Bielema hiring started Arkansas on the right off the field path......

[ricepig]

http://gridironnow.com/bret-bielema-arkansas-off-field-path/

[Sivad]

That's #Uncommon. Woo Pig.

[tasteslikechicken]

BB said he was gonna do it the right way and so far he has. Gotta be super proud of that with everything going on in the world of college athletics today.

[HogMantheIntruder]

This + Finally being allowed to pay for parents to come on OV = Much better recruiting classes for Arkansas, IMHO.

[blu]

Agree - I'll take our fourth year juniors over most true freshmen. Very thankful to have Coach BB. 

[gmarv]

cbb doing things the right way is something we can all be proud of . wps

[rljjr]

In the midst of the Briles discussion, CBB and Arkansas got a very nice couple of minutes of discussion on the First Team yesterday on Sirius XM Ch 84 about recruiting the right kind of player and not recruiting those (in spite of their talent or Star rating) if they weren't the right fit for Arkansas. The implication being he is building a program the right way and that while it may take longer to reach a double-digit win or championship season, at least it will be done with integrity as opposed to the "quick fix" Baylor used to start winning.
There was also discussion of some of Urban's recruiting tactics while at Florida (Hernandez specifically and the shooting and bar fight situations) and that Coach Boom was told not to recruit "that" kind of player to Florida any longer.

[Vantage 8 dude]

In the midst of the Briles discussion, CBB and Arkansas got a very nice couple of minutes of discussion on the First Team yesterday on Sirius XM Ch 84 about recruiting the right kind of player and not recruiting those (in spite of their talent or Star rating) if they weren't the right fit for Arkansas. The implication being he is building a program the right way and that while it may take longer to reach a double-digit win or championship season, at least it will be done with integrity as opposed to the "quick fix" Baylor used to start winning.
There was also discussion of some of Urban's recruiting tactics while at Florida (Hernandez specifically and the shooting and bar fight situations) and that Coach Boom was told not to recruit "that" kind of player to Florida any longer.

A lot of folks have criticized Coach B over the past three + years because we never seem to grab the SEC recruiting "gold ring" when it comes to rankings. A while no one can deny grabbing the most highly rated kids is always a goal, what a lot of folks have also failed to grasp is that often those same kids are the ones that can come back to "bite you in the rear". The thing that has always impressed me about CBB's approach to recruiting is that he tends to look more in depth and beyond the mere physical attributes of a kid. It usually takes a whole lot more effort to really delve into a kid's character, work ethic, and attitude than just grabbing the most highly rated star at a particular position. The problems at Baylor, Ole Misery, and several other programs continue to point this out. Hopefully these examples with finally wake up the last of the doubters that Bret's method, while not the flashiest, usually bears fruit over time.

[SamBuckhart]

Very  proud of our coach and staff right now. Got a chance to tell him at a recent Razorback Club meeting.  Wooo Pig!

[3kgthog]

So, if BB continues with Nutt-like seasons for another 6 years, are you going to be satisfied with "doing it the right way"? He's yet to match single season win totals achieved by BP and HDN very early in their Hog careers.

It makes me wonder how happy most of the fanbase will be if we're squeaky clean but not reaching previously established levels of success.

[WilsonHog]

So, if BB continues with Nutt-like seasons for another 6 years, are you going to be satisfied with "doing it the right way"? He's yet to match single season win totals achieved by BP and HDN very early in their Hog careers.

It makes me wonder how happy most of the fanbase will be if we're squeaky clean but not reaching previously established levels of success.

Speaking only for myself, yes, I will.

[blu]

So, if BB continues with Nutt-like seasons for another 6 years, are you going to be satisfied with "doing it the right way"? He's yet to match single season win totals achieved by BP and HDN very early in their Hog careers.

It makes me wonder how happy most of the fanbase will be if we're squeaky clean but not reaching previously established levels of success.

What WilsonHog said and Amen to that! We are a very competitive program in the toughest conference division in all of college football. woo pig.

[lefty08]

So, if BB continues with Nutt-like seasons for another 6 years, are you going to be satisfied with "doing it the right way"? He's yet to match single season win totals achieved by BP and HDN very early in their Hog careers.

It makes me wonder how happy most of the fanbase will be if we're squeaky clean but not reaching previously established levels of success.

Count me in as well. As long as we compete and do it the right way, I'm ok with the that. The thing about building a team the right way is that we will get our shot eventually. .500 to winning records in conference and a shot at the west every 4 years would be more than enough to make me stand with this head coach.

[Hawgar The Horrible]

So, if BB continues with Nutt-like seasons for another 6 years, are you going to be satisfied with "doing it the right way"? He's yet to match single season win totals achieved by BP and HDN very early in their Hog careers.

It makes me wonder how happy most of the fanbase will be if we're squeaky clean but not reaching previously established levels of success.

The previously established levels of 0 SEC Championships and 1 BCS Bowl appearance (loss)? I'm pretty sure I can hold out a while to see what CBB can accomplish by doing it right.

[nwahogfan1]

Agree - I'll take our fourth year juniors over most true freshmen. Very thankful to have Coach BB. 

Great job Coach.

[HogMantheIntruder]

The previously established levels of 0 SEC Championships and 1 BCS Bowl appearance (loss)? I'm pretty sure I can hold out a while to see what CBB can accomplish by doing it right.

Well said. While other teams are making a name for themselves by cheating, we are doing the exact opposite. We need something that sets us apart and gives us an identity. When Petrino was here it was our offense. With CBB, it's building from a foundation (inside out) and developing high character student athletes. We need that reputation to become etched in stone, and these scandals are helping to do just that. Who would you rather have your son play for?

Is CBB's way going to work as fast as $100 ($3,000) handshakes? Absolutely not. I could make way more money in a much shorter period of time if I decided to start selling heroin rather than insurance, but the former will eventually come crashing down, while the latter is sustainable and can, eventually, generate the same type of revenue. I'll take long term, steady growth and incremental success over a meteoric rise to the top, followed by an equally spectacular collapse any day of the week.

[ATU HOG]

What does doing it the "right way" mean?  Out of the 119 Division 1-A schools, how many of them are doing it the "wrong way?"

Baylor
Ole Miss
Auburn maybe?

I feel like we use that saying as a crutch too often because our record doesn't indicate the success of other universities on the field so we justify what we do off the field.

Things have improved off the field and in the classroom, but the on the field results need to start happening. Hopefully we are building something special here, but we need to start having success on the field as much as we are having it off the field.

[Hawgar The Horrible]

What does doing it the "right way" mean?  Out of the 119 Division 1-A schools, how many of them are doing it the "wrong way?"

Baylor
Ole Miss
Auburn maybe?

I feel like we use that saying as a crutch too often because our record doesn't indicate the success of other universities on the field so we justify what we do off the field.

Things have improved off the field and in the classroom, but the on the field results need to start happening. Hopefully we are building something special here, but we need to start having success on the field as much as we are having it off the field.

Higher EDUCATION. This ain't a damn NFL farm team.

[Wildhog]

Just win, baby.

[HogimusMaximus]

Get Better!!

[Torqued pork]

Higher EDUCATION. This ain't a damn NFL farm team.

It ain't the Ivy League either, bro.

Walk out of the stadium after a loss and you won't hear any talk about players succeeding in the classroom.

[oldhawg]

It ain't the Ivy League either, bro.

Now there is a comparison to ponder.

Should the University of Arkansas set its five to ten year plan to become an Ivy League type of school in academics with less emphasis on athletics, or should it set its long range goals to be a power house in football like Alabama and provide a means to a higher education for the masses.

Both alternatives have merit, but I'm not sure the two are compatible.

[LZH]

Now there is a comparison to ponder.

Should the University of Arkansas set its five to ten year plan to become an Ivy League type of school in academics with less emphasis on athletics, or should it set its long range goals to be a power house in football like Alabama and provide a means to a higher education for the masses.

Both alternatives have merit, but I'm not sure the two are compatible.

Miami tried to go the ivy league route. And from everyone I have talked to down there, no one is very happy about it. They actually lost quite a bit of support, the fair weather fans mostly, because of a perceived lack of commitment to athletics given that they were once 'The U'.

[Jek Tono Porkins]

I like winning, but I like long-term winning, and it seems that long-term winning, particularly at a place like Arkansas that doesn't get top ten recruiting rankings every year, is a byproduct of stability and doing things the right way, not playing shuffleboard with the coach and looking the other way at unscrupulous behavior.

Nutt didn't do things the right way and his entire tenure was a roller coaster.
Petrino didn't do things the right way and he won big (for two seasons) but the trade-off was national embarrassment and his firing.
Bielema as far as we know is doing things the right way and we're improving. His system takes a bit more time to develop than other systems, but I think the team last year was much better than their record indicated. If they can ever figure out how to win early in the season and how to kick a field goal without it being blocked, we are going to win big.

[ricepig]

It ain't the Ivy League either, bro.

Walk out of the stadium after a loss and you won't hear any talk about players succeeding in the classroom.

No, but the talk on Sunday or Monday will turn to the next opponent. Student athletes succeeding in the classroom will last a lifetime.

[Torqued pork]

No, but the talk on Sunday or Monday will turn to the next opponent. Student athletes succeeding in the classroom will last a lifetime.

When did Hog fans start putting losses behind them by Sundays or Mondays? That must be something brand new. Another Long/Bielema innovation?

[BornaHog]

Now there is a comparison to ponder.

Should the University of Arkansas set its five to ten year plan to become an Ivy League type of school in academics with less emphasis on athletics, or should it set its long range goals to be a power house in football like Alabama and provide a means to a higher education for the masses.

Both alternatives have merit, but I'm not sure the two are compatible.

   They are only compatible if you are recruiting the right kind of STUDENT athletes! The character of the kids that CBB is recruiting is what we need to make the two compatible, The 3.23 GPA for the football team being an example. My son went to college on an academic scholarship and he had to maintain a 3.25 GPA to keep his scholarship, so yes the two are becoming closer to working together under CBB!

  Will it ever be to the level of Ivy League, probably not, but look at the improvement in CBB's time here. Would any of the Hogville posters have guessed that when he was hired? If he has more hits on the talent and continues to maintain or increase the level of talent he is bringing in, along with going after the kids that have the grades that he is after, WHY NOT, records are made to be broken! Which is what has happened the last two semesters, pertaining to grades.

   All of this is going forward to become a very interesting season for the next two years to see just where he is in his complete rebuild of our RAZORBACK program. His walkon program is really starting to blossom with all the three stars that are joining up and do you really think that some of them aren't going to do really good things here? The GPA continues to break records and the wins are getting higher. What about this is not exciting for any true RAZORBACK fan.

   In closing (feeling like I was giving a speech) I will be at fan day again this year! I will get as many signatures on a football and poster as I can. I also hope that my wife can come and do the same, so we can give gifts to family that are HOG fans that live too far away to come for fan day. I am really looking forward to the next few year because RAZORBACK football is just going to keep getting better(My personal opinion)!   WPS    :razorback: :razorback: :razorback: :razorback: :razorback: :razorback:   GHG   

[MuskogeeHogFan]

What does doing it the "right way" mean?  Out of the 119 Division 1-A schools, how many of them are doing it the "wrong way?"

Baylor
Ole Miss
Auburn maybe?

I feel like we use that saying as a crutch too often because our record doesn't indicate the success of other universities on the field so we justify what we do off the field.

Things have improved off the field and in the classroom, but the on the field results need to start happening. Hopefully we are building something special here, but we need to start having success on the field as much as we are having it off the field.

Some folks don't care how you win, as long as you win and win a lot and sustain that winning. Most of them could care less if rules are broken/bent in order to accomplish this. The occasional NCAA sanction would probably be tolerated by these folks because they feel that you have to break a few yolks to make an omelot.

Others feel like "how you get there" matters a great deal and that winning at all costs while compromising your integrity as a University of higher learning, isn't worth the cost.

In the middle is an AD that has to act in the best interests of the University from an integrity standpoint while trying to hire the best coaches possible to accompish the winning side of the equation, continue to put butts in the bleachers and generate sufficient interest and revenues as to not only sustain, but build upon the University's athletic reputation, and in our case in football, the toughest football conference and division, in all of college football.

No one on either side of the opinion of what is most important is ever going to be 100% satisfied, but I think Jeff Long does a really good job of keeping the plates spinning as best as possible given the situation.

[ricepig]

When did Hog fans start putting losses behind them by Sundays or Mondays? That must be something brand new. Another Long/Bielema innovation?

So, you like to wallow in your pity?

[HogimusMaximus]

So, you like to wallow in your pity?

No, but I like to reflect on how we played.

[ricepig]

No, but I like to reflect on how we played.

Well, log on here and reflect away, shoot, some still are playing the end of the Miss St game on here.

[MJ2]

So, if BB continues with Nutt-like seasons for another 6 years, are you going to be satisfied with "doing it the right way"? He's yet to match single season win totals achieved by BP and HDN very early in their Hog careers.

It makes me wonder how happy most of the fanbase will be if we're squeaky clean but not reaching previously established levels of success.

You took the words out of my mouth!   Strange how this coaching staff is praised for 8 wins and previous ones were pounded for not winning the SEC.

[ricepig]

You took the words out of my mouth!   Strange how this coaching staff is praised for 8 wins and previous ones were pounded for not winning the SEC.

No, not really when you put everything in context and perspective.

[Paul]

No, not really when you put everything in context and perspective.

wrong message board Rice

[Suidae Suis Scrofa]

Not sure if this has been posted in the many threads on the Baylor situation, but here's an interesting article comparing Baylor today to Arkansas post Petrino.

http://www.campusrush.com/baylor-football-jim-grobe-arkansas-bret-bielema-1832561674.html

-phil

[soooieman]

The previously established levels of 0 SEC Championships and 1 BCS Bowl appearance (loss)? I'm pretty sure I can hold out a while to see what CBB can accomplish by doing it right.

This is the best quote I've read in a long time. Well said, sir.

[GuvHog]

Some folks don't care how you win, as long as you win and win a lot and sustain that winning. Most of them could care less if rules are broken/bent in order to accomplish this. The occasional NCAA sanction would probably be tolerated by these folks because they feel that you have to break a few yolks to make an omelot.

Others feel like "how you get there" matters a great deal and that winning at all costs while compromising your integrity as a University of higher learning, isn't worth the cost.

In the middle is an AD that has to act in the best interests of the University from an integrity standpoint while trying to hire the best coaches possible to accompish the winning side of the equation, continue to put butts in the bleachers and generate sufficient interest and revenues as to not only sustain, but build upon the University's athletic reputation, and in our case in football, the toughest football conference and division, in all of college football.

No one on either side of the opinion of what is most important is ever going to be 100% satisfied, but I think Jeff Long does a really good job of keeping the plates spinning as best as possible given the situation.

There are extremes in both directions, both with which I disagree.

Winning at all cost is extreme but becoming so obsessed with preserving integrity to the point of sacrificing an athletic program is the other extreme.

I totally agree with doing it the right way and I strongly support coaches who do that but if a coach who is doing that isn't winning, he won't have a job long. Integrity and winning can co-exist and are equally important but when either one starts to become more important than the other is when problems arise.

[Ted77]

So, if BB continues with Nutt-like seasons for another 6 years, are you going to be satisfied with "doing it the right way"? He's yet to match single season win totals achieved by BP and HDN very early in their Hog careers.

It makes me wonder how happy most of the fanbase will be if we're squeaky clean but not reaching previously established levels of success.

Yes, I will.  It is my realistic belief that Arkansas is not a constant 10 win or more program every year.  Only the very elite programs can get there and stay there, think Alabama, Florida State, and Oklahoma.  We realistically have an 8-9 win on the average type program.  We will have a few 10 and 11 win seasons and a few 7 or worse type seasons.  This is realistic and sustainable but there are ups and downs.

CBB seems to be building a program that if he stays here long term and keeps doing what he's done so far could average out to 8-9 wins a season (this is including his first year as well).  I think he will have a few 10+ win seasons in there.  I think this is what you could expect with any of the best coaches out there.  I know if we get anything less than one of the best that we will see 7 or fewer win seasons.

So, given that handicap, I'd rather see us build a program with more integrity and have a shot at a 10+ win season every few years than have a cheater program and still have that same shot at a 10+ win season.

[Ted77]

I like winning, but I like long-term winning, and it seems that long-term winning, particularly at a place like Arkansas that doesn't get top ten recruiting rankings every year, is a byproduct of stability and doing things the right way, not playing shuffleboard with the coach and looking the other way at unscrupulous behavior.

Nutt didn't do things the right way and his entire tenure was a roller coaster.
Petrino didn't do things the right way and he won big (for two seasons) but the trade-off was national embarrassment and his firing.
Bielema as far as we know is doing things the right way and we're improving. His system takes a bit more time to develop than other systems, but I think the team last year was much better than their record indicated. If they can ever figure out how to win early in the season and how to kick a field goal without it being blocked, we are going to win big.

Amen!

[Inhogswetrust]

So, if BB continues with Nutt-like seasons for another 6 years, are you going to be satisfied with "doing it the right way"? He's yet to match single season win totals achieved by BP and HDN very early in their Hog careers.

It makes me wonder how happy most of the fanbase will be if we're squeaky clean but not reaching previously established levels of success.

Previously established levels of success? That a vague term to use. Especially since you mention SINGLE season win totals. It is obvious you only measure a programs success by wins alone. Not all fans do that. Especially Alums like me.

[checkraiser88]

The right way!

[PygmalionEffect2]

What happened to Sivad ?

Funny guy.

[Tusks]

I know this was a few years ago but do some of you realize that the program is LOSING at historic levels?

[seasonhog]

So, if BB continues with Nutt-like seasons for another 6 years, are you going to be satisfied with "doing it the right way"? He's yet to match single season win totals achieved by BP and HDN very early in their Hog careers.

It makes me wonder how happy most of the fanbase will be if we're squeaky clean but not reaching previously established levels of success.

Who said that we had to cheat to win...........winning will attract recruits to our program.....replace this coach....should have already been done.

[rhog1]

The right way!

Seriously a necro bump for this. Bret Bielema is by all accounts running things the right way off the field and should be thanked for that. It is his on the field performance that should get him fired.

[GTOWNHOG]

Seriously a necro bump for this. Bret Bielema is by all accounts running things the right way off the field and should be thanked for that. It is his on the field performance that should get him fired.

Agreed.  Other head coaches in the SEC seem to be able to get both the academic success AND the on field success done.  I have a reallly hard time understanding why the University of Arkansas cannot attract and sign much better athletic talent for our football team.  I would entertain any reasonable explanations as to why we can't do any better than we have...

[jkstock04]

I made it through the first few comments and couldn't go any further. Hilarious and sad at the same time.

This ideology of we don't care if we lose as long as we have integrity has poisoned the program to the brink of death. I think that all the people who touted this line should stick to their guns and still be happy with the current state of things.

[hoghearted]

I made it through the first few comments and couldn't go any further. Hilarious and sad at the same time.

This ideology of we don't care if we lose as long as we have integrity has poisoned the program to the brink of death. I think that all the people who touted this line should stick to their guns and still be happy with the current state of things.

Yeah, it's easy to say when you think things are looking up. When reality hits, you have second thoughts.

[hawgmasta]

I made it through the first few comments and couldn't go any further. Hilarious and sad at the same time.

This ideology of we don't care if we lose as long as we have integrity has poisoned the program to the brink of death. I think that all the people who touted this line should stick to their guns and still be happy with the current state of things.

I think it definitely doesn't help we are in the cutthroat SEC, most if not all the other schools ARE going to employ a win at all cost mentality. Haven't we ever heard the adage nice guys finish last? I wonder if it's the same in football.

[Porkchop#1]

I made it through the first few comments and couldn't go any further. Hilarious and sad at the same time.

This ideology of we don't care if we lose as long as we have integrity has poisoned the program to the brink of death. I think that all the people who touted this line should stick to their guns and still be happy with the current state of things.

Exactly...beyond ridiculous.  It'd be funny if it wasn't so pathetic.