- Sep 13, 2002
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Iowa football is so bad now, it would be mean of me to trick people into reading about it with a clickbait headline.
Here is what I’m thinking after the OSU debacle:
Can Kirk Ferentz turn the ship around once again?
Tory Brecht
Columnist
This time, the apathy feels different. Deeper, more intense.
Despite plans to avoid seeing a bloodletting live, I actually did watch the entire first half of the Iowa-Ohio State game in real time. It unfolded about how I expected: the Iowa offense being an embarrassing no-show with the salty defense hanging on for dear life and standing tough despite the Buckeyes being gifted with short fields repeatedly.
I knew the inevitable collapse was inevitable, and it was. But I greeted it – particularly the long-overdue and hilariously mistimed insertion of quarterback Alex Padilla in a signal of desperation – with detached bemusement. Of course Padilla would turn the ball over and look inept after getting exactly zero playing time in the previous six, eminently winnable games. Of course the willing-but-weary defense would finally succumb to the excellent OSU offense in the fourth quarter. Of course Kirk Ferentz would mutter about execution and making the makeable plays in the post-game news conference.
It's been quite a few years since I felt as I did prior to last week’s game: that Iowa had no chance. But this is the first time since Kirk Ferentz took over that that feeling really didn’t bother me.
I never really bought into the “Ferentz Fatigue” talk back around 2013-14 when fans were grousing about hovering at the .500 mark and failing to win games against solid opponents. We’d seen the coach tweak the program a few times to pull Iowa out of the doldrums previously and I was confident it would happen again. Sure enough, the 2015 team roared to an undefeated regular season and came literal inches from a College Football Playoff appearance.
Unlike many others, at least based on what I’m reading on Hawkeye Report and other platforms, I sincerely believe Ferentz has the coaching chops, intelligence and will to turn around this current nosedive. Not this season, but over the next one or two.
For the first time in this coaching regime, however, I’m not really emotionally invested in that effort.
I am just so tired of how hard Iowa makes offensive football look. I flip around to other channels and virtually every single other team – from lowly Sun Belt crews to top tier SEC teams – fling the ball around, make exciting plays and actually score.
I am tired of the negativity around the nepotism charges swirling around below-average offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. Not because I think nepotism in coaching is some horrible offense like Cleveland.com reporter Doug Lesmerises pretends to, but because that subject, too, is boring.
No one really cares about nepotism if a team is winning. And frankly, they shouldn't. High-level sports is an extremely niche industry and will continue to be a "who you know" type of profession. So yes, relatives of coaches are going to be common. Hell, people write glowing articles about how nice it is when it works.
The boring part is that this is just another self-inflicted wound by Iowa, based at least somewhat on arrogance. Arrogance that the Ferentzian brain trust was so sure of itself that despite a brutal 2021 offense, not only would Brian continue in that role in 2022, he would also take over quarterback coaching. The result, as we know, is the worst offense and worst quarterback play in modern Big 10 history.
This is why I’m conflicted.
On the one hand, I know Kirk Ferentz is an excellent football coach and has a demonstrated history of identifying and fixing flaws in his program, resulting in stellar seasons. On the other, I know he is also stubborn and inflexible and loathe to embrace change. That latter point is going to be a growing problem considering the speed of evolution the college game is currently undergoing.
I also feel a fair amount of guilt at my ingratitude. Yes, I’m irritated at how non-competitive the 2022 Iowa team is despite having a defense good enough for a conference championship contender. And yes, I lay the blame squarely at the feet of the Ferentzes, who are the architects of that hapless offense.
That said, this football program has brought me an amazing amount of fan joy over the past quarter century. And the Ferentzes are the architects of those seasons. Don’t they deserve my patience to try to mount another reboot?
At the end of the day, however, fan sentiment and what I want is moot.
Kirk’s buyout is massive and I can’t imagine any scenario that would result in him firing his son. Personally, I think a prudent course of action would be for Brian to take a voluntary “demotion” to offensive line coach. You could even soften the landing by positioning the move as him coming back to “fix” the problems the young and poor performing line is displaying this season. It would then behoove Ferentz to go out and find an innovative, high-quality offensive coordinator and turn the entire offensive operation over to him, with minimal oversight. Anything short of that fairly radical move is likely going to mean more boring, below-average offense.
If such a move is made, I can see my apathy waning and my interest piqued again. However, if they triple down and keep this staff intact as-is, I may finally jump off the bandwagon.
Here is what I’m thinking after the OSU debacle:
Tuesdays with Torbee
Can Kirk Ferentz turn the ship around once again?
Tory Brecht
Columnist
This time, the apathy feels different. Deeper, more intense.
Despite plans to avoid seeing a bloodletting live, I actually did watch the entire first half of the Iowa-Ohio State game in real time. It unfolded about how I expected: the Iowa offense being an embarrassing no-show with the salty defense hanging on for dear life and standing tough despite the Buckeyes being gifted with short fields repeatedly.
I knew the inevitable collapse was inevitable, and it was. But I greeted it – particularly the long-overdue and hilariously mistimed insertion of quarterback Alex Padilla in a signal of desperation – with detached bemusement. Of course Padilla would turn the ball over and look inept after getting exactly zero playing time in the previous six, eminently winnable games. Of course the willing-but-weary defense would finally succumb to the excellent OSU offense in the fourth quarter. Of course Kirk Ferentz would mutter about execution and making the makeable plays in the post-game news conference.
It's been quite a few years since I felt as I did prior to last week’s game: that Iowa had no chance. But this is the first time since Kirk Ferentz took over that that feeling really didn’t bother me.
I never really bought into the “Ferentz Fatigue” talk back around 2013-14 when fans were grousing about hovering at the .500 mark and failing to win games against solid opponents. We’d seen the coach tweak the program a few times to pull Iowa out of the doldrums previously and I was confident it would happen again. Sure enough, the 2015 team roared to an undefeated regular season and came literal inches from a College Football Playoff appearance.
Unlike many others, at least based on what I’m reading on Hawkeye Report and other platforms, I sincerely believe Ferentz has the coaching chops, intelligence and will to turn around this current nosedive. Not this season, but over the next one or two.
For the first time in this coaching regime, however, I’m not really emotionally invested in that effort.
I am just so tired of how hard Iowa makes offensive football look. I flip around to other channels and virtually every single other team – from lowly Sun Belt crews to top tier SEC teams – fling the ball around, make exciting plays and actually score.
I am tired of the negativity around the nepotism charges swirling around below-average offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. Not because I think nepotism in coaching is some horrible offense like Cleveland.com reporter Doug Lesmerises pretends to, but because that subject, too, is boring.
No one really cares about nepotism if a team is winning. And frankly, they shouldn't. High-level sports is an extremely niche industry and will continue to be a "who you know" type of profession. So yes, relatives of coaches are going to be common. Hell, people write glowing articles about how nice it is when it works.
The boring part is that this is just another self-inflicted wound by Iowa, based at least somewhat on arrogance. Arrogance that the Ferentzian brain trust was so sure of itself that despite a brutal 2021 offense, not only would Brian continue in that role in 2022, he would also take over quarterback coaching. The result, as we know, is the worst offense and worst quarterback play in modern Big 10 history.
This is why I’m conflicted.
On the one hand, I know Kirk Ferentz is an excellent football coach and has a demonstrated history of identifying and fixing flaws in his program, resulting in stellar seasons. On the other, I know he is also stubborn and inflexible and loathe to embrace change. That latter point is going to be a growing problem considering the speed of evolution the college game is currently undergoing.
I also feel a fair amount of guilt at my ingratitude. Yes, I’m irritated at how non-competitive the 2022 Iowa team is despite having a defense good enough for a conference championship contender. And yes, I lay the blame squarely at the feet of the Ferentzes, who are the architects of that hapless offense.
That said, this football program has brought me an amazing amount of fan joy over the past quarter century. And the Ferentzes are the architects of those seasons. Don’t they deserve my patience to try to mount another reboot?
At the end of the day, however, fan sentiment and what I want is moot.
Kirk’s buyout is massive and I can’t imagine any scenario that would result in him firing his son. Personally, I think a prudent course of action would be for Brian to take a voluntary “demotion” to offensive line coach. You could even soften the landing by positioning the move as him coming back to “fix” the problems the young and poor performing line is displaying this season. It would then behoove Ferentz to go out and find an innovative, high-quality offensive coordinator and turn the entire offensive operation over to him, with minimal oversight. Anything short of that fairly radical move is likely going to mean more boring, below-average offense.
If such a move is made, I can see my apathy waning and my interest piqued again. However, if they triple down and keep this staff intact as-is, I may finally jump off the bandwagon.