What is truly possible at Arkansas and does it match what I expect and hope for?
If this is as good as it gets - I can’t support talking excellence and reciving average in return
Like many abuse victims Im starting to think I’m sonehow responsible for
Wanting too much
Or maybe it’s bevause I changed my name
When I was BluegrassRazorback we seemed to win more
But it was chaotic
Maybe this is all just maturing for me and the Razorbacks
After all look where MSU is?
Just a few years ago they we’re ready to let Dan Mullen go but over time - creating a stable environment he took advantage of the HDN and Huge Freeze Chaos and built a solid foundation
Maybe Arkansss just needs stable and the pain that goes with it before Coach Bret can get a solid footing to build that somthing exceptional at Arkansas
After all we have had years of chaos - HDN, Coach Bobby and the Dutch - “just Smile John Smith” and a SEC front office rearranging the conference placing Arkansas at a continued disadvantage asking us again to invest in building somthing out of nothing - “again”
That’s just a lot to over come and that’s not even talking about “King Sabin”
I’ll try and chill let it play out I knew it would be a tough year just looking at the schedule but dang the play has been so poor and disjointed it’s as if nothing has developed and nothing’s learned
Don’t know how long you have been a fan, and regardless whether I have been longer, it does not make me better or smarter than you or any other fan. What I have gained from the lumps of life and the ups and downs of Hog sports, have led me to a level of patience but more importantly it has taught me to enjoy life as it comes. I bristle at those who seem so casual and impulsive about firing coaches and administrators, not that the person might not need to be replaced.
I don’t know whether retaing or replacing Coach B will lead to the fastest or best results, but really wonder if those who seem so certain know either. For me, I will just try to be positive and enjoy the good, hope for improvement and keep calling the Hogs. Being in Oxford on Saturday was an example to me where optimism and patience were rewarded.
Realistic expectations has to be evaluated almost weekly to stay within the prospective we used to gauge and set our expectations. As fans sometimes we lose our situational awareness and develop tunnel vision or make decisions with blinders on and are only capable of seeing what’s directly in front of us instead of seeing the whole picture. It’s akind to when MA lost Portis,Qualls and Williams and fans including myself called out MA for not being prepared for the departures, again you have to adjust expectations accordingly to prevailing circumstances, if not you are going to make poor decisions.Changing defense in the off season,loss of players due to injuries, players not arriving on campus when expected and slow player development at crucial positions were the prevailing circumstances leading up to season opener that should have had us adjusting our expectations instead of focusing on what year it is for our head coach. Coaches giving up on the the team,players giving up on a coach are rarely the first thing that happens, it’s almost always the fans who are the first to fall off the bandwagon and right away demand changes, hardly any fan of sports are exempt from this,some are just more discreet than others. Most all of expected more from this team than what we have received and what happens from here is anyone’s guess.If the players had given up Saturday after the first quarter it would have simplified some tough upcoming decisions but that’s not what happened. I’ve taken the attitude if this teams not giving up then I’m not giving up on them ! WPS
What makes it difficult for Hog fans is at one time we were there, we were relevant. We have been to the top of the mountain, although it was a long time ago. Still, many of us have memories of it.
Because of this, we just can’t let go of high expectations, unreasonable as they may be. And I’m not sure Long and Bielema have a total understanding of this, not in their bones anyway.
You write single-sentence paragraphs like Wally Hall!
You can celebrate that, or focus on fixing it. Either takes your mind off of the other.
You are writing what fans for any of 115 different D1 schools could write. The BCS/playoff era seems to be making it that much tougher for different schools to have a breakout moment. Enjoy what you can, let go of what you can’t, and don’t let it affect the rest of your life.
Great example of stability at Miss State with Mullen. Who really knows what the right thing to do for the program is at this point? The next few weeks will determine the fate of CBB and the staff. I’ve been following the Hogs closely since about 1961…so I’m old and have become over the years less stressed about outcomes of games. There are many things in my life much more important. 20 years ago losses would cause me to be unhappy for the next week. Not now. Some would label that as accepting mediocrity which is not true. I am very competitive and want to win as much as anyone as shown by my crazy antics during the game. I get it that many want to see CBB gone. Many detested his offensive style when he was hired and more see the failures in winning. I’ve always supported whoever is coach until they are gone. I’m very loyal.
I’m optimistic about the future (whoever is coach). I think we have some quality SEC young players ready to step in important roles. We just need to pick up O and D linemen.
It does bother me that folks get on CBB about his expectations off the field and in the classroom. Some redicule those fine qualities. But in the end he is paid to win. Hope he turns it around.
Poor poor pitiful me. My first year to be a Razorback fan was 1964 when I was 6 years old. No one pulled me aside and said “hey kid, congratulations. You’ve peaked. This is as good as it will ever get. Enjoy the next 53+ years but understand that your team will NEVER enjoy this level of success again.”
If anyone has been a Hog Fan for a long period of time like a lot of us on this board have. The roller coaster ride has been a turbulent one to say the least.
I was to young to embrace the NC season of 64 but still remember the 69 Game of the Century loss to TX like it was yesterday.
There have many almost there Hog Teams in every decade since JFB took us to the pinnacle. I don’t know what’s worse anymore, being almost good enough & the heart ache that goes with losing that 1 game that would have put us there, or being near the top but knowing we still aren’t elite enough, or just flat out stinking it up?
Like Dale Earnhardt said, coming in 2nd, you might as well be last. Right now I’ll take anything above last.
I’ll keep riding the rolller coaster.
If CBB had just been a good defense coordinator that we took a chance on, I’d say it’s time to make a change, but…
He has a history of winning P5 championships. His Wisc teams won the Big10 with his own players in his 5th, 6th and 7th seasons; winning 11 in two of those years. He’s built a well organized program here, but he made some mistakes in recruiting, and maybe an OL coach hire. No one knows what needs to be fixed better than CBB.
We saw in 2015 what his “physical team with a balanced offense” is supposed to look like. That team averaged 466 ypg, more than any Petrino year except the Mallett Rose Bowl year. Maybe we should give him another year to turn things around, instead of taking a chance on another rebuild.
I think comparing being an Arkansas fan to an abuse victim is a little overboard. I understand you are frustrated, but remember this is just sports. A game. Everybody has questions as to CBB’s ability to get it done, but it’s your choice to continue to watch or not. Just don’t let it get to you.
I hear ya, Bluegrass. Hard not to be discouraged. But I enjoy your perspectives over the years, and this is a time we need all hog fans. We will get this figured out. We are a sleeping giant that just needs more help getting up at the moment.
This is so true. It’s why I never understood the clamoring for the Playoff. It was set up to further the divide between the blue bloods and everyone else and it has done so in a major way.
The guy is well liked but he seems to be stubborn. If he refuses to change he has to go and I’m not totally sold on him knowing and using a players skill set.
If Bielema is retained you have every right to be disappointed and to lose faith in the program. It will clearly demonstrate Jeff Long and others Care about a lot of things, namely the almighty dollar, but winning is not one of them.
Or it could clearly demonstrate that Jeff Long believes BB is a better coach than whoever else would happen to be available. Your blind faith that someone new will be better is just as hard for me to understand as those that feel he should get another year are for you.
Several people have mentioned Dan Mullen lately, both as a candidate for the Florida job and also to point out we should be able to do better. Mullen’s third, fourth, and fifth years at Miss St. were 7-6, 8-5, & 7-6. Year 6 they went to a BCS game. I don’t know that BB can do that, but I like his chances just as much as coach X that had a hot year at a mid-major, or a coordinator that has never been a head coach.
BTW, if he does get the axe (I’d just as soon he stays), I’d like to see them give Butch Davis a chance.
