2022 Football post mortem/looking forward

[dirtyninety]

You can’t get rid of Manning and keep Myers. That’s the definition of insanity. If only one goes it needs to be Myers.

I need to rewatch the game again, but after the blowout was happening, I had fun watching our two offensive guards just back up after snap....it was like a run-backwards drill at practice. weird. I don't think other teams do this....makes the pocket really freaking small....really small.

 

[CoKane]

I'm not gonna be an ******* and start guessing names, but I will say that I expect those people to be pretty obvious when December 5th hits

 

[Al_4_State]

Good point. 3 is more likely.

Ferentz has brought Iowa back from this a couple of times.

It’s doable. Likely? No. But definitely doable

 

[Die4Cy]

This is the correct reaction from a player (Hanika). After a year like that this is encouraging at least.

 

[WastedTalent]

Campbell has to pull off an unprecedented turnaround of a collapseof his own making.
He's got a couple years with JP to do it. Probably can't, but he gets the shot.

Unprecedented turnaround? Collapse?
That's pretty dramatic. He started with worse here, and was worse his first year. One bad season after 5 decent ones is hardly a collapse.

 

[dirtyninety]

Imagine actually having a D1 QB who's been playing this game a dozen years with the confidence to give his players direction at the line of scrimmage rather than look toward his parents standing on the sideline.

Especially on a 4th and a foot on the opponents 40 or some such thing that any American with a neck who played any football knows how to do.....yet we micro-coach the instincts out of these young qb's. Hell, I don't know. Maybe CJ stroud can't wipe his but either without looking to the dude with the cartoon card on the sideline. It sure seems like he and Young at Bama and Duggar are leading their team to play football to win..not just running plays.

 

[isucy86]

Dekkers is trash. We won’t win more than 3 conference games in any given year if he’s slinging the pig skin

Dekkers has the arm, just a question if he has the mind and intangibles to make a top-tier Big12 QB.

IMO Dekkers development comes back to coaching and if Gordon and Manning are the guys to get Dekkers where he needs to be.

 

[KidSilverhair]

I think all the sideline checking brought to you by Wilson Toyota going by bye would be a great start. Give the play. Let the players make the call.

You know, I hate this with a passion - it kills tempo, as you say it takes all initiative away from the players on the field, and it just looks dumb when six players all stop and stand up and stare at the sideline for 15 seconds.

I get the idea in theory (the coaches see how the defense lines up, then gets adjustments in from the sideline), but it never works for Iowa State in practice. Instead it always seems the Cyclones hit a decent play, get the defense back on their heels and unprepared, then the coaches take all momentum away by having the team stop the game to look over and get a new play call sent in, which always seems to be shifts by the tight ends, putting the slot in motion, and handing off up the middle for a half-yard gain.

If the theory worked, seems like you’d see a lot more instances of Iowa State taking advantage of a bad matchup or a defensive misalignment to break off big plays after the coaches adjust from the sidelines. Has that ever happened?

 

[Die4Cy]

Dekkers has the arm, just a question if he has the mind and intangibles to make a top-tier Big12 QB.

IMO Dekkers development comes back to coaching and if Gordon and Manning are the guys to get Dekkers where he needs to be.

Max Duggan turned himself into a Heisman finalist in a year. But it took a coaching change to do it.

 

[cyclonehomer]

Unprecedented turnaround? Collapse?
That's pretty dramatic. He started with worse here, and was worse his first year. One bad season after 5 decent ones is hardly a collapse.

I mostly agree, but last year was a massive disappointment, too.

 

[Trice]

My only thought after today is that people really need to temper themselves on insisting on huge contract extensions and raises for coaches after big wins. Two years ago any one of us would have happily made Matt Campbell coach for life. Two years later, we look as bad as when he took the job, and the problems that have plagued his teams have not improved after seven full seasons on the job.

Now, don't overinterpret that. Campbell's job isn't in danger right now, nor should it be. But this is two severely underperforming seasons in a row. One more and his seat should be warm. Two more and it should be hot.

The stakes are simply too high to anchor ourselves to coaches with huge contracts and expensive buyouts. Hope some major changes are coming this offseason.

 

[LtRaczack]

Leave the pocket? Laps.
Throw more than three yards when we need 10? Laps.
Call an audible? Surprise — more laps.

Better to have a false start or two false starts in a row than take those kinds of crazy risks. Better to have a delay of game or best of all to rush the play because it won’t result in a turnover…..except every time it does and that included the CCG against Oklahoma. That’s ok, it won’t cost any victories.

 

[isucy86]

Agreed. I'd like to see them be more aggressive with blitzes and try to force more turnovers, but I'm splitting hairs there, they're obviously far from the problem.

I agree our defense has been very good. But opposing coaches' job is to find weaknesses. Our defense needs to evolve. Keep the foundation, but make changes to address weaknesses. IMO, we need to bring 4 guys on most passing situations. It minimizes passing and running windows for opposing QB's. Plus, when a QB starts getting nervous feet- it carries over to the next play.

I thought ISU found something a few games ago by lining Vance up at DE and blitzing him. Then we didn't see it much the rest of the season. I noticed it a couple times today.

 

[dafarmer]

This thread is way too soon. Give it a week and maybe we'll be capable of having a rational discussion about it.

We are ISU fans-rational? I laugh at your comments.Ha

 

[dirtyninety]

You know, I hate this with a passion - it kills tempo, as you say it takes all initiative away from the players on the field, and it just looks dumb when six players all stop and stand up and stare at the sideline for 15 seconds.

I get the idea in theory (the coaches see how the defense lines up, then gets adjustments in from the sideline), but it never works for Iowa State in practice. Instead it always seems the Cyclones hit a decent play, get the defense back on their heels and unprepared, then the coaches take all momentum away by having the team stop the game to look over and get a new play call sent in, which always seems to be shifts by the tight ends, putting the slot in motion, and handing off up the middle for a half-yard gain.

If the theory worked, seems like you’d see a lot more instances of Iowa State taking advantage of a bad matchup or a defensive misalignment to break off big plays after the coaches adjust from the sidelines. Has that ever happened?

I would offer that this contributes to our procedure penalties with guys moving or jumping early while they have squatted for 20 seconds. Hell, I've seen our guys just lose balance there and move a little and that causes the penalty.....

 

[Darius Bieber]

My only thought after today is that people really need to temper themselves on insisting on huge contract extensions and raises for coaches after big wins. Two years ago any one of us would have happily made Matt Campbell coach for life. Two years later, we look as bad as when he took the job, and the problems that have plagued his teams have not improved after seven full seasons on the job.

Now, don't overinterpret that. Campbell's job isn't in danger right now, nor should it be. But this is two severely underperforming seasons in a row. One more and his seat should be warm. Two more and it should be hot.

The stakes are simply too high to anchor ourselves to coaches with huge contracts and expensive buyouts. Hope some major changes are coming this offseason.

Texas A&M is also a good example of this, although they are upsetting LSU right now. Can’t afford that buyout even with all their boosters.

 

[awd4cy]

Campbell is stubborn and doesn’t learn well from his mistakes. Kinda concerned he’s taken the Paul Rhoads path.

 

[WastedTalent]

I mostly agree, but last year was a massive disappointment, too.

Definitely a disappointment, but still 7 regular season wins, and 5th straight bowl in the coach's 6th year.

Oddly, the 2 games that should have absolutely been wins last year, Tech and WVU, were because the defense was not ready. Win those and it's 9 or 10 wins. Heacock came out and was undoubtedly better this year. Let's see what next year brings.

 

[isucy86]

Max Duggan turned himself into a Heisman finalist in a year. But it took a coaching change to do it.

And it also took 4 years for Duggan to get there. So we should have some patience with Dekkers.

But for a 1-8 Big12 team, every position should be up for competition.

 

[Trice]

Texas A&M is also a good example of this, although they are upsetting LSU right now. Can’t afford that buyout even with all their boosters.

Athletic directors are forever negotiating against themselves. Who was ever angling to take Jimbo Fisher from A&M? Or Ferentz from Iowa, to justify all his raises and extensions?

I understand the impulse - the guy gets a good season or a couple big wins under his belt, and you feel like you have to lock him up. But this is an insanely fickle business, and yesterday's great decision is tomorrow's albatross.