Saturday Down South on the Love for Bret Bielema

[WilsonHog]

Fair question, perhaps?

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/arkansas-football/everybody-loves-bret-bielema-but-is-he-still-right-coach-for-arkansas/

[ricepig]

They must not be reading HV this week.

[Pig In The City]

Propaganda. Actions speak louder than words.

[lefty08]

It's fair, not sure it's 2 theads fair

[Pecos Hog]

Yep.  I'm afraid we are fooling ourselves if we think things will improve much next year. 

[Inhogswetrust]

They must not be reading HV this week.

Their censors probably wouldn't let them......................

[Calling All Hogs]

Bielema's record at Wisconsin doesn't give me hope considering that Wisconsin has actually done better since he left even though they have had two different coaches during that short time.

[ThisTeetsTaken]

Hoping Iowa will take him off our hands.

[The Great Hambino]

Their censors probably wouldn't let them......................

Have some Victory Gin and  Victory Cigarette.

[longpig]

Conclusion sums it up  post 2015, not 2016. 

" Although it might be easier to stomach losses with a coach like Bielema, who is genuine, honest, and accountable during press conferences, there has to be a faction within the fan base that would prefer a no-nonsense head coach like Nick Saban. Especially if not having a lovable coach meant more wins every year.

As much as Razorbacks fans love Bielema the guy, that love may fade away if Bielema the coach can’t produce better results in 2017."

That there's a faction who love the guy and most want him gone is most likely the case now.

[Hogwild]

Hoping Iowa will take him off our hands.

Unfortunately it is going to happen:

Ferentz had four years left on his previous agreement with the school, which paid him about $4 million a year. Now, he'll be making $4.5 million a year through 2025, or whenever he decides to retire and hand the reigns to his son Brian, whom this contract more or less names as the next coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes football team. The new contract allows Kirk to leave Iowa on his own terms, which is as sure a sign as any of having the athletic director in your pocket.

[Atlhogfan1]

Poor piece.  No mention of oline or defense.  Converted d lineman still learning to play football plugged in at OG.  Begged a Texas reject to come play at Arkansas to plug another hole in the oline.  Ended up playing a walk on.  The talent mentioned may have been in some skill spots.  But you win up front.  The Cowboys and the Raiders showed that this season.  One of the worst olines in the NFL this season was the Broncos who missed the playoffs as a result of a horrid offense.  We knew going in this was going to be a struggle for the Hogs this season.

Defense was historically bad.  Should never get that bad. 

Bret was hired to do a job.  Liking him or any other coach shouldn't matter.  He wasn't a personal hire at least like we have twice done in the recent past in our major programs. 

[Athog]

They must not be reading HV this week.

Well I can't blame them! Can you? Same people wanting attention amid negative discussion of all our sports program. They realize that this is not the majority only the loudest who certainly does not speak for the majority.

[hogsanity]

Yep.  I'm afraid we are fooling ourselves if we think things will improve much next year. 

People are fooling themselves if they think, with the demographics of most of the sec recruiting bases, that this program is EVER going to get much better CONSISTENTLY. Do I think they will have another 10+ win season, sure, but it will be the exception not the norm. Any coach is still going to be dependent on the state producing a HS crop FAR ABOVE what it usually does.

[elksnort]

Just be able to run the football when they need to. 

[hog47]

What I want is to see more fight and emotion from BB. He setsaid the tone for the team. Have you seen Saban on the side line? He demands perfection from his coaches and team.

[LRrazorback]

People are fooling themselves if they think, with the demographics of most of the sec recruiting bases, that this program is EVER going to get much better CONSISTENTLY. Do I think they will have another 10+ win season, sure, but it will be the exception not the norm. Any coach is still going to be dependent on the state producing a HS crop FAR ABOVE what it usually does.

You're fooling yourself if you don't think we can do better than CBB

[Cinco de Hogo]

Well I can't blame them! Can you? Same people wanting attention amid negative discussion of all our sports program. They realize that this is not the majority only the loudest who certainly does not speak for the majority.

You don't get out much do you?  Most people I knew w that aren't on MB used to be avid Razorback fans.  Now days you can barely get a conversation started with anybody.

[hogsanity]

You're fooling yourself if you don't think we can do better than CBB

Where did I say that? They might get a better coach, but unless said coach can convince high level out of state players, especially defenders, to come here in sufficient numbers, the results will be about the same as they have been, on average, my whole life ( I am 46 ).

[JOKERHOG]

Iwill take a nononsence coach over one that continues to make a fool out of himself every time he opens his big mouth

[Erockster20]

Bielema's record at Wisconsin doesn't give me hope considering that Wisconsin has actually done better since he left even though they have had two different coaches during that short time.

Is that good or bad for Bret? Does that mean he was terrible or that he left the program in great shape?  Miles won a title after Saban went to Dolphins. Was he better?  Or did Saban set him up?  I don't think that is bad they are still winning. I think it says he has built a solid program there and hopefully he can here. But he is running out of time.

[rude1]

Is that good or bad for Bret? Does that mean he was terrible or that he left the program in great shape?  Miles won a title after Saban went to Dolphins. Was he better?  Or did Saban set him up?  I don't think that is bad they are still winning. I think it says he has built a solid program there and hopefully he can here. But he is running out of time.

Only he didn't build that program there, he has never build a program and his first attempt here isn't very inspiring. Alvarez was the one who built that program, and continues to oversee its success.

[razorsharptusk]

I don't have to like the coach as a fan. Just get a coach that knows how to make adjustments in games and motivates his players to finish.

One would think this would have been researched and a requirement before hiring him. 

[blu]

Iwill take a nononsence coach over one that continues to make a fool out of himself every time he opens his big mouth

That would have been the clown that CBP replaced - that guy made me cringe every time he opened his mouth. BB on the other hand is very well spoken, just can't always quite deliver.

[theFlyingHog]

All Long and Bielema care about is money and the brand. Wins matter only so far as it affects those. Long is running a business and all we fans are to him are consumers to be duped into spending money and spreading the brand. They don't give two shits about what makes Arkansas special and we'll have to get very vocal to get our program back

[MemphisBossHog]

in the article, the author says that most likely Arkansas will never pull 4 star recruits across the board.  I just want to ask those here on the board why is it so hard for Arkansas to get top notch recruits?  I am a huge Hog fan but I did not go to school there. I am a Vandy alum.  I see the announcements of all the capital expenditures to build new facilities.  I read the Forbes article that just praised Arkansas's sports facilities and put them at or around the top of the SEC, but I dont know much about Fayetteville and the surrounding area.

I read where NW Arkansas is considered one of the top places in the whole country to live, but what does that mean for 4 or 5 star recruit from TEX or FLA or OK?  They dont care about that.  How can places like Oxford and Starkville be more attractive to a recruit than Fayetteville?

I am just curious to know if Arkansas just will never be able to hang with the big boys in recruiting--not beat them, but just hang with them and be close.   We might have a #17-18 class nationally but relative to the rest of the SEC, we come in like 12th.

I just want to know from those on here who are Ark alums or who live in NW Arkansas or who are really familiar with how Ark recruits, what is the problem?  Do kids' families look at Fayetteville as being on the other side of the world and dont want their kid going so far away?  Is there no night life, extra curricular activities for today's young teenage football recruits/players to experience at Arkansas? 

I ask this because Bielema seems to be a personable, charismatic coach.  Folks love him.  I think players like him.  He would seem to be good at closing the deal in recruiting and relating to a recruit and his family, so why do we struggle so much and usually bring up the rear or close to it in SEC recruiting?

[The_Iceman]

People are fooling themselves if they think, with the demographics of most of the sec recruiting bases, that this program is EVER going to get much better CONSISTENTLY. Do I think they will have another 10+ win season, sure, but it will be the exception not the norm. Any coach is still going to be dependent on the state producing a HS crop FAR ABOVE what it usually does.

The truth hurts sometimes. Even Petrino was running out of in state talent.

[Hawghiggs]

All Long and Bielema care about is money and the brand. Wins matter only so far as it affects those. Long is running a business and all we fans are to him are consumers to be duped into spending money and spreading the brand. They don't give two shits about what makes Arkansas special and we'll have to get very vocal to get our program back

Couldn't agree more.

[jkstock04]

Fair question, perhaps?

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/arkansas-football/everybody-loves-bret-bielema-but-is-he-still-right-coach-for-arkansas/

So essentially it's ok that we lose because the fan base is personally in love with the guy.

Sickening but true. Notice how they go on about "being Bret Bielema." Exactly what I've been saying and why I would refuse to watch that BS. People put that crap in place of things like the 2nd half of the Va Tech game.

The Bielema era is a weird transition where more emphasis and deflection is placed on everything other than football. I can't stand that mindset. Sometimes it's not even about actual football anymore.

[Exit Pursued by a Boar]

How can places like Oxford and Starkville be more attractive to a recruit than Fayetteville?

In fairness, I don't think MSU finishes higher than UA all that frequently in recruiting rankings. Looks like the Hugh Freeze train is running off the tracks with the NCAA on him.  As for Mississippi in general, although the population is similar to Arkansas (AR may actually pas MS in total population soon if it hasn't already) there seem to be more high level recruits produced by the state, and it does have a fairly robust JC system that produces takes in a lot of non-qualifiers out of high school.

EFBAB

[1highhog]

I've done said that CB should at all costs be on the hot seat next year, and if he doesn't do some letting go of assistant coaches after this past blunder of a season then he deserves whatever badness that befalls him.  I admit that I've been a huge supporter of his since he was first hired, and I like many of the things he's brought to the team, but winning is not one of them.  The thing that gets me frustrated the most is like this season, we could have easily have had three more wins which would have been a good season, same as last year, it's these rollarcoaster seasons that's got to stop.  That's all coaching there.  The honeymoon is over, it's time to put up or shut up.

[Razorbackers]

Is that good or bad for Bret? Does that mean he was terrible or that he left the program in great shape?  Miles won a title after Saban went to Dolphins. Was he better?  Or did Saban set him up?  I don't think that is bad they are still winning. I think it says he has built a solid program there and hopefully he can here. But he is running out of time.

For real.

Also they've won the conference 0 times since he won it 3 in a row. So.

[hawgon]

Everything people love about him will be one of the main things people hate about him if he doesn't win and is around too long after people decide that he needs to go.  It's really going to wear on him.

[LZH]

Everything people love about him will be one of the main things people hate about him if he doesn't win and is around too long after people decide that he needs to go.  It's really going to wear on him.

True dat. I don't really care as much anymore if BB is our coach or not. I just wanna win/be competitive. I don't quite have the disdain for him that I did when he first got here. But his schtick is getting old...and fast.

Why did everyone look past Miles' goofiness at LSU or Mike Leach's mouth at Texas Tech? Because they won.

[Hog Pharm]

Only he didn't build that program there, he has never build a program and his first attempt here isn't very inspiring. Alvarez was the one who built that program, and continues to oversee its success.

Maybe not but he did sustain success for several years. Plus, Alvarez did hire him so he must be a good coach if we're going to give him credit for being such a good AD.

[hogsanity]

I read where NW Arkansas is considered one of the top places in the whole country to live, but what does that mean for 4 or 5 star recruit from TEX or FLA or OK?  They dont care about that.  How can places like Oxford and Starkville be more attractive to a recruit than Fayetteville?

It still comes down to proximity to a recruits home more often than not. MS has something like 3.5 times the # of recruits as does AR. That is due to demographics.

Anyone that thinks Ar HS football is just full of SEC type players that are being overlooked is just fooling themselves. For the most part the ranks of Ar HS football are filled with undersized players that are pretty slow. Watch the replays of the Texas state title games when they are on Fox sports over the winter ( or watch them at various places on line ) and then do the same for Ar HS football and you will see the HUGE difference in size and speed.

[razoredge178]

Lots and lots and lots of high-paid execs out there that do mediocre work but hang around b/c they're liked by the right people.

[EastexHawg]

People are fooling themselves if they think, with the demographics of most of the sec recruiting bases, that this program is EVER going to get much better CONSISTENTLY. Do I think they will have another 10+ win season, sure, but it will be the exception not the norm. Any coach is still going to be dependent on the state producing a HS crop FAR ABOVE what it usually does.

Isn't this basically the same argument you used to defend Nutt for his last few years?  "We're not going to find anyone who is better..."

[hawgon]

It still comes down to proximity to a recruits home more often than not. MS has something like 3.5 times the # of recruits as does AR. That is due to demographics.

Anyone that thinks Ar HS football is just full of SEC type players that are being overlooked is just fooling themselves. For the most part the ranks of Ar HS football are filled with undersized players that are pretty slow. Watch the replays of the Texas state title games when they are on Fox sports over the winter ( or watch them at various places on line ) and then do the same for Ar HS football and you will see the HUGE difference in size and speed.

And there are probably twice the number of D I players in DFW alone than there are in the entire state of Mississippi.  Excuses are pitiful.  Winners figure out how to get it done.

[EastexHawg]

Is that good or bad for Bret? Does that mean he was terrible or that he left the program in great shape?  Miles won a title after Saban went to Dolphins. Was he better?  Or did Saban set him up?  I don't think that is bad they are still winning. I think it says he has built a solid program there and hopefully he can here. But he is running out of time.

So what you are saying is that Barry Alvarez gets the credit for Bielema's success, since it was him and not Bret who built the Wisconsin program?

[MemphisBossHog]

In fairness, I don't think MSU finishes higher than UA all that frequently in recruiting rankings. Looks like the Hugh Freeze train is running off the tracks with the NCAA on him.  As for Mississippi in general, although the population is similar to Arkansas (AR may actually pas MS in total population soon if it hasn't already) there seem to be more high level recruits produced by the state, and it does have a fairly robust JC system that produces takes in a lot of non-qualifiers out of high school.

EFBAB

fair enough. I do agree that there is something fishy about how all of a sudden, 4 and 5 star recruits began to flock to Oxford.

I also agree that the state of Mississippi has way more SEC level recruits than ARK however, there is Southern Miss, Ole Miss, Miss State plus Alabama and LSU are just across the state line (just like we pull from TEX, Bama & LSU can pull from MS).

I do see your point. Thanks for the response

[hogsanity]

Isn't this basically the same argument you used to defend Nutt for his last few years?  "We're not going to find anyone who is better..."

I am not saying when the times comes they wont find a better coach than BB, I just do not think they will have much more success over time than anyone else has.  Will someone come in and have a magical season or 2 - quite possible, but if they stay here for 4 or more seasons, they will fall right back to the 7 or 8 win average the program has had for decades. 

Since 1970 they have averaged 7.2 wins per season.

[MemphisBossHog]

It still comes down to proximity to a recruits home more often than not. MS has something like 3.5 times the # of recruits as does AR. That is due to demographics.

Anyone that thinks Ar HS football is just full of SEC type players that are being overlooked is just fooling themselves. For the most part the ranks of Ar HS football are filled with undersized players that are pretty slow. Watch the replays of the Texas state title games when they are on Fox sports over the winter ( or watch them at various places on line ) and then do the same for Ar HS football and you will see the HUGE difference in size and speed.

I hear ya Hogsanity.  I know MS produces more talent than Arkansas, but there are more schools in the state of MS to pull out of that talent pool.  Arkansas doesn't produce the talent that MS does but its the only true big time program in the state. That's why it hurts a lot more when a big time recruit from Arkansas goes to Auburn or Bama or OU.  The talent pool in the state of Ark is much smaller as you say.

I guess Arkansas is one of those schools that needs a coach who can "coach em up" cause due to geography, the Hogs are not going to be a recruiting power.  This is why Im not sure Bielema, as great of a guy as he is, is going to be able to please Hog fans.  I was somewhat surprised to read that Wisky's winning percentage has actually increased since BB left. Its starting to look like BB was simply carrying on Alvarez's program.

The task ahead of BB is daunting.  Every year just about you are going to play one of the 5 hardest schedules in the nation.  You can recruit the number 17 class in the whole nation and come in almost last in the conference.  I want it to work out with BB, but it seems that his system is predicated on having at least equal talent, size, speed as his opponents like he did at Wisky.  At Ark, until he gets better recruits, he will more times than not, be on the other end of that stick and his roster will be less talented, slower and smaller. Its gonna take a special guy with a special staff to be successful at Ark.  I think folks like Chris Ash, Sam Pittman, Jim Chaney, Randy Shannon all saw this and left for greener pastures.  Who knows, just frustrated at how hard it seems to be to get these guys to come to Ark that's all

[hawgon]

I am not saying when the times comes they wont find a better coach than BB, I just do not think they will have much more success over time than anyone else has.  Will someone come in and have a magical season or 2 - quite possible, but if they stay here for 4 or more seasons, they will fall right back to the 7 or 8 win average the program has had for decades.

Which is fine as long as we have someone capable of having that magical season every once in a while.  Bielema isn't that guy.  Had he beaten Toledo and Texas Tech or MSU last year, we would have had 10 wins.  How different would the conversation be now?  Don't pretend he hasn't had his chances.  He has and he has failed to deliver.  He easily could have had ten last year and nine this year.  EASILY.  Had he done that, most of us would be saying, "Petrino who?"  Hell, just beat Toledo last year and it was nine. 

[hogsanity]

Which is fine as long as we have someone capable of having that magical season every once in a while. 

HDN had a 10 win season.

[hawgon]

HDN had a 10 win season.

Yeah, he was clearly better than Bielema.

[3kgthog]

For real.

Also they've won the conference 0 times since he won it 3 in a row. So.

He wasn't coaching against Franklin, Meyer, and Harbaugh. BB happened to be coaching in the B1G at a time when the conference big boys weren't in top form. He's not going to get so lucky here and his real ability is showing.

[moses_007]

Hoping Iowa will take him off our hands.

That would be a $15 million dollar blessing.

[hawgon]

Iowa is the only school in the country with a dumber buyout than we have.

[Biggus Piggus]

Iowa is the only school in the country with a dumber buyout than we have.

We need a dumbass buyout to stave off the idiocracy.