Bryce Miller’s 3 for 3: Desmond Howard says Ferentz football contract ‘unbelievable’

[ 0 ] November 27, 2012 | Bryce Miller

The 3 for 3 blog, Tuesday edition …

1: HOWARD WOWED BY FERENTZ BUYOUT … The Iowa football team’s troubles on offense this season have been clear — all the way to Bristol, Conn.

So that’s no surprise.

What did shock ESPN’s Desmond Howard, the 1991 Heisman Trophy winner from Michigan, though: The contract buyout for Hawkeye coach Kirk Ferentz.

Howard said there is less patience these days for coaches who struggle, and Ferentz sits 19-19 (4-8 this season, with a loss to Central Michigan) since his current contract was signed after the 2009 Orange Bowl season.

Iowa would owe Ferentz about $21 million if it wanted to switch to a new head coach.

“I think there’s less patience for coaches,” Howard said today in a telephone interview. “ … (but) wow. That’s job security. Unbelievable. … That’s Notre Dame, Charlie Weis-type buyout money.”

The Chicago Tribune reported in May that Notre Dame had paid Weis, its former coach who now coaches Kansas, nearly $8.7 million and the deal could reach nearly $19 million through payments through 2015.

Iowa has struggled most on offense this season, after injuries sidelined offensive linemen Brandon Scherff and Andrew Donnal, as well as a range of running backs — including one-time starters Mark Weisman and Damon Bullock.

The Hawkeyes sit 114^th out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in total offense under first-year offensive coordinator Greg Davis.

“They’ve struggled because of those injuries,” Howard said.

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2. FORMER CYCLONE’S ICY TUMBLE … Former Iowa State football player Jesse Beckom’s debut in World Cup bobsled finished upside down.

Beckom, a Cyclone linebacker in 1999-99, raced for the first time since being picked for the national team on Saturday at the Whistler complex outside of Vancouver, Canada. The USA III four-man sled piloted by Cory Butner — Beckom rode in the No. 2 position — flipped during the run, disqualifying the team.

No one was hurt.

Here’s the column I wrote about Beckom earlier this month.

The Whistler crash, which happens at the 1:06 mark …

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3: DEMOCRACY NOW … On Monday, I asked readers to vote on a pair of questions.

The first: Who was the best Iowa football player of the last decade, among those who made the prestigious Associated Press team?

You said … Tight end Dallas Clark (53.3 percent); running back Shonn Greene (22.0); offensive lineman Robert Gallery (11.8); kicker Nate Kaeding (8.8); and offensive lineman Eric Steinbach (4.1).

The second question: Were you OK with the decision for Grinnell to constantly pass the ball to Jack Taylor, who kept shooting until the very end on the way to an NCAA all-divisions record 138 points last week against Faith Baptist of Ankeny?

You said, overwhelmingly … I’m OK with it: Same rules, Taylor had to hit shots, other team needed to stop it (77.2 percent); I’m not OK with it: Made a mockery of the game (22.8).

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