I spent a long time with my computer screen open Sunday evening and the cursor blinking. After a 34-7 victory that showcased an old school “Bullies of the Big Ten” performance that I for one had a blast watching, things seemed way too dreadful among the Iowa discourse.
The QB Sky was falling once again and quite frankly, I wasn’t in the mental headspace to tap dance around it quite yet (don’t worry, I eventually got there and it’s after the break below).
Instead, I started to reminisce through the
summer I just had. My little family and I have been living and living hard. I’ve never in my life been this active. I’m serious. I don’t know exactly how we do it, but we seemingly don’t waste a moment. Even in the down times where Elsa and Anna and Olaf are singing and dancing on my TV and my girls turn into miniature zombies, I’m still absorbing every snuggle I can get.
It’s so beautiful.
While my body might be starting to fall apart because of it, oh well, it’s totally worth it.
Tears started to well up in my eyes. Suddenly, I wasn’t worried about Mark Gronowski or Kirk’s inability to recruit quarterbacks that aren’t injured or broken, or how Iowa will never have a wideout like DJK or Marvin McNutt ever again.
Rather, I closed my eyes and decided to relive the past three months. The trips. The chaos. The fun. The games. And it dawned on my that I will never forget this summer. Some of those day felt long (ok a LOT of those days felt long) but I went to bed every single night fulfilled and in love and blessed and happy.
I suppose this is what you call “a purpose”. It’s heavy, but I think for the first time I understand why I’m on this earth; and it’s to be the dad of these two little girls. Oh, what I would give for more uninterrupted time with no school or day care or work. It makes me feel alive. Young (despite, you know, my body falling apart). Young in my mind I suppose is the best way to put it. Playful again. I can feel my brain firing in ways it hasn’t in a long, LONG time.
These kids play HARD. It’s comedy. It’s drama. It’s everything good. And in a world full of distraction (to put it nicely), it’s such a relief being a part of their love and wonder and questions and learning and growth and passion and ease. Everything is better with them.
And I suppose that’s all that really matters…that and Mark Gronowski being able to throw a football next week or we’re all going to collectively lose our freaking minds.
Now, let’s get into it…
Look I understand the vitriol and pessimism (or rather, realism). Hell, I just had to Happy Gilmore myself into a Happy Place to even begin to write about the passing game from Saturday.
Want me to be real with you? I don’t feel all warm inside about what QB1 did either. I expected more. I expected precision and at the very least experience and we got none of it.
Simply put, it wasn’t good enough. Period. Agreed. Yes. 1000%. I’m sure Gronowski would agree. I can guaran-damn-tee you that it wasn’t what he wanted to showcase in his first game in the black and yellow.
WITH THAT SAID, even if Gronowski hit a couple of those early bunnies, I’m not sure the stat line would’ve been THAT different. I said it from the jump in my Quick Recap on Saturday evening:
“10:13 – Iowa should just go ahead and run for 300+ yards today. Albany doesn’t have the horses to handle this attack. Inside. Outside. Counters. It’s all just going to be too much.”
AND IT WAS.
Still, outside of Gronowski’s legs and laying the lumber with his surgically repaired shoulders (both an added wrinkle that WILL be a difference maker IF he is the same guy that became one of the best FCS quarterbacks of all time), he wasn’t even close to what the vision was. Shoot, even his tosses and hand offs were shaky. Throw in the dehydration issues, some shaky pocket presence and well, it’s no wonder the entire fanbase and college football discourse as a whole is jeering the ol’ Hawkeyes once again.
NOT GREAT BOB.
If after this coming Saturday this is Cade McNamara 2.0, I sincerely hope that the coaching staff puts Hank Brown in there now and learns from their mistakes of the past. At least that kid has a future here and already has proven he can handle it.
But, again I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think Gronowski will show up in a big way on Saturday. I just don’t think that kid goes through an entire camp skipping passes and shitting the proverbial bed and Kirk and Tim Lester just shrug their shoulders and say “he’s a vet” and simply throw him out there to feed him to us monsters after ALL we’ve been through since Nate Stanley left.
Right?
Right?
I don’t know. Maybe the kid was sick. Maybe he was nervous. Maybe he sucks. I truly don’t know what to tell you outside of, it wasn’t good enough and it better get cleaned up fast and if it doesn’t this coaching staff needs to move on to ensure we can build some continuity at a position that has been well below average for way too long.
BUT, in the now, that performance wasn’t enough for me to throw in the towel by any means. I am still extremely hopeful and bullish about Iowa this season, especially after seeing how physical the entire team was and how they were able to lean into a strength and knock the Danes out with right hook after right hook despite the issues at QB.
Gronowski died in Week 1 to give us Xavier Williams. And I’m good with that.
I know, it’s Albany. IT’S ALBANY! But if they didn’t beat them into a pulp and instead played a “Northern Iowa in 2009” like game, we’d all be screaming about the quarterback and how we can’t run and how we can’t play defense and how we will only win six games and Kirk is washed and how could we even mention Woody Hayes after a game like THAT (wait, that happened already).
It’s fickle. It’s college football in Iowa City. I know how this goes.
It’s fine.
For now.
We all know what’s coming and if Gronowski goes out there against the Clones and cramps up while skipping rocks towards open receivers again, we will lose and the QB sky will really fall and Kirk and Tim Lester will have some ‘splaining to do.
But until then, I’m holding onto my judgement and venom and rather than sitting with the doom and gloom, I’ll just be here sitting in my happy place watching my girls perform in Disney dresses for the umpteenth time while Xavier Williams dances in my head.
Because that’s what matters.
Until the conclusion of Hate Week…
