starts from the guys we have recruited and extends right up to the guys we put on the field. I have often wondered whether or not we've put so much emphasis on finding QBs who are "culture fits" -- guys who can "lead the team," in Kirk's words, that we've not put enough emphasis on finding guys who can simply make plays. The hope has been that this would improve with the Tim Lester era, but it remains to be seen. Perhaps we'll know more in a few days.

But you can't really blame Kirk for trusting his culture so devoutly, and I don't. It's the reason he has had the success he has had, which has been tremendous by any objective measure. It's also just resulted in some blind spots, that have, at times, resulted in missed opportunities for greater success.

Apologies for going OT a bit here.

I think you’re spot on here. I would only add that Kirk brought O’Keefe back as QB coach and more importantly as a mentor for Brian. He tried to make sure the team would be successful as Brian gained experience as an OC. Unfortunately, after O’Keefe retired Brian wasn’t successful on his own.

 

[squeezebox_1]

I think you’re spot on here. I would only add that Kirk brought O’Keefe back as QB coach and more importantly as a mentor for Brian. He tried to make sure the team would be successful as Brian gained experience as an OC. Unfortunately, after O’Keefe retired Brian wasn’t successful on his own.

After that Holiday Bowl against USC, I thought we were off to the races on offense, wow how wrong I was.

 

[Jonesy5960]

I agree here. I'm not sure there's any other choice. I think it's more about the reality of being in this situation in the first place, or allowing the QB position to be in this type of situation when it seems like the roster overall is otherwise pretty darn solid. It just makes no sense to me.

But these aren't preseason/exhibition games. Iowa "should" be fine against Northern Illinois but who knows. But to potentially go into the Iowa State game still trying to find the best game manager...just setting yourself up for a huge disaster IMO. These 1st 3 games, with this overall roster, should be absolute guaranteed wins. But you and I both know, because of the QB situation, there will be a ton of anxiety and doubt at 3:15 Saturday afternoon. Beyond just the normal hand-wringing.

So I know a lot of people on here are suggesting that it's all on Kirk, and some of it is. I can guarantee you a discussion was had at the end of last year with the coaches to discuss pressing needs and the budget to address them. I'm fairly certain that Lester wasn't given the option of going out and buying another high profile QB given the fact that they already had on the roster 2 portal QB's who were acquired the previous year along with Sullivan and Bessinger. Other needs, which includes player retention were deemed more pressing by the staff, although it wouldn't surprise me at all if Lester wasn't enamored with either one. Lester also brought in an old grad assistant to coach QB's which seemed kind of odd given Lester's history with QB's.

In any case, I think Lester has been given the latitude to decide who should run the offense, even if he wasn't given the ability to go out and acquire the QB he wanted. Kirk obviously has input, but ultimately I think it's Lester's call.

 

[squeezebox_1]

So I know a lot of people on here are suggesting that it's all on Kirk, and some of it is. I can guarantee you a discussion was had at the end of last year with the coaches to discuss pressing needs and the budget to address them. I'm fairly certain that Lester wasn't given the option of going out and buying another high profile QB given the fact that they already had on the roster 2 portal QB's who were acquired the previous year along with Sullivan and Bessinger. Other needs, which includes player retention were deemed more pressing by the staff, although it wouldn't surprise me at all if Lester wasn't enamored with either one. Lester also brought in an old grad assistant to coach QB's which seemed kind of odd given Lester's history with QB's.

In any case, I think Lester has been given the latitude to decide who should run the offense, even if he wasn't given the ability to go out and acquire the QB he wanted. Kirk obviously has input, but ultimately I think it's Lester's call.

They did reach out to QBs in the portal, and I do solidly wish they had pulled Marcus Stokes. He looked like a perfect fit for Lester's system against UNLV last week. With that said, I like the approach of strengthening the skill positions. The fact that two transfer WRs are starting shows how weak that group was. I do wish they had allocated a tad bit more to the DT position, but I could be entirely wrong on how that works out.

 

[Grayhair1981]

After that Holiday Bowl against USC, I thought we were off to the races on offense, wow how wrong I was.

That was a great game

 

[IowaCityLit]

So I know a lot of people on here are suggesting that it's all on Kirk, and some of it is. I can guarantee you a discussion was had at the end of last year with the coaches to discuss pressing needs and the budget to address them. I'm fairly certain that Lester wasn't given the option of going out and buying another high profile QB given the fact that they already had on the roster 2 portal QB's who were acquired the previous year along with Sullivan and Bessinger. Other needs, which includes player retention were deemed more pressing by the staff, although it wouldn't surprise me at all if Lester wasn't enamored with either one. Lester also brought in an old grad assistant to coach QB's which seemed kind of odd given Lester's history with QB's.

In any case, I think Lester has been given the latitude to decide who should run the offense, even if he wasn't given the ability to go out and acquire the QB he wanted. Kirk obviously has input, but ultimately I think it's Lester's call.

I can’t believe they didn’t at least reach out to guys…and I can’t imagine a guy with KF status could t press Beth pr others with a pitch about being a QB a way from contending. I just have to think there’s a way to find some extra money or spend differently. Otherwise, how does Iowa get to a point where they can afford a top notch offensive roster? They’ll be perpetually choosing between QB and the rest of the pieces. And it risks losing a great QB you develop from being snatched in the portal due to the big bucks.

And if neither guy is solid enough doesn’t that say something about Lester’s evaluation skills? 2 guys and the 2nd year in the system for both.

The money feels like a convenient excuse. And not saying it wasn’t a factor. But again it allows KF to justify 7-5 or 8-4 as being a great overachieving year given the “constraints.”

 

[Oldman74]

Just my two cents. It's not about not playing them both or being given a chance. It's about KF picking the wrong one moving forward. We rode with Deacon Hill over trying guys who went on to have success at the FBS level and not a alternate starter on a bad D2 team.

I'm also worried about the adage of "if you think you have 2 QBs, you usually have none." It's concerning neither separated during camp.

Honest question. What guys weren't given an opportunity that went on to have success at the FBS level? And I don't mean that argumentatively as I've been as concerned about QB recruiting, development, play as anyone else.

 

[yrunvs]

My expectations are that our running game will be so overwhelming that it doesn't really matter who's quarterbacking.

 

[Jonesy5960]

I can’t believe they didn’t at least reach out to guys…and I can’t imagine a guy with KF status could t press Beth pr others with a pitch about being a QB a way from contending. I just have to think there’s a way to find some extra money or spend differently. Otherwise, how does Iowa get to a point where they can afford a top notch offensive roster? They’ll be perpetually choosing between QB and the rest of the pieces. And it risks losing a great QB you develop from being snatched in the portal due to the big bucks.

And if neither guy is solid enough doesn’t that say something about Lester’s evaluation skills? 2 guys and the 2nd year in the system for both.

The money feels like a convenient excuse. And not saying it wasn’t a factor. But again it allows KF to justify 7-5 or 8-4 as being a great overachieving year given the “constraints.”

I think Kirk is a really risk averse guy and doesn't necessarily want to invest heavily in one position. Hank and Heck were brought in on the cheap when Iowa had nobody else on the roster in the hope that they would develop. It's not like QB's were clamoring to come to Iowa given the disastrous recent history with QB's and the Iowa passing game that Lester inherited.

 

[IowaCityLit]

I think Kirk is a really risk averse guy and doesn't necessarily want to invest heavily in one position. Hank and Heck were brought in on the cheap when Iowa had nobody else on the roster in the hope that they would develop. It's not like QB's were clamoring to come to Iowa given the disastrous recent history with QB's and the Iowa passing game that Lester inherited.

Makes sense but didn’t Iowa pay handsomely for MG last year? Seems like there was a decision to make the investment last year. And once healthy we saw it pay dividends. Iowa was literally 2-3 plays away from a CFP berth.

Regardless, maybe a GM would be in order eventually.

 

[squeezebox_1]

Makes sense but didn’t Iowa pay handsomely for MG last year? Seems like there was a decision to make the investment last year. And once healthy we saw it pay dividends. Iowa was literally 2-3 plays away from a CFP berth.

Regardless, maybe a GM would be in order eventually.

Barnes is the GM, and Gronowski was estimated to be given a mil. The market this year was far beyond that, with Colandrea and Joseph both netting over 2 million per estimates.

 

[Jonesy5960]

Makes sense but didn’t Iowa pay handsomely for MG last year? Seems like there was a decision to make the investment last year. And once healthy we saw it pay dividends. Iowa was literally 2-3 plays away from a CFP berth.

Regardless, maybe a GM would be in order eventually.

They did pay a lot for MG and it almost blew up in their faces again. He was brutal the first few games making Cade look good at times. I thought they should have stuck with Sullivan last year and invested in the complementary pieces then. His passer rating was the best of any QB under Kirk since Stanzi.

 

[Grayhair1981]

My expectations are that our running game will be so overwhelming that it doesn't really matter who's quarterbacking.

Is that going to be true against OSU, Michigan, Washington? Any team with a legit defense?

 

[hawkeyebob1962]

You know I don't hate KF. It's a common, defensive reply to any criticism. I mentioned I think he's done a good job overall...in terms of keeping Iowa "relevant", maintaining some level of consistency, developing NFL players, etc.

But with a lot of college coaches and communities where the coach becomes entrenched, folks can't deal w/ the dichotomy of the situation. They think in binary terms.

KF, IMO, with the hiring/promotion of BF, literally allowed Iowa's offense to regress to the point that it became a laughingstock and national punchline. He (credit a lot to Phil and LeVar here) simultaneously built a top 5 defense and special teams and a bottom-feeder, inept offense. He had a golden opportunity to do what he preaches (complimentary football) that would have elevated Iowa to a CFP contender. But loyalty to his son and his overall stubbornness prevented it. Yet, he somehow managed to get credit for keeping Iowa relevant and winning 7-9 games when in reality he was solely responsible for lowering the ceiling on their potential. And I think it's because his objective really isn't the same as most P4 programs, at least in the SEC and Big 10.

He's trying to rectify it w/ TL hire. But there's no way you can convince me BF wouldn't still be the offensive coordinator if Beth hadn't intervened and done so immediately.

So, you have to acknowledge the good w/ the bad. And now here we are again, as far as I can tell, the only P4 program who's going into the season without a defined starter and with an approach of "first at bat" that just wouldn't fly at most places of Iowa's level.

I think one of the guys will ultimately separate themselves at the QB position, but to go into the regular season and treating the first (if not subsequent games) as auditions for the QB...well it's insanity.

Clemson had no starter until yesterday. And Dabo said BOTH would play, and the situation is fluid. Several other programs have "named" a starter...with caveat.

BTW, none of that has anything to do with BF, or Beth firing him.

 

[yrunvs]

Is that going to be true against OSU, Michigan, Washington? Any team with a legit defense?

Maybe not but it'll work long enough to figure out who's the #1

 

[IowaCityLit]

Barnes is the GM, and Gronowski was estimated to be given a mil. The market this year was far beyond that, with Colandrea and Joseph both netting over 2 million per estimates.

I thought Barnes was

Barnes is the GM, and Gronowski was estimated to be given a mil. The market this year was far beyond that, with Colandrea and Joseph both netting over 2 million per estimates.

I thought Barnes was Chief of Staff who arranged Nail deals for players but wasn’t in charge of setting budget. Doesn’t AD office still have control over how much. An be spent and what flexibility exists year to year, player to player?

 

[2D]

My expectations are that our running game will be so overwhelming that it doesn't really matter who's quarterbacking.

That works against nobodies and the Big Ten West. It won't work against Michigan, OSU, and Washington. Mark's passing threat is what kept us in the game against Indiana and Oregon, despite how they ended.

 

[Jonesy5960]

That works against nobodies and the Big Ten West. It won't work against Michigan, OSU, and Washington. Mark's passing threat is what kept us in the game against Indiana and Oregon, despite how they ended.

I would argue it was the defense that kept Iowa in those games. He only passed for 130 and 140 yards in those games and they only scored 15 and 16 points. You can't beat good teams that way.

 

[yrunvs]

That works against nobodies and the Big Ten West. It won't work against Michigan, OSU, and Washington. Mark's passing threat is what kept us in the game against Indiana and Oregon, despite how they ended.

see post #115

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

So I know a lot of people on here are suggesting that it's all on Kirk, and some of it is. I can guarantee you a discussion was had at the end of last year with the coaches to discuss pressing needs and the budget to address them. I'm fairly certain that Lester wasn't given the option of going out and buying another high profile QB given the fact that they already had on the roster 2 portal QB's who were acquired the previous year along with Sullivan and Bessinger. Other needs, which includes player retention were deemed more pressing by the staff, although it wouldn't surprise me at all if Lester wasn't enamored with either one. Lester also brought in an old grad assistant to coach QB's which seemed kind of odd given Lester's history with QB's.

In any case, I think Lester has been given the latitude to decide who should run the offense, even if he wasn't given the ability to go out and acquire the QB he wanted. Kirk obviously has input, but ultimately I think it's Lester's call.

I think its also fair to add that Lester signed off on bringing in both Brown and Heck, and recruiting the freshman and RS freshman who are on the roster. So this is his group.