Reader Q&A

Today I have decided to do something a little different.  I have been receiving emails with questions from some of my readers.  I am going to answer some of those questions to the best of my ability.  Here goes.

Our first question comes from Kenneth in Iowa City, Iowa.
Kenneth writes:  I have one of the best jobs in the world!  I really enjoy the people I work with.  The problem I’m having is my boss doesn’t let me use my creativity to its fullest potential.  I know I have a lot more potential and would like to put it to use. What should I do?

Well, Kenneth, I know that the job market is somewhat bleak right now but I’m sure that, with your creative talents, you should be able to find a job elsewhere.  I strongly suggest you begin looking for a new job sometime after the beginning of the year.  I am not able to promise that any jobs will be available as I do not know what field you are in but you should still take a look.  Experience may help a lot too.  If you’ve held your position for, let’s say, 10 or 11 years you should have very little problem moving on.  Good luck in your search!

 Jim from Keokuk, Iowa writes:  Hi.  I’m in the second year of my position and last week I was told that I will be taking over a huge project that will last two weeks.  I guess my first assignment this week will have huge implications for the team I’m on.  People are saying that there is no way I will be able to handle the pressure that will come my way.  I got some training last week but I don’t know if that will help.  Do you have any suggestions?

Congratulations on you’re new opportunity Jim!  That’s great that your boss thinks you are ready to handle an assignment of this magnitude.  I suggest looking over all of your data and notes leading up to the deadline for your assignment.  I assume you will need to do some sort of presentation.  Hopefully you aren’t the only person from your team to take part in the presentation.  Sometimes it helps to have someone to “hand off the ball to” and let them run with it.  That should help take the pressure off you so that you can perform to your best ability if things start falling on your shoulders.  I wish you all the luck in the world and I hope that this week makes things easier for next week.

Blaine from Des Moines writes:  I am having strange feelings about a co-worker.  We spend some time together outside of work and during these "outings" I get very excited.  There are times that I need to excuse myself from the area so that my excitement doesn’t burst.  What should I do?

Well Blaine that can be kind of touchy.  There are a lot of variables out there that you need to get a firm grasp on.  First I want to assure you that these feelings are fairly normal and natural for a person like you.  I assume that you would like to start a relationship with this co-worker.  If that is the case you will need to make sure that the co-worker is open to a relationship.  Let the person know how you feel but be gentle as it may cause some unwanted friction that could lead to some uneasy feelings at the work place.  Otherwise I’d say ‘go for it’!  What do you have to lose?

Eugene from Auburn, Alabama writes:  I spent two years of my life living in Iowa.  My family loved it there but I couldn’t stand it.  The people are idiots.  How can you stand living in a state that smells like hog s*** and that has nothing but corn.  Winter is terrible too!  I hate snow and ice.  There’s nothing to do in Iowa either.  I was extremely happy when another job came calling and I could get out of there.  Another great thing about getting out of Iowa is being able to watch REAL college football where the teams score 40 or 50 points a game!  I have been able see, first-hand, a lot of those types of games.  SEC rules!

I really don’t know how to respond to Eugene’s rant against the great state of Iowa.  Something terrible must have happened to him while he was here in order to drive these emotions that he has built up.  I wonder if he was living and working in an area that works with a lot of livestock because the air doesn’t smell bad all of the time (or maybe I’m just used to it).  The winters aren’t as bad as they could be (again I might be used to it).  I’m not going to comment on his ‘REAL college football’ remark as I’m sure he knows what he’s talking about.  I bet he’s a “fan” that thinks he can be a highly paid college football coach that can field a winning team every year.

Bobby from Tampa, Florida writes:  I remember prior to the start of the 2008 college football season that a true freshman offensive lineman was arrested for getting naked in public.  Can you remind me who that was and if he has kept out of trouble this year, assuming he’s still on the team?

Bobby, that was Reily Reiff, and yes he is still on the team.  He had to fill in for Bryan Bulaga as Bryan battled an undisclosed illness for a few weeks.  Since then he has moved to guard as Dace Richardson suffered yet another injury.  So far Reily has done a good job and he has, in fact, kept his clothes on.  There was a point of time after the victory at Penn State where a man was seen without a shirt on.  Originally it was thought to be Reily but it turned out to be a fan.

Hayden from Minnesota writes:  What is the deal with Iowa struggling against teams that wear purple?  Beating Northern Iowa by 1 and then losing to Northwestern (for the 5^th time in 6 years even)?  That never happened when I coached against them.  They were always an outstanding team and played well against us.  I’ve been away from the game for a while and would like to know what has changed.

I saved the best question for last.  I have no idea why the Hawkeyes struggle against teams that wear purple.  My favorite NFL team (Green Bay) lost both of their games against a team in purple as well.  It truly is baffling when I think about it.  Maybe our coaching staff is mesmerized by the color and can’t focus on anything else.  Regardless, I really hope Iowa doesn’t get to play Kansas State in a bowl game anytime soon!

Thanks to my readers for the great questions!  I apologize to those of you who sent questions in and they went unanswered.  Please keep sending them and you might see an answer soon!

The 130

For the first time this season (and in a calendar year) the Hawkeyes did not score more points than their opponents.  Not surprisingly the loss came to the Northwestern Wildcats, who have beat Iowa 5 of the last 6 games and have not lost in Iowa City since 2002.  This truely is the biggest game of the season for them, and Pat Fitzgerald always has the team ready to play.  Unforturnetly the loss wasn't just a loss in record.  QB Ricky Stanzi left the game with an ankle sprain early in the 2nd quarter.  As he laid on the field I thought he hurt his shoulder as I wasn't able to see his foot get rolled.  Some people are saying his facemask was grabbed and that the fumble that resulted in a NW touchdown shouldn't have happened.  From the replays the ball was out before the facemask occurred.  All the penalty would do is push NW back 15 yards on either the PAT or the kick off, and I doubt either one would have mattered much in the outcome.  One positive thing is that we got to see how back-up QB (and red shirt freshman) James Vandenberg handles Big Ten play.  Critics are saying that he wasn't prepared, that he made bad throws, he was indecisive.  What I saw was an outstanding arm, excitment, nervousness, and good decisions.  It has been pointed out that he threw the ball away, which Stanzi doesn't do very often, when nothing was there.  Maybe he was being called indecisive because he was scanning the field and looking off his WRs, again something Stanzi doesn't do very well right now.  I'm not saying that Vandenberg is better than Stanzi.  Each one has strengths and weaknesses. Stanzi is much better at leading the team and bouncing back from adversity.  Vandenberg will need to step into the leader role and take command of the offense.  I do not envy him for being in the position he is in this week.  Playing at Ohio State for a trip to the Rose Bowl would be tough for any college QB, yet Vandenberg gets to be in that situation for his first colligate start.

Luckily he still has the outstanding defense behind him.  The Iowa defense has been phenominal this year.  The system isn't flashy but it gets results and it has gotten results consistently for years.  There are the critics of "bend but don't break" but so far it has worked and that makes an argument against it tough.  The entire defense has been consistent all year long.  Everyone is doing their jobs and even the reserves are stepping it up a notch.  Joe Conklin has been filling in for Brett Greenwood at free safety very nicely since the Michigan State game.  Conklin made a nice diving interception in the endzone to end a NW drive.  There is a chance that Greenwood will play at Ohio State but that is not 100% yet.

Everything has fallen into place nicely for the Iowa vs Ohio State game this weekend.  The winner of the game (and their fans) get to pack their bags for Pasadena on January 1 while the loser gets to (most likey) get ready for Florida.  I can see the loser of this game having a let down on November 21 in their last game of the season.  There is a lot at stake in this game and I know that the coaching staffs at each school will have their team ready to play.  I don't think it's going to get out of hand and I think that Vandenberg will be prepared and ready to go.  I'm hoping that I will be making my plans for Pasadena on Saturday night!