Pioli Favors Ferentz

Chicopee John

@playoffsin09 said:
I just seen on ESPN that the Browns are prepared to make a huge offer to Pioli and Pioli said he favors Ferentz for HC.

I hope beyond hope that Pioli is the guy to get this organization going in the right direction.

At the same time, I worry about those reports that say that Pioli favors a coach like Ferentz when accomplished people like Shannahan, Holmgren, etc., etc, etc, are possibly available.

I'd prefer Elmer Fudd to that Fuddin' Ferentz.

Talk about taking all the luster off the shine.

Vegasdogg

@dawg-pound said:
Atlanta didnt play a shit schedule. They played the NFC south (no teams with a losing record in the division), Vikings are a playoff team, Denver, Chargers a playoff team. That schedule wasnt easy at all.

Shit may have been a bad choice on my part, given that they played a last place/4-12 schedule, just like ours last year. They did play CAR/TB/NO twice, but they also had DEN, KC, DET, OAK, GB and STL on the schedule. Not the toughest, not the easiest. I give them credit, and I like them.

Lets see how they do in 2009 with a first place schedule. They are a feel good team this season and I like the make up of the roster, and the FO.

And hey, Smith came in a took advantage of a team that signed M Turner and kicked ass. Not even RAC could do that.

I guess my point is that Sparano, Smith and Harbaugh all played last place schedules, and while they had very successful seasons, it was one season. With the Browns, I would sleep better at night knowing we could get Pioli and Shanahan. Knowing that is not going to happen, I'd settle for Schwartz and Pioli/Mckay.

? mz.

Zombo said:
--That's all I got. Seems like a bland choice ... of course so did Tony Sparano and Mike Smith.

Those were beyond-bland choices that I shook my head at but ultimately worked out, I guess. Perhaps we'll have similar luck...

Riffer X

mz. said:
Those were beyond-bland choices that I shook my head at but ultimately worked out, I guess. Perhaps we'll have similar luck...

They worked out for a year so far, we'll see down the road.

The NFL is a reactionary, copycat league. I think sometimes people are too quick to coronate someone the next greatest thing or the vestige of failure.

? mz.

I don't see Harbaugh (John) and Smith to be guys susceptible to "copycat" shit, ala the WildDawg crap etc. They're just plain old football guys. Nothing fancy, innovative, anything like that. Just guys the players evidently respect and go all-out for..

Like what Jack del Rio used to be before he started wearing that dipshit leather Jags trenchcoat.

YtownBrownsBacker

@shepwrite said:
Not a fan of McKay or Ferentz. That said, I'd love to become one (!). A big turnaround would make me a happy idiot.
I still think it'll end up Pioli and McDaniels. That's what the latest from OBR seemed to imply.

McKay did a super job rebuilding Tampa Bay when he was GM and running the show. He developed Dungy. In Atlanta he is President and really has no say in football operations.

Can't see him giving full control to a HC.

? Aloysius

Ferentz as HC is really starting to grow on me. Not only because I'm not a big fan of the Mangini/Kokinis duo, but because of stuff pointed out by Brent "SOBO" Sobleski.

Soblieski makes three points about Ferentz that I find really intriguing:

Many of Ferentz's big-time draft prospects successfully switched positions while at Iowa: Robert Gallery went from TE to OT, Steinbach went from TE to OG, Chad Greenway went from DB to LB, and Jonathan Babineaux went from FB to DT. Though this happens in all college programs, Soblieski thinks that Ferentz has been notably successful in making these position switches work.
Considering how much some people here like to talk about how Wimbley is playing out of position and Cribbs is being underutilized, bringing in a coach with a knack for finding the best spots for his personnel would seem to be a positive (and popular) move.
I knew that Ferentz was known for employing a zone blocking scheme, but Sobleski says that Ferentz's broader offensive system is almost identical to the system Shanahan & Kubiak employ. Our athletic line (particularly our left side) would thrive in a ZBS, and many here think that BQ would fit best in a West Coast Offense. Even our pass-catching TE's seem like a perfect fit - look at the success Owen Daniels is having in Houston.
If that's the case, then we're not dealing with a coach whose offensive system only works against mediocre college teams. In reality, Pioli may be looking to Ferentz as the guy whose system will get the most out of our current personnel.
Ferentz, as a former NFL OL coach, understands that games are won and lost in the trenches. Look at how many 1st Round picks New England has spent on DL & OL, and look at their success on both fronts (especially DL). Ferentz would bring the same philosophy and, hopefully, similar results in the win/loss column.

Though I'm a little bit wary of bringing in a coach who's been out of the league for ten years, I think Pioli deserves the benefit of the doubt on this one. As long as Ferentz brings in the right DC, I think he could be a big success in Cleveland.

Hawkeye

@lemosley01 said:
I agree. If Ferentz is hired, I'm on the wagon with Ghoolie and Rich.

This is the EXACT same thing Hawkeye fans were saying when Iowa missed out on Bobby Stoops and hired KF. The sky was falling, he had no experience, he wasn't the right guy for us, etc.....All crap.

The Browns would be VERY fortunate to have Ferentz. With a piece of sh*t 4-12 record and a team that hasn't won a playoff game since before bottled water, we don't have a lot of room to get 'picky' with other discarded NFL coaches that have failed.

Ferentz has beaten Paterno, Spurrier, Carr, Saban, Leach and your precious Jim Tressel....with FAR less talent.

I'd hate to see him leave Iowa, but, if he had to leave, I'd be very happy it is with the Browns.

lemosley01

@hawkeye said:
This is the EXACT same thing Hawkeye fans were saying when Iowa missed out on Bobby Stoops and hired KF. The sky was falling, he had no experience, he wasn't the right guy for us, etc.....All crap.
The Browns would be VERY fortunate to have Ferentz. With a piece of sh*t 4-12 record and a team that hasn't won a playoff game since before bottled water, we don't have a lot of room to get 'picky' with other discarded NFL coaches that have failed.

Ferentz has beaten Paterno, Spurrier, Carr, Saban, Leach and your precious Jim Tressel....with FAR less talent.

I'd hate to see him leave Iowa, but, if he had to leave, I'd be very happy it is with the Browns.

College isn't the Pros. He isn't dealing with kids looking to make their millions, he's dealing with guys who have already made them. There is a big difference in coaching. I'm not interested - Ferentz can go cut his teeth elsewhere; if we miss out, fine. I believe, if he makes it to the pros, he'll fail. Not because he's a bad college coach, but because it's the Pros and a very different game. It's hard for anyone to make the jump from College HC to Pro HC and be succesful. Notice that I'm also not calling for Meyer, Tressel, or Stoops, either? I don't WANT a college coach. It's nothing against Ferentz.

We've tried inexperienced NFL Head Coaches 3 times now and it hasn't worked yet. Time to get someone with experience, IMO.

Pumpkin Eater

@hawkeye said:
This is the EXACT same thing Hawkeye fans were saying when Iowa missed out on Bobby Stoops and hired KF. The sky was falling, he had no experience, he wasn't the right guy for us, etc.....All crap.
The Browns would be VERY fortunate to have Ferentz. With a piece of sh*t 4-12 record and a team that hasn't won a playoff game since before bottled water, we don't have a lot of room to get 'picky' with other discarded NFL coaches that have failed.

Ferentz has beaten Paterno, Spurrier, Carr, Saban, Leach and your precious Jim Tressel....with FAR less talent.

I'd hate to see him leave Iowa, but, if he had to leave, I'd be very happy it is with the Browns.

I agree.

Hawkeye

@lemosley01 said:
College isn't the Pros. He isn't dealing with kids looking to make their millions, he's dealing with guys who have already made them. There is a big difference in coaching. I'm not interested - Ferentz can go cut his teeth elsewhere; if we miss out, fine. I believe, if he makes it to the pros, he'll fail. Not because he's a bad college coach, but because it's the Pros and a very different game. It's hard for anyone to make the jump from College HC to Pro HC and be succesful. Notice that I'm also not calling for Meyer, Tressel, or Stoops, either? I don't WANT a college coach. It's nothing against Ferentz.
We've tried inexperienced NFL Head Coaches 3 times now and it hasn't worked yet. Time to get someone with experience, IMO.

I find this to be generalizing way too much. Ferentz has pro experience and he dealt with Dallas Clark, Bob Sanders, Shonne Greene, Robert Gallery, etc...all looking to make their millions. In many ways, his career parallels Dick Vermeil's early career as an assistant with the Rams and, then, HC at UCLA..then, back to the pros. where, he was, again successful.

Jimmy Johnson, Switzer, Parcells, Coughlin, Vermeil, etc...seemed to make the adjustment. Others like Pete Carrol, Butch Davis - not so much. It's just too general to make this assumption.

Ferentz is a good, solid coach with high integrity. I'd rather have a successful college coach than a NFL failure.

Solon16

@rich4eagle said:
Kirk Ferentz is not championship material.........PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The guy hasn't ever even won a big ten championship...no thanks on ferentz

Hawkeye

@solon16 said:
The guy hasn't ever even won a big ten championship...no thanks on ferentz

In 2002 and 2004 Iowa won the conference title....there is no championship game in the Big Ten.

God, do you guys look up anything? It's a simple click on Google.

? mz.

@hawkeye said:
In 2002 and 2004 Iowa won the conference title....there is no championship game in the Big Ten.
God, do you guys look up anything? It's a simple click on Google.

Please excuse our geriatric posters, Hawkeye. They are stuck in the 50's, permanently.

lemosley01

@hawkeye said:
I find this to be generalizing way too much. Ferentz has pro experience and he dealt with Dallas Clark, Bob Sanders, Shonne Greene, Robert Gallery, etc...all looking to make their millions. In many ways, his career parallels Dick Vermeil's early career as an assistant with the Rams and, then, HC at UCLA..then, back to the pros. where, he was, again successful.
Jimmy Johnson, Switzer, Parcells, Coughlin, Vermeil, etc...seemed to make the adjustment. Others like Pete Carrol, Butch Davis - not so much. It's just too general to make this assumption.

Ferentz is a good, solid coach with high integrity. I'd rather have a successful college coach than a NFL failure.

Of the players you mentioned, how many were pros when he 'dealt' with them? Different guy when he's making more jack than you are. Not the same game, not the same players. Handling pros isn't like handling a bunch of college kids. It just isn't.

You've listed 4 coaches who turned out well, while only listing 2 that didn't. I'll bet I can make the 'sucked to high heaven' list a lot longer than the 'guys who were successful making the jump from college directly to NFL HC'. Of the 4 coaches you listed, at least two of them came from big name, SUCCESSFUL programs, neither of which describes Iowa.

GENERALLY speaking, college coaches don't work out. Generally speaking, first time NFL head coaches haven't worked here in CLE.

PS: Please pay more attention to Mangini. You want to look at more than Ferentz win-loss record, while only considering Mangini's W-L record. Mangini has shown a hell of a lot more in the pros than Ferentz has. I'll definitely take him over the guy who's prior experience was 10 years ago in the NFL coaching one of the lines.

It appears we have Lumbergh redux...

Hawkeye

@lemosley01 said:
Of the players you mentioned, how many were pros when he 'dealt' with them? Different guy when he's making more jack than you are. Not the same game, not the same players. Handling pros isn't like handling a bunch of college kids. It just isn't.
You've listed 4 coaches who turned out well, while only listing 2 that didn't. I'll bet I can make the 'sucked to high heaven' list a lot longer than the 'guys who were successful making the jump from college directly to NFL HC'. Of the 4 coaches you listed, at least two of them came from big name, SUCCESSFUL programs, neither of which describes Iowa.

GENERALLY speaking, college coaches don't work out. Generally speaking, first time NFL head coaches haven't worked here in CLE.

PS: Please pay more attention to Mangini. You want to look at more than Ferentz win-loss record, while only considering Mangini's W-L record. Mangini has shown a hell of a lot more in the pros than Ferentz has. I'll definitely take him over the guy who's prior experience was 10 years ago in the NFL coaching one of the lines.

It appears we have Lumbergh redux...

Wow. Sorry. Just got back to the computer to see this.....Well, a few things.

1) Why is he a 'different guy' when he's making more money than you? Explain that. Automatically, ALL players that make more money than the coach is difficult to handle?!? Again, more broad strokes from you.

2) I listed those coaches as examples. I'm sure there are more on both sides. I'm just pointing out your overly general comments...which, then, you confirmed later in your own post. Thank you.

3) You don't think Iowa has been successful? 20 bowl games in 25 seasons, five conf. titles, three top 10 finishes in the past 6 years. Nine wins this season with 4 starting seniors....in IOWA! Not Ohio, not Texas, not Notre Dame, not Michigan, not California, not Florida.....I-O-W-A. Think about that.

4) Mangini will be fine. I'm not saying he won't be, just enough with the Ferentz-bashing. It's b.s. We'd be very fortunate to have him. What are we clinging to? The Chris Palmer era? Bring him in.

That's all. I'm done.