The meeting with Woods and Wilson went well, he said, and they have a good relationship with them. They feel like Woods is going to do a good job as defensive line coach and was told he will be filling that role permanently, but no decision has been made yet on a defensive coordinator. They were assured that whoever Coach Ferentz gets is going to be a good fit for the program and will run the same defense. Curry Sr. said they have discussed some names with the coaching staff such as Tom Bradley, Ron Aiken, and Brian Ferentz, but were told Coach Ferentz hasn't pinpointed who it is going to be yet.
I guess that's why there isn't anything leaking from recruits. I don't believe that Ferentz hasn't actually pinpointed someone yet (my fandom makes me believe he is more sensible than that), but if they're still throwing out Ron Aiken, they are obviously playing a game with the recruits.
I took this to mean that the player and/or parents asked about those names, and that KF/Wilson/Woods didn’t want to confirm or deny any of them as the probable DC.
At this point, using my own patented method of fortune-telling, I feel like Wilson and Phil Parker are still the favorites (maybe 40% probability, each), with Bradley being next (maybe 15 to 20% probability). I’ll be shocked if it is someone else (which is why I’d give that possibility a maximum of 5% chance).
While I’d be okay seeing Brian Ferentz in a Hawkeye coaching shirt/jacket, I just can’t say that he should be a defensive coordinator. However, if there will be major staff shakeup (like, say Parker or Wilson to DC, and then someone else to their spot, and then someone else to that spot, etc etc), then maybe we could see some room for B Ferentz. It would explain why we’re waiting around forever (until the Patriots season is over).
WaterlooChazz - January 27, 2012
It seems that as more time passes that changes to the coaching staff are tied to teams that are still in the playoffs. If he is bringing in someone from New England (Brian Ferentz) the we likely won’t hear anything until after the Super Bowl.
Enoch - January 27, 2012
I think it's more likely to be somebody tied to PSU or the Giants
Unless it’s Ferentz or somebody who has deployed a 4-3 Cover 2 (or Cover 3) successfully elsewhere. I’m still hoping it’s Bradley. Please let it be Bradley.
PackerHawk - January 27, 2012
That's my feeling, too.
He’s the only candidate I get excited about. I don’t think you can say that the Hawkeyes will be running a very similar defense to what they always have if you haven’t at least narrowed down some choices. If someone who ran the 3-4 was great and was interested in the job, I think it’d be pretty silly of Ferentz to turn them down without talking to them. It’s obviously not a system that has inherent failure.
tyger1147 - January 30, 2012
I really, really don't get
this push for Brian Ferentz, especially as a defensive coach. The guy has been an actual assistant for all of five minutes with the Patriots. Yes, he has done well and the TEs at New England have been very, very good, but I don’t think you can put the lion’s share of credit for that on B. Ferentz.
HoyaGoon - January 27, 2012
Bingo
He just doesn’t have enough experience as a coach or a recruiter. He also has zero experience with a leadership role on defense. If he ever wants to be a college coach, BF needs to get his butt into a college program.
Flakbait - January 27, 2012
I agree about him probably not knowing defense,
but I feel like he could pretty easily learn the recruiting, particularly as part of his dad’s staff.
WaterlooChazz - January 27, 2012
Probably would pick up the recruiting pretty quickly
but I think the larger issue is the nepotism and the fact that coaching sons working for their coach fathers rarely works out that well.
HoyaGoon - January 27, 2012
Isn't that just because the sons haven't been that good of coaches?
I admittedly don’t have a database in my head, but have there been sons who weren’t good for their dads but were good on their own?
tyger1147 - January 30, 2012
The point is
it is almost impossible to tell how good/bad the son is when he’s coaching for his father, there is almost no chance that the father will fire/demote/replace the son (this is, obviously, even less of a threat in a hypothetical KF-Brian Ferentz situation since KF keeps his assistants around forever regardless). I think one measure is how long the son stays at the father’s staff, if he basically spends his entire career there, it’s evidence that he isn’t very good and couldn’t land a “real” coaching job anywhere the nepotism wasn’t in place (the lesser Bowdens at FSU, possibly JayPa at PSU).
At this point, I don’t think Brian Ferentz has established his bona fides as a coach. I’d have no problem with him eventually landing on the Iowa staff, I’d just like some more evidence that it is actually his ability that is leading to success with the TEs, rather than the team/system, which means jobs one or two other places with success (we’ve seen, after all, how many “geniuses” have come out of NE only to fall on their face at their other jobs).
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
I want to agree with this. And yet, finding coaching jobs seems to be, often, about “who you know.” Also, there are plenty of guys who are not sons of coaches who get promotions without proving that it is them, and not the system at their team, that really made their offense/defense/other group really good.
I would think one pretty huge indicator that BFerentz is talented and will be successful, is that he has moved forward in a very successful franchise (from scouting assistant, to “coaching assistant,” to position coach) at a pretty young age. I realize this same franchise is run by a friend of his father, and that there seems to be a fair amount of turnover amongst the assistants at that franchise.
And yes, I’d like to see BFerentz do more, and I don’t think he’d be a good DC for Iowa right now. I would have no problem seeing him come aboard as a TE coach or OL coach, but I’d guess that’d be a step back for him right now, career-wise. Also, it is probably a good thing for Hawkeye Football to have another “in” to a leading NFL franchise (for draft and recruiting purposes).
WaterlooChazz - January 30, 2012
Um
So did Eric Mangini, Charlie Weis and Josh McDaniels. How are they working out?
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
As head coaches, not well.
I’d think they could still be successes as coordinators or position coaches?
WaterlooChazz - January 30, 2012
Possibly
early returns from McDaniels and Weis is a mixed-bag though.
And don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to bag on Brian Ferentz. I think he really could be a good coach, and I hope that he is for his own personal fulfillment. I just want to see some proof of his ability outside of the Patriots organization because a lot of guys have looked like world-beaters there only to falter elsewhere.
I’m also wary of bringing in B. Ferentz to the Iowa staff too early, before he’s established himself elsewhere, because it is fraught with the possibility of leading to a fucked-up power dynamic between Ferentz fils and the other coaches
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
er.
are a mixed bag
HoyaGoon - January 30, 2012
Sure he could learn it
but he doesn’t KNOW it. And if a guy is coming in as a DC he should either already know recruting or have a resume in the NFL long and impressive enough to overlook the lack of recruiting experience. Especially at a school like Iowa.
This is nothing personal against Brian. He’s just too inexperienced to be given the keys to the defense.
Flakbait - January 27, 2012
Very true, re: defense.
But, if we have a staff shakeup, I think he could be an okay TEs coach.
WaterlooChazz - January 27, 2012
Especially considering Ferentz has come to rely more and more on the defense...
…by running out average to mediocre offenses.
tyger1147 - January 30, 2012
Who says he is coming in as a defensive coach?
There have been several rumblings that a slightly larger shakeup of the coaching staff may be in the works. Part of this could be bringing in B. Ferentz on the offensive side of the ball.
Heck it may not be related to Ferentz at all and there is someone else coming on board from the Patriots or Giants.
Enoch - January 27, 2012
Patriots, Giants, or PSU...
Keeping the dream alive
PackerHawk - January 27, 2012
Brian Ferentz to OC
KOK to DC! What play in defense translates to end-around? 4-3-c-o-v-e-r-2.
Nature Boy - January 27, 2012
I want to believe
this is typical KF giving no information, that he has his coach, and he’ll announce it when he’s good and ready.
But there’s this small voice in the back of my head that keeps asking, what if this is typical clock management KF, who is behind the clock and not showing any urgency?
chitownhawkeye - January 27, 2012
I agree.
He has the name and has either picked a guy, has “all but” picked a guy or is leaning very heavily towards a guy… but has just instructed his assistants to not tell ANYONE.
tyger1147 - January 30, 2012
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