The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

[superjames1992]

Re: The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

Good stuff. Congratulations on the title!

[Hellisan]

Re: The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

Good stuff. Congratulations on the title!

Thanks brother!

Updated and completed the season wrap above.

Well that's it for now. Have to take another break, hopefully a pretty short one. We will be moving a short distance, but a move is a move, and that takes place just a week from now. We've been packing for a few days already and hope to make it a smooth and professional one for once, instead of the mess they've been in the pass.

Hate moving.

[itsbigmike]

Re: The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

Always love your season overview's after the season. So good.

[Hellisan]

2020 Offseason - Part 1

Coaching Carousel Coverage

Clark signs 5-year extension through 2025 that makes him the 3rd highest paid coach in the country.

A year after signing a 4-year extension taking him from 2019 to 2023 that made Coach Clark the 5th highest paid coach in the game - a huge risk for Iowa - he has signed a follow-up contract of 5 years that will take him through the 2025 season. Said Clark:

"Janell [wife] and I discussed the offer at length. Although it was a little surprising to get the offer a year in, we couldn't turn it down. If that's what they wanted to do, I'm on board. With a daughter in second grade, we want to remain where we are for a long time if possible. We don't want her moving anymore if we can help it. We love it here. We had the opportunity to become champions in a community we love being involved in. We're just so excited."




Hawkeyes forced to replace coordinators. DeRuyter, Addazio on board

Randy Edsall and Matt Rhule took advantage of the incredible season Iowa had and made good on their success and the success of the team by signing head coaching contracts at TCU and Missouri, respectively. Coach Clark called the hirings deserved.

"The success we had as an offense under Matt, and as a defense under Randy is something I'm very proud of. I'm proud of those guys and their accomplishments. Winning a national championship was a huge accomplishment for those guys. Any weak link on the team and we would not have gotten through that season as champs. I think both those programs have the chance to do some impressive things."

Clark took a moment to speak of his excitement for the new hires as well.

"Matt [Temple base Playbook] going out and Stefve Addazio [Temple base Playbook] coming in, that will be a smooth transition for us. The play calling may change slightly, and we'll see how that goes, but with, spoiler alert, Eddie Allen coming back into the fold for his senior season, I think he'll probably trust in what we did before and put together a similar game plan but with his own stamp on it."

And with that, Coach Clark broke the fact that Eddie Allen plans to return.

"On defense, we add Tim DeRuyter [3-4 Playbook Style] and we have pretty good personnel for that look. We probably won't go wholesale changes, as we pretty much have to run a base nickle these days due to the offensive style we deal with, but we will add some looks for sure. I'm excited about the blitz packages he can put together for us." The team was already considering a move for defensive tackle Chris Wilson to defensive end, before adding DeRuyter to the mix. That could be a done deal now.





National Coverage - Kiffin takes over prestigious Texas Job


People may have laughed when Lane Kiffin was made head coach at Army, but despite a switch to a new job he had a lot of success and was the most highly sought after coach on the market. When Mack Brown retired after an impressive 11-2 season finishing #2 in the nation, the Longhorns came-a-calling for Kiffin.

After that, there were not a lot of truly notable hires. It was surprising to see Bo Pelini get another shot at a relevant football school. Well... Not that relevant. Major Applewhite was hired to gake over at Alabama Birmingham. USC made a notable hire, adding Gary Patterson [4-2-5 Defense] to take over the defense for head coach Chris Petersen. At UTEP, Mike Leach was promoted from within to head coach, which seems like a natural fit.

[Tearz49ers]

Re: The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

Yuck, that's all I have to say to that hire!

A new four year deal was well deserved I must say after that season, can you forsea another four years here?

[Hellisan]

2020 Offseason - Part 2

There are three players from the class of 2020/2021 that epitomize what Iowa football should be about. Guard #63 DaShawn Olden, middle linebacker #57 Brian McFadden, and strong safety #25 Kory Walker. Others produced as well and even had key contributions the team would not have been able to win without, but these three players personify what the class meant to the team and to the history of the football program. Hard working players who made a difference on the field. The defining image, in my mind, is (top) DaShawn Olden celebrating with BCS Championship game most valuable player Daniel Norton after winning the national championship.

[Hellisan]

2020 Offseason - Part 3



Real talk for a moment, with the move coming up and bearing down on us this really does look like the last update until we're moved in, please do with me luck and not to fall down the stairs or something. Nothing like a 3rd bedroom apartment. But there will be ocean views and a bedroom for my daughter. So add all that in and I accidentally skipped past once I finished up entering my recruits, without taking stock of the class and where the Big Ten was, etc. I know we finished #14. So that's #14 three years ago, #6 last year, #14 this year.

CLIFF NOTES

Plenty of details below, but here are some of the notable guys. No work ethic has been rolled yet, so this is just current talent

C Ambrogino "Gino" Pollino - Day 1 starter at center with the graduation of Johnson. Nothing he can't do.

TE C.J. Terry - Day 1 starter at TE. He's not a physical freak we'd like to have but can catch, block, get open, a do-it-all type.

FB Nathan Richardson - Day 1 starter at FB - Surprisingly athletic and good receiver. Between he and Terry, Allen will have a lot more he can do with the ball out of the base sets. With their arrival and the improvement of some of the WR, I expect him to have a better year passing and potentially to run a little less.

WR NeShawn Talley - Nephew of Darryl Talley, and also from Ohio. Will redshirt. Some in his family don't want him to play football due to the struggles of his uncle. He's a relatively average looking guy but i like the overall profile, no massive holes.

The majority of the impact guys here are on offense including Lloyd who you guys know a little...but don't sleep on guys like Parsons (possible DE position switch as he profiles better there), Mesun, Slack.

[Bigsheen]

Re: The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

Just a few big losses, but nothing coach Clark can’t overcome!

Look like some real dandies in that class. Will be interesting to see how many are able to mix into the fold in their first season or two.

Best of luck on the move! I’ve never experienced one before but it sure seems like a burden. However, it sounds like the grass will be greener (or ocean blue?) on the other side! Take your time, and I’ll again look forward to your return whenever it may be!

[Trojan32]

Re: The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

Man, don’t know how you do it.

1- Great graphics and write ups on the grads!

2- The beach within walking distance? I don’t have the commitment to play when it’s sunny - never mind having a beach close to me.

[Iron Dragon]

Re: The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

Congrats on picking up the title win over Georgia. Doesn't look like too bad of a class for the new year as you begin your title defense.

[Hellisan]

Re: The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

Always love your season overview's after the season. So good.

Thanks mate. It's a pain, but I love being able to quickly read and remember a few things and have links to go back and look at games. I need to update the links for the older seasons. I'm pissed I didn't start doing that until late.

Yuck, that's all I have to say to that hire!

A new four year deal was well deserved I must say after that season, can you forsea another four years here?

I think the most disappointing thing or the thing that was hardest to move away from Idaho was not being able to see out the careers of my players. I'm coming up to where players I recruited will begin graduating next year (the JUCOs) and I'd like to continue at Iowa for quite awhile. Not to say I would never make a change, because I will look around every year just for sheer curiosity, but I think I'll be at Iowa for awhile.

Just a few big losses, but nothing coach Clark can’t overcome!

Look like some real dandies in that class. Will be interesting to see how many are able to mix into the fold in their first season or two.

Best of luck on the move! I’ve never experienced one before but it sure seems like a burden. However, it sounds like the grass will be greener (or ocean blue?) on the other side! Take your time, and I’ll again look forward to your return whenever it may be!

Thanks man! I don't know why, but I love to have a view - and indoor/outdoor living is a great part of life here in San Diego. We had a condo with a view, nothing magnificent, but just the neighborhood below us, a few years ago, and I've wanted a place with a view ever since.

Man, don’t know how you do it.

1- Great graphics and write ups on the grads!

If you mean the collage, I just use this collage maker: https://www.fotojet.com/

I then copy that image, and paste it into a new transparent view for Photoshop, clear out the back, 1 px stroke, and do default shadows. Crazy easy. The shadows are totally unnecessary... The free collage maker I think is awesome. If you're talking about the recruiting report, it's just excel, I'll share any templates anybody wants if they don't have the time to put that stuff together.

2- The beach within walking distance? I don’t have the commitment to play when it’s sunny - never mind having a beach close to me.

We live 5.5 miles from the beach and will be on the third floor, on the high side of a ridge, so it should be a cool view, but distant ocean views... We go to the beach a lot in the summer, admittedly, but we're not beach bums or anything... lol

Thanks for looking in on me Trojan.

Congrats on picking up the title win over Georgia. Doesn't look like too bad of a class for the new year as you begin your title defense.

Thanks bro. I'm happy about winning that title, honestly... It used to be easy, lol

[Deegeezy]

Re: The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

First of all, best of luck with this final semester of school. It takes a lot of courage and mental determination to go back to school, and it is clear you have both. Proud of you man.

Congrats on the title game victory. Four interceptions by Calvin Sanders pretty much sealed the Bulldogs' fate. That shot of Holloway, with the photographer in the photo itself - classic stuff. I didn't even think that angle was possible.

One regret I have in my Tulane dynasties is not capturing photos of the postgame celebration. Back then, in my pre-capture card days, it would have been somewhat of a pain. Fantastic work there my friend.

Glad to see this thing isn't ending any time soon. One thing we all have done in years past is end dynasties as soon as we win titles - but one thing I have learned is that that's when the fun is just getting started. Keeping the team at the top of the mountain is a challenge in itself.

Also awesome to see Coach Clark and Janell get broken off some cheddar to keep him around for a while.

As for your departing players - the player you're going to miss the most is DaShawn Olden. I'll tell you what man, they don't get a lot of pub, but those guards are some of the most important players on the field, both in real life and in the game. When you have a dominant one, it makes a huge difference.

Great stuff as always brother!

[itsbigmike]

Re: The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

Love the career wrap ups for players, always a great way to remind people where the players came from and where they ended up.

As for your custom progression: how does citizenship play into it? Without knowing anything, my first guess as to how I'd incorporate it would be work ethic controls the ranges that person can roll between and citizenship could tie in maybe the likelihood of a high or low roll.

If you don't want this clogging up your dynasty report, no worries. Hit me up or post in in another thread and let me know where it is!

One of the best dynasty reports around!

[Hellisan]

Re: The Career of J.D. Clark (NCAA 14)

First of all, best of luck with this final semester of school. It takes a lot of courage and mental determination to go back to school, and it is clear you have both. Proud of you man.

Thank you my friend. It's been a burden at every corner, to be honest. Happy to rectify it, and then at that point, I will need to really begin my efforts then to make the best decisions. A degree is only the beginning, as you well know and have probably risen through the ranks with hard work and planning, etc.

Congrats on the title game victory. Four interceptions by Calvin Sanders pretty much sealed the Bulldogs' fate. That shot of Holloway, with the photographer in the photo itself - classic stuff. I didn't even think that angle was possible.

Thanks. I'm super pumped we were able to finish it out. That's the second time in a short time span we've sort of embarrassed a Heisman winner - The first was when Atkinson totally outplayed the Heisman winner from A&M in the Capital One Bowl. In NCAA 14, as you may know, the game actually takes four photos at the end that you can save or delete. Normally they are just guys running down the field during big plays. This one was a computer taken photo (so hence the unique angle) and totally unique and cool, I had to make sure to get that as a capture.

One regret I have in my Tulane dynasties is not capturing photos of the postgame celebration. Back then, in my pre-capture card days, it would have been somewhat of a pain. Fantastic work there my friend.

The celebrations are outright silly, great material there..

Glad to see this thing isn't ending any time soon. One thing we all have done in years past is end dynasties as soon as we win titles - but one thing I have learned is that that's when the fun is just getting started. Keeping the team at the top of the mountain is a challenge in itself.

Totally agree. I think we feel a pressure to have a "realistic" dynasty, and if you were to do a dynasty that mirrors Saban's career, it wouldn't feel "realistic," only, Saban really built up to that over a long period of time. Other coaches did not, and have incredible records right from the start. I think as long as its fun and a challenge, go for it. I think it's clear that if Urban Meyer had better health and mental health, he could have pushed Knute Rockne's win percentage.

Also awesome to see Coach Clark and Janell get broken off some cheddar to keep him around for a while.

As for your departing players - the player you're going to miss the most is DaShawn Olden. I'll tell you what man, they don't get a lot of pub, but those guards are some of the most important players on the field, both in real life and in the game. When you have a dominant one, it makes a huge difference.

I agree, he was a stud, and we don't have anybody of that quality lining up on the line next year. I think the overall line play will be a step down but still solid.

Great stuff as always brother!

Thanks a lot Geezy!

Love the career wrap ups for players, always a great way to remind people where the players came from and where they ended up.

I love doing that, and it's clear that some of the dudes improed a ton, and others hardly at all. Doing the custom progression, it stinks when you get a guy that has that great year then doesn't improve... and spoiler alert... It happened to our most important player on offense this year.

As for your custom progression: how does citizenship play into it? Without knowing anything, my first guess as to how I'd incorporate it would be work ethic controls the ranges that person can roll between and citizenship could tie in maybe the likelihood of a high or low roll.

With how busy I was during this season, I let something slide a bit and that's injuries and suspensions. Citizenship correlates directly to suspensions. For both injuries and suspensions, which I cover a bit on page 1, I take a random number between 1 and 70 for each injury or suspension pre determined, and sort my team by name, then count down to it, and then take a random number between say 40 and 100. If the injury rating or citizenship rating is higher than the number for that player, I have to skip to to the next, either up or down (also randomized) until I find a player with a lower number. Essentially, if the guy is a 99 INJ, he's not gonna get hurt unless it's a 100.

If you don't want this clogging up your dynasty report, no worries. Hit me up or post in in another thread and let me know where it is!

One of the best dynasty reports around!

Thank you so much bigmike, love the interactions we have about making the game more fun and in depth.

10 characterszzzzzzzz

Oh yeah... even though I've been putting in WERK on the move, I keep coming back and cant' stay away at night... hahahaahahaha I'm so full of it saying I would be gone. Glad for overlapping internet coverage :-)

[Hellisan]

2020 Offseason - Part 4





The manual progression system has an explanation thread in the main NCAA Forum ,and if you have any questions about it, feel free to ask, also there are a couple others using it that have improved it to fit what they are trying to do, like itsbigmike - excellent changes to decrease the time taken. I added something last offseason (now doing it again) that allows for the players to improve their ETH (work ethic) rating through how well they trained. When a player improves at the very top of their individual range they will get a +5 in ETH so they move up to the next segment of improvement possibilities. On the other hand, if they "improve" at the low end of the range (often a minus improvement) they will then move down -5, into the lower tier, for the next season. On the right you can see the players that gained or lost work ethic points and what their 2021 work ethic will be.

All players had a mean improvement of 2.98 points. The players that improved at least one point had a mean of 4.57, still lower than the the mean that a good computer team would have, which is closer to 5. In addition to being fun and interesting, a custom improvement setup if run correctly can limit the constant improvement at every single position and result in holes that need to be actively managed or patched by the coach through additional recruiting or position changes, and challenge the team's depth.

Butler's potential hints that Iowa may be strong at linebacker for a long time

Spring time. The smell of grass and field turf being burned up by the Iowa football team. Kenard Goodman continued his steady transformation from early-career "bust" to a guy that is living up to the five-star billing he had as a recruit years ago. Junior wideout Lukas Halligan looks so much better that signal caller Eddie Allen may have a true #1 threat this season to go with the weapons he will now have to throw the ball to at fullback and tight end. Sophomore Khayman Chia may be blossoming into a stud at defensive end right before our very eyes. The list goes on. D.J. Halloway and fellow corners Lionel Robinson and Joe Gibson. All are have had an incredible offseason and a year of personal growth. Yet middle linebacker Brandon Butler is the most improved of the bunch.

According to Butler, watching the departed Brian McFadden go about his business has helped him become the player he is today, and the player he wants to become.

"A lot of it is the technical stuff," said Butler. "Physically, you either have it or you don't, but the thing I learned from Brian is just how to be prepared. How to study the tape and be one step ahead. Consistently I saw him doing those sorts of things. He was patient with questions. Yeah we're only here four or five years, but that's half a career in the big league. I want to work to keep improving."

If he does, the linebacker corps is in good hands. Butler will compete against senior middle linebacker Kevin Harris, who has almost always produced in a big way whenever he has been given the chance. With a new defensive coordinator bringing a 3-4 slant, more linebackers will be rotated through on a game by game basis, and that may mean Butler and Harris could be on the field at the same time several times or more each game. With Reginald Clancy and David Bryant offering a ton of talent alongside them and being extremely young just like Butler, this is a group that could be wreaking havoc on opposing offenses for the foreseeable future.