2008 College Football

[E.J.]

Grady will be suspended for Michigan's usual non-conference patsy and be back for all the games that mean anything.

 

Grady isn't even a planned starter this year. He's coming off a serious injury and doesn't really fit into the new Rich Rod scheme. Doubt he'd be missed that much anyway.

[Derwood]

Michigan is going to be SOOOO bad this year

[E.J.]

Michigan is going to be SOOOO bad this year

 

They'll still beat Penn State.

[Andy]

Michigan is going to be SOOOO bad this year

 

They'll still beat Penn State.

And probably Notre Dame, too. :(

[NeifiIsMyHomeBoy]

How many arrests is that for Iowa now?

 

Is Ferentz about to wear out his welcome now that he isn't winning at the same level he was early in his tenure. 3 million plus per year is a lot to pay for six to seven wins a season.

I haven't kept track, but the number is way too high. Ferentz is in absolutely no danger of being let go and is still well liked. coaching has rarely ever been the issue, lately it's been injuries (see the RB situation in 2004) and suspensions that have left him with little to no depth.

 

 

Don't you think suspensions are the coaches fault. If players aren't showing discipline off the field thats never a good sign for any program. The same issue to a lesser extent bothers me with Illinois. But as you stated when you win you tend to forget about things. See Bowden, Bobby.

[Derwood]

Michigan is going to be SOOOO bad this year

 

They'll still beat Penn State.

 

at least we have a QB

[CubbieBum]

Michigan is going to be SOOOO bad this year

 

They'll still beat Penn State.

 

at least we have a QB

 

and a ref with gambling issues on your side to steal a victory from the team that should have won

[E.J.]

Michigan is going to be SOOOO bad this year

 

They'll still beat Penn State.

 

at least we have a QB

 

Rich Rod is running the show now. We don't need a quarterback. :)

 

Threet is actually supposed to be pretty good though. He was ranked the 2nd best quarterback right after Mallett coming out of high school a few years ago. We'll probably see a bit of a 2-quarterback system next year with Threet and Feagin.

[dew1679666265]

How many arrests is that for Iowa now?

 

Is Ferentz about to wear out his welcome now that he isn't winning at the same level he was early in his tenure. 3 million plus per year is a lot to pay for six to seven wins a season.

I haven't kept track, but the number is way too high. Ferentz is in absolutely no danger of being let go and is still well liked. coaching has rarely ever been the issue, lately it's been injuries (see the RB situation in 2004) and suspensions that have left him with little to no depth.

 

 

Don't you think suspensions are the coaches fault. If players aren't showing discipline off the field thats never a good sign for any program. The same issue to a lesser extent bothers me with Illinois. But as you stated when you win you tend to forget about things. See Bowden, Bobby.

 

It's tough to fault a coach completely for discipline issues. A coach can recruit good character players to a point, but a great deal of the best athletes out there are likely to have attitude problems (be it minor stuff like skipping practices ranging to the worst stuff). There are a whole lot of good kids who are also terrific athletes, but a lot also have attitude issues.

 

When you do bring in kids with attitude issues, it's very difficult to control them. These are teenagers, after all, who aren't exactly crazy about listening to those in positions of authority all the time and don't always have the best judgement. A coach can promote discipline and punish kids when they screw up, but it's ultimately up to the kid whether or not he'll drink underage or get into a fight, etc.

 

Now if a coach doesn't punish kids properly for screwing up, that's a different issue and is completely on the coach.

[dew1679666265]

Michigan is going to be SOOOO bad this year

 

They'll still beat Penn State.

 

at least we have a QB

 

Rich Rod is running the show now. We don't need a quarterback. :)

 

Threet is actually supposed to be pretty good though. He was ranked the 2nd best quarterback right after Mallett coming out of high school a few years ago. We'll probably see a bit of a 2-quarterback system next year with Threet and Feagin.

 

Considering Rich Rod's offensive scheme, it may not be the worst idea to just put a running back at the QB position and run the option 85-90% of the time.

 

And I'm only partially joking.

[Magnetic Curses]

illini landed the 2009 17th rated qb in the nation, nathan scheelhaase, from kansas city.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

illini landed the 2009 17th rated qb in the nation, nathan scheelhaase, from kansas city.

 

That's a good fit for the Illinois offense. I know Mizzou was after him too, but the Illini offense is probably a better fit, and he'd have fewer guys in between him and playing time.

 

Terry Hawthorne, a WR from East St. Louis(Rivals 18th best WR, Scout 57th), also committed to U of I this weekend.

[Butterscup1679666578]

illini landed the 2009 17th rated qb in the nation, nathan scheelhaase, from kansas city.

 

That's a good fit for the Illinois offense. I know Mizzou was after him too, but the Illini offense is probably a better fit, and he'd have fewer guys in between him and playing time.

 

Terry Hawthorne, a WR from East St. Louis(Rivals 18th best WR, Scout 57th), also committed to U of I this weekend.

 

I see discipline problems in his future.

[Magnetic Curses]

illini landed the 2009 17th rated qb in the nation, nathan scheelhaase, from kansas city.

 

That's a good fit for the Illinois offense. I know Mizzou was after him too, but the Illini offense is probably a better fit, and he'd have fewer guys in between him and playing time.

 

Terry Hawthorne, a WR from East St. Louis(Rivals 18th best WR, Scout 57th), also committed to U of I this weekend.

 

i don't know, i think charest is a major obstacle for scheelhaase, although i'm blown away by what he looks like on the field as compared to charest.

 

hawthorne is good, but we really want appleton.

[snoodmonger]

illini landed the 2009 17th rated qb in the nation, nathan scheelhaase, from kansas city.

 

That's a good fit for the Illinois offense. I know Mizzou was after him too, but the Illini offense is probably a better fit, and he'd have fewer guys in between him and playing time.

 

Terry Hawthorne, a WR from East St. Louis(Rivals 18th best WR, Scout 57th), also committed to U of I this weekend.

 

i don't know, i think charest is a major obstacle for scheelhaase, although i'm blown away by what he looks like on the field as compared to charest.

 

hawthorne is good, but we really want appleton.

 

 

I'm pretty bummed about ScheelHaase. He was exactly the recruit we need to turn a good recruiting class into a national ranked one. No question about it, that Zook can recruit.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

How many arrests is that for Iowa now?

 

Is Ferentz about to wear out his welcome now that he isn't winning at the same level he was early in his tenure. 3 million plus per year is a lot to pay for six to seven wins a season.

I haven't kept track, but the number is way too high. Ferentz is in absolutely no danger of being let go and is still well liked. coaching has rarely ever been the issue, lately it's been injuries (see the RB situation in 2004) and suspensions that have left him with little to no depth.

 

 

Don't you think suspensions are the coaches fault. If players aren't showing discipline off the field thats never a good sign for any program. The same issue to a lesser extent bothers me with Illinois. But as you stated when you win you tend to forget about things. See Bowden, Bobby.

 

It's tough to fault a coach completely for discipline issues. A coach can recruit good character players to a point, but a great deal of the best athletes out there are likely to have attitude problems (be it minor stuff like skipping practices ranging to the worst stuff). There are a whole lot of good kids who are also terrific athletes, but a lot also have attitude issues.

 

When you do bring in kids with attitude issues, it's very difficult to control them. These are teenagers, after all, who aren't exactly crazy about listening to those in positions of authority all the time and don't always have the best judgement. A coach can promote discipline and punish kids when they screw up, but it's ultimately up to the kid whether or not he'll drink underage or get into a fight, etc.

 

Now if a coach doesn't punish kids properly for screwing up, that's a different issue and is completely on the coach.

and Ferentz hasn't been shy about punishing them, even for minor drinking violations

[dew1679666265]

It's tough to fault a coach completely for discipline issues. A coach can recruit good character players to a point, but a great deal of the best athletes out there are likely to have attitude problems (be it minor stuff like skipping practices ranging to the worst stuff). There are a whole lot of good kids who are also terrific athletes, but a lot also have attitude issues.

 

When you do bring in kids with attitude issues, it's very difficult to control them. These are teenagers, after all, who aren't exactly crazy about listening to those in positions of authority all the time and don't always have the best judgement. A coach can promote discipline and punish kids when they screw up, but it's ultimately up to the kid whether or not he'll drink underage or get into a fight, etc.

 

Now if a coach doesn't punish kids properly for screwing up, that's a different issue and is completely on the coach.

and Ferentz hasn't been shy about punishing them, even for minor drinking violations

 

Then it's hard to blame him for their problems. If a coach disciplines the players when they screw up and they continue to cause problems, there's really nothing a coach can do.

[CubbieBum]

It's tough to fault a coach completely for discipline issues. A coach can recruit good character players to a point, but a great deal of the best athletes out there are likely to have attitude problems (be it minor stuff like skipping practices ranging to the worst stuff). There are a whole lot of good kids who are also terrific athletes, but a lot also have attitude issues.

 

When you do bring in kids with attitude issues, it's very difficult to control them. These are teenagers, after all, who aren't exactly crazy about listening to those in positions of authority all the time and don't always have the best judgement. A coach can promote discipline and punish kids when they screw up, but it's ultimately up to the kid whether or not he'll drink underage or get into a fight, etc.

 

Now if a coach doesn't punish kids properly for screwing up, that's a different issue and is completely on the coach.

and Ferentz hasn't been shy about punishing them, even for minor drinking violations

 

Then it's hard to blame him for their problems. If a coach disciplines the players when they screw up and they continue to cause problems, there's really nothing a coach can do.

 

There's alot that goes not having players do stupid stuff. Discipline is one but so is gaining respect, teaching, and recruiting good kids. I don't put too much of the blame on a coach (at most it is 50% his fault and in most cases I would put it somewhere between 10-20%) but if a coach has repeated problems with players getting in trouble then there is quite a bit of blame on the coach. Note I said players not player. One player getting in trouble 5 times is not the same as 5 players getting in trouble once each.

 

In Tiller's reign at Purdue he has had quite a few off field issues and he rarely does harsh punishment so it encourages it. He gets a lot of the blame in my eyes for it. A good example of Tiller's easiness is Kirsch. Kirsch got in trouble three times while at Purdue and one of them was him getting drunk at a fraternity that he didn't belong to. According to a player on the team who was there and is a good friend of my dad's Kirsch wanted a girl that was with one of the frat guys and when she refused he smacked her. The frat guys starting punching him and the football players there had to break it up and get kirsch out of there. They couldn't before the cops arrived. What did Tiller do to Kirsch. Nothing. That's the way it is with him. If he loves you and will never punish you but the moment you anger him he is looking for any excuse to punish/bench you. Ferentz isn't this type of coach yet he still has continued problems with players. That would make it one of two things to me. He's lost the repsect of some players or he is reeping what he has sewn from the type of players he recruited.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

It's tough to fault a coach completely for discipline issues. A coach can recruit good character players to a point, but a great deal of the best athletes out there are likely to have attitude problems (be it minor stuff like skipping practices ranging to the worst stuff). There are a whole lot of good kids who are also terrific athletes, but a lot also have attitude issues.

 

When you do bring in kids with attitude issues, it's very difficult to control them. These are teenagers, after all, who aren't exactly crazy about listening to those in positions of authority all the time and don't always have the best judgement. A coach can promote discipline and punish kids when they screw up, but it's ultimately up to the kid whether or not he'll drink underage or get into a fight, etc.

 

Now if a coach doesn't punish kids properly for screwing up, that's a different issue and is completely on the coach.

and Ferentz hasn't been shy about punishing them, even for minor drinking violations

 

Then it's hard to blame him for their problems. If a coach disciplines the players when they screw up and they continue to cause problems, there's really nothing a coach can do.

I'm in no way defending any of the athletes who have been arrested, but the Iowa City police are notorious for going out of their way to make arrests. drinking is a big money maker for the city in terms of fines handed out for underage, possession, public intox, DUI, etc. I don't have any statistics, but I would be surprised if drinking-related offenses for the football team occurs at a higher rate than the rest of the student population. engineering majors don't make the headlines until a bridge collapses

[CubbieBum]

It's tough to fault a coach completely for discipline issues. A coach can recruit good character players to a point, but a great deal of the best athletes out there are likely to have attitude problems (be it minor stuff like skipping practices ranging to the worst stuff). There are a whole lot of good kids who are also terrific athletes, but a lot also have attitude issues.

 

When you do bring in kids with attitude issues, it's very difficult to control them. These are teenagers, after all, who aren't exactly crazy about listening to those in positions of authority all the time and don't always have the best judgement. A coach can promote discipline and punish kids when they screw up, but it's ultimately up to the kid whether or not he'll drink underage or get into a fight, etc.

 

Now if a coach doesn't punish kids properly for screwing up, that's a different issue and is completely on the coach.

and Ferentz hasn't been shy about punishing them, even for minor drinking violations

 

Then it's hard to blame him for their problems. If a coach disciplines the players when they screw up and they continue to cause problems, there's really nothing a coach can do.

I'm in no way defending any of the athletes who have been arrested, but the Iowa City police are notorious for going out of their way to make arrests. drinking is a big money maker for the city in terms of fines handed out for underage, possession, public intox, DUI, etc. I don't have any statistics, but I would be surprised if drinking-related offenses for the football team occurs at a higher rate than the rest of the student population. engineering majors don't make the headlines until a bridge collapses

 

from my experience growing up in west lafayette and hearing about other campus' from friends most towns with large schools have notorious police

[dew1679666265]

It's tough to fault a coach completely for discipline issues. A coach can recruit good character players to a point, but a great deal of the best athletes out there are likely to have attitude problems (be it minor stuff like skipping practices ranging to the worst stuff). There are a whole lot of good kids who are also terrific athletes, but a lot also have attitude issues.

 

When you do bring in kids with attitude issues, it's very difficult to control them. These are teenagers, after all, who aren't exactly crazy about listening to those in positions of authority all the time and don't always have the best judgement. A coach can promote discipline and punish kids when they screw up, but it's ultimately up to the kid whether or not he'll drink underage or get into a fight, etc.

 

Now if a coach doesn't punish kids properly for screwing up, that's a different issue and is completely on the coach.

and Ferentz hasn't been shy about punishing them, even for minor drinking violations

 

Then it's hard to blame him for their problems. If a coach disciplines the players when they screw up and they continue to cause problems, there's really nothing a coach can do.

 

There's alot that goes not having players do stupid stuff. Discipline is one but so is gaining respect, teaching, and recruiting good kids. I don't put too much of the blame on a coach (at most it is 50% his fault and in most cases I would put it somewhere between 10-20%) but if a coach has repeated problems with players getting in trouble then there is quite a bit of blame on the coach. Note I said players not player. One player getting in trouble 5 times is not the same as 5 players getting in trouble once each.

 

A coach definitely has the responsibility to try to keep kids out of trouble, but what is he supposed to do if this scenario happens:

 

Two kids (both good kids entering college) drink and drive and are arrested and subsequently suspended for the first four games of the year. Two more then skip a few classes and have their scholarships revoked. Then, one kid (again, generally doesn't get into any trouble) is caught at a frat party he shouldn't be at and is kicked off the team.

 

Three harsh punishments, but the kids keep screwing up. Is it fair to blame the coach, who's doing all he can to keep them in line, if the kids make their own decisions to screw up? I don't see how it is.

 

In Tiller's reign at Purdue he has had quite a few off field issues and he rarely does harsh punishment so it encourages it. He gets a lot of the blame in my eyes for it. A good example of Tiller's easiness is Kirsch. Kirsch got in trouble three times while at Purdue and one of them was him getting drunk at a fraternity that he didn't belong to. According to a player on the team who was there and is a good friend of my dad's Kirsch wanted a girl that was with one of the frat guys and when she refused he smacked her. The frat guys starting punching him and the football players there had to break it up and get kirsch out of there. They couldn't before the cops arrived. What did Tiller do to Kirsch. Nothing. That's the way it is with him. If he loves you and will never punish you but the moment you anger him he is looking for any excuse to punish/bench you. Ferentz isn't this type of coach yet he still has continued problems with players. That would make it one of two things to me. He's lost the repsect of some players or he is reeping what he has sewn from the type of players he recruited.

 

That's where I put most of the blame on the coach. If Tiller is having discipline issues, he definitely needs to punish kids harshly and if he doesn't and they still screw up - I put about 90% of the blame on him.

 

A coach can and should discourage kids from screwing up and if they don't punish the ones who do screw up, they're basically encouraging some more to.

[dew1679666265]

It's tough to fault a coach completely for discipline issues. A coach can recruit good character players to a point, but a great deal of the best athletes out there are likely to have attitude problems (be it minor stuff like skipping practices ranging to the worst stuff). There are a whole lot of good kids who are also terrific athletes, but a lot also have attitude issues.

 

When you do bring in kids with attitude issues, it's very difficult to control them. These are teenagers, after all, who aren't exactly crazy about listening to those in positions of authority all the time and don't always have the best judgement. A coach can promote discipline and punish kids when they screw up, but it's ultimately up to the kid whether or not he'll drink underage or get into a fight, etc.

 

Now if a coach doesn't punish kids properly for screwing up, that's a different issue and is completely on the coach.

and Ferentz hasn't been shy about punishing them, even for minor drinking violations

 

Then it's hard to blame him for their problems. If a coach disciplines the players when they screw up and they continue to cause problems, there's really nothing a coach can do.

I'm in no way defending any of the athletes who have been arrested, but the Iowa City police are notorious for going out of their way to make arrests. drinking is a big money maker for the city in terms of fines handed out for underage, possession, public intox, DUI, etc. I don't have any statistics, but I would be surprised if drinking-related offenses for the football team occurs at a higher rate than the rest of the student population. engineering majors don't make the headlines until a bridge collapses

 

Interesting. That's actually a problem other places, I've heard, where athletes are targeted because they're famous (at least in that city) and it's a publicity boon to the sheriff's office to nail a football player.

 

There have actually been kids at Tennessee who faced trumped up charges because the cops saw they were football players and just charged them with some crap offense. Luckily, Fulmer backed them and the charges went away, but I'd be surprised if that doesn't happen elsewhere too.

[NeifiIsMyHomeBoy]

I think Ferentz's and the Iowa Athletics Departments collective goose may be cooked with this news.

 

Possible sexual assault cover up.

 

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080720/NEWS/807200332

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I think Ferentz's and the Iowa Athletics Departments collective goose may be cooked with this news.

 

Possible sexual assault cover up.

 

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080720/NEWS/807200332

don't read too deep into that. this story is only popping up now because the board of regents investigator was not made aware of a letter sent by the alleged victim's mother. while it is a big deal, the sexual assault was not being covered up. a judge had initially ordered everything to do with this investigation to be sealed, and that order was only recently rescinded. as far as I can gather, both letters from the mother were sent to the U of I president.

[NeifiIsMyHomeBoy]

I think Ferentz's and the Iowa Athletics Departments collective goose may be cooked with this news.

 

Possible sexual assault cover up.

 

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080720/NEWS/807200332

don't read too deep into that. this story is only popping up now because the board of regents investigator was not made aware of a letter sent by the alleged victim's mother. while it is a big deal, the sexual assault was not being covered up. a judge had initially ordered everything to do with this investigation to be sealed, and that order was only recently rescinded. as far as I can gather, both letters from the mother were sent to the U of I president.

 

Then why is the staff of Black Heart Gold Pants calling for the resignation of all involved. Here's a snippet of what they wrote.

 

Here's the new plan: Resign, all of you. That's non-negotiable. We trusted you with our children and you betrayed us. You've shamed the state of Iowa, the university, the athletic department, the fans, and yourselves. Every day you continue to be employed at the University of Iowa is a day that the UI tells the world that at this school, integrity takes a back seat to PR at all costs. This isn't a football issue, this is a human issue. All of you need to start over, elsewhere, and preferably not in a profession that leaves the well-being of young adults as part of your responsibilities. You don't have to admit that you did anything wrong, just that you're ready to do something right.

 

From what little I've read it sounds like nothing was done to protect the victim, and that she was encouraged to go a more "informal" route by the administration in pursuing punishment. Basically from what I can gather they wanted to keep it quiet because it's a blemish on the program. The mother wasn't happy with the punishment or lack of action by the administration. Instead of dealing with this swiftly they tried to sweep it under the rug. I think that there is trouble brewing in Hawkeye land on this one.