Ferentz plans to fix Iowa his way

Kirk Ferentz was about as comfortable as Hillary Clinton and Rush Limbaugh sharing a diner table.

On television, the Iowa football coach appeared as if he'd rather talk about Iraq, religion or Britney Spears; or try to cook the perfect souffle or dance the waltz with defensive coordinator Norm Parker before television cameras than answer the hardball questions coming from assembled Iowa sports media about the rocky state of his Hawkeye football program.

The inquiries were about Iowa player arrests (there were 12 during 2007), a police investigation of an alleged sexual assault involving Iowa players, embarrassing losses and Ferentz's name slipping into conversation about other jobs (the Baltimore Ravens' head coaching vacancy is this month's "It" Kirk job). Getting in the ring with a champion sumo wrestler is more fun.

Ferentz's press conference Monday was a State of the Program address that likely didn't calm anybody's fears about the declining state of the Hawks, but it did demonstrate Ferentz's immense resolve to cure the program. He was the portrait of
a proud man refusing to quit on a tough job. He came across as the anti-Bobby Petrino, the-leave-by-night former Atlanta Falcons coach who grabbed a Get Out of Jail card and snuck off to Arkansas.

Bill Parcells isn't this tough.

Ferentz says he trusts the blueprint he has to rebuild the Hawks into the Big Ten power they were when they won 31 games and two league titles from 2002-04.

"Hopefully, we are climbing back up the mountain," Ferentz said. "If we look back at 2000 and 2001 (when Iowa went a combined 10-14 during Ferentz's second and third years on the job), there are some similar themes both on and off the field. The challenge is whether we can push through that and get back to where we once were over the next three years."

Rest assured, Iowa's struggles rile Ferentz more than anybody, although he usually hides his frustrations and emotions from media and fans behind a stiff upper lip.

But in recent seasons, Ferentz has taken off his cool armor more often (just witness his sometimes angry, profane sideline exchanges with officials) and exposed the raw competitor that defines his personality. He understands the scrutiny that comes with a $3 million annual salary and being one of the country's highest paid college coaches in a blue-collar state where Iowa farmers are working harder than ever just to keep their farms profitable.

Iowans don't like paying $50 a ticket to watch a football team they can't be proud of.

Ferentz gets it.

"We are certainly not proud of what has happened this past year," Ferentz said, "But I think our handling of the situation has been decisive, firm, fair and based on the information that has been presented to us."

"Cops: Iowa City" could film an entire episode on just the indiscretions of Iowa players. But there are no easy fixes to Iowa's off-season woes. College kids are going to drink and occasionally release their inner Kid Rock and make mistakes when they've drunk too much. That's a fact of adolescence and college life.

But Iowa needs to start researching the character of its recruits like the FBI X-rays the lives of its applicants. Somebody should have seen wide receiver Dominique Douglas' troubles coming. He has left school following arrests for credit card fraud and shoplifting.

"We have always tried to do the research on character and academics to figure out a player's motivation," Ferentz said. "Sometimes you are successful, sometimes not."

OK, but there are several on-field must changes needed to rebuild Iowa. The Hawks must reopen the recruiting door to Florida, something Ferentz is actively working on. Iowa once had a rich pipeline into America's most fruitful football talent field, grabbing Brad Banks among other stars. But the well has dried up. Tailback Damian Sims was one of just two Florida players on the Iowa roster in 2007.

The Hawks must liven up offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe's vanilla offense, which fans complained was too conservative last season while producing a Big Ten-worst 18.5 points per game. Iowa ranked 10th in passing, 10th in run offense and last in total offense (compiling 316 yards per Saturday). Iowa produced just two All-Big Ten players in junior linebacker Mitch King and senior defensive back Charles Godfrey.

Even the Hawkeye kicking game ranked last in the Big Ten.

And with starting tailbacks Albert Young and Sims leaving, the forecast for an Iowa offensive revival in 2008 isn't exactly sunny. And in a league that had five teams average 30 points or more last season, 18 points a game won't even get you into the Motor City Bowl.

But don't expect the Hawks to line up in a Rich Rodriguez-like spread formation next season.

"Nothing dramatic," Ferentz said of possible offseason playbook changes, "which is probably going to disappoint a lot of folks."

In keeping with his the "plan isn't broken" mantra, Ferentz said he doesn't plan to make an offseason staff shakeup.

In sticking to his guns and his staff's game plan, Ferentz is making the biggest gamble of his coaching career. He built Iowa his way. He intends to fix it his way.

Ferentz needs to. If Iowa stumbles again in 2008 and makes more appearances in the police beat than the win column, the questions Ferentz will be facing will make this year's look like softballs.