SB Nation User Blog: Bellanca

uh ... Sober College?

Bellanca — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:38:41 -0000

Google just placed a "Sober College ... Not your ordinary rehab (ages 17-26)" ad on the BHGP site. I know they do quantitative marketing and all but that's a little too smart for my taste.

[Only thirty six more words required I'm told so words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words.]

Lucky Seven.

Bellanca — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:00:37 -0000

Just seven questions:

1. When was the last time 40% of an Iowa scholarship group in any varsity sport quit?

2. When was the last time Iowa's leading scorer posted 11 ppg?

3. Who, among anyone who ever played a game, watched players who had big games in big wins (e.g., Palmer, Davis) buried while starters played 45, 47, 50 minutes -- and didn't think that was a little odd?

4. Assume you run a company. 40% of the company quits in three days. Do you say, "A quarter of that is personal. The rest, an accident. Buy our stock, because everything is on track. I like how things are going."

5. What seminal event occurred, unreported, before Iowa lost by 30 (to a team Iowa beat once) in the first round of the Big Ten tourney?

6. Sure, we don't have a "basketball facility". NCAA qualifiers: UNI, Xavier, Gonzaga, blah blah blah. Oh, and Butler. What prevents Iowa from recruiting and retaining successful athletes who instead choose conferences we can't even name?

7. You're on scholarship (you are an employee, kinda). You do whatever you are asked to do for your four years -- as evidence, you have not been run off the team. It's senior day. You're on the court for zero seconds. Do you conclude that this is a classy move by a coach who understands that people play basketball, not coaches? Do any of your teammates notice this graciousness?

Net: something is unreported here. This is an extraordinary situation.

Call It Off

Bellanca — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:52:42 -0000

[Bumped. Wanton hubris has a warm home at BHGP.--OPS]

We really should call off this Outback Bowl thing. I just spent an hour looking at their stats and this team makes Minnesota look like the other USC. I mean, I have never, ever in my life seen a team with such crappy numbers playing in a bowl. They just, truly, suck. They are a bad team.

Example: they rushed for 7 TDs -- all year. (We: 27.)

Example: they gave up 20 rushing TDs. (We: 7.)

Example: they gave up 16 red zone rush TDs. (We: 5.)

Example: they averaged 2.9 ypc, while they were not scoring any rushing TDs. (We: 4.9, 27.)

Example: they led the SEC in interceptions thrown (24). It's a Spurrier team: passing is its strength. (We threw 9.)

Example: they averaged 35 more passing ypg than we -- but had to throw it 100 more times to get there. So who the heck cares? They throw short, and then they get picked off a lot. It's that crafty OBC again.

Example: their QB with the 115 PER? Which is their best QB numerically? He's benched. (Stanzi? 135.)

They don't have an O-line coach or a receivers coach. (We do!) Spurrier told a national tv camera that Garcia wasn't playing earlier this year because he only knew one play out of the playbook. (Our coach? He's still blanding you to death.) He wears the dumbest pleated khaki shorts in public, and he's got knees that make Ugly Betty look like Uma Thurman.

What are we doing playing this team?

Brewster steps up, blames someone else.

Bellanca — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:57:48 -0000

Brewster's O-line coach Phil Meyer "resigned to pursue other opportunities" yesterday. Meaning? It's not the head coach's fault they ran for 7 yards and were "physically outplayed." This is the moral equivalent of Mason dumping two of her senior staff before her Regents woodshed meeting. If Brewster had a blog, it would start today, "I'm briliiant and manly, and Meyer isn't." What a guy.

(You know you've had an okay day when somebody you just played ... gets fired.)

Chris Brown suggests that the spread has already reached its apogee and if so, it will be interesting to see if RichRod can yet pull it off. Man, I wish we could have played Michigan and OSU this year. Is Meyer's firing a smart move or just a leading indicator that the spread is on its downward arc?

I think it may be. If there's any lesson here its that football is still won at the line of scrimmage. The spread clearly is an equalizer against undisciplined defenses that over-pursue, or just lack athleticism (code for: we're just not good enough), and the spread is right on if the QB can run like a back *and* throw. (Is Pryor the next Tebow or the next Juice? Not clear.) But it's still a game where if you can control the LOS with four down linemen you have the numerical advantage even with a running QB. There's something incompatible with that truism and the idea that you need smaller, shiftier O-lineman that can move sideline-to-sideline -- and 4-5 superior skill position guys.

So: what are the requirements for a team to win with the spread?

1. An O-line that is physical enough to force defenses to come with 5 or 6, overcommitting the D to the center of the field, and shifting the numerical advantage dramatically to the offense. Oh, but they also have to run like linebackers.

2. A QB who throws as well as Stanzi but runs as well as DJK.

3. 4-5 shifty very fast guys who can get separation on the edge.

It's easier to come up with Iowa's offensive player mix, I think, because our schemes are so simple. Really, we're just saying on every play: we will beat you senseless -- unless you blitz and cheat up with your safeties. When you do that, though, we will go over the top and get 30. But then if you back up, we will say Thanks! and beat you senseless some more. Obviously, our QB has to be able to go over the top with accuracy under pressure, and now he can. Obviously, our game doesn't work if our O-line isn't nasty. But we don't need all-world receivers or even RBs to make this work. We just need a guy at QB who can recognize which part of the field is being left under-defended, and get the ball there. It's worth noting that both Banks and Tate lasted about one workout in their NFL trials. Iowa's system requires a QB with touch and recognition more than the more rare physical skills. Iowa's offense is about efficiency and reducing volatility (not fucking up). We were only upper-middle in all offensive statistics categories, but second in the league in scoring O.

(I also think one of the most under-reported features of this club vs. the last four is our receivers stopped dropping the ball 4-6 times a game. That was like getting 4-6 illegal procedure calls a game. Campbell seems to have made a huge difference. When Stanzi gets the ball in the air you don't cringe anymore, waiting for it to bounce off somebody in a bad place, like the hands or numbers.)

Anyway, they've got the freight train running again, the ballclub is having fun on the field again for the first time in years, and I can't imagine there's a team (because we lost 4x, because we're unranked) that any 10-2 club in the bowls would like less to play. And the Gopher linemen are prepping for Detroit knowing that they're being blamed for the baggie collapsing on them Saturday.

FOOTNOTE STAT TO PONDER: we had the league's most disruptive D-lineman, by acclamation. And finished last in the league in sacks. On both sides of the ball, the ethic is to control the LOS, and let the guys in back do their work.

Plagiarists!

Bellanca — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:22:39 -0000

Plagiarists!

P-C reads BHGP, waits a week, fills column-inches!

It's moments like these when getting the P-C online, free, seems to make the paper reasonably priced.

The Takeaway, November 11: "Three and out the KOK Story" nails it.

1) Vaunted backs.

We’ve played vaunted RBs all year (Pitt, MSU, WI, PSU), and perhaps even against PSU, after nine games, our guy was discussed as the second-best back on the field.

However, all year our guy out-runs their guy. We shut down their guy, Shonn gets it done. He also has mastered the Jim Brown art of getting up slow. All the great ones do.

2) No parade raining, but...

we did actually give up a 100 yard rusher this year. The vaulted tailback of the Maine Bears, Jhamal Fluellen, had 104 on 21 carriers. However, I believe the point stands, that the D’s ability to hold the string of rushers it has faced since to under 100 is pretty amazing.

by three and out the kok story on Nov 11, 2008 8:57 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

Favorite Stat of the Week.

Bellanca — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:36:30 -0000

We're deep into the season, now, so statistics become meaningful.

I've been struck at the befuddlement of the PSU message boards, which I would summarize as "WTF? Why in hell didn't we do crap in the red zone?"

Well, the stats are pretty interesting with this Iowa D.

My favorite stat of the week we mentioned last week. But apparently no one in the PSU gang thought about it. Iowa is second in league red zone D.

More notably, the team in position one, MSU, has given up 80% more red zone touchdowns. (The statistic conflates FGs and TDs.)

Iowa has given up 5 redzone TDs in 10 games. By this measure, Saturday's performance was no fluke.

5 red zone TDs is lowest in the Big Ten, though we're tied with OSU and ... Minnesota. MN is 8th in total, rushing, and passing D. This indicates that people are hitting the big plays against the Gofers.

And Stanzi sucks... Or so we were led to believe. Looked like freakin Brady Quinn during the 4th...

Bellanca — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:46:52 -0000

And Stanzi sucks...
Or so we were led to believe. Looked like freakin Brady Quinn during the 4th puarter.

by JeremyInDC on Nov 9, 2008 6:53 PM PST

Best message board quote.

target="new">http://www.blackshoediaries.com/2008/11/9/657269/grading-the-offense-agains

I'd say that's a little weird.

Bellanca — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:02:48 -0000

"JJohnson-Koulianos was a regular at the team's Tuesday gatherings with the media early in the season. That, too, has changed since the start of October. More specifically, it changed after Johnson-Koulianos conducted interviews Sept. 29 wearing sunglasses and a mesh hat.

"I took him off the Tuesday list," Ferentz said. "We're working on his dress code. That's really not what we're looking for."

h ttp://hawkcentral.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081105/HAWKS0104/811050329/1053

Anyone see what Clinton Portis wears at a press conference? I suppose he should be stopped, benched, publicly ridiculed, too:

You think DJK is out of line?

Personally, I would prefer that DJK not wear women's underwear to his press conferences with the poodles, donkeys, suck-ups of the Iowa media (you know, the ones who never ask why our OC can't get plays in on time?).

But if he did, I'd ask him, "You know, DJK, my girlfriend says there's nothing like La Perla. Now, what's up with the 55 year-old OC not able to call a play in time?"

Rock-Paper-(null set).

Bellanca — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:31:13 -0000

Rules for Game Planning Iowa:

Do not game plan the unknown. There is no unknown when playing Iowa. They play offensive rock-scissors-paper with just a rock and a pair of scissors; the paper they leave back in the office file drawer. They run 9 plays, and for each situation, choose 1 of 2 or 1 of 3. It is Lombardi offensive football all the way: they execute their handful of plays extremely well, or they lose. Since you have paper and they don't, you have 150% of their options. It's a super-sophisticated game theory problem! (You also have 10 years of identical film to study. So, rock-paper-scissors and near-statistical certainty.)

Do not try to beat the Iowa defense, unless you are a top 5 team, talent-wise. You can't. You will complete some underneath routes over the middle -- before they pick you off a couple of times. (They lead the league with 16.) They appear to have fixed that 250-lb.-human-covering-track-stars issue. They will not miss tackles and they will knock you senseless. They are tough as hell in the red zone, and lead the league in red zone D, are second in scoring D, third in total D.

Do try to beat Iowa by beating their offense, by:

a. On third and short, in a game critical situation, with Greene in the game, blitz to the fullback and blow him up (MSU and IL did), everyone else key on Greene. It's the one time you will take him before he is going downhill. So far this year, their tendency in this situation is nearly 100%. The one time they didn't run this play, in this situation, uh, they threw for six (IN).

b. On third and long, assume play action waggle right (remember, they play with only rock and scissors, no paper), and blitz and overload the backside, so that the RB in max protect has to choose between two guys. One will blindside the QB and likely strip him (MSU and IL did). Their QB is much more comfortable throwing on the run, but he can't see what's behind him.

c. Hope that the OC, with the game's best RB and a strong O-Line, scripts pass first. Iowa has now lost four games in which it controlled the LOS. Iowa is the rare .500 team that is second in the league in rushing D, and third in rushing O -- and second in league first downs. Iowa is a statistical anomaly of the first rank, and it ain't the players' problem. For a Lombardi enthusiast, this OC is weird.

d. Hope that the OC, with the game's best RB, conducts his only run-centric series with the freshman #2 back -- even when that series straddles a quarter break, and the game's best RB isn't tired because he's been blocking all quarter. For some reason, Iowa will go out for hamburger when they have steak at home. Beats me, too.

e. Remember that the OC scripts the game on Tuesday, and makes no in-game adjustments based on what is actually happening in front of his face. You may not believe what you are seeing, since you're watching the actual game. But it's not, actually, a set-up for something deceptive. Lombardi thought deception was for wimps. No wimps at Iowa. QED.

f. Remember that Iowa has run maybe two reverses all year to punish teams for collapsing the middle and attempting to stop Greene's cutback on the zone read. Sell out for the zone read, single cutback, and cross your fingers that Greene doesn't send one of your DBs to the hospital. Now, another guy might say, I have a slash (ex-QB) at flanker, they're collapsing on Greene, let's run that reverse a few times and then throw off it. But that guy? His name is Zorn, and he don't live in Iowa City.

g. Iowa fullbacks touch the ball every third game, and one of the wideouts (DJK) is curiously thin in his involvement. It's very charitable of them, removing 2-3 eligible receivers from every pass play. If your strong safety doesn't get nosy and you have decent linebackers, their seam route won't work and you have a shot at stopping Greene if your D-Line is active enough. (If you let the O-line get to the second level, the game is over and you have lost -- unless of course, the OC has decided not to run the ball. He does that in about half of their games.)

h. There is no quick-read pass checkdown capability in the Iowa offense. Your linebackers will have a blast playing north-south. No side-to-side stuff against this team.

i. If you double the TEs on the crossing routes, the QB may well throw it in there anyway, because no one has doubled them before IL, and he is too young to check down beyond his first two reads, and because they're running max protect with both backs out of the action anyway.

So, the strength of the Iowa offense is its strength. They might be tougher in the trench than OSU this year. You might catch them when they choose to ignore their primary strength. No one thinks they have played their best game yet. It's just that they don't believe in running what works until it doesn't, and strangely lack confidence that what we're seeing in the games and in the stats each week is actually true. Oh well.

Errors, above, are of course my responsibility. Thinking? Chris Brown did it for me.

Play of the Week.

Bellanca — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:10:20 -0000

Play of the Week.

Who Else has the network's play of the week.

While you're looking at the other nine, note the Illini's speed.