Still stings

Ferentz lives in PJFs head at this point. Time to get that monkey off his back. Cue George Michael?




 

“Never cared for what they say
Never cared for games they play
Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know”
― Metallica
You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not”
 


No, but it may have something to do with a WR not wanting to play for a team so conservative. I am sure he watched his cousins in that game and watched us go into a shell, but on a larger scale, is well aware we run the ball 70% of the time.

I used that one example as part of a larger trend.
God you're sad.
 

We all share frustrations with our offense from last year (including the head coach who fired the OC), but you seem particularly hung up on this one series against Iowa.

I hated the bleed the clock, run around like crazy making adjustments before snapping with one second left offense. I don't remember that being the case when KC was here before and I hope like heck it is gone for good.

But I don't have a problem with what we did during that series leading up to halftime at Iowa, not one bit. You need to let that one go and move on.
I actually do have (and had) a problem with this series as well and was going nuts about it watching TV AND in the thread during the game. I actually posted that in the in-game thread that we just gave up 4 more points (along with another 4 earlier by kicking a FG from the 1 which drove me nuts as well due to our massive O-Line!!) for a total of 8 (of course in my mind) AND really hoped that wouldn't haunt us at the end.

ANYWAY; I HAD moved on, but remember that game all too well. I realize we got rid of our OC, but I will say this; our OC was running the offense and plays he felt (and I'm sure was hearing during the game on the head set) the HC wanted run at those very moments in time.

Great move firing the OC as that was necessary and overdue; BUT we shall see IF our ultra conservative HC (as I type this I think of the one time he was not conservative and it cost us big time - BG on 4th down) changes his ways to potentially help put us over the top. Perhaps PJ needs one of those cards with all the percentages that help guide him on what choices to make in certain situations versus going with your gut!?
 


I could list complaints about PJ too (your WI punt reference being my biggest), I'm just not digging up play calls from 3 months ago and worrying about if it will kill all of our recruiting hopes. Somehow I think we will survive.
I’m not worrying about our recruiting. I’m worrying about the overall conservatism ruining any chance we have at breaking through.

The DL and OL players going to the combine reinforce we had a great opportunity last year. Seems like our coach made decisions that held us back - in multiple games over multiple years.

Off season message board material on a day when a few meetings canceled. Surprised how many people get bent and/or offer me coping advice like they are my health insurer or wife or girl friend. Good to know I am loved and people care about me.
 

I’m not worrying about our recruiting. I’m worrying about the overall conservatism ruining any chance we have at breaking through.

The DL and OL players going to the combine reinforce we had a great opportunity last year. Seems like our coach made decisions that held us back - in multiple games over multiple years.

Off season message board material on a day when a few meetings canceled. Surprised how many people get bent and/or offer me coping advice like they are my health insurer or wife or girl friend. Good to know I am loved and people care about me.
I care about everyone on here, even the ones I don't like.

I think PJ has plenty of room for improvement in these types of situations, and as a young coach I think he will improve. He does love his punting way too much IMO (again see the 2019 Axe game). I do think that people often pick and choose their criticism based on results, i.e. the BG 4th down call, or the same call against Purdue last year. Nobody complains about going for it on 4th down on our second possession against Penn State in 2019 because it worked, etc.

Funny enough if we asked most Iowa fans what they dislike about Ferentz, it would be his conservative nature.
 

I’m not worrying about our recruiting. I’m worrying about the overall conservatism ruining any chance we have at breaking through.

The DL and OL players going to the combine reinforce we had a great opportunity last year. Seems like our coach made decisions that held us back - in multiple games over multiple years.

Off season message board material on a day when a few meetings canceled. Surprised how many people get bent and/or offer me coping advice like they are my health insurer or wife or girl friend. Good to know I am loved and people care about me.
It will happen. Not always the first take, but we are on the doorstep. Might even be this years Gophers that kick the door in. It's not always the best team on paper that prevails.
 

Our offense, against the Iowa defense, was OK that game. I think we lost because in the second half we gave up a couple of huge explosive plays, both TDs, to the worst, least creative offense in the Big Ten. The play when we had two tacklers on a receiver behind the line of scrimmage, who somehow squirreled free and scored a 40 yard TD, was totally out of character for our D and much more clearly (at least to me) cost us the game than a FG instead of a TD at the end of the first half. But, either way, it is spilled milk now.
 
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As dumb of a take as a guy decommitting because of our supposedly overly conservative offense despite having put multiple WR in the NFL, and PJ/Simon producing a top 10 pick at Western Michigan of all places?
That's not why he decomitted. He believes he will get offers from OSU and/or ND.
 

If you think the play calling and game plans were all Sanford, well…. Okay.
OC has most control over game plan and calls all the plays except very special situations. When Fleck says I want ball control and emphasis on run game, that is an offensive philosophy that guides game plan.

OC has lots of flexibility within that to call plays. Some do that with creativity to keep defense off balance and to create more space for running game. Sanford couldn't do that.
 

Many of us have absolutely no reason, but would think it might be fun to do. Okay, maybe not, but that smug look...
Oh how fun it would be. And his son..........
 

Our offense, against the Iowa defense, was OK that game. I think we lost because we gave up a couple of huge explosive plays, both TDs, to the worst, least creative offense in the Big Ten. The play when we had two tacklers on a receiver behind the line of scrimmage, who somehow squirreled free and scored a 40 yard TD, was totally out of character for our D and much more clearly (at least to me) cost us the game than a FG instead of a TD at the end of the first half. But, either way, it is spilled milk now.
All three of their TD's were directly or set up (the first TD) by a single explosive play where one guy on defense got beat or made a bad tackle (the one you mentioned).
 



Its mid-February. I've moved on. Kind let one series of a football game or more for that matter destroy your whole life. I think you need some professional help.
 

And here I thought this thread was going to be about the dropped punt snap against Wisconsin.
 

As dumb of a take as a guy decommitting because of our supposedly overly conservative offense despite having put multiple WR in the NFL, and PJ/Simon producing a top 10 pick at Western Michigan of all places?
Offers from OSU and ND would seem like the main reason for Brown. And one year of putrid passing game should not define a coach's offensive philosophy.

But another year or two of running on 70% of downs with a few 12 pass attempt/games with no attempts in a half sprinkled in, then yeah. I think that will dissuade decent WR recruits. 15-20 passes (10-12 completions) spread out between a few guys does not go very far. Legitimate talents aren't signing up to sit on the bench behind upperclassmen for years before finally getting the chance to compete for 3 or 4 targets per game. They'll go to a team with a modern passing game that gives them a shot to show they can play on Sundays.

The combination of CAB, Wright, Jackson, MSB and Boyd (and Spann-Ford) should have been good enough to have an effective passing game. The O-line was at least decent in pass blocking. As a rule, the running game was great and didn't put too much pressure on the passing game.

So 2022 should be pretty informative on how much of the failure was coaching philosophy vs QB ineptitude.
 

OC has most control over game plan and calls all the plays except very special situations. When Fleck says I want ball control and emphasis on run game, that is an offensive philosophy that guides game plan.

OC has lots of flexibility within that to call plays. Some do that with creativity to keep defense off balance and to create more space for running game. Sanford couldn't do that.
Fleck may dictate philosophy and tempo. But he doesn’t have a call sheet out so he isn’t calling the plays during the game.

so yeah, the actual play calls come from the OC not Fleck.
 


I too wish we had won the game. Calling out individual play calls is a pretty futile activity

“Hindsight is 50/50”
-Jerry kill
Of course it is. I have to admit that I'm still pissed about that stupid bootleg pass that we threw vs. Michigan in '03, the pick-6. I was screaming at the TV before the play, "Do not pass!!" I'm also pissed about the play calling vs Texas Tech in Mason's last game. But I have to say that Kill and Fleck's play calling has not been nearly as frustrating as Mason's.
 


We all share frustrations with our offense from last year (including the head coach who fired the OC), but you seem particularly hung up on this one series against Iowa.

I hated the bleed the clock, run around like crazy making adjustments before snapping with one second left offense. I don't remember that being the case when KC was here before and I hope like heck it is gone for good.

But I don't have a problem with what we did during that series leading up to halftime at Iowa, not one bit. You need to let that one go and move on.
We went into the locker room at half time on the road AT KINNICK against the worst offense in the Big Ten. I just can’t feel stung by that.
 

And here I thought this thread was going to be about the dropped punt snap against Wisconsin.
I was thinking 1989 Skarda hitting the post against Harvard.
 

I’m not worrying about our recruiting. I’m worrying about the overall conservatism ruining any chance we have at breaking through.

The DL and OL players going to the combine reinforce we had a great opportunity last year. Seems like our coach made decisions that held us back - in multiple games over multiple years.

Off season message board material on a day when a few meetings canceled. Surprised how many people get bent and/or offer me coping advice like they are my health insurer or wife or girl friend. Good to know I am loved and people care about me.
Now you're just embarrassing yourself.
 

Fleck may dictate philosophy and tempo. But he doesn’t have a call sheet out so he isn’t calling the plays during the game.

so yeah, the actual play calls come from the OC not Fleck.
He could easily say things like "no, I want a short pass here, gimme your best short pass here on 3rd down".

I'm making that up. It may not be that way, at all.
 


He could easily say things like "no, I want a short pass here, gimme your best short pass here on 3rd down".

I'm making that up. It may not be that way, at all.
I just feel like some don’t grasp how little time there actually is between plays. While I have zero doubt Fleck is influencing the play calls, the fact that he doesn’t appear to have a call sheet means the OC is driving.
 

I just feel like some don’t grasp how little time there actually is between plays. While I have zero doubt Fleck is influencing the play calls, the fact that he doesn’t appear to have a call sheet means the OC is driving.
Absolutely driving the actual play selection. IE, picking off the menu, that he built with his passing and running game coordinators.

But you don't need to even know what's on the menu to know you want pasta tonight. :D
 

I just feel like some don’t grasp how little time there actually is between plays. While I have zero doubt Fleck is influencing the play calls, the fact that he doesn’t appear to have a call sheet means the OC is driving.
Even when it looks like PJ might call it after a time out we've heard from him that the OC called it.

In a video where we threw a late game long TD to win PJ described how he "heard the call over the headset" and then talked to a player about the play in the huddle.

On the surface it would have looked like PJ had time to / made the call, but he really was just aware of it because of the headset.

It's so hard to know.
 

I look at it this way...if win the IA game and go the B1G CG, does Sanford get fired?

Again...many of here empathize yet it is time to move on.
 

I like to think that Sanford was "soft fired" after the Illinois game. And Simon, Callahan, and Fleck called the plays in Iowa and beyond.

Could be a figment of my imagination. Doesn't really matter now.
 




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