I’ve always liked the underdog.
I’ve always been a fan of the person, the team or the idea that everybody else
discards. And by underdog, I don’t mean the person or thing that is easy to
cheer for, like say George Mason in last year’s NCAA tournament or the Mighty
Ducks with Coach Emilio Estivez. They were fun and easy to get behind. That’s
not my style.
I like the groups of folks that
everybody else quickly dismisses as irrelevant or not worthy of discussion. I’ve
always found myself arguing against the majority, even if it’s not what I really
believe. There’s something about making the majority of folks stop and think for
a moment if their stance on a subject is the correct one that gives me great
pride.
With that in mind, let’s discuss
the oh-so-prevalent topic that has taken the Cyclone message boards by storm:
What’s the best move for the Iowa State Football program?
Everyone has an opinion, and from
the very unscientific poll on the CN free board, most (around 75 percent) are
leaning towards a change at the top. Granted, the message board community may
not be a true, or very accurate, measure of the entire Cyclone Nation, but the
winds of change seem to picking up ferocity. And in the end, only one man’s
opinion really matters.
Borrowing on an idea from ESPN, I
thought I’d take a look at the other side of the coin and break down with my own
variation the “Top three reasons you can’t blame Dan McCarney.”
Keep in mind this is merely to
promote some honest discussion, so save the “Blum is drunk on the cardinal and
gold kool-aid” and “Blum is a Mac-apologist” posts. And also remove yourself
from the opinion that “Ultimately Mac is responsible.” Of course he is
ultimately responsible. But to an extent there have been a lot of instances and
obstacles that are far from his control. Let’s get it on.
1. Offensive Line Woes
It seems pretty obvious that the
greatest ailment of this football team in the past few years has been the play
of the offensive line. It is probably the most important aspect of any college
football team. This group of Cyclones has undergone more changes and
reconstruction than Joan Rivers and Pamela Anderson combined. Since Steve Loney
left town in 2001 and Marty Fine took the reigns of men in the trenches, the
recruiting and performance on the field have been less than stellar. Let’s take
a quick look of the revolving door of linemen recruited in the past four
years.
Class of
2002
Cory Wierson- Knee injuries and
then Hodgkin’s disease ended Wierson’s career. Thankfully, Cory has beaten the
disease and is thriving in the working world.
Seth Zehr- Four year starter is one
of the smartest and nicest men you will meet. That may be part of the
problem.
Mike Hmuod (JC)- Never made it to
campus.
Curtis James (JC)- Never made it to
campus.
Emmanuel Valcourt (JC)-Never made
it to campus.
Kory Pence- Solid two year
starter.
Class of
2003
Brandon Cook- Still
waiting.
Anthony Walker- Still
waiting.
Bastian Schober- Back-up at
center.
John Tjaden- Still waiting.
Tom Scmeling- Alternating with
Reggie Stephens at right guard.
Aaron Brant- Four year starter, but
hasn’t developed into the all-conference tackle some believed he
would.
Colin Menard (JC)- Spot starter for
two years he was in program.
Class of
2004
Brandon Johnson- Rotated between
offensive and defensive lines. Now back to offense.
Joe Vanstrom- Mr. towel waver has
yet to see action.
Jordan Goos- Still waiting.
Kody Kuehl- Still
waiting.
Class of
2005
Jason Fiacco- Transferred to UNI,
where he is a back-up.
Paul Fisher (JC)- Struggling to
find time anywhere.
Scott Fisher (JC)- Starter at LT
has had a rough year.
Reggie Stephens- Making some great
strides alternating with Schmeling.
The most recent class is still to
be determined. But of those 21 scholarships given in the four-year span, ISU has
hit on maybe five of them. It’s tough to win any games with nobody on the line.
And just as importantly, as John Walters astutely pointed out after this week’s
game, it’s tough to give incentive for the starters to work their butts off, if
there aren’t any guys pushing them for playing time. It’s a vicious cycle that
is making it difficult for everyone involved.
Although Dan McCarney has the final
say in scholarship offers, he delegates most of the recruiting efforts to
position coaches. And a good percentage of these guys were pursued by Marty Fine
and Steve Brickey. You can’t blame Dan McCarney for that.
2. Bad Apples and Bad
Attitudes
Dan McCarney has always been known
as a player’s coach. The football players really do like him. He has molded many
a young man into upstanding, productive adults. But he also has had to deal with
a higher than usual percentage of bad apples in the last few years.
Unfortunately, they were bad apples that would have greatly helped this football
team. The biggest weak areas besides the offensive line are the defensive backs,
defensive line and running backs. These three areas have been hit hard by
defections, malcontents or guys that didn’t ever show.
Defensive Backs- Ron Prelow
(2003), Dominique Flower (2003), Mike West (2003), Josh Hargis (2004), Jerry
Gair (2004), Bobby Chalk (2004), Brandon Gunn (2004), Mack Kimble (2004), Will
Lewis (2004), Reggie Rock (2005), Durell Williams (2005).
Hargis and Gair were both
highly-regarded JUCO guys who made it to campus in 2004. Hargis lasted two
months before he punched a student after the student lost control of his
unicycle at a dining hall. Hargis was then kicked off the team. Gair lasted all
of 2004 before he ran into a litany of legal problems, culminating in the armed
robbery of the Ames Kwik Shop as well as the Fuel Right. He is now serving a 37
year prison sentence.
Chalk would be a junior this season
and more than likely would have been the starter opposite D-Jack if things went
as planned. But he was dismissed after his true freshman year in 2004. Williams,
Rock and Gunn were all cornerbacks that would have added some depth but are no
longer on the team. Williams was involved in the altercation that eventually led
to the arrest of Jason Berryman and Greg Coleman.
Kimble, Lewis, Flower, and Prelow
all lasted less than two years at Iowa
State before going elsewhere. West
never made it to Ames. Each would
have been given a chance to get ample playing time at either safety position
this season. Flower and Prelow both came in as safeties before moving to
linebacker. Neither lasted past 2005. That is 11 possible defensive backs
Iowa
State hasn’t been able to use. Even
if you remove Gair and Hargis due to exhausted eligibily for this season (2006),
nine guys who could have proved very valuable to this extremely thin defensive
backfield remain. That is way too many scholarship losses to overcome for any
coach.
Defensive Lineman- Korey
Smith (2002), Klayton Shoals (2002) Jason Berryman (2003), Nick Davidson (2003)
Collins Eboh (2004, 2006) Jason McGinty (2004).
The Smith twins never played a
significant amount of snaps and both left the team. Klayton Sholas transferred
after his freshman year and now starts on the Baylor defensive line. Davidson
only lasted a year and a half, McGinty left the team this winter. We all know
the Berryman and Eboh sagas. Imagine a line of Berryman, Curvey, Shoals, and
Moorehead. With Eboh, Korey Smith, McGinty and Tuba Rubin backing up. That would
make a pretty noticeable difference to a line that has put absolutely no
pressure on opposing teams.
Running Backs- Tyease
Thompson (2004) Greg Coleman (2004) Webster Patrick (2004) Dominique Rocker
(2005).
The magical running back class of
2004 has turned into a vomit-inducing group. Tyease Thompson helped Jerry Gair
rob a dormitory after his freshman year and was eventually dismissed. Coleman
left this spring after two very average seasons. The legend that is Webster
Patrick remains the biggest enigma in ISU history. Dominique Rocker was a highly
touted kid from Florida who never
made it to Ames. Any of these guys
would have added another element to aid Stevie Hicks and the anemic running
game.
You can’t blame Dan McCarney for
that.
3. Field Goal
Kickers
Iowa
State could very easily be the
two-time defending champs of the Big 12 North if a few field goals went through
the uprights instead of around them. The potential ramifications from a few
simple swings of the leg are hard to fathom. From confidence to exposure to
recruiting, the tone of the program would be completely different. It’s sad but
true. If you don’t believe me, you are kidding yourself.
You can’t blame Dan McCarney for that.