Coach Ferentz is a very intelligent, talented, capable and perceptive person, but everyone has their blind spots, and KF's biggest blind spot is undeniably public relations, especially as it works in the 21st Century.
KF is a person that believes in substance and not style, execution and not how "sexy" something is, what you can do and not how you look. DJK was as close to being "sexy" as Iowa football has come under KF, and see how he kept him reigned in.
I think KF believes that your actions should speak for themselves and you shouldn't have to "sell" yourself or the program. I think he sees the media as more of an obstacle and annoyance than a, like it or not in this Information Age, vital resource that needs to be used to your advantage and carefully crafted to be as favorable as possible.
Its pretty clear that KF spends little of his time watching, listening or reading the various sports media and I would have a hard time believing that he has ever logged into a message board, Facebook or Twitter. College coaches are extremely busy people who spend an insane amount of time doing their jobs, and whatever time they have left I'm sure they want to spend with their families, so that is all fine and dandy in and of itself.
The problem is that it seems as if he doesn't realize how pervasive and powerful they all have become and how important it is in this day and age to have some semblance of control over your image and your message. If you don't control them, someone else will, and it will travel around the world in an instant.
I think that when all is said and done and all of the facts come out this whole affair with 13 players being hospitalized will be a fairly fluky and innocent event, but KF's and the AD's bungling of the PR will be what is remembered and will become the real story.
KF is a person that believes in substance and not style, execution and not how "sexy" something is, what you can do and not how you look. DJK was as close to being "sexy" as Iowa football has come under KF, and see how he kept him reigned in.
I think KF believes that your actions should speak for themselves and you shouldn't have to "sell" yourself or the program. I think he sees the media as more of an obstacle and annoyance than a, like it or not in this Information Age, vital resource that needs to be used to your advantage and carefully crafted to be as favorable as possible.
Its pretty clear that KF spends little of his time watching, listening or reading the various sports media and I would have a hard time believing that he has ever logged into a message board, Facebook or Twitter. College coaches are extremely busy people who spend an insane amount of time doing their jobs, and whatever time they have left I'm sure they want to spend with their families, so that is all fine and dandy in and of itself.
The problem is that it seems as if he doesn't realize how pervasive and powerful they all have become and how important it is in this day and age to have some semblance of control over your image and your message. If you don't control them, someone else will, and it will travel around the world in an instant.
I think that when all is said and done and all of the facts come out this whole affair with 13 players being hospitalized will be a fairly fluky and innocent event, but KF's and the AD's bungling of the PR will be what is remembered and will become the real story.
