Make no mistake, I'm pissed off right now. I hate losing to anyone, particularly to a habitually bad program like Indiana, twice in a row. I heard the words "that loss hurt" about a million times over the last 48 hours, even from my own lips. I thought about it and that's the stupidest thing I've ever said. I think the loss hurt? You think the loss hurt? How do you think Mitch King feels? I'm not going to sell those guys out.
Part of being a Hawkeye means you're worshipped all over the state. You're the only show around. The lights are brighter and the beer tastes better. However, along with the sweet smell of success comes the stench of disappointment after a loss you get everywhere you turn in Iowa City. Those guys on the team had to pull themselves out of bed today and walk, with a fucking limp, to class. They had to cross campus and listen to the chattering in the background. No slaps on the back today. They don't even want to look at a paper because they know what they're going to see. It's their face, their number, posted with the losing score. I didn't take that field on Saturday so I have no idea what the pain of that loss feels like. I'm not going to sell those kids out.
How do you think Jake Christensen feels when the play comes in and it's the one where he got crushed by an unblocked defensive end the last 7 times they ran it? He knows the play is a sucker's bet, he didn't call it, but he's the sucker. He's gotta look at his receivers, who are even younger than him, and try to sell them on the play. They're in the huddle for about 5 seconds and he's got to look those guys in the face and make them believe it's going to work this time, even if he doesn't. 20 seconds later, he's picking himself up off the turf, adjusting his helmet, his pads, and heading back to the huddle to do it all again. I'm not going to sell our boys out.
We're all pissed off and bitter. No one goes into the season expecting to be 2-3. The guys on the team didn't work their entire lives to get onto the field and lose. My anger is directed at the coaching staff. This is on them. We're doing the same things, week after week, with diminishing returns. They're not putting our team in a position to succeed and everyone in the country knows it. But what can we do about it 5 games into a season? Seriously, what is our recourse? We can't fire the staff. We can't draw up a play and send it in to have them run it (Jim Walden used to do that at Iowa State, no, I'm not kidding). Our hands are tied. This is our team, our coaching staff, and our "lot in life". It's easy to be a fan when we're winning. You can taunt Iowa State, make fun of Notre Dame, and smile smugly at how superior we are. But the test comes when you're losing. This is true with anything in life. You only show what your true character is when things are bad. It's no different with being a fan. We have a game this Saturday, and the Saturday after that. I'm going to support our boys and hope just as hard for a win this week as last. I'm not giving up and I'm not selling the Hawkeyes out.
Are you?