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Dec 12th, 2007 01:07AM
by: whatsshakinbacon

Thank You, Santa!
Volume LXXXV
December 12, 2007

Merry Christmas, Arkansas.

It’s been a long time coming. The last time Arkansas made an “A” list hire would arguably be Lou Holtz in 1976. Some 31 years later the Hogs again tapped the NFL ranks for another, only this time one with an impressive college resume’ in his hip pocket.

And what a wild ride it’s been getting to this point. In the last few days the Razorback Nation’s head has been on a swivel. Between the parade of coaching candidates and infighting between the Board of Trustees and administration we all began to wonder if this search might upscale the fiasco of Dana Altman’s hire last spring.

I’m confident that our coaching search can be labeled the most expensive in college football history. Not only did Houston Nutt graciously accept our 3.65 million dollar buyout, but Tommy Tuberville, Butch Davis, Tommy Bowden, Jim Grobe and Jimbo Fisher saw their future bank accounts grow by millions as rumors of Arkansas flirtations hit the press.

As recently as Tuesday morning the spectrum of potential hires ranged from relative unprovens in Reggie Herring and Will Muschamp to well known commodities in Butch Davis and Bobby Petrino.

In my lifetime I can never remember a hire as important as this one. A fractured fan-base is thirsting for something to unify. Whoever we hired absolutely HAD to be a rallying point for the fans. Though I believe Gus Malzahn will one day be a contender for the national championship, hiring him now would serve to widen this chasm between fans. His time at Arkansas will come. For now we can heal through wins.

But this hire is even more important from another angle. Regarding Arkansas athletics, there’s long been an elephant running roughshod through the house. Certain boosters have positioned themselves in the past to have inside control over our coaching staff. This has proven to be monumentally destructive to our program and landed us in the position we are in today. That we had to force a resignation through a 3.65 million dollar bribe is a manifestation of these unhealthy relationships.

The nice thing about Bobby Petrino is he won’t share space with elephants. Coach Petrino is his own man, someone who eats, drinks and sleeps football. He’s a very focused coach cut from the same cloth as folks like Jimmy Johnson, Bill Belichick and Nick Saban. There are times he will anger us, but by golly it’s his ship and he’ll run it the way he sees fit. Petrino will also anger meddling boosters – but they have done just what the program needed in taking off aged handcuffs of manipulation. Bobby Petrino will not be controlled by anyone. And I applaud the Board of Trustees and administration in taking this important leap of faith by hiring someone who will not be dominated.

In the music department the band leaders and drum majors are breathing a sigh of relief. Their perches atop the ladders are safe again. A decade-long era of looking over their shoulders for a charging coach is gone. Coach Petrino emotes little, save tirades for underperforming players. How refreshing.

Players will now be able to stretch themselves by growing into a more complex system. How exciting for our receiving corps to see an offense coming to town that involves more than one effective pass pattern at each snap. Our quarterbacks have been held back for years. The oft-maligned position could actually prove to be a strength with solid coaching.

I fully expected next year to be a disaster with the mass exodus of skill players. Now there is hope where there was none. I’m sure a few guys from Warren just might get a chance to contribute in a system that will showcase their talents, not to mention an in-state recruit (Joe Adams, are you listening) or two who today are undoubtedly reconsidering their decisions to go elsewhere.

But above all, the excitement for fans is immeasurable. The 2008 season will focus on football, not off-field transgressions. And on the field gone are the days of wringing our hands as we try to run down the clock. Forgotten are repetitive running plays up the middle with nothing to gain. This is a new day in Arkansas. Unpredictability on offense is our new mainstay, and our SEC competition is shaking at this hire.

A brief scan of SEC West message boards tonight was rather heartwarming. Not once since we joined the SEC have we been respected like we were in the once proud Southwest Conference. Tonight it all changed. And the beautiful irony is Auburn’s oppressive buyout numbers for Tommy Tuberville made this all possible, despite their continual wooing of Petrino through the years. The fact that Petrino did more with less at Louisville bodes well for his stay at Arkansas, and our opposition knows this. It’s about time they see the Razorback team that I remember. And with this “A” list hire our success will come.

What a great day to be a Razorback fan. A coaching search that appeared doomed to failure turned today, and the nation appears wowed that lowly Arkansas could hire away from the NFL. How quickly the nation forgets good Arkansas teams of the past.

Today we unite as one behind the hope provided in a great hire. Today we sweep away the ashes from a recently checkered past and rise like a fiery Phoenix in a return to prominence.

Today the dominoes started falling.

Woooooooooo Pig Sooooooooie

Bacon out…