Yeahp. I agree with most of this, maybe not Jeff Long being canned, but certainly Bret.
The ones who are being honest with themselves see that Bret is a below average coach, he’s not even average. The only reason he ever made it to a rose bowl was because of Barry Alvarez. Bret was handed a gift wrapped train moving full steam ahead, all he had to do was sit there. He gets to Arkansas and his lack of coaching ability is on full display. His lack of development is on full display. His lack of leadership is on full display.
We need to get rid of him. He has not progressed the program like he advertised. He said he needed 5 years when he was hired, he said he’d bring a championship. All he’s done is bring disappointment. Send him back to his home. His welcome is gone, and I’m certainly more than tired of seeing him stand on the sidelines like a big blob.
I don’t know that the offense needs to be changed. It was working quite well when we had Collins and Buddha running with the ball and BA flinging the ball to some great receivers and tight ends. We scored and scored a lot. The problem is we had a solid O-line that kept BA clean and opened holes for the backs. The offense may have become too predictable. There may need to be more 2-minute offense played throughout the game and more Wildhog looks. But a solid offensive line is the difference between what worked then that isn’t working now.
Defensively, I agree we need to put more pressure on the QB and take more chances. I think the possibility will be there to do that next year with what appears could be an improved secondary with shutdown corners (Pulley, Toliver, Curl come to mind; Calloway may be in that category) and with athletic safeties (Ramirez, Brown?). That secondary may help open the door to more blitzes. The possibility is there whoever the coach(es) may be.
I’m not debating who the coach should/will be. Too much 2017 season left to play to know. But the 2018 team could be pretty salty if the offensive line woes get fixed. JMO.
A number of years ago, Bret Bielema hired Mike Markuson, formerly with the Razorbacks under Houston Nutt, to coach the Wisconsin offensive line. Markuson debuted as the offensive line coach for the Badgers in January 2012, but was fired on September 9, 2012, after just two games.
At the time, I thought Bielema must have recognized a mistake and wisely decided to correct it. At this time, and after some of the comments made earlier, I would guess that Barry Alvarez had much more to do with Markuson’s departure. Otherwise, the weekly revolving door, offensive line shuffle and quarterback beatdowns in Fayetteville would have been corrected long ago.
Barring a miraculous turnaround - and even then, why in the hell does it take seven games to figure things out - in my opinion, Jeff Long needs to say goodbye to his “home run” hire, at season’s end. Alternatively, retain Alvarez to [again] coach up the head coach.
No disrespect to Long, but the University of Arkansas has had and deserves much better.
On this board, I assume we’re all Razorback fans who have different opinions. All of us, I think, want to win. I know I want the Hogs to go 15-0 and be the national champs. Would dearly love to see that. So, dwp007, I’m not picking on you. You are just the last person out of many that I’ve seen write that–the UofA, fans, the state (whomever) deserves better, deserves to win, deserves a championship, deserves to be competing for championships … and so on.
I wonder why we deserve it and Alabama doesn’t or Vanderbilt doesn’t or Oklahoma doesn’t, etc., etc. I don’t know that we deserve it–we desire it and want it and spend money (as an athletic program, as fans) to see victories and not losses. I absolutely was sick to shell out the amount of money I did to see a cheating Ohio State beat us in the Sugar Bowl. Since then, I’ve become handicap and can no longer attend games and spend money on the Hogs like I’d like to. But I think the folks at South Carolina or Texas A&M or Missouri feel they deserve to win, too.
Again, dwp007, I’m not angry or upset with your views. It has nothing to do with that. But if everyone feels they deserve to win and win big, who’s to say who really does deserve it? IDK.
SAH, I agree with what you say above, but I do think the fans should expect the Hogs to be more competitive that what we have been seeing. I think the cards are stacked against the Hogs of being an annual contender but they should be competitive. I just don’t see any fire on the sidelines during the games.
I’m not one to save games on DVR and watch over and over but maybe some of you out there are and can answer this question:
Do we have a ‘tell’? Are members of the O line turning their feet one way for run, another for pass? are they spacing differently for run vs pass? There has to be a tell that the DC’s are seeing in film that is broadcasting loud and clear what we’re going to do. With young linemen needing a jump or some advantage on the D line, I could see them either being coached to position a certain way, or simply falling into a tell over the course of a game due to inexperience. Something is going on…grasping at straws but it’s tough to explain the success of the past with what’s going on now.
No offense taken, SEH. You raise a legitimate question and I think the premise underlying my answer would be the same. The University of Arkansas has a proud and storied tradition. We have had some high quality coaches over the years as well as some excellent teams. We have had much better coaches and teams than what we are seeing, today.
Obviously, there is a direct correlation between being well coached and fielding a good team. It starts and stops with the head coach - from hiring competent assistants to solid recruiting, to player development of those recruits, to off the field issues, to actually coaching a winning formula or strategy during the games.
Given the vast amount of monies D1 college coaches are being paid, I would agree with what you have said. Brothers and sisters at other SEC programs deserve to have good teams, as well. In my opinion, that is where athletic directors make the difference, in terms of hiring the right coach for the program.
After 4.5 years, at $4M+ million a year, in my opinion, Bret Bielema is not the right coach.
I can see how people come to that conclusion. I’m not quite there yet. To me, these next six games will be telling.
I often think about people who pray that God will let their team win. If the other team’s fans pray the same thing for their team, what’s God to do? Ha!
My apologies about the same response being conveyed multiple times, SAH. No idea what happened there, but I would also agree with another comment you made earlier. The opinions may differ, but most the folks on this board are wanting and hoping for the exact, same thing.