What has happen to Iowa? After losing only 7 games between 2002-204 last 3 years Iowa has gone 19-18. They use to be like a top 15 team. And they had some great college talent like brad banks who one eyar finish in the top 5 hesiman votes. Do you guys think he should ahev taken a nfl job when he had the chance? also how do you see the rest of his tenture at Iowa?
Iowa fans say that its all the injuries. It sounds like just a regular excuse, but I think it does have some credence to it. I remember checking out some webpage that had every team's injury list on it and Iowa had a lot of injuries. It seems that a lot of their starters got injured. Iowa probably had the most injuries out of any major team the past couple of years. You can say "well, every team has injuries." That's true, but Iowa had a lot and it happened to a lot of their starters.
But also, I think the culture at Iowa has worsened. I've been hearing that there are lot of off the field incidents and character issues at Iowa this year. Seems Ferentz is losing control.
But I'm not really a Hawkeyes fan, so I'm not trying to make excuses for them.
The Hawkeyes had some injuries, but I think a problem is that they haven't been as good at recruiting. Iowa isn't exactly a powerhouse in recruiting so they have to go after guys that aren't super high recruited, and they obviously haven't had the succes in devoloping those guys as they did earlier in this decade.
The injury excuse IS valid...the level of injures @ certain positions is amazing, but it makes me wonder what the hell kind of training and conditioning program is going on @ certain positions when that many guys fall under the injury bug. Apparently I'm the only one that finds it odd that Iowa is decimated by injuries year in and out on a level that every other program can't even identify with. Sure, I can see a year here or there...but it's like these kids just show up for games for crissakes and that's it.
Everyone is right here. Injuries, recruiting, and off field problems.
Hopefully the off field problems will stop. Ferentz has started to take a harder stance against this as he is kicking players off the team now. He has also hired a "life skills" coach which will focus on the younger players and take a much more proactive position with getting them aclimated to college life.
Recruiting honestly hasn't changed. The thing with the good years between '02 - '04 was a lot of walkons stepped up...like Dallas Clark. Iowa has always pretty much gotten 2 and 3 star recruits with an occasional 4 or 5 star coming in.
Injuries do happen to all teams, but I got to agree with Teddy on they have happened to Iowa in high numbers lately. Not sure why that is.
If Kirk is to turn it around, it has got to be this year. The schedule is very favorable to us. No UM or OSU and we get ISU, PSU and Wisky at Kinnick.
We also have experience going for us. 18 starters of at least one game returning. Iowa was very young last year...playing 11 true freshman and about 20 or so red-shirt freshman at some point.
Nope. I think he maxed out with the Brad Banks team that went 10-2 and tied for the Big 10 title with Ohio State. He probably shoulda taken another job elsewhere @ that point. B/c people were overrating him and he failed to see that Iowa isn't Nebraska, and it's not easy to get kids to play in such salty areas.
When UM was rumoured to be after him, I was in near tears. His coaching schemes aren't impressive. Banks was a guy who took his pedestrian offense to the next level, yet Ferentz afterwards kept recruiting slow, clunking QBs with limited wheels. And it shows. Iowa offensively is just flat out slow. Maybe a burner here or there @ WR, but otherwise just plain maple syrup slow. A lotta it seems to be the ability to lure talent there. He's not worth what he's making. Iowa will always be a tough place to win, a place where in a blue moon sometimes you can put together a great season, but Ferentz isn't the genius his paycheck seems to tell everyone he is.
hey did banks ever get picked up by a nfl team? and when banks was the qb at iowa didn't they have a great combo with him and some rb. I forgot his name
I think it's a little early to say UM isn't that great this year, considering that no games have been played.Well, when a walk on and a guy who couldn't beat out the immortal Reggie Ball are the guys battling for the qb position I can guess right now.
I said it in another thread, a couple years ago when he started looking at offers togo elsewhere, he just went in the can. Recruiting just took a big nose dive and they haven't been back since.
They (Iowa and Ferentz) need to show these guys that he'll be there for a while. Young recruits look at him now and are wondering is this a stepping stone or a rock?
I don't know about the injuries part of it, they were so far off the radar last year. Also, not playing OSU or ann arbor last year and this year probably hurt them as well. It was usually a nationally televised game if they played either of those.
In regards to Iowa. Granted injuries have taken their tole, Iowa lost the coach who was responsible for their success. Offensive Line Coach Joe Philbin. Iowa had the success years ago because their offensive line dominated. Every gave Ferenz credit for the offensive line when it was Philbin calling the shots.
Watch out for this year. Iowa will have a more then solid defense, but won't be able to establish a running game or a passing game.
If Iowa can move the football, then they will win the Big Ten.
As for the injury bug last year, Iowa lost their best lineman, top 3 receivers, starting tight end, and started a first year starting QB. That spells disaster for anyone.
