Chad Leistikow, Hawk Central
Published 12:32 p.m. CT Feb. 21, 2019
IOWA CITY, Ia. — James
Ferentz chuckles when the topic of his working at a carpet store comes up. He
says that the often-told, warehouse-to-Super Bowl story is a bit overblown.
It’s true, he was
doing manual labor at Randy’s Carpets in Coralville to make a few
bucks 5½ years ago, with a wedding on the way and his football career seemingly
on the fast track to nowhere.
But the real essence of the story wasn’t the
mundane hoisting of rugs into a truck while waiting for a long-shot NFL
chance. It was the decision to keep trying for
that chance. And that stems from a piece of advice his father gave him,
after his Iowa playing days ended in 2012 and he went undrafted and
unsigned in the NFL.
You might have heard of his dad, Kirk
Ferentz.
Former Iowa offensive lineman James Ferentz is training and living in
Iowa City after winning his second Super Bowl ring. He's
under contract for another year with the New England Patriots. (Photo11: Chad Leistikow, The Register)
“You’re in your 20s, what are you in a rush
to go do?” James remembers the (now) winningest football coach in Hawkeye
history telling him. “You’re only going to have this one opportunity to play.”
Now
that we know how it turned out — that James would not only win one Super Bowl
ring with the 2015 Denver Broncos, but a second earlier this month with the New
England Patriots — it’s easy to look back and say that was an obvious decision,
to keep on chasing the NFL dream.
But imagine the real dilemma James was facing.
He was already told by the NFL he wasn’t good enough. Why keep at it when
there's little chance the phone will ring with an opportunity? The rigors the
body goes through to play football at the highest level are a gauntlet, both
physically and mentally. Plus, a life with his high school sweetheart was
waiting.
“Sometimes you need to follow advice blindly.
As long as it is coming from a good person — I should probably add that in
there,” James says in an endearing way that mimics his father’s self-deprecating
humor. “And I trust my dad
a lot. He hinted at me, the journey wasn’t quite over.
“So, I
kept training, kept being ready.”
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz
congratulates his son James after Iowa's win over Northern Illinois at Soldier
Field in Chicago on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012. (Photo11: Register file photo)
A phone call from Bill O’Brien with the
Houston Texans got his foot in the door, and he took advantage of that
opportunity to earn an NFL practice-squad spot in 2014. Then Ferentz spent two
years with the Broncos, mostly as part of the (more financially lucrative)
53-man roster, as a backup offensive lineman and occasional fullback. The last two years, he’s been
learning under arguably the NFL’s greatest coach ever, Bill Belichick,
on the Patriots’ practice squad.
Ferentz
credits the disciplines he learned at Iowa for making him a reliable NFL
backup — and right-place, right-time luck to have now won Super Bowls
alongside Peyton Manning and Tom
Brady.
“There’s
value in coming to work, being on time,” Ferentz says simply. “That’s something
that really gets overlooked, because it’s so simple and so given. You would
expect that to be just a standard. But it’s hard for some guys. Coming to Iowa,
it’s where no small detail like that gets overlooked.”
Of course, he’d love to be playing on
Sundays. Being on the practice squad isn’t too glamorous. As the job title
indicates, you primarily … practice.
Yeah, there’s a chance a practice-squad
player gets called to suit up and play — as he did for two games last season
with the Patriots. But it's rare. And now, under the NFL’s collective-bargaining
agreement, Ferentz's practice-squad eligibility (three total years) has
expired. To keep his NFL career alive, he'll again need to make a 53-man
roster.
That's the next goal.
“There’s something about an offense scoring a
touchdown and everyone going out there celebrating,” he says. “That’s a feeling
that’s hard to beat.”
So, he’s in Iowa City, plugging away. He and
wife Skylar live in a starter home on Iowa City's west side with
their two young sons — Forest and newborn Lincoln, who arrived at nearly 11
pounds (!) between the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl.
Ferentz says training with hungry,
young Hawkeye players keeps him motivated. Listed at 6-foot-2, 300 pounds,
he’s happy to report continued weight-room gains. He will turn 30 in June and
is under (a non-guaranteed) contract with the Patriots for one more year. They
could cut him at any time.
One would imagine that coaching will one day
be in Ferentz's future — and he doesn't dismiss that, considering his lineage
and love for football. He fervently keeps up with the Hawkeyes and remains
close with older brother, Brian, Iowa’s offensive coordinator.
As we continue our interview inside the
Hansen Football Performance Center, Brian pops in to say hello, then heads
back into his office. James chuckles at how busy his brother is. He likes
playing football and isn't ready for that lifestyle yet.
A day of training is in the books, and
it's time to hang out with the family.
Tomorrow, he'll get back at it again.
“I’m always trying to fight to be on a 53-man
roster,” James says. “By no means have I ever been on a practice squad and been
like, ‘Wow, I’ve really made it.’ It’s always a disappointment to get cut and
told you’re not good enough. But it’s just the reality of the business.
“Hopefully I can keep improving and show the
coaching staff at New England that there’s still some sort of value in me.
We’ll see.”
Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow
has covered sports for 24 years with The Des Moines Register, USA TODAY and
Iowa City Press-Citizen. Follow @ChadLeistikow on Twitter.
Offensive lineman James Ferentz
answers questions Friday, Aug. 7, 2009, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City during
Iowa's annual media day. (Photo11:
Register file photo)
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