MILLIMETER THINKING IN A MEGATON WORLD

I don’t want to go off on a rant here, but stuff like this just drives me nuts.

Candidates beyond the present staff with ties to either Iowa State, Pollard or the state of Iowa include:

[Nebraska offensive coordinator Jay] Norvell, [Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul] Chryst, and former Iowa State assistant coaches Steve Loney, Bob Elliott and Paul Rhoads.

Now, what’s so horrible about that? Nothing more than the assumption that (a) Pollard wants somebody with strong Iowa ties, or (b) only somebody with connections to Iowa would be interested in the job.

What were Hayden Fry’s connections to Iowa in 1978?

What was Bob Stoops’ connection to Oklahoma in 1999?

Is Urban Meyer from Florida? Had he ever coached in the state prior to last season?

Granted, this is just one reporter’s speculation on who might be a candidate. But it’s also a prime example of thinking small and going into a process expecting defeat. I’m sure Jamie Pollard, a risk-taker’s risk-taker, isn’t going to limit his search to people who have Iowa ties.

ALL APOLOGIES

We erred yesterday in describing Bobby Elliot, one of Dan McCarney’s potential replacements at Iowa State, as the defensive coordinator at Arizona State. He is the defensive coordinator at San Diego State. This, of course, makes a huge difference.