Player Meeting is Over

[JIHawg]

Venables is not the only great DC out there.  Cast a wider net in expectations and be patient.  The Negative Nancys will all gradually slither back under the rocks.

[Pork Twain]

No, he’s not. That I will guarantee.

Please sweet baby Jesus, eliminate some of the negativity on Hogville.  It is becoming unbearable and before long all of the good posters will be gone and this is all that you will be left with.  People are complaining left and right and it is obvious that it is just reflexive and they have not even taken the time to research anything.  I did not like Morris at first, until I looked into what he had done at Clemson and the mess he took over at SMU.

[snoblind]

Clemson was Dabo Swinneys first head coaching job.
Lou Holtz was 13-20 his first three years as head coach.
Frank Beamer started 24-40-2 at Virginia Tech.
Mark Dantonio was 11-12 his first two years as head coach.
Art Briles was 16-20 his first three years as a head coach.
Les Miles was 12-12 his first two years as a head coach.
Oklahoma was Bob Stoops first job as a head coach.
........ and more ........

There are plenty of examples of highly successful head coaches not starting out as winners on the field.  On the other hand, look at Arkansas's most recent experiences in hiring former D-1 coaches with winning records ----- Bret Bielema, John L. Smith, Bobby Petrino, Danny Ford.

Optimism is a state of mind.  Until I have seen the product on the field, I choose to have high expectations and positive feelings about the new coaches potential for success.  If Morris crashes and burns, I'll deal with the disappointment later.  In the meantime why not enjoy the journey, before we get to the mountains.

That's why some believe that the Razorbacks can compete in the SEC.

Time to roll the dice.

Great post.

[porkribz]

Heard from person at meeting CCM said he was bringing in best DC in the country.

[JtBrash]

Heard from person at meeting CCM said he was bringing in best DC in the country.

This is what I heard he said too. Told the players this, so, coach speak or does he have a rabbit under his hat on day one?

[OhioHog]

No, he's not. That I will guarantee.

Thank you!

[hobhog]

This is what I heard he said too. Told the players this, so, coach speak or does he have a rabbit under his hat on day one?

[a shady hog]

Heard from person at meeting CCM said he was bringing in best DC in the country.

Probably Venables, but who else is considered best defensive coordinator in the country? Steele?

[TNRazorbacker]

I just wonder why so many of you are convinced we can compete for sec titles with this hire. What evidence leads anyone to believe that?

As long as fans allow the ptb to continue screwing us, then we deserve it.

There's no evidence Arkansas can seriously compete for an SEC title at all. That's going to be a long shot no matter who the hire is.

All you can do is make the hire you feel is the best fit for your situation in making you as competitive as possible. I think Morris is a great hire in this regard for several reasons.

1. He's an offense guy and that's what we need to focus on.  We can recruit the type of offensive players needed to run the up tempo system offensive system.  Arkansas produces thus type athlete relatively well and Morris knows where to find them in Texas.

2. Defense is never going to be great at Arkansas. Not consistently in this league.  You maximize your potential when focusing on your strengths and we will never be able to consistently recruit the elite defensive players necessary to build an dominant defense in this league. This is why Venables would have been a bad head coaching hire. It's foolish to invest your top dollar in a skill set that can only get you to average at best anyway. Now if Morris can lure Venables to AR as DC that's terrific (not holding my breath on that one though)

3. Texas, Texas, Texas. Arkansas absolutely has to get back into Texas strong in recruiting. The better teams in Arkansas history have been built on a Texas roster. Oklahoma has been doing it for decades. Morris is probably the best possible hire for this.

4. Reputation as a player developer. Can coach up players. His ability to get early results with 3 star talent is widely chided among the Clemson faithful.

5. Evidence that this hire was based on attention to the above, on what is needed to make Arkansas good, on what is going to work here. Not a shallow fixation on wins at a place and conference 180 degrees different than us for example.  We learned a lesson from the failure of the last hire.

6. Has passion and fire. Man has this ever been missing.