I’ve kept expecting the offense to “show up”. I’ve been expecting the big break out that can occur once execution continues to improve. That being said, I think all the injuries short circuited it, preventing the offense from gelling. That and Stanziballs.
Considering that we’re running a true freshman, I would have expected us to go bombs away primarily weeks ago, but part of me thinks that they won’t or can’t let Stanzi disregard the running game because he’s just as likely to throw to the other team as us.

The last two games has seen Iowa turn the ball over 10 times to their opponents’ 4 and perhaps this has finally unmasked Iowa’s blueprint as too simplistic.

Is there a blueprint that tells you how to win games with a -3 turnover margin? Managing to do it once was impressive, but expecting to do it twice is asking a bit much.

The KOK offense works very well when we have a strong running game; the only year in which we had a strong running game but didn’t finish in the top 3 of scoring offenses was 2005 (which was a strange year for Iowa and also a high-scoring year for Big Ten offenses — Iowa’s PPG that year would have ranked in the top 3 in two of the last four years and would barely miss out on that distinction this year). The main problem seems to be when we don’t have a strong running game and we’re forced to resort to “plan B” on offense. Then the scoring dips and our margin for error really sinks .

That said, it’s also difficult to overlook the importance of continuity to offense in general. The offensive line has been a revolving door for most of the season, we’re practically down to 2004 levels on the depth chart at running back (although thank goodness Brandon Wegher is more talented than Sam Brownlee), and all of our top receiving options have missed time at some point during the season. And now we’re minus the most experienced quarterback we’ve had since 2006. Compare that to last year; were there any substantial injuries aside from Tony Moeaki’s usual absence for a few games and Seth Olsen missing a couple games?

I am not a huge KOK fan, but I really don’t think the numbers tell any of the story. First of all, it is probable that most teams with the more “high-octane” offenses run up the score (and the stats) egregiously.
Secondly, and more importantly, Iowa, like any team, runs a complete game plan (overseen and OKed entirely by Ferentz). That game plan means a conservative offense that doesn’t take excessive chances and doesn’t put it’s D in bad situations, special teams that don’t make mistakes and a defense that destroys other teams and forces them to make mistakes.
Am I saying that KOK/Ferentz wouldn’t want to get 40 points by halftime every game and bring in the backups in the 2nd half? No, but I’m saying they measure the risk. The nature of the game Ferentz and his chosen assistants play is not prone to gaudy offensive statistics short of a year when they have a glut of offensive talent ala ‘02 and at Iowa, that’s not going to happen very often. In short (too late) KOK does pretty much exactly what Kirk Ferentz wants him to do.

Consider who leads the Big Ten in scoring this year? Hint- they lost to Purdue yesterday and Illinois last week. And Dick-Rod isn’t one to measure risk-reward the way Kirk does.

About this all year. I have an unresearched theory. KOK is conservative. No I mean really conservative. Glen Beck conservative. KOK knows we’ve got a great D so early in games the play calling is typical KOK. Later, when the clock is ticking and we’re down 10 points he has no choice but to open the offense up. We throw and we score. That is why we gave so many close games with teams that we should beat. We do not play to our strength this year, which is throwing the football (despite the stanziballs our receivers are better weapons than our rbs).The only difference yesterday is that we have an inexperienced QB at the helm that could not hit an open receiver, held the ball too long, and generally looked like he was playing with a brown load in his gold pants. I would like to see what our offensive playcalling (rush v pass) looks like from half to half and also yard per rush play v yards per pass play.

do we call it a Vandi-ball?

or at least I hoped we would. But here are some issues I have been concerned with:

- Tony Moeaki is the best tight end Kirk Ferentz says he has ever coached, he has been totally absent the last few games. I want to think that if I were an O-coordinator I would work my ass off to get the ball to my best players.
- R. Stanzi interception rate. I believe R. Stanzi is coachable. Where is the coaching there? Is Stanzi Drew Tate with the fuck you attitude, we’re doing this my way? I doubt it. Play calling and coaching are bed fellows. I smell a rift there.
- Wrinkles. I have them at my temples and love them on the football field. We have a VERY experienced quarterback. Why have we not seen more wrinkles like the zone read play at Penn State? I understand conservative but sheesh.

In short, I think KOK is good for what he does, the philosophy he works within, and the coach he works for. Although, I think Iowa did something this year that was interesting. They have become progessively more predictable and conservative. It worked. So why change that up. I understand that. But it flys in the face of what we have seen in past years.

As for the talent issue. If ever there was a year or two to capitalize on our good fortune, it is now. We have received a ton of press and I am hopeful we can get a game breaker type player this year or next. A Tim Dwight type or Ronnie Harmon. Just one.

At the end of the day, I am think I am fine with KOK.

I keep going back to when Christensen threw KOK under the bus for not working on mechanics.

Our QB’s NEVER progress the way other schools do. Look at Tate, Christensen, and now Stanzi. All showed promise and potential as a young’n, but never put it together to be a really good QB. Stanzi has a year left, so the verdict is still out on him.

I dont mind KOK’s play calling for the most part, but he fails miserably at so many other parts of his job, mainly creativity in gameplanning, and the development of QB’s. His play calling works when we have a run game, but averaging 2.4YPC isn’t going to get the job done for almost any coordinator.

and it hasn’t happened.

To justify the call for change, you look at how the offense has performed and decide if it is acceptable. In the last ten years he has produced:
11, 11, 10, 9, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 3
5 of those years are just unacceptable. 2 are decent and 3 are good.

Lack of talent? Why isn’t our evaluating and recruiting keeping up?
Lack of development? Why aren’t the guys developing?
Play calling? Who is calling the plays?

It all comes down to KOK. Ferentz needs to deal with the entire team and all of the extra obligations that come with being head coach. He needs somebody in place that can deliver a game ready offense every week. KOK just isn’t that guy.

My take on O’Keefe for years has been that his play calling is fine (for our system and style) from 20 to 20. But from end zone to 20, on both sides of the field, he stinks.

O’Keefe has a weak offensive mind, period. I am just some drunk alumni and I can tell what plays the Hawks are going to run so I can only imagine what highly paid professionals can figure out. Stanzi running the Patriots offense has been the best offense in 2009 but KOK will not stay with it and instead can not get enough of those long drawn out stretch plays. McNutt/DJK/Moeaki are the big time play makers and offensive focus should be revolved more around them. This team wins in spite of KOK and not because of him.

I will give O’Keefe some small credit for not running 10 bubble screens every game anymore.

because I think the O-Line has played like dog crap for too many plays in the last couple games (I’m looking at you, Calloway).

But that Stanzi fumble play reminded me of a play (I think in 2001). We were backed up to the same end zone against Michigan, with a not-fast QB (McCann) and Michigan comes in, crushes him, gets a fumble for a TD.

It pisses me off that we are making the same mistakes 8 years later with another QB who is kind of slow. If you have Brad Banks, or Robinson of Michigan, or somebody close to that quick, you can run drop-back draws or roll-outs or bootlegs in the end zone. If not, run the freaking ball out of there with a quick play to a RUNNING BACK.

Who is responsible for calling both plays? You guessed it – Frank Stallone.

I mean, Ken O’Keefe.

has been every shade of awful this year. The predominant strategy of every defense we’ve faced this year has been 10 in the box on 1st, and make Stanzi make plays on 2nd and 3rd, and that’s only going to get worse with James back there coming up.

Wegher screens FTW.

Folks, I am as frustrated about Saturday’s loss as anyone (BAD KITTIES!), and I know the ‘ol cliché "If you would have told me in August we’d be 9-1 at this point…" Nonetheless, a story on perspective:

A guy runs into his old pal at the tavern:
“Hey Bill, how’ve you been?”
“Don’t call me Bill, call me ‘Lucky’.”
“Why should I call you ‘Lucky’?”
“I won the million dollar lotto last week!”
The next week, they run into eachother again at the tavern:
“Hey Lucky, how’ve you been?”
“Don’t call me Lucky, call me ‘Lucky Lucky’.”
“Why should I call you ‘Lucky Lucky’?”
“I bet the million I won last week at the horse track and tripled it!”
The following week, they again run into eachother at the tavern:
“Hey Lucky Lucky, how’ve you been?”
“Don’t call me Lucky Lucky, call me ‘Lucky Lucky Lucky’.”
“Why should I call you ‘Lucky Lucky Lucky’?”
“The other day I was banging my girlfriend, when her husband suddenly walks in and shoots me in the ass!”
“That doesn’t sound so lucky.”
“Yeah, but five minutes earlier and he would have shot me in the head!”

Perspective, folks.

I keep thinking if someone told me in August that as an offense:
Our starting quarterback will have 15 touchdowns to 14 interceptions (3 pick sixes)
we lost our 1 rb to pros
                     2 rb to acl preseason
                        started Paki to begin the season
                     3 rb to high ankle sprain midseason
                     4 rb to foot preseason( I don’t know where he fits maybe ahead of A-rob?)
rely on a true freshman for rb and he leads in rushing TD
lose a veteran WR/PR to ACL midseason
lose a veteeran WR to concussion in midseason
our leading WR last year is hampered first half of the season by hamstring and PHarty
our TE misses 3 games to high ankle sprain
our LT misses 3 games to thyroid
our RT misses games to moped
Dace Richardson would start, play, be dominant and we would miss him when he goes out with an ankle fracture?
The only two(correct me if I’m wrong) players on offense to start and finish all ten games would be our C and FB
We would be 9-0 going into Sat complaining about not getting enough BCS love
And it would take a sack/fumble for TD knocking our QB out of the game to break the string and our fanbase would be in full fledged Buckeye melt down mode I would want to share what you were smoking