Brian Ferentz?

[tweeterhawk]

I hate to turn the frustration with his dad on Brian. But considering how he was hired outside of the normal personnel process I think it's fair to ask: What the heck is he doing? Because right now the offensive line is one of the most porous it has been in many years at Iowa. The sacks allowed number is up, Jake is not getting as much time to look at options (although the question could be asked whether he IS looking at options), and our yards per carry is way down.

Is Brian Ferentz the best utilization of limited coaching numbers per program? Or could someone with more experience and perhaps more talent recognition and recruiting skills do a better job at a critical point in Iowa football?

Admittedly, not many people here are inside the locker room, at practices or on the sidelines on Saturdays, so we don't know what role he has in the program or just how effective he is. But for an outsider looking in, it's hard to see much progress. Where am I wrong?

 

[rollingthunder]

I'm gonna bump this up.

I don't see how this guy has contributed to this program positively in any way. He is apparently a TERRIBLE line coach as his unit has looked like utter garbage in 2 out of his 3 years here.

If his last name was anything other than Ferentz, people would be demanding his ouster right alongside GD.

 

[DBAHawkFan]

Some would argue that since he was almost pouched away by the Texans, that he must be well respected. We all do know that in the professional world, it's more who you know than what you know....

regardless, I haven't been too impressed with our OL since he's been here. He does have a few things going against him.

One, the opposing defenses know our scheme. We have outdated blocking, and we're predictable.
Two, our RB's are probably the least talented we've ever had (for being healthy).
Three, recruiting has been weak and the focus was more on WR and speed over the last two classes and we knew we'd be thin on the line (Though the guys playing all have experience).

I would like to know what BF has contributed in recruiting? A lot of people were excited when he came on as he was young, coached under BB at New England, and seemed to bring some changes to the program. But he really hasn't brought in anyone. I would expect a up and coming coach to either be great at X/O's, or a stud recruiter. I don't know if we have either at this point.

As much as I don't think he deserves it, I would be OK with him replacing Greg Davis RIGHT NOW and see if there are any changes (I think we know there won't be, as KF is in charge). Give BF a six game audition for the next season and if it doesn't work, he goes back to OL and someone else is brought in.

 

[rollingthunder]

Some would argue that since he was almost pouched away by the Texans, that he must be well respected.

Do you have firsthand knowledge of his alleged contact with the Texans?

According to Chris Mortensen and ESPN his dad has been on the shortlist for every NFL HC opening since 1962. That doesn't make it factually correct. I think it's been pretty well established that the family has some excellent agents/PR people that love to get their name out there.

 

[HawkeyeDenis]

I seriously doubt that Brian was the best candidate for the job when he was hired. And now we have a offensive line that can't run block. Run blocking is one of the first things a lineman learns when he starts playing football.

 

[JHHawk]

I agree that our rushing woes are as a result of breakdowns everywhere. Morehouse has said that the line is getting a bit of a bad rap because there are holes, but our rbs are very average, and are not finding them. We had a shot at Gordon, Coleman, and Justin Jackson, and they are all on our rivals,and we cannot match them with our current group.....not all on BF, but he can do better

 

[Foval21]

Some would argue that since he was almost pouched away by the Texans, that he must be well respected. We all do know that in the professional world, it's more who you know than what you know....

regardless, I haven't been too impressed with our OL since he's been here. He does have a few things going against him.

One, the opposing defenses know our scheme. We have outdated blocking, and we're predictable.
Two, our RB's are probably the least talented we've ever had (for being healthy).
Three, recruiting has been weak and the focus was more on WR and speed over the last two classes and we knew we'd be thin on the line (Though the guys playing all have experience).

I would like to know what BF has contributed in recruiting? A lot of people were excited when he came on as he was young, coached under BB at New England, and seemed to bring some changes to the program. But he really hasn't brought in anyone. I would expect a up and coming coach to either be great at X/O's, or a stud recruiter. I don't know if we have either at this point.

As much as I don't think he deserves it, I would be OK with him replacing Greg Davis RIGHT NOW and see if there are any changes (I think we know there won't be, as KF is in charge). Give BF a six game audition for the next season and if it doesn't work, he goes back to OL and someone else is brought in.

I want to know how the zone blocking scheme is outdated? It is used to some degree by pretty much every nfl team. Some are more man than zone but all use it a little if not primarily. I would say at least half of all big colleges use it as their primary run blocking scheme. All zone read teams use it as it is a ZONE read. Right now we have only one RB who seems to have the vision needed. And weaker guards than we have had in past years. The scheme is not the problem.

 

[rollingthunder]

I agree that our rushing woes are as a result of breakdowns everywhere. Morehouse has said that the line is getting a bit of a bad rap because there are holes, but our rbs are very average, and are not finding them. We had a shot at Gordon, Coleman, and Justin Jackson, and they are all on our rivals,and we cannot match them with our current group.....not all on BF, but he can do better

This is a solid point.

3 of the top 4 rushers in the entire country are in the Big Ten West, and none of them play for Iowa.

 

[hwk23]

I want to know how the zone blocking scheme is outdated? It is used to some degree by pretty much every nfl team. Some are more man than zone but all use it a little if not primarily. I would say at least half of all big colleges use it as their primary run blocking scheme. All zone read teams use it as it is a ZONE read. Right now we have only one RB who seems to have the vision needed. And weaker guards than we have had in past years. The scheme is not the problem.

The zone blocking scheme may not be outdated in the NFL but it might not be the right scheme for Iowa either. Iowa's average rank in rushing has been 8.1 in the Big Ten since KF has been here. That's not too good considering how many OL we've put in the NFL. It could be that the average Iowa RB doesn't have the skillset for the zone blocking scheme. Even with Albert Young we ranked 7th in rushing. In 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 we were 10th, 9th, 11th and 12th, respectively. 2013 was our tied for 4th best year at 6th.

 

[Foval21]

The zone blocking scheme may not be outdated in the NFL but it might not be the right scheme for Iowa either. Iowa's average rank in rushing has been 8.1 in the Big Ten since KF has been here. That's not too good considering how many OL we've put in the NFL. It could be that the average Iowa RB doesn't have the skillset for the zone blocking scheme. Even with Albert Young we ranked 7th in rushing. In 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 we were 10th, 9th, 11th and 12th, respectively. 2013 was our tied for 4th best year at 6th.

Iowa doesn't run to lead the league in rushing. Iowa runs to control the clock and shorten the game which doesn't end up giving big offensive outputs. That is not scheme that is philosophy of offense. Many high powered offenses use the zone scheme, but they are utilizing the scheme with a different philosophy. Scheme and philosophy are very different things. West coast offenses can milk clock or have big outputs. As can other schemes. It is about the philosophy of how to utilize the scheme. Many thought the veer option was outdated...it has been reborn...now known as the zone read. It is about the philosophy not the scheme.

 

[eveningnewsteam]

I one of the few that thinks the Oline has done a good job. They played like **** Saturday, but again due to formations and tendencies with Iowa, Maryland knew exactly where the play was going most times. That makes it awfully tough to block. Iowa's RBs are average at best, the offensive line has to absolutely maul a front 7 for the RB to get a big gain. A good RB would make everyone feel different about the offensive line, they get zero help from this RB group. I haven't even brought up the zero respect teams give Iowa in the vertical passing game bringing even more guys into the box that basically know the plays coming. Sure the unit can play better, but the scheme and predictability of the offense does these guys no favors

 

[chicagoherky]

I hate to turn the frustration with his dad on Brian. But considering how he was hired outside of the normal personnel process I think it's fair to ask: What the heck is he doing? Because right now the offensive line is one of the most porous it has been in many years at Iowa. The sacks allowed number is up, Jake is not getting as much time to look at options (although the question could be asked whether he IS looking at options), and our yards per carry is way down.

Is Brian Ferentz the best utilization of limited coaching numbers per program? Or could someone with more experience and perhaps more talent recognition and recruiting skills do a better job at a critical point in Iowa football?

Admittedly, not many people here are inside the locker room, at practices or on the sidelines on Saturdays, so we don't know what role he has in the program or just how effective he is. But for an outsider looking in, it's hard to see much progress. Where am I wrong?

Kirk's staff has historically been made up of older "teachers", it is, I believe a big part of why they have been able to develop talent the way they have.

I would guess there is not another person the planet that bleeds more black and gold than Brian Ferentz.

Is he ready to teach 2 & 3 star line men to have good enough technique to become pros?

I have no idea, but to me that is the bet Kirk made, for that is what the Iowa offense has been largely about for the last 15 years.

I don't care how fired up a 2 or 3 star is going against a 4 or 5 star. If he didn't get his technique to a very high level, he will get out athleted.

 

[528646]

I seriously doubt that Brian was the best candidate for the job when he was hired. And now we have a offensive line that can't run block. Run blocking is one of the first things a lineman learns when he starts playing football.

That and how to hold without getting caught.

 

[oregonhawkeye]

As much as we like Weisman and Canzeri, neither one of them should be getting the first team reps on a decent B1G team. There have been SO many missed holes and cutbacks. And almost no second level runs. Canzeri can't break a tackle and really isn't that quick. Weisman is Weisman. He's a really good power back but he's not going to give you a shot at many 12+ runs.
Before Saturday the pass pro wasn't that bad.
And Jake hasn't had a very effective pocket presence this year.
I agree that the line has been a disappointment but there's plenty of blame to go around.

 

[lightning1]

Do you have firsthand knowledge of his alleged contact with the Texans?

According to Chris Mortensen and ESPN his dad has been on the shortlist for every NFL HC opening since 1962. That doesn't make it factually correct. I think it's been pretty well established that the family has some excellent agents/PR people that love to get their name out there.

This is the strategy his old man has used every time he wanted a contract renegotiated. It helps Brian in establishing some credibility. It's a Ferentz Family tradition, apparently.

 

[HawkeyeMike23]

Iowa doesn't run to lead the league in rushing. Iowa runs to control the clock and shorten the game which doesn't end up giving big offensive outputs. That is not scheme that is philosophy of offense. Many high powered offenses use the zone scheme, but they are utilizing the scheme with a different philosophy. Scheme and philosophy are very different things. West coast offenses can milk clock or have big outputs. As can other schemes. It is about the philosophy of how to utilize the scheme. Many thought the veer option was outdated...it has been reborn...now known as the zone read. It is about the philosophy not the scheme.

Well hey maybe we should try to, you know, actually gain some yards and score some points when we have the ball, crazy idea I know. Treating offense as just a chance to burn clock is a really ******* stupid strategy.

 

[Knight78]

As much as we like Weisman and Canzeri, neither one of them should be getting the first team reps on a decent B1G team. There have been SO many missed holes and cutbacks. And almost no second level runs. Canzeri can't break a tackle and really isn't that quick. Weisman is Weisman. He's a really good power back but he's not going to give you a shot at many 12+ runs.
Before Saturday the pass pro wasn't that bad.
And Jake hasn't had a very effective pocket presence this year.
I agree that the line has been a disappointment but there's plenty of blame to go around.

And yet he had one run of 38 yards and two runs of 11 yards on Saturday.... and never touched the ball in the 4th quarter.

 

[iowalaw]

A college position coach has just two roles: (i) teach the guys who play his position; and (ii) recruit. To date, Brian has landed less recruits than any other coach on the staff. This cannot be underplayed. Brian is the youngest coach we have and gets a ton of credit for his "charisma." Why is he such a poor recruiter? Does he sell the "we are only Iowa, we aren't sexy" schtick that his dad does? I'm guessing yes, as he has grown up with that attitude and the attitude has made his dad one of the wealthiest men in the state.

Then when you get down to his substantive coaching ability...it is no better than his recruiting. Our highest rated recruits from years past are currently on the OL. Our best hyped players are on the OL. They were gift wrapped and handed to him by Reece Morgan. How are they playing? Not even average, thus far.

In sum - less than avg recruiter, less than avg coach. He will not be poached by NFL teams...tho his name might be leaked like his dad's is...they both have the same agent.

 

[thetrza]

I don't have a problem with the Head Coach hiring his son to a job where he sits around playing Xbox all day. The new facilities will have an even better theatre style film room for the staff to sit around playing Call of Duty all week.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

A college position coach has just two roles: (i) teach the guys who play his position; and (ii) recruit. To date, Brian has landed less recruits than any other coach on the staff. This cannot be underplayed. Brian is the youngest coach we have and gets a ton of credit for his "charisma." Why is he such a poor recruiter? Does he sell the "we are only Iowa, we aren't sexy" schtick that his dad does? I'm guessing yes, as he has grown up with that attitude and the attitude has made his dad one of the wealthiest men in the state.

Then when you get down to his substantive coaching ability...it is no better than his recruiting. Our highest rated recruits from years past are currently on the OL. Our best hyped players are on the OL. They were gift wrapped and handed to him by Reece Morgan. How are they playing? Not even average, thus far.

In sum - less than avg recruiter, less than avg coach. He will not be poached by NFL teams...tho his name might be leaked like his dad's is...they both have the same agent.

Is this true? Anybody have a breakdown of what coaches were the main recruiters of what kids? I know they all sort of have their "areas" that they recruit more so then others. Here it shows where they all recruit and Brians is IL and OH along with others too. I think Brian was the main recruiter for Daniels little brother the center that we got that's pretty highly rated. But outside that I'm not sure.

http://www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/staff.html

Seeing that one of the places Kennedy recruits is Colorado seems odd. Whens the last time we got a kid out of there? Hope he's not spending much time there. I'd like to see more of a presence in the south be it Louisiana MS AL GA FL you name it. I know that's as tough to recruit as it gets but not trying guarantees you won't get any or many. Lavar Woods is the only one I see that is and he's just in the Dallas and ATL areas. There are lots of diamonds in the roughs down there along with the studs so I'd love to know why the little emphasis on it.