Everything Kirk Ferentz said on Tim Lester's Offense at B1G Media Days
INDIANAPOLIS -- To kick off Iowa's Wednesday Big Ten Media Days appearance, Kirk Ferentz shared an opening statement and answered questions from the media.
Largely asked about Tim Lester, the Iowa quarterback situation and about the offense as a whole, here's everything Ferentz said to the media in his initial media appearance.
Q. After disappointing on offense last year, you made the decision to hire Tim Lester as your offensive coordinator. What was the hiring process like, and what makes Tim stand out to you as someone who can get the offense in a good spot?
FERENTZ: A couple of factors there. We haven't been where we've wanted to be offensively for a couple years. As a coach, you have to evaluate things and be realistic. Certainly last year is an easy thing to point out. Our top three -- if you asked anybody this time last year who were our top three offensive players, they weren't there when we started conference play.
We paid for that, but I thought the guys did a great job of playing with what we had and maneuvering their way through and finding a way to win ten football games.
Going through the search process was interesting. A lot of really good people to visit with -- I say a lot. A small group of good people to visit with. Tim just really stood out. I think he's a really good fit for us, whether you talk about his personality and obviously his offensive background, his expertise, played quarterback, coached quarterbacks, has been a coordinator, and then had a rare opportunity last year to really almost take a coaching sabbatical, if you will, and worked with the Packers and got great exposure to a lot of people offensively and helped out on the defensive side.
He comes with a wealth of knowledge. One thing I do appreciate, he's a former head coach. That wasn't a requisite, but also quickly in the conversation, I think he's got a deep appreciation for how football works, how offense can complement defense, special teams. Everybody is going to be working on the same -- you know, towards the same end. So that part's all been good.
He's been on campus now since February, very positive, very energetic, good teacher and just a good people person. So he relates well to staff, the coaches, all the players. So far, so good.
Q. Kind of along those lines, what have been kind of your biggest impressions from the kind of Shanahan-style offense that Tim has implemented, and how helpful is that visit up to Green Bay as you get ready to implement this in the fall?
FERENTZ: Every exposure is good, whether it's us implementing it and installing it during spring practice or watching other people do it at a proficient level.
Every offense has its different styles and whatever, but really to me success in offense still gets down to execution. The guys up front have to block, and the receivers have to block, and then somebody's got to do a good job of getting the ball where it's supposed to, and the passing game is the same thing. People have got to get open. They've got to make tough catches, and the quarterback has got to be able to deliver into all sorts of protection.
It's not like you're inventing anything. It's going to be a little bit different certainly, but I think our players took to it quickly.
I went through a similar thing in 1996, I guess it would have been, when we moved to Baltimore, and Ted Marchibroda took over the offense for us. My takeaway from that was the players learned a lot faster than I did. I was the only guy that was stumbling on things that were in my memory bank. The players just move on pretty quickly. It's kind of been that way this way too. It's been a good transition.
All that being said, we've got a lot of work to do the next four weeks.
Q. Cade McNamara seems to be fully recovered from the torn ACL. He says he's 100 percent, I guess, as you go into fall camp. And you've also got Brendan Sullivan here, Big Ten starter. As you go into fall camp, do you view Cade as your definitive starter? If so, why?
FERENTZ: Well, I do. We played against him right here on this field a couple of years ago in December and got to see him that entire season on film, so we had great respect and admiration for him as a player, a competitor.
Unfortunately for our fan base and the media, nobody's really -- none of you guys have seen him play full speed thus far in an Iowa uniform. So I'm eager to see him perform for us this year. Nobody's more eager than he is, and hopefully he's not too eager.
The good news regarding the injury -- I've told a couple people already today -- back in the '80s, ACL injuries could be unpredictable. No surgery is routine anymore, but fortunately, 30-some years later, the advances in medicine, ACLs, players come back from them all the time without issue. We anticipate that for Cade.
I know he's eager to go. And eager to see Brendan too in practice. It will be fun to work with him. He's been really impressive in the summer program and really competitive guy. He's been impressive in a lot of ways, and seems like he's transitioned really well to Iowa City.
We're eager to see all of our guys out there, but the quarterback position will be something of note, for sure