Is Bret Bielema ahead of, right on, or behind schedule?

[hog19911]

BP is a great coach but I had zero confidence he was ever going to compete with Bama and LSU.
I feel much more confident about the possibility of us defeating Bama under a BB team then a BP team.
Personally, I think BP is a better game day coach but I think BB is a far better program builder which is why I think BB is much better for us and am extremely happy is our coach.
BP is now the enemy of the Arkansas Razorbacks and will never have anything to do with our program again no matter what so the love for him on here makes zero sense if u r truly a Hog fan.

Why would you doubt his ability to"compete" with LSU? He beat them half the time.

[Cinco de Hogo]

It's true that Bobby had a few games over the course of four years that were closer than they should be. But it's also worth mentioning that we always found a way to win them. Even when we didn't play our best we went home with a W. I honestly can't remember losing any games we should have won, I guess probably Kentucky in year one. He had no Rutgers, Toledo or Texas Techs during his time here.

We never want to lose to Kentucky in football but for some reason we have a losing record against them if I remember correctly.  That year Kentucky actually had a good team, probably better than us.  I don't remember being favored.

[Hog Solo]

Of course he's an enemy of the Hogs, just like all other coaches r. Would/will he try to recruit players our coaches r recruiting? Yes is the answer, which makes him the enemy of the hogs.

No, he was fired here for off the field stuff.  He was never a favorite by the media or by long, but he did win games.  For that I can never fault him as a coach now or in the future. If we play him, you bet I will root for the hogs like I have since I was born, but Petrino is no enemy of mine

[FreshHog]

this thread is great. Now I know atleast 39% of the people on hogville are bigger morons than I give them credit for.

[Dwillhog66]

Exactly, we just inducted Holtz into the Hall of Fame and we played his SC teams.  This hate for BP has always been rather strange.

Petrino is never going to b inducted to our HOF and he's not going to b welcomed back to the U of A. He put a terrible black mark on this university and people r not going to forget about that in his lifetime.

[hog19911]

We never want to lose to Kentucky in football but for some reason we have a losing record against them if I remember correctly.  That year Kentucky actually had a good team, probably better than us.  I don't remember being favored.

We actually had that game won on the road. Curtis fumbled and never factored into a game plan again.

[Hog Solo]

this thread is great. Now I know atleast 39% of the people on hogville are bigger morons than I give them credit for.

Please list those reasons. 

[hog19911]

this thread is great. Now I know atleast 39% of the people on hogville are bigger morons than I give them credit for.

We lost to Toledo last year,
OL is in shambles and we just barely got by Louisiana Tech. I don't understand the blind, unconditional faith some have in him.

Look Im not writing him off, but there's nothing moronic about thinking we may be behind schedule. Good chance we are fighting tooth and nail for bowl Eligibility in year 4 . If the season plays out that way then yes we are behind schedule

[Hogdomer]

We lost to Toledo last year
Ol is in shambles and just barely got by Louisiana Tech. I don't understand the blind, unconditional faith some have in him.

Im not writing him off but there's nothing moronic about thinking we may be behind schedule. Good chance we are fighting tooth and nail for bowl Eligibility in year 4 . If the season plays out that way then yes we are behind schedule

Agreed.  To be on schedule, shouldn't we be a better team every year?  I know we are only one game in but we certainly don't look as good as the 2014 or 2015 teams.  Special teams and defense looked the same as last year but the offense was much worse.  We had less than 300 yards total offense and gave up multiple sacks. 

[Hogwild]

Too early to tell, year 4 doesn't end until December.

[HognitiveDissonance]

Petrino is never going to b inducted to our HOF and he's not going to b welcomed back to the U of A. He put a terrible black mark on this university and people r not going to forget about that in his lifetime.

The only black mark Petrino left was on himself, and he already had one before he even came here.
But I respect his football acumen immensely and thought the job he did here in four short years was phenomenal. Exceptional coach.
I wagered anyone $1000 imaginary dollars that Bielema would not equal Petrino's success in any of his first four years, when he took over. That being, either 11 wins, or #5 final ranking in any given season. No one took my bet.
I said then that Bielema would be a good coach, and that we would likely be headed for a Nutt-like era of football, which was, to me, a solid program. It just wouldn't equal Petrino's success.

So, based on those expectations when he took the job, I would say he's right on schedule. What has happened has been exactly what I expected.

[hogfanmd]

The only thing we know today is that we did not play well but won.  We were fortunate that l tech missed some Field goals , and the offense and defense did just enough at the right times
It was ugly but we did win.

Anyone that didn't expect our new QB or any new QB to struggle some out the gate is just not being sensible.  That's like me going to the game and being angry that I was hot and now sunburned when it's a 3pm game in early Sept. Let's see how this weekend goes at TCU before we rip up and throw away the rest of the season

[LASLOPHAWG]

Nick saban would win a national championship at Arkansas if he came to Arkansas.  However does that translate into any other coach winning one ??
Just cause Petrino won here is not a guarantee someone else will
Just cause CBB went to the rose bowl 3 times at wisconsin does not mean he will get arkansas to the sugar bowl.  Too many intangibles
Look at the basketball program.  After Nolan nothing good has happened

There is no definite schdule to know where we should be year 4 other then how Jeff long thinks his doing

It's certainly possible Saban could win a NC at Arkansas.  He's a great coach.  However, he didn't win one at Michigan St., a program that is pretty similar to ours, so if he couldn't win one there, then it's debatable, could he win one here.  Let's remember, when CBB took over, the SECW was entering with every team being very good to excellent while we were on the rebuild.  IIRC, every SEC team we played that year was ranked in the top 10 when we played them.  That's unprecedented.  I don't ever recall a team having to face all top 10 teams in conference play in 1 year.  So the point is, CBB came in when the SECW was trending way up and is still up.  Ole Miss and MSU have vastly improved since CBB has been here.  It took Dan Mullen until year 6 to have that great magical year where the reached #1 during the regular season and stayed there for a few weeks.  So from year 1 through year 3, we have improved and that would be considered right on schedule.  Let's see if we can at least improve by 1 more win from last year and who those wins come from.  Every week is different and the situation is different.  We all can analyze game by game every week and look at match ups, personnel, coaching etc., but what we can't predict are all the intangibles that happen with every game, like a pick 6, scope and score, a td called back because of penalty, a KO or punt returned for a td, misexecutions like dropping wide open passes, fumbling snaps, one person missing a blocking assignment, poor tackling etc.  You get the idea.  All of these things happen that make the difference in all games. When the game is over, we can look back at all the things that happen for both teams and see the key points and plays that made the difference on how and why we won or lost.  Bottom line, play great defense and minimize your mistakes, your chances of winning go way up.

[hogfanmd]

I think why people are angry is that they look at CBP and worry that he was the closest thing to Nick saban we will ever get.  The lightening In the bottle that got away.   That may or may not be true.  But unless you personally become the arkansas athletic director all you can do is move on.   Little rock lost fed ex to memphis.  Will there ever be a company like that start again in little rock ?? Doesn't mean the whole city and airport has to shut down and give up.  You do the best you can with what you have.  If you expect
Arkansas to be at the level of alabama then your setting yourself up for misery and you will always be disappointed and unhappy.  Not every team is destined to win a championship.  Not every college player is destined for the NFl.  Arkansas is like any other school. Doing the best it can with what is has and run by humans who are not perfect and don't make every decision 100% right. 

[phadedhawg]

I'm fine with the state of things.  Yesterday brought up bad memories but I like the brand of football.  I view yesterday as progress.  We would've lost that one in years past.  Next week we have a huge chance to make a splash. 

[FreshHog]

Please list those reasons.

Every one of your posts would be on the list. 

[gchamblee]

Most of us just want to be honest, you guys spouting of you rays of sunshine, or is it one thousand points of light, are seldom right about anything.  It get old having that crap shouted down your throat when you know it's gonna come right back up.  Get over yourself, you don't know much about football, just blind faith.

That simply isnt true. The fans that show up here dogging CBB after a game like this weekend are the same ones that started clamoring for him to be fired in year 2. The same ones that screamed for BA to be benched last year because he didnt have the "it" factor and was not going to be drafted. It is emotional knee jerk reactions to disappointment that is never rooted in fact or logic. Some of us, I do not speak for anyone other than myself, just get tired of being told we are homers just because we dont jump on board when you guys dive face first into your football menstrual cycles. The fact that you get so upset about our "sunshine pumping" is entertaining and points to you being insecure about the opinion you hitch your lorry to. You swarm the board looking for reassurance in numbers as you sit around and take pot shots at the coaching staff (which I am ok with if you were actually right) and calling everyone that doesnt agree with you out for being ok with mediocrity when we absolutely are not. There is a division in the fan base... those that want to win at all costs, and those that want to win but arent willing to sell our souls to do it. Everyone gets along when CBB is winning because we are all getting what we want, but the minute we lose a game or have a close one against what is perceived as a lesser team, we have to endure the incessant whining of those that want to go a different direction. Again, I can respect wanting to go a different direction, we are all fans and have a right to have different opinions on who we would like to have as a coach, or what kind of offense we want to run. What I take exception to is flat out making darn up in an effort to fortify your positions as you launch an attack against everyone that still supports the current staff.

[gchamblee]

It's true that Bobby had a few games over the course of four years that were closer than they should be. But it's also worth mentioning that we always found a way to win them. Even when we didn't play our best we went home with a W. I honestly can't remember losing any games we should have won, I guess probably Kentucky in year one. He had no Rutgers, Toledo or Texas Techs during his time here.

Dak prescott is a Cam Newton type talent. He just wasnt surrounded with the same kind of talent Cam was. Just watch what he does in the NFL. Last year we had them beat even though our defense sucked, if not for a blocked field goal. A BP type offense couldnt have out up more points on MSU than CBB did last year. We had a lights out offense that was married to a bad defense.

Mahomes at Texas Tech is another special kind of talent. We had a bad game and you dont beat teams with a QB like mahomes if you play a bad game.

I always liked our games under CBP because I knew we would score points and see lots of passing. Our WR's were a thing of beauty. However, when CBP teams would lose there was always that chance that it would be a blowout because if our offense wasnt clicking our defense wasnt going to keep it close. I got sick of losing games 52-0 didnt you? CBP was never going to beat saban, but CBB seems to be getting us close.

[gchamblee]

No, he was fired here for off the field stuff.  He was never a favorite by the media or by long, but he did win games.  For that I can never fault him as a coach now or in the future. If we play him, you bet I will root for the hogs like I have since I was born, but Petrino is no enemy of mine

I will never think fondly of him or respect what he did here because of how he represented us. If he had continued to be our coach we would have never been invited to the Cotton Bowl again, which is a prestigious bowl, because of how much of an [CENSORED] he was to those people. He risked the health of our Football department to get a little strange on the side. I wont tolerate as a fan being placed at lower importance than him getting a little mud on his turtle.

[gchamblee]

We lost to Toledo last year,
OL is in shambles and we just barely got by Louisiana Tech. I don't understand the blind, unconditional faith some have in him.

Look Im not writing him off, but there's nothing moronic about thinking we may be behind schedule. Good chance we are fighting tooth and nail for bowl Eligibility in year 4 . If the season plays out that way then yes we are behind schedule

In 2014 you guys told us that we absolutely would not make a bowl.... we did.
In 2015 you guys guaranteed that we wouldnt make a bowl....we did.
In 2015 you guys made fun of anyone that defended BA and demanded he be benched.... he had a record year and lead us to a respectable season with some huge wins over teams we werent supposed to beat.

Now tell us again how much smarter than everyone else you guys are? Forgive me if I see a few more games before I start talking about good or bad we are going to be, especially after watching you guys make fools of yourselves last year.

[Swine-as-wine]

Can't tell jack by the first game of the season.  Anybody that thinks they can is kidding themselves.

Depends on what your definition of "jack" is. Pepper Jack cheese? If so........I agree.......only time cheese talks to me
is after it's been in the fridge too long.. What I CAN tell from watching this game, is that we were outplayed and lucky
to win. If you think otherwise, it's you that's kidding yourself. Sure......a win beats a loss every day of the week and twice
on Sundays, but after watching virtually every SEC team play this weekend, the level of play that was showcased by us this
Saturday, was barely on par with Tenner, if that. With the talent we have on the hill, this poor play falls directly on the coaches, and I ain't kiddin' nobody.

[Swine-as-wine]

I think why people are angry is that they look at CBP and worry that he was the closest thing to Nick saban we will ever get.  The lightening In the bottle that got away.   That may or may not be true.  But unless you personally become the arkansas athletic director all you can do is move on.   Little rock lost fed ex to memphis.  Will there ever be a company like that start again in little rock ?? Doesn't mean the whole city and airport has to shut down and give up.  You do the best you can with what you have.  If you expect
Arkansas to be at the level of alabama then your setting yourself up for misery and you will always be disappointed and unhappy.  Not every team is destined to win a championship.  Not every college player is destined for the NFl.  Arkansas is like any other school. Doing the best it can with what is has and run by humans who are not perfect and don't make every decision 100% right.

I bet you have a whole shelf full of participation trophies don't ya 

[Swine-as-wine]

In 2014 you guys told us that we absolutely would not make a bowl.... we did.
In 2015 you guys guaranteed that we wouldnt make a bowl....we did.
In 2015 you guys made fun of anyone that defended BA and demanded he be benched.... he had a record year and lead us to a respectable season with some huge wins over teams we werent supposed to beat.

Now tell us again how much smarter than everyone else you guys are? Forgive me if I see a few more games before I start talking about good or bad we are going to be, especially after watching you guys make fools of yourselves last year.

How bout you tell us how smart you are, rather than using hindsight. If you are filled with excitement over this win, rather
than disappointment, then never mind.

[ChitownHawg]

The only black mark Petrino left was on himself, and he already had one before he even came here.
But I respect his football acumen immensely and thought the job he did here in four short years was phenomenal. Exceptional coach.
I wagered anyone $1000 imaginary dollars that Bielema would not equal Petrino's success in any of his first four years, when he took over. That being, either 11 wins, or #5 final ranking in any given season. No one took my bet.
I said then that Bielema would be a good coach, and that we would likely be headed for a Nutt-like era of football, which was, to me, a solid program. It just wouldn't equal Petrino's success.

So, based on those expectations when he took the job, I would say he's right on schedule. What has happened has been exactly what I expected.

Are you saying the SEC West during CBP's days were as competitive, top to bottom, as it is today? That top to bottom the same quality of head coaches?

[ChitownHawg]

Most of us just want to be honest, you guys spouting of you rays of sunshine, or is it one thousand points of light, are seldom right about anything.  It get old having that crap shouted down your throat when you know it's gonna come right back up.  Get over yourself, you don't know much about football, just blind faith.

That is a pretty good picture for that side of the coin. Now let's look at the other side of the coin which you represent.

You "doom" guys say you are honest and live in reality. Any opinion different from yours is pure homerism.

If you doom guys are so honest then why are you not on here during November or the bowl? You doom guys slink out from underneath the walls when we lose and scurry back underneath the walls when we start winning.

Be honest why does your post count go up when we lose and down when we win? Be honest. 

[DeltaBoy]

We are on Schedule.

[Kevin]

Why can some of y'all not see reality
We are tying to replace a qb, te, 2 rb's to the nfl and are replacing 3 o linemen

This thread is exactly why I said since day one that cbb needed a breakout year in year 3 cause year 4 was going to be a rebuild on offense.

I figured fans would start grumbling if it did not happen 

Now here we are. Not winning 9 or 20 last year put him behind not this year

[hogfanmd]

I bet you have a whole shelf full of participation trophies don't ya 

Arkansas has not won a conference title in football in almost 30 years and CBB is the 5th coach trying to break that streak (not counting the interm coaches)
Arkansas has shelves of participation trophies too.   The goal should be to win championships, I want us to win championships.  I was a kid In the holtz , Hatfield era and have seen It done, but I am also trying to be realistic and try to enjoy being a fan even if the results are not fantastic.   

A whole generation of young razorback fans have never witnessed a basketball or football conference championship.  Pretty stunning

[hogcard1964]

That simply isnt true. The fans that show up here dogging CBB after a game like this weekend are the same ones that started clamoring for him to be fired in year 2. The same ones that screamed for BA to be benched last year because he didnt have the "it" factor and was not going to be drafted. It is emotional knee jerk reactions to disappointment that is never rooted in fact or logic. Some of us, I do not speak for anyone other than myself, just get tired of being told we are homers just because we dont jump on board when you guys dive face first into your football menstrual cycles. The fact that you get so upset about our "sunshine pumping" is entertaining and points to you being insecure about the opinion you hitch your lorry to. You swarm the board looking for reassurance in numbers as you sit around and take pot shots at the coaching staff (which I am ok with if you were actually right) and calling everyone that doesnt agree with you out for being ok with mediocrity when we absolutely are not. There is a division in the fan base... those that want to win at all costs, and those that want to win but arent willing to sell our souls to do it. Everyone gets along when CBB is winning because we are all getting what we want, but the minute we lose a game or have a close one against what is perceived as a lesser team, we have to endure the incessant whining of those that want to go a different direction. Again, I can respect wanting to go a different direction, we are all fans and have a right to have different opinions on who we would like to have as a coach, or what kind of offense we want to run. What I take exception to is flat out making darn up in an effort to fortify your positions as you launch an attack against everyone that still supports the current staff.

Holy lack of paragraphs Batman!

[Hardcore Hoggy]

We never want to lose to Kentucky in football but for some reason we have a losing record against them if I remember correctly.  That year Kentucky actually had a good team, probably better than us.  I don't remember being favored.

Yeah, we haven't played them that often , but we're 3 and 4 versus them. TERRIBLE considering they have only won 25% of their conference games since we joined the SEC.

[Hardcore Hoggy]

Why can some of y'all not see reality
We are tying to replace a qb, te, 2 rb's to the nfl and are replacing 3 o linemen

This thread is exactly why I said since day one that cbb needed a breakout year in year 3 cause year 4 was going to be a rebuild on offense.

I figured fans would start grumbling if it did not happen 

Now here we are. Not winning 9 or 20 last year put him behind not this year

Either way, you agree. He's behind schedule

[Kevin]

Either way, you agree. He's behind schedule

i think injuries cost him the 9-10 win season last year.

So he is right on schedule to me

[ChitownHawg]

Why can some of y'all not see reality
We are tying to replace a qb, te, 2 rb's to the nfl and are replacing 3 o linemen

This thread is exactly why I said since day one that cbb needed a breakout year in year 3 cause year 4 was going to be a rebuild on offense.

I figured fans would start grumbling if it did not happen 

Now here we are. Not winning 9 or 20 last year put him behind not this year

There is only 4 or 5 of these "doom" guys, so not worry. Many of these guys today praise CBP, but back in the day whined constantly about the lack of defense CBP could put on the field.

The majority of fans understand we are moving in the right direction.

[ChitownHawg]

i think injuries cost him the 9-10 win season last year.

So he is right on schedule to me

And a new OC.

[Hardcore Hoggy]

i think injuries cost him the 9-10 win season last year.

So he is right on schedule to me

Injuries? Who was injured last year that caused us to lose to Toledo? or even Texas Tech?

[factchecker]

Injuries? Who was injured last year that caused us to lose to Toledo? or even Texas Tech?

You don't think J-Will would have helped at all?

[Hardcore Hoggy]

You don't think J-Will would have helped at all?

No, I think he would have been as flat and as uninspired as the rest of the team.

Bielema HAS to figure out how to get this program up for early games.

[ChitownHawg]

Injuries? Who was injured last year that caused us to lose to Toledo? or even Texas Tech?

Don't look now but your ignorance is showing. 

[ChitownHawg]

No, I think he would have been as flat and as uninspired as the rest of the team.

Bielema HAS to figure out how to get this program up for early games.

A new OC with a new scheme had nothing to do with the slow start? Also coming into the season our corp of WRs were not what they are today. Our defense had lost its vaunted "Bermuda Triangle".

[Bubba's Bruisers]

You don't think J-Will would have helped at all?

It shouldn't have mattered against Toledo.  Now against TT, I'm sure he could have made some difference.

It's the A&M game that stands out to me more than any other.  A conference team that we owned throughout the game.  We were the better team.  Similar to the last couple seasons.  And we let it slip away again. 

Still, 2015 should have been the year we showed obvious improvement.  And we did.  Was very pleased with 8-5.  And if we can mirror that again this seasons with all the offersive changes, I'd be pleased again.

[hog19911]

Dak prescott is a Cam Newton type talent. He just wasnt surrounded with the same kind of talent Cam was. Just watch what he does in the NFL. Last year we had them beat even though our defense sucked, if not for a blocked field goal. A BP type offense couldnt have out up more points on MSU than CBB did last year. We had a lights out offense that was married to a bad defense.

Mahomes at Texas Tech is another special kind of talent. We had a bad game and you dont beat teams with a QB like mahomes if you play a bad game.

I always liked our games under CBP because I knew we would score points and see lots of passing. Our WR's were a thing of beauty. However, when CBP teams would lose there was always that chance that it would be a blowout because if our offense wasnt clicking our defense wasnt going to keep it close. I got sick of losing games 52-0 didnt you? CBP was never going to beat saban, but CBB seems to be getting us close.

What games did we lose 52-0? If you're gonna count games from his first two years then Bielema has a couple blowouts on his record.

Also if were gonna use games we should have won but lost  then we should have beat Kentucky in year one. Should have beat Florida in year two, should have beat OSU in year 3.

And there's a lot of speculation in your post that supports your argument. No way of knowing what BP's Offense would have done against MSU or anyone else. We do know BP vs MSU 3-1 and BB 0-3. My speculation is that BA would have been very good under BP.

[Hardcore Hoggy]

Don't look now but your ignorance is showing. 

Having a different opinion than you is not ignorance my obviously young friend.

[hog19911]

Are you saying the SEC West during CBP's days were as competitive, top to bottom, as it is today? That top to bottom the same quality of head coaches?

I'll say this there is no year BP was here that the 2nd best team in the SEC gets blown out by Memphis.

LSU was better Les was in his prime. I'll wait and see if the conference ever has 3 teams finish in the top 5. Maybe not deeper but it was more top heavy.

[ChitownHawg]

What games did we lose 52-0? If you're gonna count games from his first two years then Bielema has a couple blowouts on his record.

Also if were gonna use games we should have won but lost  then we should have beat Kentucky in year one. Should have beat Florida in year two, should have beat OSU in year 3.

And there's a lot of speculation in your post that supports your argument. No way of knowing what BP's Offense would have done against MSU or anyone else. We do know BP vs MSU 3-1 and BB 0-3. My speculation is that BA would have been very good under BP.

CBP only had one game that was close with Bama.

[gchamblee]

I'll say this there is no year BP was here that the 2nd best team in the SEC gets blown out by Memphis.

LSU was better Les was in his prime. I'll wait and see if the conference ever has 3 teams finish in the top 5. Maybe not deeper but it was more top heavy.

Memphis didn't have a first round draft pick QB when CBP was here either. Do you even put any of your shallow little thoughts into context ever?

[ChitownHawg]

Having a different opinion than you is not ignorance my obviously young friend.

Sorry you are ignorant to my age as well. 

[ChitownHawg]

Memphis didn't have a first round draft pick QB when CBP was here either. Do you even put any of your shallow little thoughts into context ever?

Thank you for saving me the time to respond. 

[Hardcore Hoggy]

A new OC with a new scheme had nothing to do with the slow start? Also coming into the season our corp of WRs were not what they are today. Our defense had lost its vaunted "Bermuda Triangle".

Of course, but using Toledo as the absolute bottom, there is NO excuse for losing to a team like that. None. Quite frankly,  our second string should have been able to beat them by 2 touchdowns.

As for the big picture of the thread  , a coach that is "ahead of schedule" isn't replacing so many players with inexperience players ever season. I don't count QB ,  mostly of course we are talking about OL here, there's no excuse for what we saw Saturday. None, AA played a lot better than could be expected with that pitiful line play, and that shouldn't be happening in year 4, as we all know that the offensive and defensive lines are what win games in the SEC.

[hogcard1964]

Doesn't matter, he's not going anywhere.  ....That is unless he completely sharts the bed this season.  ...and he won't.

[goodguytex]

The, "Houston Nutt 2.0", seems fitting with CBB's record of losing to teams you should beat while pulling out some wins against teams that you should lose to.  I'm just glad we won yesterday, as I'll be with my group from Alabama next week and can't imagine the ragging I'd take if we had lost.

And for the record, I hated Nutt and like CBB.  I'm just ready for the wins to start rolling in.

I know how you feel.... My boss at work is a die-hard texass fan. He's got a stupid short horn tattooed on his leg. And I've got to work with him tonight and listen to him crowing about texass beating notre dame while Arkansas squeaked by La Tech. He's going to make me go off on his texass ass.