I like Mike Norvell but with a defense...

[synthartist69]

We know Mike Norvell knows how to put points on the board, but can he create a respectable defense here at Arkansas? I like the idea of having him as the next coach.

[RebelW]

I do too, because he is the OC so you could have more money to spend on a good DC

[King Kong]

I do too, because he is the OC so you could have more money to spend on a good DC

Yeah but does he say loyal to his current guy that was willing to follow him from Arizona State?

[lakecityhog]

Most coaches bring less than their full former staff, they use the transition as an opportunity to upgrade certain positions. If Sumlin is out give him enough money to go after Chavis or just give him enough money to go after Grantham at Miss State.

Choosing an SEC quality DC is probably the most important decision that our new HC will make. He could keep his DC as AHC/LB or something like that. He may well lose some of his staff to Memphis anyway since most new coaches like to keep at least some contact with the former staff.

[Boarcephus]

I don't want Sumlin.  He's another one who has access to talent we can only dream of and he's not doing that much with it at A&M. 

[The NewEra]

Bring Keith Burns back to run our defense.

[ballinhog]

I was just texting my dad practically the same thing. I told him my first choice is Frost but that is so unlikely that I'm pretty much 55% Gus 45% Norvell.

I really like Norvell but I am concerned with the D. I wouldn't want him to bring his DC from Memphis. Their D is worse than ours and he's been there both years. If he was that good of a DC then he would've at least made some decent improvements this year and they are horrible. Don't know what they did last year on D but it couldn't of been much worse. I don't wanna win 56-50 games, I'd rather win 10-9. Other than that concern tho, I really like Norvell. What puts Gus over right now for me is the defensive coordinators he hires. Does a really good job there. I like them both, a lot, Frost even more so

[The_Iceman]

I honestly don't think Paul Rhodes is a terrible DC. I just dont think he has much to work with.

I would like to see Norvell hire a DC that focuses on speed and aggressiveness on defense, even if it means being a little undersized at positions.

[Hugo Bezdek]

I'm not sure you get an old head like Chavis to work for someone like Norvell. I'd like to see us go get someone like Alex Grinch from WSU.

[Wmhog]

I live an Memphis and watch two teams every weekend: Arkansas and Memphis.  Not a Memphis fan but it's fun to watch Norvell hang 50 on somebody just about every week.  Scored 66 on Chad Morris last week.

I agree with the comment about lack of Defense at Memphis.  But here's the thing.  The offenses scores so quickly and so often it seems like the defense is on the field all the time.  So some of the defensive woes is due to fatigue.  Not sure it that can be corrected but if you are the other team, you need to score a lot to keep up.

[#1 STUNNA]

The guy has 6 defensive starters out with season ending injuries.. the most in the NCAA.

[Hugo Bezdek]

I live an Memphis and watch two teams every weekend: Arkansas and Memphis.  Not a Memphis fan but it's fun to watch Norvell hang 50 on somebody just about every week.  Scored 66 on Chad Morris last week.

I agree with the comment about lack of Defense at Memphis.  But here's the thing.  The offenses scores so quickly and so often it seems like the defense is on the field all the time.  So some of the defensive woes is due to fatigue.  Not sure it that can be corrected but if you are the other team, you need to score a lot to keep up.

I agree that with a prolific offense you have to look more at defensive efficiency. Every time you score, the other team gets the ball back. You still have to stop the other team.

[The_Iceman]

I'm not sure you get an old head like Chavis to work for someone like Norvell. I'd like to see us go get someone like Alex Grinch from WSU.

He will get a HC job before another DC position.

[King Kong]

I honestly don't think Paul Rhodes is a terrible DC. I just dont think he has much to work with.

I would like to see Norvell hire a DC that focuses on speed and aggressiveness on defense, even if it means being a little undersized at positions.

I could be wrong but I think Bielema encourages him to not bring pressure. Last week they decided to bring pressures and by far our best defensive game

[Calvin Swine]

I'm going to say something very unpopular to many.  I'd estimate the last 10 years have shown us that great defensive recruits/players are a limited premium commodity that typically go the Bama's, Auburn's, Georgia's, Florida's, Clemson's, and Florida Sates of the college football world.  I'd guess it's because most high schools play high octane spread offenses so most of the talent is cultivated on that side of the ball.  Because the emphasis is on the offense, good and great offensive skill players are easier to find and show up more frequently at a myriad of schools dotted across the nation.

Recent Arkansas history has had the most success under an offensive minded coach that largely ignored the defense.  Those asking for great offense and great defense, in my opinion, are wanting to have their cake and eat it too.  I think it's time to put the focus back on having a dynamic offense and, if possible, attempt to have a decent defense.

An offensive football team is exciting to watch and sells more seats.  It's exactly the shot in the arm our program needs.

Norvell is an offensive minded coach and arrives without any divisiveness.  We know he's less likely to be play the "call me maybe" game that Gus is.  Despite only being a head coach 2 years Norvell is far and away my front runner. 

[hogfansince79]

Right now he averages 44.7 pts/g on offense and gives up 32.6 pts/g on defense, and he is 9-1.

Now, if he came here and averaged around that same 40 pts/g on offense, and averaged something like a top forty (22.9) or a top fifty (25.1) in pts/g defensively... he'll win a lot of games here.

[hogfansince79]

Btw, in his SMU post game presser Saturday, he said they have played 35 freshmen the last two years.  Wow.  He is currently 17–6 and 11–4 in the conference during that time.

[Matt Burks]

I'm going to say something very unpopular to many.  I'd estimate the last 10 years have shown us that great defensive recruits/players are a limited premium commodity that typically go the Bama's, Auburn's, Georgia's, Florida's, Clemson's, and Florida Sates of the college football world.  I'd guess it's because most high schools play high octane spread offenses so most of the talent is cultivated on that side of the ball.  Because the emphasis is on the offense, good and great offensive skill players are easier to find and show up more frequently at a myriad of schools dotted across the nation.

Recent Arkansas history has had the most success under an offensive minded coach that largely ignored the defense.  Those asking for great offense and great defense, in my opinion, are wanting to have their cake and eat it too.  I think it's time to put the focus back on having a dynamic offense and, if possible, attempt to have a decent defense.

An offensive football team is exciting to watch and sells more seats.  It's exactly the shot in the arm our program needs.

Norvell is an offensive minded coach and arrives without any divisiveness.  We know he's less likely to be play the "call me maybe" game that Gus is.  Despite only being a head coach 2 years Norvell is far and away my front runner. 

Petrino proved exactly what you are saying. Norvell reminds me a lot of Petrino as a coach, but with a much better personality. Petrino always had a great offense and great special teams. Novell does the same. Petrino and Novell, from my research on him, are both attention to detail type of coaches. However, Norvell has a great ability to rally the troops with a rah-rah speech. He's going to a great coach, lets hope it is here.

[hogsanity]

We know Mike Norvell knows how to put points on the board, but can he create a respectable defense here at Arkansas? I like the idea of having him as the next coach.

and will he be able to put points on the board against teams that field respectable defenses? He has played one team this year that does that- UCF- and UCF held them to 10 pts and hung 41 on Memphis.

[Matt Burks]

and will he be able to put points on the board against teams that field respectable defenses? He has played one team this year that does that- UCF- and UCF held them to 10 pts and hung 41 on Memphis.

Gus's "genius" offense scored how many on Clemson?

[hogfansince79]

and will he be able to put points on the board against teams that field respectable defenses? He has played one team this year that does that- UCF- and UCF held them to 10 pts and hung 41 on Memphis.

Yep, 4 turnovers kind of messes up your game plan.  I'm looking forward to the championship game on 12/2... providing UCF beats USF on Friday, which I believe they will.

Hopefully, Memphis should give them a better game than the last time.

[hogsanity]

Gus's "genius" offense scored how many on Clemson?

6

[OkieBack]

Gus's "genius" offense scored how many on Clemson?

If you go with an offensive guy like Gus or Norvell, AND he happens to be the OC then you run into the HDN problem (head coach spread too thin).  HDN could win you 8-9 games but then have zero game plan for the other 3-4 games to lose or hope for luck to be on your side.  HDN was told to bring in an OC so that he could focus on all 3 facets of the game and get over the 8 game hump to challenge for a title.  Gus was his token OC but after that season it was all headed downhill for HDN anyway. 

I know all see the gold and glitter in hiring an offensive guy like Norvell or Gus, but if spread too thin...then 8-9 wins is probably as good as it gets and you are back to the HDN days without a title.  Many fans want the whole enchilada.  Hire Venables and let him bring in his quality coaches both on offense and defense to get Arkansas back in the hunt.

[Tigaman]

Memphis is very young on defense. They have only 8 juniors and seniors on their defensive depth chart. They have also lost 5 or 6 defensive starters. You need to look more deeply before you say they play no defense.

[ipigsooie]

If you go with an offensive guy like Gus or Norvell, AND he happens to be the OC then you run into the HDN problem (head coach spread too thin).  HDN could win you 8-9 games but then have zero game plan for the other 3-4 games to lose or hope for luck to be on your side.  HDN was told to bring in an OC so that he could focus on all 3 facets of the game and get over the 8 game hump to challenge for a title.  Gus was his token OC but after that season it was all headed downhill for HDN anyway. 

I know all see the gold and glitter in hiring an offensive guy like Norvell or Gus, but if spread too thin...then 8-9 wins is probably as good as it gets and you are back to the HDN days without a title.  Many fans want the whole enchilada.  Hire Venables and let him bring in his quality coaches both on offense and defense to get Arkansas back in the hunt.

You literally said that if you hire Norvell or an offensive coach that runs the offense he will be spread too thin, and then turned around and said to hire Venables. You don't think he would be running the defense?

[OkieBack]

You literally said that if you hire Norvell or an offensive coach that runs the offense he will be spread too thin, and then turned around and said to hire Venables. You don't think he would be running the defense?

If Venables learned anything from Bob Stoops then no.  He might install his own system and let someone else actually call the shots.  That's why I think in the long run OU will have trouble unless Lincoln Riley hires a true offensive coordinator.  A head coach (to reach the pinnacle) is hired to be exactly that:  a head coach to oversee all different aspects of team play. 

If Arkansas hires Norvell or GM then I will support 100%.  But I'm not a huge fan of someone trying to be the head coach and also trying to be the OC or DC .  It's just too much and you lose quality control from the head coaching position.

[ipigsooie]

If Venables learned anything from Bob Stoops then no.  He might install his own system and let someone else actually call the shots.  That's why I think in the long run OU will have trouble unless Lincoln Riley hires a true offensive coordinator.  A head coach (to reach the pinnacle) is hired to be exactly that:  a head coach to oversee all different aspects of team play. 

If Arkansas hires Norvell or GM then I will support 100%.  But I'm not a huge fan of someone trying to be the head coach and also trying to be the OC or DC .  It's just too much and you lose quality control from the head coaching position.

I think Norvell will be similar to Petrino in that he will have an offensive coordinator in name. He does at Memphis. I think you can handle both but I agree that it can be overwhelming. 

[OkieBack]

I think Norvell will be similar to Petrino in that he will have an offensive coordinator in name. He does at Memphis. I think you can handle both but I agree that it can be overwhelming.

Agreed.

[Gonzo]

Right now he averages 44.7 pts/g on offense and gives up 32.6 pts/g on defense, and he is 9-1.

Now, if he came here and averaged around that same 40 pts/g on offense, and averaged something like a top forty (22.9) or a top fifty (25.1) in pts/g defensively... he'll win a lot of games here.

I agree the Hogs could be pretty good with numbers like those.  We saw it just a few years ago, though many here deny it or don't care to admit it. I sure enjoyed those seasons, would love to see some more like them.

Go Hogs!

[clutch]

If Venables learned anything from Bob Stoops then no.  He might install his own system and let someone else actually call the shots.  That's why I think in the long run OU will have trouble unless Lincoln Riley hires a true offensive coordinator.  A head coach (to reach the pinnacle) is hired to be exactly that:  a head coach to oversee all different aspects of team play. 

If Arkansas hires Norvell or GM then I will support 100%.  But I'm not a huge fan of someone trying to be the head coach and also trying to be the OC or DC .  It's just too much and you lose quality control from the head coaching position.

There's 11 Head Coaches in the NFL that still call their own plays. Some of them are coaching some of the best teams in the NFL, Sean McVay in LA, Andy Reid, Sean Payton. Others like Mccarthy in Green Bay, and Bruce Arians in Arizona have had some pretty good teams doing that as well.

They have OC's, and they work with the OC's and position coaches all week on coordinating the offense, then just take over play calling duty on game days. I don't see anything wrong with that if you are an exceptional play caller, and hire strong coaches on the defensive side of the ball that you can trust. Usually when you have an offensive minded coach, the fans don't want them messing with the defense anyways. They want them to hire a great defensive mind to handle that.

[OkieBack]

There's 11 Head Coaches in the NFL that still call their own plays. Some of them are coaching some of the best teams in the NFL, Sean McVay in LA, Andy Reid, Sean Payton. Others like Mccarthy in Green Bay, and Bruce Arians in Arizona have had some pretty good teams doing that as well.

They have OC's, and they work with the OC's and position coaches all week on coordinating the offense, then just take over play calling duty on game days. I don't see anything wrong with that if you are an exceptional play caller, and hire strong coaches on the defensive side of the ball that you can trust. Usually when you have an offensive minded coach, the fans don't want them messing with the defense anyways. They want them to hire a great defensive mind to handle that.

I agree with most of that.  My only last thought is Petrino could outscore with his offense and that will produce wins no doubt.  But just as in 2011 when you run up against the conference contenders you gotta have some sort of defense.  That's why the Hogs couldn't beat Bama and LSU.  They had better defenses.  But may be Norvell or Gus would be different and bring in the right guy to run the defense.  You could argue the same thing about Venables.  Would he bring in the right guy to run the offense?  Until they get here, I think its all pure speculation.  In reality, any of them would be better than what we've seen recently.  Its not only just a matter of getting back on the winning track, but who can lead you to the promised land.  We won with HDN and Petrino.  I just hope we can get a coach who offers the full package - offense, defense, and special teams.

[davehog]

Could be the same script as Spurrier before he got Bob Stoops. 

[clutch]

I agree with most of that.  My only last thought is Petrino could outscore with his offense and that will produce wins no doubt.  But just as in 2011 when you run up against the conference contenders you gotta have some sort of defense.  That's why the Hogs couldn't beat Bama and LSU.  They had better defenses.  But may be Norvell or Gus would be different and bring in the right guy to run the defense.  You could argue the same thing about Venables.  Would he bring in the right guy to run the offense?  Until they get here, I think its all pure speculation.  In reality, any of them would be better than what we've seen recently.  Its not only just a matter of getting back on the winning track, but who can lead you to the promised land.  We won with HDN and Petrino.  I just hope we can get a coach who offers the full package - offense, defense, and special teams.

I think the main difference between people wanting an Offensive minded coach vs. a Defensive minded coach is that it just seems that in today's game you are more likely to win games with a good offense. There's been teams recently that had very good defenses that just never proved to be that good. Offenses now are so good, that even on the best defenses they are usually going to score. So you better be able to score at least a little bit. You don't see many 10-7, 14-10, or even 21-14 games anymore. If you see a 21-14 game in today's landscape, that was a defensive game.

If you don't have a defense you are always going to struggle against the truly elite teams, like Petrino did with Bama. However, at Arkansas it's going to be hard to consistently beat them no matter what. I think fans are going to be pretty happy if you can win 8-9 games every year, and slip up and beat them once every 3-4 years and have the chance at that great run. At Arkansas, you don't have to consistently win SEC CC's or NC's, you just have to give the fans the hope that you might, and show every once in a while that you can get over the hump and get to that championship game.   

[OkieBack]

I think the main difference between people wanting an Offensive minded coach vs. a Defensive minded coach is that it just seems that in today's game you are more likely to win games with a good offense. There's been teams recently that had very good defenses that just never proved to be that good. Offenses now are so good, that even on the best defenses they are usually going to score. So you better be able to score at least a little bit. You don't see many 10-7, 14-10, or even 21-14 games anymore. If you see a 21-14 game in today's landscape, that was a defensive game.

If you don't have a defense you are always going to struggle against the truly elite teams, like Petrino did with Bama. However, at Arkansas it's going to be hard to consistently beat them no matter what. I think fans are going to be pretty happy if you can win 8-9 games every year, and slip up and beat them once every 3-4 years and have the chance at that great run. At Arkansas, you don't have to consistently win SEC CC's or NC's, you just have to give the fans the hope that you might, and show every once in a while that you can get over the hump and get to that championship game.

And that's probably why Arkansas will go with an offensive minded coach.  Fans will be happy for several years with 8 or 9 wins.  I guess I'm just skipping ahead of what to do when the next coach hits Year #9 like HDN and needs to get over the hump.  HDN's success became his enemy because after several years fans were ready to take the next step and win a championship instead of the typical 8 win season.  But I'm getting ahead of myself I'm sure. 

[clutch]

And that's probably why Arkansas will go with an offensive minded coach.  Fans will be happy for several years with 8 or 9 wins.  I guess I'm just skipping ahead of what to do when the next coach hits Year #9 like HDN and needs to get over the hump.  HDN's success became his enemy because after several years fans were ready to take the next step and win a championship instead of the typical 8 win season.  But I'm getting ahead of myself I'm sure. 

I can see your point. That's way down the road though from where we are as a program right now. I think if you want to win quickly, which most Arkansas fans do, you probably go the offensive route. Then, down the road, if it isn't working out you might bring in a defensive guy. It may work out then if you had a system that brought in a lot of talent. Where Arkansas is right now, they need some immediate excitement shot into the program. For both recruiting reasons and fan happiness. I'm just not sure the fans are patient enough to wait out the time that a defensive coach would need.

It's much harder to bring in a lot of defensive talent than it is offensive. A big reason for this is because of the way the high school game is played now. It's all offensively focused. The systems, the practices, and the games. With the rise in popularity of basketball among high school athletes, a lot of them quit playing football. To draw them to football it has to be an exciting, fast paced brand that allows them chances to score points. If not, they will stay in the gym and shoot hoops until the season starts. I see it happen every year. Some of the best athletes in the school have to basically be begged to play football in the smaller classifications where athletes are hard to come by. Basketball is easier, doesn't hurt as much, and is in a climate controlled environment so they have to be enticed to step outside in the heat of summer practice or the cold temperatures of late season games. That's why football has basically turned into basketball on turf. It sucks, but it's the reality of the times we live in.

[Paul]

Another reason offense is preferred in lesser programs( most Big 12 & AAC teams) is that there exists a talent gap with the bigger more established programs. So most of the talent is put on offense because it gives them a better chance to win, is exciting to watch, & puts butts in the seats.  Like it or not that where our program is now.

[ipigsooie]

Today's article in sec country rates him 1 on our list

[ipigsooie]

https://www.seccountry.com/arkansas/arkansas-coach-candidates-bret-bielema

Sorry forgot the link

[jgphillips3]

The guy has 6 defensive starters out with season ending injuries.. the most in the NCAA.

Well.  That certainly excuses their inability to win games.  Oh, wait...