Bielema and Long silent supporters...

Football Insider Board
#1

I’m truly amazed some of you sit on your hands and don’t criticize these guys.

The level to which this football program has sunk is astounding. I don’t think either Long or Bielema realize how badly the state needs a good football team as a source of pride. Neither of them are Arkansans, and don’t have any institutional history or memory whatsoever. They both live in Northwest Arkansas, which has a bunch of new people that, to me, view Razorback football as nice fall entertainment, but not something truly important. I think the care factor up there has greatly been diluted. Long and Bielema, as a result, are what we get.

As I’ve said in the past, I think Long thinks he can cut it by touting “football is fun again,” good team academics and fund raising. If he repeats it enough, then we all will think progress is being made. But there is no progress. None. There is stark regression.

We have yuk it up Bielema, whom I’m sure is probably a pretty good guy. But the problem, for example, is he can’t figure out before the season starts that they need to focus reps on a core group of receivers rather than giving 10 of them reps during practice. What? And he is 0-14 here when the Hogs are trailing at halftime. Good gracious that is a bad statistic. He seems incapable of making successful battlefield adjustments. He is not a good tactician.

And then, of course, there’s this ridiculous special teams situation. Never, ever depend on this phase to win a game for you. Missed field-goals, and zero punt or kickoff returns. I lay that squarely at Bielema’s feet too. Good teams use special teams to win close games. We have no hope of that.

Also, there is the stale offense with lack of any true innovation. No speed, no electricity, no homerun hitters. And, frankly, a mediocre quarterback. You watch OU last night and it is the 180° opposite of what we have. I’m not saying we could ever be as consistently good as OU, but maybe occasionally? What a disappointment.

Finally, there is recruiting. Dammit, we need some football players in Fayetteville. Not a bunch of wanna-be 4.0, choir boy students who run like they should be playing for one of the service academies and block like they are playing for UAM. I don’t know who is evaluating talent up there, but, my gosh, it is terrible. Even Whaley. He looks like a very mediocre running back to me. No speed, evasiveness or explosiveness whatsoever. Our players have no resemblance at all to those on top 10 to 15 teams.

I’m sure I’ll be criticized because I’m one of the negative Nancy’s on this board. But you’ve heard a lot of my negativity because there is so much bad with this AD, coach and football team in recent months. I’m a huge Razorback fan, and want tons of success for this football program. I just hate to see it getting run into the ground like it is. And that is what is happening, no doubt in my mind. Right in front of our eyes. Death by 1000 cuts.

#2

Doen’t bother me. Just calling it like you see it. I’m with you on this one. And see my post below. It’s like the coaches don’t know how to coach. OR get mad as hell and yell “I’ve had enough” And we’re going to change starting with me. CBB can maybe yell at the ref’s every once in a while. But not his coaches or his players who make a mistake. It;s like he just watches in a daze and say;s "O’well. I still don’t understand the lack of effort by our coaches to yell at these kids who make a mistake. And Jeff, well his voice just drives me up the wall. What does he have 29 pieces of gum hid in his mouth?

You’re right they JUST DON"T get it…

#3

I agree totally. If you don’t have the studs, and you don’t have superior coaching, it’s going to be what we now have. Nothing exceptional about AD and coach except big talk, while systematically alienating long time fans, and suppressing tradition and fighting razorback spirit.

#4

I support coach Bret

But yes - there is a problem and he has to fix it

These things are complex

Let’s s see how he does

But I don’t think anyone is kidding themselves - This Coaching era is under acutely I’ll

The whole Razorback Football program is chronicly sick the records show it

Firing a coach may not fix it

#5

Is it the Administration, the Coach, or the Conference?
Broyles did it all for so many years in the SWC and he positioned us for the big PAYDAY in a move to the SEC. In the latter years of JFB’s tenure, we had John White causing problems that can’t be glossed over like his impact upon HDN and NR. John White could be a large focus of concern here but I won’t go any further with that dead horse. After the dust had settled with the JW fiasco, we hired Jeff Long who I may not like a lot but he was the perfect Corporate leader for our time in the SEC. We entered the the SEC at the same time the SEC entered a financial Glory Years flush with TV contract cash from ESPN.

Think of the coaches we have had since joining the SEC that we have fired because we couldn’t win like we expected after the usual 8-10 win seasons in the SWC. We blamed and fired some very capable coaches - Kines with a great pedigree of Southern football, Danny Ford who won a National Championship at Clemson, Is it HDN who is pretty good with other people’s players, Petrino an offensive genius, and NOW we have Bielema who had 3 Rose bowl teams.

I love the money we make in the SEC but I am sick of what being a mid-tier SEC team has done to our program. We have taken steps back with disruption and coaching changes since we joined the conference 25 years ago. The last 10 years have been dominated by Saban at Bama and that has compelled our fellow division members to cheat more. In an age of digital narcissism, it is a terrible time for us to have moved into a conference of thieves and try to act like Choir boys.

Today’s narcissistic kids want to be a star for the #1 team and have NO loyalty to their State. This narcissism is a perfect world for the ESTABLISHED Elite teams like Bama, AU, LSU, UGA, UF, etc. We came into the SEC weak, did OK for a few years but have not been able to compete in the SEC’s rise during the Saban era. The Saban era put LSU, AU, UF, UGA, UT, Ole Miss and others into a tailspin that caused them to take desperate measures- cheat MORE and fire coaches.

The only way we will compete for a West Division Championship in today’s SEC is to cheat as much as the other conference members. I don’t want to cheat like them and would rather leave in the next round of realignment.

I believe we have the right man for the job but that doesn’t mean I am happy. I think we have some real strategic issues to face that we are NOT, what we remember during our days in the SWC. We are in a conference and an even tougher division full of teams that cheat at a higher degree than us. The SWC spoiled us with 8-10 win seasons and Conference Championships and Cotton Bowls.

#6

I don’t see how a long dissertation by everyone on a message board about the obvious issues helps. I wont spend my energy creating 10 paragraph essays regurgitating what others spew.

Coach B needs to get his act together or he is unemployed.

I dont think Long is the problem.

#7

So you want to complain about Coach Enos, yet at least Georgia has tried to hire him in the last 2 years. Michael Smith was pursued heavily by LSU. These coaches know how to coach and recruit. To get Whaley, we had to beat out multiple SEC schools. Same with some of our offensive lineman, etc.

Boarbarian makes a great point and one most don’t want to revisit. In the latter years of Ken Hatfield, he took us to 2 cotton bowls, however, those were the first two we had been too in 12-13 years. We hit a couple of Orange bowls, but most part 8-3, 7-4 even a 9-4. The talent level was down. The fans wanted him gone, viewed the flexbone as inferior and boring and Broyles was meddlesome. He leaves and goes to Clemson and we join the SEC. Then we get to the SEC and fire our coach after the very first game. Spend the year with an interim. Then give Danny Ford 5 years to build up the talent level to look like an SEC team only to fire him. Nutt won when he had players, ie either inherited or natural born state players, DMAC, Matt Jones, Hillis. I remember 4 loss teams with that collection of great players also.

Petrino comes in along with the Warren three and the arm of Ryan Mallett. Didn’t win the SEC but we at least made the BCS and the sugar bowl. Problem is once the in state talent ran out his mouth and actions forced his dismissal.

Again, spent a rudderless year without a coach in the SEC and then get Bielema. I think everyone knows the shape of the program when he got here. It takes time and stability to win. Generally, smart young men who don’t get in trouble, go to class and graduate tend to perform better. I don’t want the program back to the police blotter days of Nutt and Petrino. I like that the boys are going to class and getting an education.

The problem is a small in state talent pool. need more athletes on the team and those that come from Arkansas generally make us better. you watch KJ Hill Saturday night and don’t think he instantly makes this team better? The DL at Alabama would be at least a 3 year starter for us. Recruiting is better. Talent is better on the team. Losing Alex Collins, Kirkland and Hunter Henry all hurt. Would love to redshirt some of these kids but they just can’t.

You can fire Bielema. Takes a bunch of money to accomplish that. Very few in the state have that time of money to write that check. BUT, if you do fire him, you have to have a capable replacement. You going Les Miles? You going Mike Norvell at Memphis? Frank Wilson at UTSA? This is our history too. Either a re-tread coach or the classic up and comer. Bielema was the first big time coach to leave his school to coach for us. He gets at least another 2-3 years to try to complete this overhaul.

#8

There was plenty of criticism of them all after the game on Saturday.

Calls for firing both.

Death threat to the kicker.

Some calling for firing, other disappointed but not ready to fire coach after game 2.

Some ready to give him $11.7 million to go away, but no one - as of yet - writing the check to cover that.

#9

It amazes me how simple it seems to some people.

Of course we need better recruiting.
There was nothing that happened on the field Saturday that would not be fixed with elite athletes,
Everybody except the Top 5-10 teams in America needs better recruiting.

That said…

Arkansas is the least populous state in the SEC (just barely behind Mississippi, probably will pass them in next census)
Despite rapid growth of size of UA, we still rank only ahead of the Miss schools and Vanderbilt in enrollment.
The growth in population in the state in in NWA.
Lack of large numbers of African-American athletes to recruit from at home.
Significant challenges to be sure.

Personally, my feelings:
I think Jeff Long is a fantastic AD
Not sure what else anhyone would expect him to do.
Bielema was as big of a fish as we could have hoped for when we got him.
Results have not been what we want, but saying Long doesn’t care about winning is baseless in my mind.

#10

The callers into Bo’s show are calling for scorched earth. This is something else. Saturday seems to have been a turning point.

#11

Your comments are racist.
We are THE flagship school in our state so we get any blue chipper we want (emphasis on “want”). Mississippi population is virtually the same as ours with OM/MSU and USM splitting the talent.
Boise wins with Caucasian players as does Washington and Stanford.
Stop making excuses. We lose cause we do not work hard at recruiting.

#12

No criticism of the passion and mission…but I could do without implying NWA is diluted with transients and the shot at service academy ballplayers.

Otherwise I’m reading you Lima Charlie.

Hopefully someday that 500,000 NWA population base adds a lot more talent to razorback stadium.

#13

So you think Dudley is lying to you when he says this is the hardest working staff he’s seen in 30+ years of covering recruiting? Or you just ignore it because it contradicts your preconceptions?

Stanford’s Caucasians just got crushed by USC, by the way. And you can’t be serious throwing Boise into this discussion. They’ver already played (and lost) their toughest game of the year. Might finish 11-1 and still be the worst team in the SEC if they happened to be in our league instead of the mighty (cough cough) Mountain West. I have no idea where you got the idea Washington doesn’t recruit black kids. They have plenty.

#14

It should be noted most sensible people do not call in to a radio talk show. Most often it is the crazies that call and complain. While, at times, the complainers may have valid points, most don’t have a clue about coaching college football or running a top ten athletic department.

At the end of the year, decisions will be made based on results and other factors.

No sense making a big deal about it at this point. Just quit watching if you are unhappy with the product.

#15

Just heard one of his callers say (wrongly, as Bo would prove later) that CBB was at a concert after the Toledo game, and Saban would never do that. When proven wrong, the caller said, “Well, his wife was, and Saban’s wife would never do that.” Are you kidding me? Is that how low the fan base has sunk? So coaches’ wives cannot enjoy a concert or go shopping or go to a movie after a game because Saban’s wife wouldn’t do that? First of all, how do you know that? Be upset at CBB all you want, but be rational about it.

#16

Good point.
Instead of placing blame at a mediocre recruiter who has shown thus far to be a mediocre gameday coach and to have hired a less than stellar OL coach, Being Bret Bielema will be blamed next.

#17

Ha! That was being blamed a year or two ago. Coaches are fair game; their families are not (unless their son is on the team).

#18

I rather doubt that one would find anybody that found the Hogs performance on Saturday anywhere near acceptable, but fortunately not all have the mentality of any reaction merits an over-reaction. The mind set of those thinking that a plane pulling a banner accomplishes anything more than making us a laughing stock or going nuclear on call in shows is driving the improvement process are likely mistaken. I think these people are having a negative impact on the program, and their scorched earth mentality may make them feel empowered, but accomplishes nothing beneficial to the program.

#19

Reality folks. BB isn’t going anywhere. That is not an endorsement or criticism of him. It simply cost too much money to send him away.

You can say the same thing next year, and the year after.

Lastly, there is no evidence that we are not trying as hard as we can to recruit. I can try harder than anyone in the world has ever tried, I will never be an Olympic sprinter.

Sometimes it isn’t about effort.

#20

Disagree strongly 5-7 or worse and I have no doubts he will be out.

There is no way Arkansaa could bring back a coach with a 5 year SEC record of 12-28.