The Name Game: Ferentz Could Land in Cleveland

“The Name Game” at Football Rumor Mill focuses on active coaching searches around the NFL. The latest edition centers on the Cleveland Browns…

Cleveland fired head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage immediately after the regular season ended Sunday. Savage was a close friend of Ferentz’s from the six years he served as a line coach in the NFL with the Browns and the Baltimore Ravens. The catalyst for the Ferentz rumors comes from the fact that another close friend, Scott Pioli, is a strong candidate to replace Savage. Pioli, the vice president of player personnel for the New England Patriots, has received permission to speak with the Browns. Ferentz said Pioli is the guy who drove him to the airport after his initial interview for an NFL assistant job in 1993. “We’ve been good friends all the way through,” Ferentz admitted. “I have tremendous respect for Scott as a football guy. He’s extremely capable. I would caution people not to try to predict what Scott’s going to do either. He has a great job where he’s at.” Ferentz, coming to the end of his 10th season at Iowa, is among the highest-paid coaches in college football. He is scheduled to earn close to $3 million next year. He said Wednesday that job security is a definite issue at the NFL level and he has enjoyed the stability that the Iowa job has brought to his family life. “That’s tough to get in the NFL,” he said. – WCF Courier

New England Patriots VP Scott Pioli’s first choice for head coach of the Browns would be former Browns assistant and current Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz, the Boston Herald reported Tuesday. The Herald, citing unnamed sources, said Pioli would call upon his former Browns colleague to replace fired coach Romeo Crennel. – Cleveland Plain Dealer