Cleveland Browns News: Why Kirk Ferentz turned Browns down in 2008
By Dan Justik
The Daily Dawg Tags brings you all the Cleveland Browns news you need to know, including why Kirk Ferentz turned down the Browns head coaching job in 2008.
The Cleveland Browns have conducted plenty of head coaching searches in the past several years that they have talked to almost every top head coaching candidate. When the Browns started playing musical chairs with their head coach in 2008, the candidate who almost landed the job was Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz.
Since being hired in 1999, Ferentz has turned Iowa into a top Big Ten program who has been towards the top of college football on several occasions. Ferentz has also put several Iowa players into the NFL.
Ferentz has run such a solid program in Iowa that the Browns felt he could be successful in the NFL. He did have some NFL coaching experience, including being Cleveland’s offensive line coach from 1993-1995.
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Today’s featured article explains why Ferentz decided to turn down the Cleveland head coaching job after being perceived as the favorite for the job.
Kirk Ferentz discusses turning down Browns job in 2008 – Matt Howe, 24/7 Sports
"“We’ve always loved living here, we loved it as a family and the professional opportunity has been great. So I never felt a compelling reason to leave. And the other side spot, which you can never really count on this, but we’ve had three of our sons go through the program. So it’s really hard to put a price tag on that, it’s really been a valuable and really unique experience that way.”"
Ferentz seemed to be a surprising name in the Browns head coaching search in 2008, but his ability to build a solid program in Iowa made him tough to ignore. Despite being viewed as the favorite for the job, it seems evident that Ferentz grew comfortable at Iowa, which swayed his decision to take turn down the Browns job. As many college coaches who are the head of their programs, Ferentz was extremely comfortable in his situation that the NFL did not make sense at the time.
Browns have opportunity to sign Pro Bowl guard Larry Warford
The Browns have rebuilt their offensive line this offseason with the exception of at right guard, which remains a question mark. Elliot Kennel discusses the possibility of the Browns pursuing Larry Warford, who was just released by the New Orleans Saints.
"Brugler expected the cornerback from Oklahoma State to go in the vicinity of the fifth round. At 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds, Green has the look of an NFL defensive back.“He’s not that fast,” said Brugler. “He ran a 4.6 (in the 40-yard dash) at the NFL Combine and at his Pro Day. But he is the kind of guy who can play in the league.”"
The Browns made several undrafted free agent signings, but the addition of cornerback A.J. Green was viewed as one of the best signings around the NFL. Cleveland clearly wanted Green, as they signed him to the biggest UDFA contract. If Green can prove the Browns right in signing him to that contract, he could become a major success story for an UDFA.
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The Cleveland Browns front office relies on analytics to help give them more information about their roster to aid their decisions. Jarrett Griebeler takes an analytical look at the defensive backs on Cleveland’s roster.