Every Hawk fan that I've heard criticize the great Captain Kirk has said the same thing. In the end they know Kirk likely wont change and you can't get rid of him because he's the main reason they have/develop all of the NFL caliber talent.
If Kirk would let his OC open it up they could be scary good some years but no matter who the OC is, they usually bend to what KF wants.
I agree with a lot of this, but if you've watched Iowa closely the past two years (mostly last year) it has become very clear that Kirk is indeed giving in to some changes. He still makes conservative decisions in terms of punting and clock management, but he's certainly allowed changes with the offensive and defensive philosophies. That's why I'm excited about where the team could be going.
Like you, I've always thought the Iowa staff does a great job at producing NFL caliber players. If Kirk continues to allow his coaches to be a little more aggressive on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball they could be scary good in years where they are talent heavy.
Development is the main reason I don't ever want to see Kirk go anywhere. Iowa isn't going to consistently land elite recruits. They have to rely on development to compete, and very few are better at that than KF. If he keeps showing a willingness to adjust to the times I think it will pay off in big ways.