IntenseDebate - MikeHlas

13 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Hlas column: Hawkeyes ... · 0 replies · +1 points

Right you are, Chin. I was sure "Network" beat "Rocky." They don't make 'em like that anymore. Either one.

13 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Associated Press, Phil... · 0 replies · +1 points

The oracle passes along his thanks. He also passes his hat for donations, but that never seems to work.

13 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Associated Press, Phil... · 2 replies · +3 points

Don't listen to any false prophets. Hlastradamus will sort all this out for you here tomorrow evening on the heels of his 3-0 record against the spread last week.

13 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Hlas column: Hawkeyes ... · 0 replies · +3 points

Ferentz rehashed that ASU game Tuesday, Alex, and has done so frequently in the past. To me, it's a legitimate benchmark. Do you go out West to play a good, motivated team and show up ready to do business or not?

13 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Hlas column: Hawkeyes ... · 0 replies · +1 points

But it was nominated for Best Picture.

13 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Hlas column: Hawkeyes ... · 3 replies · +2 points

Exactly, Serenity. It still gnaws at him six years later. He never shies away from talking about it. If you look at his program, it makes "mistakes" and doesn't repeat them. The bowl preparation for the first Orange Bowl was undisciplined by Ferentz standards. Every one since then has been good, even when Iowa had a mediocre team going to San Antonio to play Texas. Iowa had a so-called elite recruiting class several years ago, but it mostly turned out to be a bust. I don't think they've had a class since that wasn't good.

So he dwells on a game played six years ago because this is the first chance to prove he's learned from that and the results will be different. That's my theory.

13 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Hey, Hawkeyes: They sa... · 0 replies · +1 points

It's only Tuesday. I'm going to try to talk to people tomorrow who have been around this Arizona team. Maybe they'll convince me this Wildcats team is different than those of the past, that it's a cut above last year's.

I saw some of the Toledo game, but ehhhh. Foles looked crisp and self-assured, but it was Toledo, which simply couldn't defend against the pass.

So is everyone in NY/NJ feeling pretty calm about the Jets today?

I can't shake last year's Holiday Bowl out of my head. Which is probably a mistake.

Still, I'm not sure which individual units Arizona have that are better than Iowa's. Placekicking and kickoff coverage? I'll give them a soft probably. Otherwise, I'm not sure there are any.

13 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Hey, Hawkeyes: They sa... · 2 replies · +1 points

By the way, aboo, I'm not trying to alienate you. You're clearly a smart person who knows football. Keep bringing it.

13 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Hey, Hawkeyes: They sa... · 0 replies · +1 points

Thanks for the comments, azwxman. How big a buzz is there for this game in Arizona. I realize you're 100 miles away from the UA, but are people seeing this as the big breakthrough game?

13 years ago @ GazetteOnline.com - Hey, Hawkeyes: They sa... · 0 replies · +1 points

If you want matchups dissected one by one, maybe an overview of Arizona's punt-return unit, the tendencies shown by the Wildcat defense when their opponents have 3rd-and-7 or longer ... you can find it elsewhere in several locations online, including Gazetteonline.com for starters. Yes, my examples are a bit exaggerated.

That stuff is great, it's for football wonks, and I like reading it myself. But it's not what I do here. I try to offer something different than is found elsewhere at Gazetteonline or on other Web sites that cover Iowa sports. I deal more with topics of the day, hopefully more people-related stuff. I try to keep people abreast of what's being said and reported around the Big Ten and beyond. And I certainly offer an amount of offbeat stuff.

This is an ever-evolving deal, this blogging. I get daily reports that show which posts are popular and which aren't. I listen to whatever you or anyone else has to say about the site and take it seriously. Aboo, you love the nuts-and-bolts of football stuff, and I appreciate that. But for the most part, this probably isn't going to be that kind of site.

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