After another disappointing, inconsistent, disconcerting, and just about everything else type of season in the books, it is seriously time to look at the staff and all the players and evaluate where the program is at and where they are headed. Hell, Ferentz needs to be sure he is committed to the program 1st, as these Michigan rumors continue to pick up. I can't see a man like Kirk leaving to another Big Ten school, but then again, I wouldn't blame him after all the pressure and crap the fans have given him the past two years and all the struggles with recruiting that come with coaching at Iowa. But that is all I will say on that issue. Our Iowa athletes need to get their act together off the field, which has become a huge issue, and on the field, where we still show up too often with the attitude that we are owed wins and are one of the Big Ten elite when we are obviously no longer a member of that class. I believe Ken O'Keefe needs to be evaluated, as his play-calling is predictable and prehistoric, even downright idiotic at times when we don't take advantage of our running game. Our players just need to execute better and come out prepared; I really don't know what to say or how to fix the problems that plague us, but I think it starts with the attitude off the field and it appears that their are some problems there that need to be addressed before we can move on. No one's job is safe going into the offseason, which is likely straight where we are headed unless a minor miracle occurs and we make a minor bowl game we probably don't deserve. I know it sounds so harsh to say that, unfair to our seniors who put in so much work (even if it was inconsistent work) for 5 years and to the Hawkeyes who rallied to win 4 of their last 5 Big Ten games, but that embarassing loss to Western Michigan changed a lot of things. Next season, the opportunity is there once again to jump out to a very fast start and even contend for a Big Ten title once again, missing out on OSU/Michigan for the 2nd year in a row and receiving a very easy nonconference slate. But thinking of such things is ridiculous at this point, and Iowa needs to take things one step at a time and regroup.

At the QB spot, I think Jake Christensen needs to get some good competition and the job should be kept open all spring in order to get him fired up to improve and deliver on a consistent basis. He showed flashes all year and proved that he has the tools to be a solid passer, but when he was bad he was horrible and was just too up and down to be relied on to win games and even convert 3rd downs for us. I'm still not sure he's our future, but if Kirk left him in the entire season that says something about the progression of his backups, and hopefully he can improve on his various issues for next year and just deliver a consistent effort. Jake showed an amazingly upbeat attitude all season, and never got down on himself or lost confidence when things got bad. He always bounced back and he never shut down or got on his teammates. He also has an extremly strong arm, which is both a blessing and a curse. He can make a lot of throws most QBs cannot make and can really heave it down the field, but he also doesn't know how/when to put touch on his passes and his accuracy was way off. There were many times when he couldn't even complete a routine screen pass, or a dumpoff to the fullback. Those are the little things that he can work on and improve at. The things that he might not be able to improve on are his instincts and mobility. When the pocket broke down he was indecisive and often just looked for a place to fall down. When he ran he didn't run with purpose or toughness, and he lacks some speed. Those instincts and knowledge of where the ball is at and where your teammates are at come naturally and cannot be taught; Drew Tate had these, but I'm not sure if Jake does. I like his skills as a pure passer though and I will wait to pass some judgement on him until he has a full and healthy batch of wideouts to work with and a better year from our O-line. His backups are the tall/strapping dropback passer Ricky Stanzi, the more tall and athletic Arvell Nelson, and the even more athletic/raw frosh Marvin McNutt. Adam Farnsworth is also on the roster, but he is only a walk-on and likely won't play. Our biggest losses next year will be at the running back position, where we lose two seniors in Albert Young and Damian Sims, and another senior in blocking fullback Tom Busch. Young was one of the best backs in Iowa history and one of the hardest workers, but he will probably be remembered for unfulfilled potential and all the greatness that could have and should have been rewarded to him and to Iowa during his time. He always ran hard and made cuts with a purpose, speedy and powerful up the middle, but he was also a big recieving threat. Too bad JC couldn't throw routine passes to him and get him more involved in the offense. Young also had his share of injury problems, and seemed to always give us a taste of his talent before pulling a no show in the next game. Sims is probably the most underused back in Iowa history; he is ridiculously quick on his feet and is a big play threat every time. He should have been the next Freddy Russell, but never seemed to get enough carries or opportunities. Kind of sad really. Busch got used a lot during goal-line recieving situations, espcecially by Tate, but mostly went under the radar and didn't get the running chances that a lot of Iowa fullbacks have gotten in the past. Next year for running backs we are looking at Jevon Pugh as the starter. Pugh got some garbage time this year and ran for a touchdown in double-overtime against MSU after Albert Young got hurt. He should be good and he's an Albert Young type of runner, but there are questions about his future after rumors have picked up that Pugh's name has been thrown around in the sexual assault scandal plauging the U of I campus. It would also be fantastic to get Shonn Greene back (academics), as he was a potential star and a punshing runner who never went down on the 1st hit. Without Dana Brown for depth, we are also looking at speedy freshman Jason Ford to contribute next year. A lot of this unit depends on off-field problems, especially in Pugh's case. At fullback we should have Jordan McGlaughlin, who has plenty of experience in the program and should fulfill his blocking duties. Our running game should be solid, but a lot depends on the improvement and continued gelling of our offensive line. The entire line is back, which could be a good or very bad thing. They gave up a ton of sacks this year (40+), but some of that has to be attributed to JC getting happy feet. They looked out of sorts and confused, but they are all young and I have a hard time believing that a Kirk Ferentz-coached line will struggle for much longer. I think this year was a valuable trial by fire for them. They need to do a better job though, because we need to develop a rushing balance to complement the up and down JC, and we need to protect JC better because he is far from mobile. At center we should be set with Rafael Eubanks, a good leader with a great attitude and understanding of the offense. He needs to improve his consistency like the rest of the line, but he was only a sophmore last season. Dace Richardson needs to get healthy, because he is our most physically talented lineman and came into Iowa with a ton of hype. He just needs to stay off the stretcher. Seth Olsen will be our big senior, and is our best run blocker. He should be very solid next season. The next couple guys should all get some time at some spot. Julian Vandervelde and Travis Meade are both big Iowa boys who are pretty solid but also young; they got valuable experience last season. Dan Doering and Kyle Calloway were both highly-rated recruits, Kirk had a ton of pressure by fans to play these guys and in our best games last season they played well. They need to do that on a more consistent effort and get less penalties if they want to get more playing time, but they also have the most potential for greatness, along with highly recruited frosh Bryan Bulaga, who recovered from an early season injury to become arguably our most dominate lineman down the stretch.

This past season, we were extremly short-handed at wideout because of injuries and suspensions, so a lot of young guys not in the rotation during spring practices got very valuable experience, showing flashes of greatness for the future so they can hopefully contribute more and play more consistently (the word of this offseason) in '08. Dominique Douglas was going to be our number 1 coming into the year, a great possesion reciever with athleticism and soft hands, but he looks to be out for good after a share of legal problems. Andy Brodell has tons of speed and good size, he should be a number 1 and a big play threat next year, but he was injured for the majority of this season with a hamstring injury. Look for him to come back strong in '08 after being granted a medical redshirt. Trey Stross looked to be the recevier that Jake felt the most comfortable with all year, and was definitely our most consistent threat as we went on our big stretch in November. Jake's best games were Trey's best games, and his speed can really stretch defenses. James Cleveland looks to be Douglas-light; he is a great athlete and possesion reciever, making tough catches all year long despite his small frame. He should play a nice role next year. Derrell Johnson-Koulianos will also be a huge asset after having some of the best Hawkeye receiving games this season and making his share of highlight plays; DJK is big and strong and a great athlete, just raw as a receiver and still working on technical skills and consistency. Good thing he's only a frosh. That one-handed catch against Wisconsin will forever be in my memory. Too bad I heard some rumors he was slapping hands with Hawkeye fans after JC's 1st pick against Western Michigan, when he could have tackled the guy and prevented the 38-yard return. That says something about his character. The next two wideouts should be Paul Chaney, a super-speedy frosh who still needs to work on his hands but who had a great TD to help beat MSU, and Colin Sandeman, another speedy frosh from Bettendorf who should be a threat on punt returns next year and should be a stud down the road in the future; could he be Timmy Dwight Jr.? Anthony Bowman, yet another speedster, would have gotten playing time but he is gone because of the same things that did Douglas in. At tight end we may have our most valuable receiving threat in Tony Moeaki, a highly recruited stud out of Illinois who showed big flashes of stardom this season and even looked like a John Mackey candidate before getting hurt against Wisconsin and sitting out the year, thus increasing his chances of a medical redshirt. He is big, a great blocker (like anothe lineman), and will be a great target in the red zone and even has the speed for big plays, as he showed against Syracuse. Brandon Myers, who will be a senior, also will get playing time after the surprise success he had at tight end this year in Tony's absence. Myers had his share of inconsistency, but he also got his share of TDs at the end of the season and took advantage of mismatches to be a great goal-line receiving threat for JC. He will be back as a receiver. Allen Reisner is a big white boy out of Marion who could be a future stud at the position. Even though our defense loses two solid ends and some amazing linebackers along with a future NFL corner, the D should once again be the strength of our team and a great, physical, and hard-hitting unit. Our ends should be great, maybe even better than the combo of the massive/athletic Iwebema and the always hard working/opportunistic Bryan Mattison. In getting crucial minutes against Michigan State and Northwestern, freshmen Adrian Clayborn, Christian Ballard, and Chad Geary all played exceptional. Clayborn is massive and really clogs the line, but he also has plenty of moves and surprising athleticism. He has All-America potential, and he made tons of big plays including sacks and field goal blocks this season. Scary to think about the possibilities. Ballard is a little smaller but came to Iowa as a tight end; bottom line is that he is a great athlete with a constant motor, and should be a stellar pass rusher. Geary looks to be the odd man out, but he is hard worker with a great motor, similar to Mattison. In the middle, we return our big horses Mitch King and Matt Kroul. King made 1st team All-Big Ten, thanks to his amazing energy and his constant internal motor. He made up for a lack of size with a heart that never stops, constantly batting down passes and getting in the backfield. Kroul is a very underrated run-stopper. At linebacker,we lose all-world stud Mike Humpal, who seemed to will us to victory at times, and Mike Klinkenborg, who was all heart and our best run stopper, playing most of the year with painful injuries and even a huge cast on his right hand. Good thing we get Jacody Coleman taking over. Coleman could be our next star, a huge athlete with surprising speed who really gets after it and pursues his target with reckless abandon out there. He plays with a energy you have to love. Jerimiha Hunter will likely take over the other spot; Hunter has amazing athleticism/speed, with the potential to be a sideline-to-sideline playmaker. AJ Edds returns at the other spot; Edds is a very solid tackler and he plays with a lot of heart. He is also surprisingly good in coverage, seeing as he had to cover the Big Ten's best for whatever reason at many times last season. He will be a leader for us in '08. At the safety spot, both guys should return. Harold Dalton is a big guy and punishing hitter in the Marcus Paschal vein, while Brett Greenwood is a former walk-on who plays balls-out and like he has everything to lose out there. He learned a lot last season and had his share of ups and downs, getting beat on coverage multiple times, but he also made tons of big plays, including the pick against Illinois, and he's a hard hitter who is valuable in run-support. Dalton and Brett both need to improve their coverage, but they also have lots of potential. We lose both our corners, the great Charles Godfrey, a physical/athletic beast who had 5 picks, and Adam Shada, who received much hate from the fans due to his lack of speed and penchant for pass interference calls. Shada played hard and was a good tackler, but he got beat too often. Taking over one of the spots is sure to be Bradley Fletcher, who played great to end the year, proving to be a more than solid tackler and better in coverage than some skeptics thought, nabbing his share of game-saving picks. The other spot is more up in the air; it could be Jordan Bernstein, a great athlete from Des Moines who has the physical tools to be great; it could also be Lance Tillison; other than that I can't think of anyone thanks to a wealth of arrests. Our kicking game looked to be in good hands after the MSU game thanks to a stellar performance by Daniel Murray, but after the hellish missed 2 extra points against Western Michigan most Hawk fans aren't so sure. He is only a freshman and should be ok, the consistency is just lacking though. Austin Signor has a strong leg, but is even more erratic than Murray. He may have found a role on kickoffs though. At punter, Ryan Donahue looks to be the real deal, amazing considering how bad he played at the beginning of the year. He got so much practice with our horrible offense though that he steadily improved to the point that he was a team strength. There were still bouts of inconsistency and the occasional shank, but he improved drastically and showed that he has a huge leg and the potential to be our best special teams player.