HE’D AT LEAST BE BETTER THAN REGIS

Ron Maly (who had the good sense to leave the Des Moines Register once the G-word came to town) offers up another possible name for Dan McCarney’s replacement at Iowa State:

I don’t know if Joe Philbin would be interested in leaving the Green Bay Packers and becoming the head football coach at Iowa State, but it wouldn’t hurt Pollard to ask him. Philbin is in his fourth year on the Packers’ staff. He was named to be in charge of Green Bay’s offensive line by first-year coach Mike McCarthy on Jan. 17, 2006. He’s only the third offensive line coach in the past 15 seasons at Green Bay. Although hampered by injuries, Philbin’s tight ends were productive. Green Bay joined Tennessee as one of two NFL teams to have three tight ends with as many as 25 pass receptions. Philbin was Iowa’s offensive line coach from 1999-2002. In 2002, the Hawkeyes had one of the best offensive lines in collegiate football. Three of his players — guard Eric Steinbach, tackle Robert Gallery and center Bruce Nelson — were named to three of the five first-team all-Big Ten line spots. Steinbach, a second round choice of Cincinnati, was a consensus all-American. For Pollard, I think Philbin would be worth a look.

I’m trying hard–real hard–not to point out how every day in this Cyclonic interregnum inevitably brings about the name of somebody who (a) has way more connections to Iowa than Iowa State (Philbin, Jay Norvell), or (b) isn’t doing so hot in their current job (viz. Paul Rhoads), or (c) has never really been heard of by anybody (Tim Brewster, Bobby Hauck, whom Maly also confirms as a possibility).

Maly doesn’t think Iowa State has much of a shot at getting a seat on the Brian Kelly Greatness Express, either:

Kelly, who won Division II national championships in 2002 and 2003 at Grand Valley State, is certainly worth a look. Like Farley, he probably wouldn’t cost Iowa State a lot of money. Kelly’s base salary this year is only $160,000. The trouble is, he’s being rumored as the next coach at Michigan State, which recently fired John L. Smith. And the Michigan State job is regarded as being much better than the Iowa State job.

Really? They gave Mac twelve seasons. John L. got only four, and none of John L.’s teams did any worse than 5-7. Plus when they whacked John L., Sparty still had a shot at bowl eligibility! Somebody please tell me: How does that qualify as a good job?

I’m not arguing that Maly is wrong. Football at ISU is #3 on the priority list of men’s sports, behind wrestling and basketball. It’s only #2 at Michigan State. But still, what does it say about a job when you can’t really bring yourself to believe that Central Michigan’s coach would want it?

Meanwhile, I keep telling you: Craig Bohl. But I do suspect that Jay Norvell will wind up with this job.