A Beautiful Comparison Between K-Fed (Err.. Ferentz) and Timmy B in their First Two Seasons as Big Ten Coaches

by buddylee853 on Jun 10, 2009 11:30 PM CDT Comment 28 comments

Innocently came across some valuable information, courtesy of Wikipedia (love this site):

Iowa head coaching career

On December 2, 1998, Ferentz was hired as Iowa's 26th head football coach to replace the retiring Hayden Fry. The team struggled during Ferentz's first two seasons with a combined 4-19 record, but the Hawkeyes earned their first bowl bid under Ferentz after a 7-5 season in 2001.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirk_Ferentz

Seem oddly similar? Perhaps. But here is the real skinny, BHGP'ers...

Brewster's first two seasons at Minnesota- 8-17 = 0.320 win percentage

Ferentz's first two seasons at Iowa----------- 4-19 = 0.174 win percentage

..............wait............. are my eyes deceiving me??? HOLY CRAPPY COACHING, BATMAN! Brewster actually had a better coaching record than the mighty Captain Kirk!!!

Now I know you're all wondering 'How in the hell is this possible, Buddylee?!' Well, us Gopher-loving individuals could suggest a solution of following in our footsteps, going a step further, and completely erasing the history of all happenings in the 2000 season (even outside of college football, if you so-shall-choose)... that way, our two coaches records would be eerily similar if you counted your '01 season. However, just as you will never forget the sacred "55-0", neither will we with our useful knowledge that Ferentz had accomplished in 3 years what Brewster has done in only 2. Could this be a foreshadowing of the future? Only time will tell, my fellow feathery friends, only time will tell. ;)

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Rock-solid.

by Bucketochicken on Jun 11, 2009 8:07 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

We were fucking terrible

It’s that simple, and trust me, a lot of people were either openly or silently wondering how bad of a coaching hire this guy was. And the “why didn’t we get Stoops” whining…the horror.
Personally, I’m rooting for Brew. Obviously not when we’re playing each other, but otherwise, a stronger Gopher team only helps the conference.
But he does sound like a dofus.

by chitownhawkeye on Jun 11, 2009 8:08 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Won't disagree there

Brew puts his foot in his mouth more often than not.. I guess you’re bound to when you talk THAT much.

"If we got to we're going to crawl in this locker room. And on our back is going to be an axe..."

by buddylee853 on Jun 11, 2009 9:03 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The constant pattern here Buddy...

….be it a decade old, or, well, 40 years old, is that every one of your Gopher football posts focuses on the past and not the present. Win a Big Ten title that can be chronicled on a Color TV, play on NYD, do something moderately relevant TODAY, and get back to us.

Many coaches started out badly and went on to greatness (look at Coach K’s first few years at Duke). Many coaches start out badly, stay bad, and get shitcanned. Nobody knows what Brewster will do. From what I’ve seen of the man, I wouldn’t be optimistic if I were you, but you never know.

Your point is irrelevant. Don’t be the Gopher equivalent of PantherHawk. I don’t know if you noticed in the other thread, but he’s on thin ice around here.

by DonnyDonovan on Jun 11, 2009 8:40 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Pantherhawk???

What did I do to deserve THAT comparison?! I’m just putting a comical spin on factual information is all, not coming off like a drunken sailor… I’m innocent :))

"If we got to we're going to crawl in this locker room. And on our back is going to be an axe..."

by buddylee853 on Jun 11, 2009 9:10 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Hey buddy the things is

Iowa and KF doesnt lie about there records as a head coach. Yeah Iowa sucked then. KF and crew were in complete rebuild mode. That is major differnce I see. If you can not stand on your own record then what kind of man are you????

by schawkeye on Jun 11, 2009 9:30 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Rebuild mode?

1-11 doesn’t mean rebuilding? That’s a pretty foolish statement you just made.

by IronMonkee on Jun 18, 2009 10:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It does when you rebuikd a program not...

play for a single year. The goofs just wish the T. punky Brewster is half the man George O’Leary was….. at least when he over-inflated his resume he owned up to it and resigned.

by schawkeye on Jun 18, 2009 10:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Excellent apples to oranges comparison.

This would be somewhat insightful if there were any similarity in the talent of the teams each inherited. When KF took over, Iowa had little to no talent. Fry was deservedly allow to retire on his own terms, but his lame-duck status eviscerated recruiting. In the year before KF was hired, Iowa was 3-8 and possible the worst 3 and 8 team in the country. In contrast, while not great, Brewster took over a 6 and 7 team that actually made a bowl the year before. Also, while the may have been some doubt about Mason’s status before his last season, Minnesota didn’t lose two or three years worth of recruits because of questions regarding the coaching staff.
This isn’t to say that Brewster won’t be a good coach, I just don’t think this comparison is valid.

Iowa Basketball: We don't rebuild, we implode.

by three and out the kok story on Jun 11, 2009 9:58 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I didn't mean you are Pantherhawk on content.

I meant starting threads just to stoke the rivalry, such as it is, even if the substance of the post is, well, a bit lacking.

Again, I have no idea where Brew and his program will go. Maybe TCF will help recruiting, he’ll get a lock on the borders and snag what little in-state talent exists, and supplement it with enough talent from the coasts to consistently flirt with the first division of the conference. Maybe he won’t and Maturi will have to move on. Time will tell.

The guy just seems a little batshit crazy, but some of the kids like that these days.

by DonnyDonovan on Jun 11, 2009 10:13 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah...cupcakes help!

Anyone looked at the difference in quality opponents during those 2 years? Without even looking it up, I can bet that the goophers schedule was a BIT lighter than the Hawks…

Hawks....yup, I like 'em

by Rozhawkfan on Jun 11, 2009 10:33 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Ok Someone who is smarter than me

go configure Ferentz coaching record from Maine to the Baltimore Ravens

by ChryslerKinnick on Jun 11, 2009 10:58 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Comparison

Iowa’s OOC opponents in 1999 & 2000

Nebraska (finished the season #2)
Iowa State
Northern Illinois (Iowa’s only win in 99)
Kansas State (finished the season #11)
Western Michigan
Iowa State (again)
Nebraska (finished the season #7)

Minnesota’s OOC opponents in 2007 & 2008
Bowling Green
Miami (Ohio) (MN’s only win in ’07)
Florida Atlantic
North Dakota State
Northern Illinois
Bowling Green (again)
Montana State
Florida Atlantic (again)

Not to mention the talent disparity between Brew’s first year and Ferentz’s first year. We didn’t even have 85 guys on scholarship. Looking back, it’s really amazing how quickly Ferentz built this program back up from the shambles he inherited.

by rockyh on Jun 11, 2009 11:17 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

okay, apparently the octothorpe sign makes a numbered list

Nebraska was number 5 to start 99, KSU was number 8, and in 2000 Nebraska was number one and the favorite to go undefeated and win the MNC.

We got Eric Crouched up.

by rockyh on Jun 11, 2009 11:19 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also

Is this what we’re reduced to? Trolling rival teams’ blogs?

I understand a bit of ribbing in the comments, but did this kind of shit really justify an article?

I’m looking at folks wearing black and gold too.

by rockyh on Jun 11, 2009 11:24 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Eh

it’s summer. I think everybody is just bored. Gonna be a long couple of months

by chitownhawkeye on Jun 11, 2009 12:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

But once in a while...

you have to immerse your into the cesspool that is your competition, just in an attempt to partially understand them. By the looks of things, I would think that goal is reaching its zenith…

Hawks....yup, I like 'em

by Rozhawkfan on Jun 11, 2009 12:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

A serious question for Mr. Lee

No one here denies that Iowa during Ferentz’s first two years was simply awful (and had been under Fry’s last year as well). Going winless in the Big XI in 1999 has to be the absolute low point of the program over the past 30 years (since Fry arrived), and no Iowa fan will argue that (i) it wasn’t the nadir of the program and (ii) that it didn’t happen. But clearly, as results have shown since then, Ferentz was laying the groundwork for a solid program that would consistently be in the top half of the conference.

My question to you is: do you believe Brewster is doing the same thing? I ask not to bash or get into an internet flame war, but because I’m honestly unsure about the direction Minnesota is taking under Brewster (and it may be too early to tell). Your Gophers certainly improved greatly this past season, but some of that appears to be smoke and mirrors, i.e. Minnesota raced out to a great start feasting on the sugary deliciousness of cupcakes but absolutely imploded as the faced better teams (and not so good ones, see e.g. Wisconsin) down the stretch. And it seems to be that Brewster, in his first couple seasons, has been trying to take shortcuts to success in his recruiting – a LOT of juco players and a number of highly-talented but academically suspect recruits (MarQueis Gray [sp?]) that may pay off, if they are able to see the field. Let me be absolutely clear: I am not accusing Brewster of doing anything unethical or in violation of NCAA rules. My point is that Brewster seems to be trying to win in the short-term while sacrificing the long-term development that is needed to return Minnesota to the top division of the conference. BuddyLee, I am interested in your thoughts on my assessment and what you think of how Brewster is doing from an honest perspective.

Oh, and yeah, Brewster is bat-shit crazy. But that just adds to the fun.

I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.

by HoyaGoon on Jun 11, 2009 3:43 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

Since BuddyLee's gone AWOL...

I think most people still don’t know what to think about Brewster, and for a pretty good reason. He’s obviously a better recruiter than Mason could ever dream of being. The athletes in the program are far better than what we’ve had in a while (read: the 60’s), so that’s looking good. I think most rational people can look at this year’s schedule and assume that the parts may be better but the results could be worse (IE: 5-7 season). The issue really is with washout. I think Brewster probably took more academic risks his 1st year than he would have liked due to the very short amount of time he had to go out there and recruit. 1 month is not enough time to get kids that aren’t huge academic risks. I think he’s done a better job the past 2 classes getting more kids, but we’ll know for sure in another year or two. The washout rate looks like it’s down from the 1st class to the 2nd, but when the 1st one was near 100% due to one reason or another it shouldn’t take much. Another issue that I’m very concerned about is the staff turnover. A little continuity would be real nice. I don’t see how anyone can expect much improvement from the team if they’re learning a new offense or defense (or both…) every offseason.

To shorten and sumarize: I don’t think Brew’s taking any shortcuts, I just don’t think he realized what he got himself into when he got here. I think (hope/pray/wish) that things are going to continue to get better, but I’m an eternal optimist. You have to be to be a Gopher fan.

by WhiteSpeedReceiver on Jun 15, 2009 12:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs