What do y'all think about Brian's pay cut and ultimatum announced publicly today?

G

Grady

Well-Known Member
Now: his salary is cut from $900,000 to $850,000.
The upcoming season: If Hawks don't average 25 pts/game next year, his contract ends (i.e. fired from that position) on June 30, 2024.
It's not a hard target to reach, as it includes defensive and special teams scores, however, the past two seasons the Hawks didn't reach 25 pts/game. FYI, 80+ teams last year scored more than 25 pts/game.
Of course if Iowa DOES reach 25 pts, all is forgiven, his pay is restored and he goes back to 2-year contracts.
The weirdest thing to me about it is the potential dismissal date. If the Hawks average 23 pts/game next season, they will go through the entire winter recruiting cycle, conditioning cycle, and spring practice with a lame duck Offensive Coordinator. Makes no sense from a monetary standpoint...he should be let go on January 15, 2024 if he doesn't reach the contract amendment goals so a new coordinator can be brought in ASAP after the season.
 
Oh yeah: the Hawks ALSO have to win at least 7 games next season, bowl game included, in addition to averaging 25 pts/game.
 
Grady said:
Now: his salary is cut from $900,000 to $850,000.
The upcoming season: If Hawks don't average 25 pts/game next year, his contract ends (i.e. fired from that position) on June 30, 2024.
It's not a hard target to reach, as it includes defensive and special teams scores, however, the past two seasons the Hawks didn't reach 25 pts/game. FYI, 80+ teams last year scored more than 25 pts/game.
Of course if Iowa DOES reach 25 pts, all is forgiven, his pay is restored and he goes back to 2-year contracts.
The weirdest thing to me about it is the potential dismissal date. If the Hawks average 23 pts/game next season, they will go through the entire winter recruiting cycle, conditioning cycle, and spring practice with a lame duck Offensive Coordinator. Makes no sense from a monetary standpoint...he should be let go on January 15, 2024 if he doesn't reach the contract amendment goals so a new coordinator can be brought in ASAP after the season.
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I disagree wholly. If he is terminated for failing to reach that metric it should be done while the team is running into the tunnel in Lincoln, Nebraska on November 24, 2023. He should be forced to drive back to Iowa City in a 1979 Chevrolet Chevette with an antifreeze leak.
 
They aren’t gonna fire him if he doesn’t hit 25 pts a game. There’s no teeth to it. All it says is the contract ends.

All they have to do when he averages 16 pts a game is just “restructure it.”

Show me the verbiage that says he will not be offered a contract again at the end of two years if he doesn’t average 25 a game.
 
Yep, and if the D scores 40 again, and Cooper runs back 2 punts, we are only talking about a 21 point average for the offense here.

And say Iowa scores 40 on both Western Michigan and Utah State. The offensive average for the Power 5 games dips to 17. Sweet.

And that results in a 2 year rollover of the OC contract. So then Kirk holds his hands up for two years and says he's not talking about this anymore, contractually the obligations have been met and there is nothing to discuss.
 
Who knows if the criteria actually have teeth or not. But in a make-believe world where YOU get to set reasonable criteria for him to keep his job, and they DO have teeth, what criteria do YOU set?

I am not going to look up numbers to set the actual values, but I would focus on points/possession, and the criterion would be above the median overall, as well as within conference play compared to B1G peers. If we can't be a top-half of the country offense, we need a change.
 
Fryowa said:
They aren’t gonna fire him if he doesn’t hit 25 pts a game. There’s no teeth to it. All it says is the contract ends.

All they have to do when he averages 16 pts a game is just “restructure it.”

Show me the verbiage that says he will not be offered a contract again at the end of two years if he doesn’t average 25 a game.
Click to expand...

I haven't read it, but it sure sounds from your description like this is just a standard Term provision. The Term is through that date in June. It sounds like it silent on him being ineligible to re-up the agreement.
 
Not sure what to make of this. But, I will say that a public statement with specific results required of BF next season is something I have never seen in all my years as a Hawk fan. This statement certainly puts the onus on, not only BF, but also GB and KF.
For now I am not going to speculate about a long list of “what if’s”. Sit back and wait and be encouraged that you have seen a highly unusual move by GB, and likely KF. Kind of a “wow” moment.
 
okeefe4prez said:
I haven't read it, but it sure sounds from your description like this is just a standard Term provision. The Term is through that date in June. It sounds like it silent on him being ineligible to re-up the agreement.
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Yep.

The contract states (quoted in DMR) that if those two provisions aren’t met “the agreement will terminate on June 30, 2024.”

I have the same language in my high school coaching contract. It terminates every year and then the school board has another one already written up at the next school board meeting.

Brian ain’t goin’ nowhere, boys. This contract was written in a manner to make naive, unintelligent people think Brian has to hit a benchmark or he’s fired.

Ain’t happenin.
 
HuckFinn said:
Not sure what to make of this. But, I will say that a public statement with specific results required of BF next season is something I have never seen in all my years as a Hawk fan. This statement certainly puts the onus on, not only BF, but also GB and KF.
For now I am not going to speculate about a long list of “what if’s”. Sit back and wait and be encouraged that you have seen a highly unusual move by GB, and likely KF. Kind of a “wow” moment.
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It’s just lip service to get dumb people to shut up for a couple years.
 
Fryowa said:
It’s just lip service to get dumb people to shut up for a couple years.
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Respectfully, I really think you are missing the point here. The word “public” changes the ball game. Have you ever seen that before? And, I trust “dumb” is not a reference to me?
 
Fryowa said:
They aren’t gonna fire him if he doesn’t hit 25 pts a game. There’s no teeth to it. All it says is the contract ends.

All they have to do when he averages 16 pts a game is just “restructure it.”

Show me the verbiage that says he will not be offered a contract again at the end of two years if he doesn’t average 25 a game.
Click to expand...
You're probably right, but you have to admit it's extremely unusual to publicize these metrics.
You're correct this announcement will lower the temp on Brian until the season starts, because part of the fan frustration was a sense of a lack of accountability.
But it also puts more pressure on Brian after the 1st kickoff of the 1st game, because let's face it, even Brian has a shred of dignity and doesn't want to stick around in the same job after publicly falling short of low-bar metrics which have been widely publicized.
Another bizarre thing about this is it blatantly puts responsibility for Wins/Losses squarely on only one segment of the team. KF/Barta feel so confident in the special teams and defense that they're clearly saying "if we don't get to 7 wins, it's the entire fault of the offense." Whether this has any long-term practical impact or not, you have to admit, this is unusual stuff.
 
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That is what I think of it....Brian is going nowhere under the Stooge known as Gary Barta.
 
Grady said:
Now: his salary is cut from $900,000 to $850,000.
The upcoming season: If Hawks don't average 25 pts/game next year, his contract ends (i.e. fired from that position) on June 30, 2024.
It's not a hard target to reach, as it includes defensive and special teams scores, however, the past two seasons the Hawks didn't reach 25 pts/game. FYI, 80+ teams last year scored more than 25 pts/game.
Of course if Iowa DOES reach 25 pts, all is forgiven, his pay is restored and he goes back to 2-year contracts.
The weirdest thing to me about it is the potential dismissal date. If the Hawks average 23 pts/game next season, they will go through the entire winter recruiting cycle, conditioning cycle, and spring practice with a lame duck Offensive Coordinator. Makes no sense from a monetary standpoint...he should be let go on January 15, 2024 if he doesn't reach the contract amendment goals so a new coordinator can be brought in ASAP after the season.
Click to expand...
Or what happens if they average under 25 points again......but they somehow win the Big Ten? Quite unlikely, but......just putting some number out there....not taking other things into account.
 
Grady said:
You're probably right, but you have to admit it's extremely unusual to publicize these metrics.
You're correct this announcement will lower the temp on Brian until the season starts, because part of the fan frustration was a sense of a lack of accountability.
But it also puts more pressure on Brian after the 1st kickoff of the 1st game, because let's face it, even Brian has a shred of dignity and doesn't want to stick around in the same job after publicly falling short of low-bar metrics which have been widely publicized.
Another bizarre thing about this is it blatantly puts responsibility for Wins/Losses squarely on only one segment of the team. KF/Barta feel so confident in the special teams and defense that they're clearly saying "if we don't get to 7 wins, it's the entire fault of the offense." Whether this has any long-term practical impact or not, you have to admit, this is unusual stuff.
Click to expand...
Well said.....I do agree with Fry that Brian is going nowhere.......but this attempt at transparency (faux transparency) still falls miserably flat by Gary Barta and company.
 
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Just win the division and try to win the title game.

Is anybody going to be happy if we average 28 points per game and finish 6-6 because we turn the ball over too much and lose a bunch of close games?

Brian Ferentz will be at Iowa as long as Kirk is the head coach. This is all nonsense.
 
Grady said:
You're probably right, but you have to admit it's extremely unusual to publicize these metrics.
You're correct this announcement will lower the temp on Brian until the season starts, because part of the fan frustration was a sense of a lack of accountability.
But it also puts more pressure on Brian after the 1st kickoff of the 1st game, because let's face it, even Brian has a shred of dignity and doesn't want to stick around in the same job after publicly falling short of low-bar metrics which have been widely publicized.
Another bizarre thing about this is it blatantly puts responsibility for Wins/Losses squarely on only one segment of the team. KF/Barta feel so confident in the special teams and defense that they're clearly saying "if we don't get to 7 wins, it's the entire fault of the offense." Whether this has any long-term practical impact or not, you have to admit, this is unusual stuff.
Click to expand...
Too bad the majority won’t see the logic in your post. Put yourselves in BF’s shoes. Have you ever had your contract on public display with performance requirements spelled out? Most of you would be peeing in your pants.
 
HuckFinn said:
Too bad the majority won’t see the logic in your post. Put yourselves in BF’s shoes. Have you ever had your contract on public display with performance requirements spelled out? Most of you would be peeing in your pants.
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I agree....this is just a stupid stunt all the way around that is bound to backfire somehow pr wise....not that Brian is going anywhere. Barta is a terrible negotiator and pr man.

This is shit that really does not need to be out in public......this is shit that Gary needs to work out with Brian in private.

Barta needs to either fire him or stick with him......not play it off like he is going to do something that he has zero intention of doing. If we are getting real about it.
 
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