Defending Kirk Ferentz comes at your own risk these days.

It’s sort of like poking a hornet’s nest with a bunch of haters waiting to lash out and sting on social media.

Defending Ferentz is viewed almost as a sign of weakness or that you’re a clueless homer who’s afraid to stand up against the big man on campus.

Unfortunately, I know that to be true from experience.

I’m addressing it now because the anti-Ferentz crowd is bigger, louder and more upset than it ever has been and shows no signs of going away.

It’s frustrated with horizontal passes that gain three yards on 4th-and-5.

It’s fed up with losing to Iowa State and cheering for a team that has sputtered to a 19-19 record over the past three seasons.

And it’s bored with Iowa’s style of football, but that’s mostly because the Hawkeyes aren’t winning enough games.

There was nothing boring about the way in which all-America running back Shonn Greene shredded defenses throughout the 2008 season because the Hawkeyes finished 9-4 that season.

Winning doesn’t cure everything, but it would cure what ails Ferentz. And by winning, I mean no fewer than eight or nine victories this fall against a schedule that doesn’t include Ohio State, Michigan State, Penn State or Michigan. Eight victories might be acceptable if three of the wins came against Iowa State, Wisconsin and Nebraska.

The days of Iowa finishing at or near .500 under Ferentz are close to being over based on supply and demand.

Ferentz will only have four years left on his 10-year contract after the 2015 season. He would be at a point where most head coaches receive at least a one-year extension for recruiting purposes.

Ferentz isn’t like most head coaches, though.

The thought of him receiving any kind of extension after another mediocre season has public relationship disaster written all over it.

So I truly feel the pain and frustration of the anti-Ferentz crowd. I’m just not ready to feel their wrath yet. But that could change after the 2015 season.

It’s obvious that Ferentz will coach the Hawkeyes for at least one more season with the start of the 2015 season barely three months away. I don’t think his job ever was in jeopardy for the 2015 season, nor should it have been.

I’ve written before that I think Ferentz deserves one more season to right the ship based on the big picture. And by one more season, I mean the 2015 campaign. To say that my opinion has been the source of ridicule for those who are suffering from Ferentz fatigue would be an understatement.

The anti-Ferentz crowd is ready to pounce on anything that makes Ferentz look bad or rip anything that tries to make him look good. They insist that it’s unreasonable and stupid to believe that Ferentz, who is entering his 17th season as the Iowa coach, deserves any more time to lead the Hawkeyes.

That’s where they lose me because I think it would’ve been wrong to fire Ferentz after the 2014 season. I think some in the anti-Ferentz crowd were convinced after how poorly the 2014 season ended that a head coaching change was being considered, but they were sorely mistaken.

I’m not real confident that Ferentz will lead another resurgence, especially with Greg Davis as his offensive coordinator. I just think Ferentz deserves one more chance to go out on his terms and he will be given that chance.

What I mean in reference to the big picture is everything that Ferentz has accomplished as the Iowa coach should matter when determining his fate. He is perfect for the Iowa job in every way except for that he isn’t winning enough games anymore.

I know that’s a huge blemish, but it’s not as if Ferentz’s record has been horrible that past two seasons. It would’ve been wrong to remove one of the greatest head coaches in the history of the Iowa program after back-to-back seasons in which the Hawkeyes won seven and eight games, respectively.

You could say that Iowa fans are paying a price for Ferentz’s loyalty.

It’s hard to believe this is the same Kirk Ferentz who would’ve devastated Hawkeye fans by leaving for a different coaching job just a few years ago.

Before Fred Hoiberg, there was Kirk Ferentz, only Ferentz decided to stay.

His critics will say that Ferentz, who will turn 60 on Aug. 1, has stayed too long and is paid too much and now the program is suffering from it, along with Ferentz’s legacy.

There might be some truth to that, but a resolution is coming soon.

It would be hard to justify bringing Ferentz back for the 2016 season should Iowa win fewer than eight games this fall because the numbers just won’t add up anymore, even when you factor in his buyout.

In other words, Ferentz deserves one more season to find a cure. If that’s being a Ferentz apologist, then so be it.