It’s hard to explain to Iowans (I am one) how different Ohio football is (I played there) from Iowa football. Harding is a big school and this kid will contribute. The rest is up to him and the current Iowa staff.

I would add that Woodbury is the rare freshman who plays with attitudinal HEAT — and benefits from his intensity. Fran’s got Woodbury and White playing angry while each stays completely in control. I’ll regret dating myself in this way, but I figured out last night who Fran reminds me of: Ralph Miller. You did [...]

The press conference is pretty disturbing. No reporter said anything like he had a “dog crap” team, and his arguing with a straw man like that is pathetic. Challenging the reporters, telling people to connect the dots, bragging on his team’s performance six weeks ago: for Ferentz, this is demeaning and pretty close to a [...]

I’ve pretty much checked out, in part because I don’t think the coach cares whether or not I follow the team, and because the repetitive, predictable nature of our failures is cringe-inducing — its embarrassing, if a thinking person identifies emotionally with the team. And as a grown-up (in theory, not always in practice, thankfully) [...]

I really liked the gymnast’s point, from which I extrapolate: if your self-esteem depends on watching 20 year-olds dominate other 20 year-olds, perhaps it’s time to get a life. Turn off the TV and go for a 10 mile hike or something. In regard to pivoting from KF’s salary to holding his feet to the [...]

The prophet is ducking, I see, the day’s best Old Man Football warm-up event: MSU v. UM.

I guess he didn’t want to move the line.

For a guy who has 38 touches, career, Canzeri’s eligibility is about to be 50% gone with #39 this Saturday. I hope that if he plays he gets meaningful minutes the rest of the year. Football really needs an early signing period, per hoops. I don’t understand the institutional resistance to the idea. The overlong [...]

We’re tied for first in the Big Ten (and 14th nationally) in turnover margin. I think that is another number that is highly predictive of success with low-margin-for-error offenses, and Vandenberg deserves some of the credit for that, as he does the low sack count. I always look at YPA in the box, and ours [...]

Paul Davis, Sally Mason (not Kirk Ferentz) ran off Marcus Coker. Ferentz defers to his executive, as he should, and unlike the situation that developed with a charismatic coach at a certain east coast university. I refer you as well to an executive order by the POTUS and his education department that denies all federal [...]

Chad, you have no idea what happened. The arresting officer demonstrates that *he* has no idea what happened, because he impeaches himself with contradictory complaints. For example, someone in the restaurant could have taken a swing at Hyde, thrown a drink in his face, taunted him, or otherwise started something. It’s extremely common for public [...]

Why can’t Iowa City direct its gun-toting finest toward real criminals instead of high achieving young men walking home (responsibly) after a night out with their friends?

Our O-Line and TE cohort are going to be sick next year.

So presumably, Officer Marlowe will be asked at the bench trial why his public intox complaint should stick when his two complaints impeach each other. And we should ask ourselves if it is better for high achieving kids to walk home at 1 in the morning with alcohol in their system, or if we want [...]

The officer disagrees with himself in his two reports: first, the group was “fighting” restaurant staff (which is a very serious thing, but oddly, no one pressed any charges); second report, the group was involved in an “argument.” I don’t think very much of a police department that can’t get it’s own story straight, suggests [...]

“Don’t you dare dive at my knees.”

Until our wideouts absorb the GD optionality, VDB is going to look disjointed. He uncorks a few wild-appearing throws, but some of those have nothing to do with him. If he were truly wild we’d have thrown more than 2 INTs after five games. (We’re sitting with three turnovers after five games, two of which [...]

Reflecting last night on this game, I wondered how it is possible to run for 225, collecting three TDs rushing, and average 9 yards per carry, pass for 8.5 ypa with zero interceptions — and lose. How is it possible to be so efficient on offense and go 2-10 on third and fourth down? Then [...]

I preferred the old system, where nonconference presented great “intersectional” games. One thing that Ferentz often mentions is that he prefers to focus on the Big Ten slate. This is another way of saying, “I would prefer to coach in 1975 (maybe not, coaches were paid like high school principals then!) because all I know [...]

I went to school 14 miles south of Lorain. Back then Lorain was a fairly prosperous manufacturing town, and exemplified post-WWII, industrial blue collar opportunities. Ford plant, steel plant, Steinbrenner’s shipyard, IIRC. I saw it begin to unravel in the late 70′s. It’s a very different, tough place now. Anyway, thanks for the web site [...]

Duh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDBrQiHLHwQ