Hiring while on hotseat...

[twistitup]

4-3?

Yep, thanks...

[southeasthog]

Yep, thanks...

So you don't know what defense we are going to.

[Deep Shoat]

The new LB coach is another example of a Hot Seat hire imho.....could we not lure a current position coach here that has an extensive 4-3 background and proven recruiting abilities

This guy SPECIALIZES in transitioning teams to the 3-4 and has spent a ton of time as an off the field recruiter.  He is just about the PERFECT hire, for our situation.

If you people had the first damn clue about this sport, you would understand that.  I HATE Arkansas fans.

[ChitownHawg]

This guy SPECIALIZES in transitioning teams to the 3-4 and has spent a ton of time as an off the field recruiter.  He is just about the PERFECT hire, for our situation.

If you people had the first damn clue about this sport, you would understand that.  I HATE Arkansas fans.

Twistup doesn't give a crap about that. He trusts Internet bloggers to tell him how to think. He cannot point to one person with inside knowledge of our program who says CBB is on the hot seat.

When you are that moronic a common sense post like yours is too hard for these goofballs to understand.

[Hogs-n-Roses]

The last two years he is tied for third in SEC victories. The first two years were the outcome of the cumudgeon offensive genius that could not hire anyone but his family to work with him and couldn't build recruiting relations due to his lovely demeanor.

The last two games are all on this Coach. He will correctly it or not make it. But that record you love to throw up is as much on his successors as it is him.

If we're just gonna pick a couple of years and take shots. Without Bobby Petrino's 2  10 year+  win seasons his coaches would have won 9 games in six years.

[twistitup]

So you don't know what defense we are going to.

These desperate changes are coming so fast it just messes me all up

Looking back, CBB has had an unstable staff since coming here...that probably makes coaching candidates nervous

[ricepig]

These desperate changes are coming so fast it just messes me all up

Looking back, CBB has had an unstable staff since coming here...that probably makes coaching candidates nervous

No doubt, it's my understanding if this guy turned us down, we were going to offer the job to Danny O'Shea.

[hogcard1964]

These desperate changes are coming so fast it just messes me all up

Looking back, CBB has had an unstable staff since coming here...that probably makes coaching candidates nervous

It won't matter.  We'll be the same next season as we were the past three.

[woodrow hog call]

It won't matter.  We'll be the same next season as we were the past three.

For many on here this is correct, they only see what they want to and don't understand the game enough to notice progress when they see it.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

It won't matter.  We'll be the same next season as we were the past three.

If we are I am sure that you and others will wind up getting their wish...momentum will grow for a new HC. And honestly, if Bielema can't ramp it up to 9 or 10 or more wins every once in a while, he probably needs to be replaced. A coaching change (which will probably mean a change in philosophy and scheme as well) will likely set us back 2-3 years...but not 10 years as someone in the media alleged some time ago.

[PonderinHog]

If we are I am sure that you and others will wind up getting their wish...momentum will grow for a new HC. And honestly, if Bielema can't ramp it up to 9 or 10 or more wins every once in a while, he probably needs to be replaced. A coaching change (which will probably mean a change in philosophy and scheme as well) will likely set us back 2-3 years...but not 10 years as someone in the media alleged some time ago.

Well, it HAS been ten years...   

Maybe the worst is behind us.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Well, it HAS been ten years...   

Maybe the worst is behind us.

And it didn't set us back, at all.

[DeltaBoy]

Here's the conference play record over the past two years for SEC West coaches:

WEST
Nick Saban: 15-1
Bret Bielema: 8-8
Kevin Sumlin: 8-8
Hugh Freeze: 8-8
Dan Mullen: 7-9
Gus Malzahn: 7-9
Ed Orgeron: N/A

The Bielema hire was made with a pretty obvious mindset. The mindset was "Our program is an absolute dumpster fire. We're going to hire an experienced, successful head coach from another Power 5 program to come here and fix it his way and we're going to give him all the time he needs."

Therefore, paying the coach to take over your dumpster fire and then holding his first couple of years against him is pretty retarded. His overall SEC record doesn't prove anything except how bad of shape the team was when he got here.

I agree!!

[ChitownHawg]

If we're just gonna pick a couple of years and take shots. Without Bobby Petrino's 2  10 year+  win seasons his coaches would have won 9 games in six years.

Comprehension isn't a strong suit of yours - is it? The point of looking at the last two years is to see the trend. Or we trending up or down. The first year losses really skew the overall record.

But you don't really care about seeing an accurate view. This is why you hold onto the first year results. Since you brought up CBP - do you want to review his retention and recruiting record? Do you want to review that trend?

Of course you don't, because it doesn't fit your agenda.

[Pork Twain]

These desperate changes are coming so fast it just messes me all up

Looking back, CBB has had an unstable staff since coming here...that probably makes coaching candidates nervous

Because most of the coaches that have left here have been for better jobs?

[hogcard1964]

If we are I am sure that you and others will wind up getting their wish...momentum will grow for a new HC. And honestly, if Bielema can't ramp it up to 9 or 10 or more wins every once in a while, he probably needs to be replaced. A coaching change (which will probably mean a change in philosophy and scheme as well) will likely set us back 2-3 years...but not 10 years as someone in the media alleged some time ago.

It won't matter, Bielema is doing all he should be doing.  Wins really aren't that important here.  Fans are happy with mediocre results and awful bowls, money is still being raked in, the DRR expansion is happening and he's producing "good people" as opposed to "good football teams."   ...sans your occasional "Sprinkles" and "Morgans" of the program.

He's not going anywhere.  He could literally regress again next season and Long may feel the need to extend his contract. 

Buckle up.  This is now who we are.

[ChitownHawg]

It won't matter, Bielema is doing all he should be doing.  Wins really aren't that important here.  Fans are happy with mediocre results and awful bowls, money is still being raked in, the DRR expansion is happening and he's producing "good people" as opposed to "good football teams."   ...sans your occasional "Sprinkles" and "Morgans" of the program.

He's not going anywhere.  He could literally regress again next season and Long may feel the need to extend his contract. 

Buckle up.  This is now who we are.

Other than one coach who had a couple of good seasons, pre-blond intern days, when were we more than that?

The last dominant coach, conference wins, we had was when I was on the Hill and Hatfield was on the sidelines.

[hogcard1964]

Other than one coach who had a couple of good seasons, pre-blond intern days, when were we more than that?

The last dominant coach, conference wins, we had was when I was on the Hill and Hatfield was on the sidelines.

I kind of agree.  Broyles was very good, Holtz was pretty good, Hatfield was solid, Crowe was awful, Ford was disappointing, Nutt was mediocre to above average, Petrino was very good and Bielema is pretty bad.  We've had 3 or 4 good coaches over the past 60 years with about 10 years of marginal success.

This is why I'm now on board with riding it out with BB.  Moreso, I've grown numb to simply being a bad program.  If you look at the overall results while here, Bielema isn't much different than Danny Ford.

[Pork Twain]

I kind of agree.  Broyles was very good, Holtz was pretty good, Hatfield was solid, Crowe was awful, Ford was disappointing, Nutt was mediocre to above average, Petrino was very good and Bielema is pretty bad.  We've had 3 or 4 good coaches over the past 60 years with about 10 years of marginal success.

This is why I'm now on board with riding it out with BB.  Moreso, I've grown numb to simply being a bad program.  If you look at the overall results while here, Bielema isn't much different than Danny Ford.

The mess that Ford took over and the way they recruit was similar but that is about it.  Ford went 4-7 in three of five years.

Hold on a little bit longer, because I think this is the year the waiting pays off.  If not, I will be with you on the other side of this.

[hogcard1964]

The mess that Ford took over and the way they recruit was similar but that is about it.  Ford went 4-7 in three of five years.

Hold on a little bit longer, because I think this is the year the waiting pays off.  If not, I will be with you on the other side of this.

Meh...

It'll be more of the same.  ...and again, that's ok.

[southeasthog]

Meh...

It'll be more of the same.  ...and again, that's ok.

If it's ok then why are you always complaining?

[hogcard1964]

If it's ok then why are you always complaining?

I'm not complaining. It is, what it is.

[ChitownHawg]

The mess that Ford took over and the way they recruit was similar but that is about it.  Ford went 4-7 in three of five years.

Hold on a little bit longer, because I think this is the year the waiting pays off.  If not, I will be with you on the other side of this.

That is the key. I gave MA his time to get his guys onto the team and put his stamp on the program. If he misses the Dance this year, then time to cut ties with him.

CBB inherited a bad program and a different type of football philosophy. This season will be the season I expect him to show solid progress. Especially with the defense.

The one point I find peculiar is that the naysayers will not admit the last two years show we are climbing up the SEC. They want to look at CBB's whole time here. Yet, will not look at the whole picture (recruiting and retention) of CBP. They want to cherry pick.

Regardless of how good this season may be, I am not holding my breath that it will change the naysayers opinion.

[ChitownHawg]

I'm not complaining. It is, what it is.

com·plain
kəmˈplān/
verb
gerund or present participle: complaining

express dissatisfaction or annoyance about a state of affairs or an event.

state that one is suffering from (a pain or other symptom of illness).

state a grievance.

[Biggus Piggus]

I kind of agree.  Broyles was very good, Holtz was pretty good, Hatfield was solid, Crowe was awful, Ford was disappointing, Nutt was mediocre to above average, Petrino was very good and Bielema is pretty bad.  We've had 3 or 4 good coaches over the past 60 years with about 10 years of marginal success.

This is why I'm now on board with riding it out with BB.  Moreso, I've grown numb to simply being a bad program.  If you look at the overall results while here, Bielema isn't much different than Danny Ford.

Ford's problem was coming up way short of necessary depth at quarterback and running back. If he had fixed those chronic problems, Ford would have coached at Arkansas for a long time.

Bielema has had three bowl-eligible teams in four seasons. Ford had one bowl-eligible team in five seasons.

I know you desperately want to smear Bielema with all the ugly-goo you can smear, but his performance is far closer to Nutt's than to Ford's.

[jcbville]

That is the key. I gave MA his time to get his guys onto the team and put his stamp on the program. If he misses the Dance this year, then time to cut ties with him.

CBB inherited a bad program and a different type of football philosophy. This season will be the season I expect him to show solid progress. Especially with the defense.

The one point I find peculiar is that the naysayers will not admit the last two years show we are climbing up the SEC. They want to look at CBB's whole time here. Yet, will not look at the whole picture (recruiting and retention) of CBP. They want to cherry pick.

Regardless of how good this season may be, I am not holding my breath that it will change the naysayers opinion.

Exactly. Arkansas can not afford to fire a coach every 3-5 years. We will never get anywhere if we do. It's going to take time. On top of that hiring a quality coach is now harder than ever. See the coaching searches that have taken place in the SEC the last few years. Bigger name schools have not been able to hire big names.

Partly because who the hell in the current climate wants to try and come in and win in the SEC? It's almost a no win scenario. Coaches are competitive but they aren't excited about beating their head against a wall for few years then getting sh*t canned due to blood drinking fans and boosters etc.

[hogcard1964]

Ford's problem was coming up way short of necessary depth at quarterback and running back. If he had fixed those chronic problems, Ford would have coached at Arkansas for a long time.

Bielema has had three bowl-eligible teams in four seasons. Ford had one bowl-eligible team in five seasons.

I know you desperately want to smear Bielema with all the ugly-goo you can smear, but his performance is far closer to Nutt's than to Ford's.

No smearing in anything.  BB's record speaks for itself.  I've just learned to accept it.

And fwiw, although Nutt was better while he was here than both Ford and Bielema, he was also nothing to brag about.  He was also an underachiever.

[hogcard1964]

com·plain
kəmˈplān/
verb
gerund or present participle: complaining

express dissatisfaction or annoyance about a state of affairs or an event.

state that one is suffering from (a pain or other symptom of illness).

state a grievance.

I simply agreed with you, that of recent, we were really never that good.

[twistitup]

I still think there is an issue with not being able to keep consistency with staff and scheme.....we are constantly hiring different coaches- it looks desperate in my opinion. It's too easy to blame those that have moved on-some of the coaching turnover is natural but some is because of CBB and how he operates.

It doesnt feel like we have upgraded our staff

[ricepig]

I still think there is an issue with not being able to keep consistency with staff and scheme.....we are constantly hiring different coaches- it looks desperate in my opinion. It's too easy to blame those that have moved on-some of the coaching turnover is because CBB is difficult to work with in some ways...

He "fired" the two this year. Have you actually looked at the turnover on college staffs, much less the SEC schools?

[twistitup]

He "fired" the two this year. Have you actually looked at the turnover on college staffs, much less the SEC schools?

Do we still have an offensive or defensive identity? We have lost some good ones- and we've replaced them with subpar hires....and now we do it again.

It doesnt feel like we upgrade our staff- he came in w what was supposed to be a killer staff- what happened?

[MuskogeeHogFan]

It won't matter, Bielema is doing all he should be doing.  Wins really aren't that important here.  Fans are happy with mediocre results and awful bowls, money is still being raked in, the DRR expansion is happening and he's producing "good people" as opposed to "good football teams."   ...sans your occasional "Sprinkles" and "Morgans" of the program.

He's not going anywhere.  He could literally regress again next season and Long may feel the need to extend his contract. 

Buckle up.  This is now who we are.

Here's the great thing, your post is just an opinion and not fact. Just like my post that you quoted, was based on opinion. None of us know what is going to happen should (A), (B) or (C) (whatever those may be) occur except for Jeff Long. We all speculate and we are all biased to come extent in our opinions one way or the other. But none of us know for certain.

[Biggus Piggus]

We weren't frickin' far from 9 wins last season. Not far at all. People still would have complained because of the character of the aTm, Auburn and LSU games. But we should have had 9 wins. With a horrid defense.

We're gonna make progress, and soon. Frank the monotonous haters.

[twistitup]

We weren't frickin' far from 9 wins last season. Not far at all. People still would have complained because of the character of the aTm, Auburn and LSU games. But we should have had 9 wins. With a horrid defense.

We're gonna make progress, and soon. Frank the monotonous haters.

Is progress dependent on continuity of scheme?

[Biggus Piggus]

Is progress dependent on continuity of scheme?

Not when your scheme is bro-ken.

[ricepig]

Do we still have an offensive or defensive identity? We have lost some good ones- and we've replaced them with subpar hires....and now we do it again.

It doesnt feel like we upgrade our staff- he came in w what was supposed to be a killer staff- what happened?

You don't think our offense has an identity? And why would you want to continue the identity the defense had?

[bennyl08]

Is progress dependent on continuity of scheme?

It depends on the scheme. For example, look at the better organizations in the NFL. What do you see? Continuity. Had Marvin Lewis had the same results with the Browns that he had with the Bengals, he would have been fired well before the Bengals were able to get a roster that is a playoff threat each year much less making the playoffs or winning the division. Now, the Bengals do face the question of is Marvin Lewis good enough to get them to that next level of being a super bowl threat each year? You fire him, you could easily slip down into the staying at home in january mode year in and year out again. You keep him, and you could be guaranteeing you don't ever reach the Super Bowl.

Now, NFL is a different beast than college. However, look at Spurrier and SC. He didn't win more than 7 regular season games for 5 seasons straight. Then, season 6 came a 9 win season followed by 3 straight 11 win seasons before he just got too old to coach. OTOH, Aggies saw that they weren't going anywhere with Sherman, so they made the change to Sumlin and they certainly improved while jumping into the SEC.

With Bielema, we went from a 3 to a 7 (6 regular), to an 8 (7 regular) showing improvement. This year, we more than had enough talent to win 9 games (8 regular) but mental errors kept us back down to 7. Harken back to the 2009 season where we went 8-4 in the regular season, but were just a handful of plays away from going 11-1. The team didn't know how to win those big games. In losses to UGA, OM, and UF, we were within 7 points or less of the other team in the 4th quarter. The next year, we returned our key playmakers and went to the sugar bowl.

This year, our two will be the best it has been with key players on offense and defense rather than just one or the other. Our team has been through the season where they could have won 9 games but couldn't finish the game and ended with 7. This year, we find out if the staff is able to get the team over the hump. If we aren't able to, then we have to start asking the tough questions.

[twistitup]

You don't think our offense has an identity? And why would you want to continue the identity the defense had?

No. I wouldn't.

We are in limbo.....again. Not good.

[The OTR]

One thing I do know is that CBB isn't on the hotseat. He may be on the hotseat with the OP and a few others on Hogville but I can guarantee he isn't on the hotseat with Jeff Long or anyone that matters.

That much I guarantee.

So his hires are safe for at least a few more years.

[ricepig]

No. I wouldn't.

We are in limbo.....again. Not good.

I think have an identity, running the ball with play action passing mixed in. I don't see how that's hard to see.

[Wildhog]

I think have an identity, running the ball with play action passing mixed in. I don't see how that's hard to see.

This.  Just need a better OL to be more effective with that identity. 

And a defense that can...you know... defend something.  anything.  for the love of god, just slow them down.

[ricepig]

This.  Just need a better OL to be more effective with that identity. 

And a defense that can...you know... defend something.  anything.  for the love of god, just slow them down.

I think we'll see better O-line production this year. I don't think we'll ever pound it down Bama's throat, but we've done it on the rest of our conference foes from time to time. And yes, a defense that can get a stop when we need one in the second half would be nice, too.

[twistitup]

I think have an identity, running the ball with play action passing mixed in. I don't see how that's hard to see.

vs VT

36 run
31 pass

[Wildhog]

I think we'll see better O-line production this year. I don't think we'll ever pound it down Bama's throat, but we've done it on the rest of our conference foes from time to time. And yes, a defense that can get a stop when we need one in the second half would be nice, too.

Would like to get our ypc up.  12th in the SEC is no bueno.

We're very efficient passing the ball, though.  Offense could be lethal if we were more efficient running the ball, especially in short yardage situations.

I hope you're right about the OL.  Gotta find some tackles.

[ricepig]

vs VT

36 run
31 pass

How many were play action passes?

[twistitup]

How many were play action passes?

Did you ever think CBB would throw the ball 30+ times per game when he arrived? Or....has he changed?

Does CBB have a true identity / philosophy or does it change based on assistants he hires?

[ricepig]

Did you ever think CBB would throw the ball 30+ times per game when he arrived? Or....has he changed?

Does CBB have a true identity / philosophy or does it change based on assistants he hires?

Yes, he's always said he would like a balanced offense. I'm sure if we could run for 450 yards/game, we would. If a defense is packing the line of scrimmage daring you to pass, you pass.

And you deflected from the question.

[bennyl08]

Did you ever think CBB would throw the ball 30+ times per game when he arrived? Or....has he changed?

Does CBB have a true identity / philosophy or does it change based on assistants he hires?

Or does it change based on the talent we have at hand? CBB would freely pass the ball when he had the QB and receivers to do so such as when they had Russell Wilson. For us, we were run heavy in 2014 as we had 2 great RB's, but struggled with having good receivers and a qb who was still learning the position/injured. 2015, we had a senior qb who was balling and a group of talented receivers who finally found their own and were down to "just" one stellar back. So, the back still put up great numbers but we leaned on the pass. Similarly last year. QB was new, RB's were new, OL was new, WR's and TE's were the strength of the offense. So that's what we leaned on, though our back still led the regular season in rushing. Good coaches adapt to the talent they have.

Next year will be interesting. OL, RB, and QB will be the strengths going into the season with TE and WR's being somewhat new. How much do we lean on the passing game next year vs the run? My guess is that we'll be a bit run heavy early in the season as guys like Jones, Martin, Pettway, and Patton get into the swing of things. However, pretty soon I think we'll be very multiple on offense. May run it 50 times one game and pass 50 times another. May do nothing but pass on the way to a 2-min drill td drive in the first half, then run the ball exclusively in the fourth to win.

[hogcard1964]

Did you ever think CBB would throw the ball 30+ times per game when he arrived? Or....has he changed?

Does CBB have a true identity / philosophy or does it change based on assistants he hires?

He's definitely changed.  And with our running game, it doesn't make a lot of sense.

[hawgon]

We were a hell of a lot closer to 5 wins last year than we were 9 and that is a fact.