Crennell out at Cleveland...former assistant will be rumored as replacemnt

• Today is Black Monday in the NFL, typically the day head coaches start getting fired, and typically the day successful college coaches such as Iowa's Kirk Ferentz get mentioned as replacements.
"I thought about that last Friday when I was watching ESPN," Ferentz said after practice Sunday. "They ran down through a list of 12 guys who are in shark waters right now."
Ferentz interviewed for the head coaching job at Jacksonville after the 2002 season. He has been an assistant with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns.
"The bullets are flying in Cleveland -- they're flying in at least 10 cities," Ferentz said. "It's a matter who gets hit with some shrapnel and who doesn't."
So how does he respond when his name pops up on ESPN lists?
"Same as always," he said.
Here is the comment he has used when previously asked about the NFL: "I've got a good job. For me to walk into a team meeting saying I'm going somewhere else -- I need a pretty compelling reason.
"I'm not saying there would never be that reason, but I don't know what that would be."

This one doesn't surprise me at all.

You really think Ferentz would be a good NFL coach, Viking?? I don't think he would be at all......

Congrats on your Vikes....so I guess you're not coming to the Outback Bowl then??

Ferentz can't win in the big 10...but he will come to the nfl and win? right. If The Browns hire him, I turn in my Browns card and will find a new team to root for.

just as i predicted.....

Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner isn’t prepared to be turned down a second time in his quest to find a savior for his football franchise, according to a league source familiar with his effort to hire New England Patriots [team stats] personnel director Scott Pioli.
According to the source, Lerner was not pleased when former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher spurned his advances and so he is prepared to make what was described as a “huge” financial offer to Pioli that would include not only millions, but more importantly full control of the organization and the funds necessary to bring in Pioli’s first choice as head coach, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz.
Although it has been widely speculated that Pioli might try to create a package deal that would include young Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as his head coach, that is not the case. Pioli favors Ferentz, with whom he first worked under Bill Belichick when both were with the Browns 15 years ago. Ferentz survived the move to Baltimore and was the Ravens assistant head coach/offensive line coach before leaving to take over the Iowa program in 1998.

Ferentz began his career at the University of Connecticut, later coached locally at Worcester Academy (where he also taught English literature for two years), and was the head coach at Maine before leaving for the NFL. He has had success rebuilding Iowa’s program, but has suffered through several down years of late, drawing the ire of disgruntled alumni before this season began. The Hawkeyes went 8-4 and will face South Carolina on New Year’s Day in the Outback Bowl, an improvement on 2007’s 6-6 season.
Pioli is also reportedly on the short list in Kansas City, but does not appear to be the leading candidate of owner Clint Hunt, son of Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt, who passed away earlier this year. Hunt is reportedly on the lookout for a young and less-well-known front office executive like Thomas Dimitroff, who left the Patriots’ personnel department a year ago and transformed the luckless Atlanta Falcons into a playoff team in one year.
Hunt is searching for someone willing to work with club president and salary cap guru Denny Thum. Thum has been with the Chiefs for 34 years and was recently installed as team president and COO to replace departed Carl Peterson. Although Thum would not have final say over football matters it is likely Hunt would insist he be in the mix when decisions are made, a scenario that is not believed to be to Pioli’s liking. It is possible that Thum could move exclusively to the business side of the team, but his long-time presence with the Chiefs and association with the departed Peterson would make such a scenario less than likely for Pioli.
As hot a commodity as Pioli is at the moment, his situation may in the end boil down to Cleveland or nothing. Thum is in place in Kansas City and Tom Lewand and Martin Mayhew were mysteriously given promotions in Detroit at the end of a 0-16 season, so there is really only one job out there that would offer him the full control of football operations he desires.
Lewand was recently named Lions club president and Mayhew was promoted to general manager despite the fact both were with the team far longer than departed head coach Rod Marinelli, who inherited them as well as Matt Millen and an already bad situation upon arriving three years ago. If Pioli were to look at Detroit, he would be able to add a new head coach but where would he sit? Certainly not below Lewand, who has been with the Lions for 12 years, a stretch in which they’ve been a sorry excuse for a franchise while the Patriots were winning three super Bowls and going to four.
So it seems if Pioli really wants to finally take over his own NFL franchise his best chance to have the situation he believes is necessary to win - which is to control the entire football operation - is with Cleveland or bust. Considering that the Browns are willing to do it, and willing to allow Ferentz to come in as head coach, it would appear Pioli either ends up there or back in Foxboro in short order.

and the usual reply....

TAMPA, Fla. -- If Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz is on the short list to become the next Cleveland Browns coach, it's news to him.

When asked specifically Tuesday if he had been contacted as a potential replacement for fired Romeo Crennel, Ferentz said: "Not that I know of, and I don't expect to."
The Boston Herald reported Tuesday that Browns owner Randy Lerner wants to hire New England personnel director Scott Pioli. The newspaper said Pioli's first choice as a head coach would be Ferentz.
They worked together 15 years ago for the Browns.
Four NFL coaches have been fired since Sunday's conclusion of the regular season -- Crennel, Eric Mangini by the New York Jets, Rod Marinelli by the Detroit Lions and Mike Shanahan by the Denver Broncos.
Ferentz danced his usual verbal dance Tuesday when asked about coaching again in the NFL.
"I've made a habit of not commenting on that," Ferentz said after practice at the University of Tampa. "I've got a great job. I'm happy to have a great job, I'm appreciative of having a great job, and I've been at Iowa 10 years.
"Not much else to say on that topic."
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that the Browns planned to interview Mangini.
Ferentz is under contract through the 2012 season after being granted a one-year extension last February.
He is the state's highest-paid public employee with an annual guaranteed salary of $2.84 million.
Ferentz interviewed for the head coaching job at Jacksonville after the 2002 season. He has been an assistant with the Ravens and the Browns.
Iowa athletic director Gary Barta said Tuesday night that he has no knowledge about Ferentz and the possibility of another job.
"Nobody's talked to me about it," he said. "There has been no conversation about job-related issues."
Barta said he takes the Ferentz-to-the-NFL talk in stride.
"I can't say I'm any more or less concerned about what you say is being reported," he said. "I know Kirk loves Iowa, he's a great fit for Iowa, we love Kirk, so let's go and win the Outback Bowl and then at the end of the season we'll have our discussion of how things went, and obviously I'm pleased with how things have gone."
Barta said he has not discussed re-working Ferentz's contract.
"We won't talk about next year until we get finished with the bowl game," he said. "We extended his contract a year ago. We haven't talked about it."
University president Sally Mason is a Ferentz fan.
"I don't want to lose Kirk," she said. "I sat next to Kirk at lunch Monday, and Kirk is committed to Iowa.
"From my perspective, that's a good thing.