Irish looking at Stoops and Ferentz?
If Charlie is gone, it sounds like the Irish are looking at Bob Stoops and Kurt Ferentz as possible replacements.
Two interesting things from the article:
1)Ferentz would be interested in talking to them.
2)That Charlie is owed $20 million if they let him go.
I knew Charlie's buy out would be big, but wow. That extension doesn't seem to make a lot of sense now (if it ever did). With the economy the way it is, I bet they'll have a tough time taking that big of a hit and findings enough boosters to help out.
http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/11/16/irish-eyes-falling-…
November 16th, 2009 at 12:06 PM ^
Why would Bob Stoops want to leave Norman? Well, the town of Norman does suck....but why would be want to leave the hugely successful program he is currently running there?
November 16th, 2009 at 2:08 PM ^
He might be feeling some Roy Williams syndrome, where he's at the point he's not sure they appreciate him enough anymore. Spuirrer had the same thing going. You win and win, and people still bitch. It may not work for him, and it may be irrational, but as a guy without any real ties to the program before he got there, it's possible he's ripe for the picking. It must be ugly the way they're "struggling" there...while Texas is really good. Sound familiar?
November 16th, 2009 at 12:10 PM ^
I could definitely live with ND hiring Ferentz.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:21 PM ^
upgrade. On whole, I've been more impressed with Iowa's teams in Ferentz's tenure in Iowa City than the last decade of ND teams.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:05 PM ^
I was at a friend's house for the OSU-Iowa game (all my friends, unfortunately are from Ohio and most went to OSU). We were watching and I was privately rejoicing that Iowa was going to win in the last minute on a FG.
So what does Ferentz do? He decides it would be a bad idea to try to drive 40 yards and kick a game winning FG. They run an ill advised running play and take a knee to close out regulation.
On the ensuing OT drive, they lose like 20 yards. OSU wins.
If that's the type of decision he's capable of making, he's an upgrade over someone's senile grampa.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:18 PM ^
Yeah, that was absolutely insane.
Ferentz makes Lloyd-ball look like... I can't even think of a good analogy. But, re. what Ferentz did, there's conservative playcalling... then there's that.
I am so, so, so glad he turned down M's offer.
November 16th, 2009 at 3:50 PM ^
He's extremely conservative, and that may cost them a game here and there. But he also seems to pull off a lot of improbable wins, too. He seems good at inspiring his team to perform in big games. Overall he's a very good coach. I'd prefer not to see him in South Bend.
November 16th, 2009 at 6:12 PM ^
too though. Charlie Weis is fond that side, coicedentally. You may recall in this year's game vs. Michigan that he decided to pass the ball to get a first down to ice the game late in the 4th. Incompletions left time on the clock for Mighigan to drive and win. In retrospect, simply handing the ball off and punting would have likely sealed the game for ND. Bill Belichick is probably kicking himself for not punting last night. So which approach is right?
Conservative play calling may not be fun to watch, but show me the data that proves it loses teams more ball games than the balls out approach. Les Miles won a NC going balls out. Jim Tressel won one playing about as conservative as you can. There's no "right" philosophy.
I would still rather face Charlie Weis-coached teams that have largely underperformed (given the pieces he's had to work with) versus Ferentz's teams, which have at least been about what you would expect based on the talent level, and have outperformed expectations quite often. We'll never know what Ferentz can do with superior talent until he takes a job like ND's. But I know what Charlie Weis can do with it and I'm not impressed.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:11 PM ^
I would like that. Then they can actually be good and never great. They will play the super conservative, not try to lose football for 15 or so years.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:11 PM ^
Please take Ferentz. He is the most conservative coach I have ever seen.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:20 PM ^
No way.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:29 PM ^
they had the ball on their 35 or so with I think 50 seconds left and a timeout....i.e. if they could get 30 yards they'd have a shot at a game-winning FG which they could set up to take as time ran out....they ran a single play, a goddamn DRAW and then let the clock run down. I don't watch a ton of OSU but I can't imagine that Tressel would do THAT on the road as an underdog.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:13 PM ^
The quote from the Sun Times...
"If athletic director Jack Swarbrick decides Weis' Notre Dame career is over after his fifth season, a source said Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz will be in the mix to replace him. The source said Stoops has told confidants he would be interested in talking to the Irish."
So, the "source":
1) Knows who Sawbrick will consider (Stoops and Ferentz);
2) Knows that Stoops told people he's interested in talking to ND.
Who could possibly know both of these very secretive pieces of information? An ND AD employee/ booster may know who Sawbrick is considering, but how does this person secretively speak to Stoops confidants? If such a secrete agent/ spy is possible, why do they tell the Sun-Times (not exactlt the NYT or even ESPN) and nobody else?
November 16th, 2009 at 1:03 PM ^
The source could be a well connected person who covers football for, say, ESPN who wouldn't report it themselves for concerns on accuracy.
November 16th, 2009 at 3:48 PM ^
Note that "interested in talking" can mean almost anything. Lots of coaches will be interested in talking, but considerably fewer will actually be interested in taking the job.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:14 PM ^
that ND's big time boosters will be lining up to chip in to cover the 20 million buyout.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:18 PM ^
is bob even the right stoops to go after? little brother would be cheaper and has turned 'zona around
November 16th, 2009 at 12:21 PM ^
Ferentz is the first name outside of Brian Kelly who has made any sense in this proto-coaching search thus far. Meyer, Gruden, Stoops, they will never set foot in South Bend as the Head Coach.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:22 PM ^
He would TCB against bad teams and probably find a way to break even against good teams; that would provide the stability that has long been missing at ND. He is pleasant in front of the camera, and won't ever embarass the school. Contrast this to a fat, loud-mouthed lout who went in with a lot of promises and ultimatums but hasn't really made good on any of them.
I would like seeing Ferentz coach at ND. The rivalry would be better, and seeing his conservatism against RR's daring will make great national fodder. Since Lou Holtz left, the ND game has been almost a no-win for UM. If they win, it's because ND sucks, and if they lose, it's an upset and they shouldn't have lost. Ferentz would make the rivalry truly relevant on a national scope again instead of a quaint artifact of a bygone era.
And it would probably turn Iowa into an auto-win again. I could handle that.
November 16th, 2009 at 1:16 PM ^
Ferentz would change how he recruits at ND/would this help him? i.e. a lot of his guys are from Iowa/remotely close, and ND has a much larger national draw
November 16th, 2009 at 12:27 PM ^
Thats the only way they can upgrade.
November 16th, 2009 at 12:32 PM ^
ND needs to go yet fatter.
I suggest Ralph "The Fridge" Friedgen from Maryland
November 16th, 2009 at 12:41 PM ^
I have had an ongoing debate with a friend about which coach is actually larger. My whale, err horse, is Charlie. Him being an FSU alum and ACC guys argues that Friedgen is the big man on campus. Thoughts?
November 16th, 2009 at 1:15 PM ^
Hasn't Friedgen lost a bunch of weight recently? I recall seeing something about it on ESPN earlier this year that he lost something like 90 pounds in the past year.
November 16th, 2009 at 3:53 PM ^
Anyone but Brian Kelly is excellent, excellent news. Ferentz would definitely take the job. Stoops is originally from Ohio, Oklahoma is a crappy place to live, he only gets paid attention to for one or two games a year. He'd probably leave for the right money too. Oklahoma would really fight to keep him out threre though.
November 16th, 2009 at 8:14 PM ^
I agree with the poster above who said that the article is pretty worthless.
I don't think it is completely out of the question that Stoops would leave, but the chances are pretty damn slim.
I'd be pissed if we got Ferentz. Kelly is the obvious choice here. If we don't get Kelly, there is something seriously wrong with the ND administration.