What If Kirk Ferentz Coached In The NFL?

I am a very calm and rational Iowa fan. With that being said, even I have finally reached the point where Kirk Ferentz drives me crazy. Nothing is going to change. He'll stick with his offense; he'll stick with his defense; he'll even stick with his special teams. They have worked in the past, and with execution, he believes they will work again.

Unfortunately, that is just simply not the case. The game has changed, and Ferentz's overall package will not lead to Iowa winning B1G titles. But this isn't because Kirk is a bad coach. In fact, I still think he's a great coach. He takes limited talent and develops those players to their maximum capabilities. He has had a great run of developing tight ends like Dallas Clark, Scott Chandler, Tony Moeaki, Brandon Myers, Allen Reisner, and CJ Fiedorowicz. Even better is his run of left tackles which included Robert Gallery, Marshall Yanda, Bryan Bulaga, Riley Reiff, and Brandon Scherff. He used to have a great run on cornerbacks as well (although many switched to safety in the NFL) with Charles Godfrey, Bradley Fletcher, Amari Spievey, Shaun Prater, and Micah Hyde. Almost all of those guys were 3 star recruits (or worse), and Kirk found a way to maximize their abilities. There is no denying that Kirk Ferentz is a very good coach.

The problem is the recruiting. Kirk used to be able to find those diamonds in the rough, but other coaches have gotten far better at recruiting, and the talent level that Iowa has brought in has not been good enough to consistently compete. That is why Iowa has struggled. The talent is simply not there, and Kirk Ferentz will not change to bring in that talent.

All of this made me realize one thing: Kirk Ferentz would have been a great NFL coach.

His problems are much more scheme than talent. He develops offensive linemen incredibly well, so his outside zone running scheme would have worked great in the NFL. Even a poor NFL running back is light years ahead of a guy like Mark Weisman in talent, so they would have the necessary skills to hit the hole at the right time. If he would have lucked into a good quarterback, then he would have a very potent offense at the next level.

On defense, his conservative scheme drives Hawkeye fans crazy, but there are a lot of very successful defenses that are fairly conservative in scheme. The Seattle Seahawks are an excellent example of this, as they do not do anything all that complicated, but they execute their Cover-3 incredibly well. His bend-don't-break defense may not get fans excited, but it has proven to be incredibly effective when he has the right talent on the field.

Plus, Kirk Ferentz has the demeanor to be an NFL head coach. He's not like Jim Harbaugh who wears out his welcome quickly and is perfect to only have players for 3-5 years. Kirk is even-keeled and players know what to expect from him. The only real knock on him is that he may be controlling and overbearing, but there aren't many great NFL coaches that couldn't be described in the same way.

Kirk Ferentz was an incredibly successful college coach, but the changing college game has left him in the dust. New schemes and large gaps in talent level has left the Hawkeyes in consistent mediocrity. But Kirk Ferentz was made to coach in the NFL. It accentuates his positives while limiting his negatives. He's always been great at developing talent, and although his scheme may be a tad antiquated, execution is far more important than a fancy scheme at the NFL level, because the talent gap is so small.

Although the opportunity has passed him by, Kirk Ferentz would have been a great NFL coach.

Live Blogging the NFL Draft: Day 3

Day 3 Live Blog is going to be pretty casual. I'll post when there is something interesting going on.

11:07 - Well, I obviously love the Matt Barkley pick. This is probably a surprise to most, but Chip Kelly has already said that his NFL offense is not going to look like his college offense. I truly believe that Barkley was a top-10 talent. People do not understand how bad that offensive line was, but this guy has all the tools to be an impact quarterback, and it was a great pick by the Eagles.

11:10 - Also, why ESPN thought they traded up for Matt Scott made no sense. Nobody else wanted him this early, so they would have been fine waiting three picks.

11:55 - The Rams are having a hell of a draft. Grabbing Barrett Jones in the middle of the fourth round is another really nice pick. Worst case scenario, he's an average interior lineman. He's shown potential for more, and I think he'll be a good player to have in the middle who will have a long career.

12:01 - I forgot to mention that I really want the Bears to take Jordan Poyer. He doesn't measure out well, but he shut down his side of the field in college, which sounds like a good thing for a corner to do. Do the right thing, Bears.

12:03 - I actually really like the Khaseem Greene pick. It probably means that Bostic is being groomed for the middle, which would be bad, but it doesn't definitely mean that. Lance Briggs is getting up there in age, and Emery showed that he does not care about loyalty to players (which is actually a good thing). Greene produced all over the field, and I was surprised to see so many of his teammates go before him. I'm good with this one, Bears.

12:31 - First Lacy, now Jonathan Franklin. The Packers definitely have their running back problems solved, as I like what both of those backs can bring. Their offensive line still sucks, so at least I can hold onto that as a Bears fan.

12:48 - I was going to approve of anyone taking Lattimore in the fourth round. The 49ers is a very good fit, because Frank Gore is getting to the age where he could be falling off. And Kendall Hunter may be solid, but he's no Lattimore. Sure, he's a health risk, but at this point in the draft, the upside is well worth the risk.

1:02 - Denard is another pick I like. He's got a lot of upside if he can show he can catch the ball. I think he is a hybrid player that can be put at running back or wide receiver. With Blaine Gabbert throwing the ball, he'll probably only be a running back, but at least he's a weapon if a real quarterback ever shows up.

1:20 - Unsurprisingly, I like the Cardinals selection of Stepfan Taylor. He was a productive college guy that didn't look great at the combine, so basically he falls right into my wheelhouse of guys I love. He is not fast, but he is quick and does a good job of recognizing the right moves to make with the football.

3:09 - I made lunch and played with the dog, so I am just now catching up on the draft. The Packers continued to draft Hawkeyes, which they seem to do every year. Kampmann, Hodge, Bulaga, Daniels, and now Hyde (plus some others I'm probably forgetting). Please stop doing this. I want to cheer for these guys at the next level, and you jerks are making it impossible.

The Bears made another pick, but I know nothing about him.

Also, I like the Cardinals selection of Ryan Swope. He's legit...as long as he isn't concussed.

5:52 - The Eagles selected Jordan Poyer, which means they stole him and Matt Barkley from the Bears. That's the bad news. The good news is that the only logical explanation to them selecting those guys is that Chip Kelly reads my blog, so that's pretty cool.

Also, I actually am good with the Bears last pick. Marquess Wilson may be a head case, but what wide receiver isn't? At least he has physical talent. In the seventh round, you might as well take a chance.

6:40 - Looks like the draft is over. I'll have more thoughts on Bears picks and maybe a few others in the near future.