Player evaluations

[Cinco de Hogo]

I've been thinking about this and why things seem to be taking a downturn despite higher than avg ranked classes.   I have never been A big fan of CBB as the right coach for Arkansas but I do believe he is a good coach and I do believe he has and has had good enough staff to win more and look better doing it.  So what's the problem?  We tend to pooh hah just about any thought or excuse someone comes up with but there is something.  Who is right or wrong will never be agreed upon on Hogville.  So I'll take my stab.

I think it's a combination of system, evaluation and the uncommon theme.  The ranking is fine and sets up well for Arkansas to be the overachiever we typically are but it ain't happening...so far.   Think about this, because of the mantra the pressure is to get the good kid vs the stud.  Now the good kid may be the star of his team and if he makes good grades may get plenty of looks and offers but what happens if over the course of four classes, collectively those player are a tenth of a second slower or too light, or too heavy etc compared to what other programs(and I'm not even talking about the elite programs)are willing to take.  What if you don't get the few studs Arkansas has alway relied on when we had exceptional teams every few years?

Is it all CBB's fault or have we fallen into a trap on the rebound from the spin that we will not win at all cost.  When have we ever been a win at all cost program?  We have stopped taken chances on Arkansas kids and we aren't beating anybody out for true studs.  Fact is it's had to find one on the team not possibly named Agim and Ragnow but both of those are having problems shining because of the player(s) next to them.  I will say for once in a long time we may get have some studs in the secondary but not enough info to say for sure.

I want a high APR, I want the players to stay out of trouble etc... but how far do you want to separate yourself from the pack at the expense of winning?  Everyone else survives unless they pull an Ole Miss or Baylor but there are plenty of programs at our level who do just fine and it seems more and more that they are beating us on the field.

[Cinco de Hogo]

Look I don't know what's going on at the highest levels, I don't know it CBB runs the show and has set his own standards or if he has been given "The Manuel".  I do know he doesn't REALLY look happy.  I look at him and all I can think is something is amiss.  Maybe it's all on him maybe it's not. 

[buldozer]

No matter what the problem is (its very likely we may never know for sure), I know exactly who is responsible... The head football coach. Thats why he is paid $4.5M per year in one of the poorest states. He does not get a hall pass or a get-out-of-jail card, he has to take the full responsibility and fix it or pay the price. After 5 years it seems impossible for him to fix it, so that just leaves one other option.....

[JaketheSnake]

Look I don't know what's going on at the highest levels, I don't know it CBB runs the show and has set his own standards or if he has been given "The Manuel".  I do know he doesn't REALLY look happy.  I look at him and all I can think is something is amiss.  Maybe it's all on him maybe it's not. 

The man is a P5 College football coach with a newborn!  The look is exhaustion.

[Cinco de Hogo]

The man is a P5 College football coach with a newborn!  The look is exhaustion.

Could be but I had three pretty close together back in the day and I don't think I ever looked that exhausted.

[Cinco de Hogo]

No matter what the problem is (its very likely we may never know for sure), I know exactly who is responsible... The head football coach. Thats why he is paid $4.5M per year in one of the poorest states. He does not get a hall pass or a get-out-of-jail card, he has to take the full responsibility and fix it or pay the price. After 5 years it seems impossible for him to fix it, so that just leaves one other option.....

Well my post history says I don't disagree with you.  I was just trying to look deeper and understand.

[Al Boarland]

We average around #25 in recruiting. That is not going to get it done. I'm not sure why people think we are recruiting so much better.

[Cinco de Hogo]

We average around #25 in recruiting. That is not going to get it done. I'm not sure why people think we are recruiting so much better.

Right it's not "so much better" but it is better as for as rankings go.  I think I made it clear that those rankings may not be what they seem to be though.  On top of that we haven't moved the needle at all compared to our foes in the SEC.  Add to that, we are getting beat by teams we used to never worry about and it sure adds up to one of two things, evaluation or coaching...or any combination of those two things.

[Al Boarland]

Right it's not "so much better" but it is better as for as rankings go.  I think I made it clear that those rankings may not be what they seem to be though.  On top of that we haven't moved the needle at all compared to our foes in the SEC.  Add to that, we are getting beat by teams we used to never worry about and it sure adds up to one of two things, evaluation or coaching...or any combination of those two things.

The Toledo and Texas Tech types losses are indefensible. If you are referring to the MS Schools, we are right there with them. They have improved their programs to a competitive level. Those are tossup games, but people have an archaic line of thinking that those are automatic W's.

[DeltaBoy]

We had way too many recruiting Bust.

[Cinco de Hogo]

The Toledo and Texas Tech types losses are indefensible. If you are referring to the MS Schools, we are right there with them. They have improved their programs to a competitive level. Those are tossup games, but people have an archaic line of thinking that those are automatic W's.

Who said that?

More of a problem, we don't have a good record against Vandy or Kentucky whom the SEC doesn't let us play very often.

[Cinco de Hogo]

We had way too many recruiting Bust.

thats a little more direct to the problem. 😉

[RazorWest]

We had way too many recruiting Bust.

Some of this, and some of the Busts are possibly related to not being put in positions to succeed.  In my opinion, there's not a lot of difference between the team that has a 15th ranked class and and team that has the 25th ranked class.  Once you get out of the top 10 it's really a crap shoot. 

[12247]

I have talked about this in other posts but our root problem is the method in which we choose our HCs.  As long as we continue to make bad selections, we will get bad results.  Going all the way back to Crowe, a knee jerk hire and then Kines, who seemed to be a good DC but another knee jerk hire and then Ford who at first, came in to consult the knee jerk hire.  Many true football minds said if Frank would have stayed out of Ford's way and gave him just a bit longer, he would have won here.  I don't know that but Nutt had success with Ford's players, I do know that.  And then there was Nutt, a low ceiling coach from the word go.  Nutt likely came closest to reaching his potential at Atkansas and for 10 seasons we accepted that low ceiling and his ego as the best we could do.  Petrino is the only HC we've had in the past 25 to 30 years with enough upside to go win games with football savay, instead of talent, but his personal life, for us, was a complete bust.  Many allude to Petrino's good fortune of having a great class of Arkansas boys, something we don't often see.  Let us also remember that Petrino came late in the recruiting process, secured those mostly 3 star players, flipped  a couple to Arkansas and then went on the field and actually trained up those very same players.  Many of those Guys couldn't catch a ball on gameday that first year if  you had given them an oversized fish net.  John Smith was horrible but in truth, Smith was better than he showed.  Again, a pitiful knee jerk hire.  Smith's mental attitude was I am here 1 year, just stay the hell  out of the way, be a figurehead, take the pocket change and move on.  He could hardly remember the name of the team he was HC of and had no clout with the team when clout and leadership was needed.  Bielema  was never the right hire due to the scheme he loved.  Though you have heard this thousands of times, the basis is true.  We cannot out BAMA, BAMA.  We get mostly second and third tier players and you cannot expect these Guys to go and win against a 2 deep of better linemen all season long.  For BBs system to work here, you must have great, not good, GREAT lines on both sides of the ball.  The defensive line must control the ball just like the offensive line must move the pile.  If the D lets the competition get the big lead, we are totally sunk.  Our scheme on O isn't for catching up.  As to the offense, we want to just line up and run right over you.  Oh, we tinker with other thoughts, but when push comes to shove, that is our offense in a nutshell.  Unfortunately, we can't do it and therein lies the problem.  The football program continues to deflate like a tire with a pin hole leak and much like that tire, we continue to pump air in a couple of times weekly instead of taking the time to have it fixed. 

We have hired mostly good people for 3 decades but in nearly all cases, a poor, poor choice for the Football HC.

Until we correct the hiring process, we will never correct the results and reach the potential that we have.

[CPO Hog]

IMO, the players are coached into a box. Innovation creates big plays and big plays win games. We don't see big plays like we did a few years ago. I say loosen the reins a bit and let the kids make plays.

[Wildhog]

IMO, the players are coached into a box. Innovation creates big plays and big plays win games. We don't see big plays like we did a few years ago. I say loosen the reins a bit and let the kids make plays.

You gotta have playmakers on the field. 

[Cinco de Hogo]

I have talked about this in other posts but our root problem is the method in which we choose our HCs.  As long as we continue to make bad selections, we will get bad results.  Going all the way back to Crowe, a knee jerk hire and then Kines, who seemed to be a good DC but another knee jerk hire and then Ford who at first, came in to consult the knee jerk hire.  Many true football minds said if Frank would have stayed out of Ford's way and gave him just a bit longer, he would have won here.  I don't know that but Nutt had success with Ford's players, I do know that.  And then there was Nutt, a low ceiling coach from the word go.  Nutt likely came closest to reaching his potential at Atkansas and for 10 seasons we accepted that low ceiling and his ego as the best we could do.  Petrino is the only HC we've had in the past 25 to 30 years with enough upside to go win games with football savay, instead of talent, but his personal life, for us, was a complete bust.  Many allude to Petrino's good fortune of having a great class of Arkansas boys, something we don't often see.  Let us also remember that Petrino came late in the recruiting process, secured those mostly 3 star players, flipped  a couple to Arkansas and then went on the field and actually trained up those very same players.  Many of those Guys couldn't catch a ball on gameday that first year if  you had given them an oversized fish net.  John Smith was horrible but in truth, Smith was better than he showed.  Again, a pitiful knee jerk hire.  Smith's mental attitude was I am here 1 year, just stay the hell  out of the way, be a figurehead, take the pocket change and move on.  He could hardly remember the name of the team he was HC of and had no clout with the team when clout and leadership was needed.  Bielema  was never the right hire due to the scheme he loved.  Though you have heard this thousands of times, the basis is true.  We cannot out BAMA, BAMA.  We get mostly second and third tier players and you cannot expect these Guys to go and win against a 2 deep of better linemen all season long.  For BBs system to work here, you must have great, not good, GREAT lines on both sides of the ball.  The defensive line must control the ball just like the offensive line must move the pile.  If the D lets the competition get the big lead, we are totally sunk.  Our scheme on O isn't for catching up.  As to the offense, we want to just line up and run right over you.  Oh, we tinker with other thoughts, but when push comes to shove, that is our offense in a nutshell.  Unfortunately, we can't do it and therein lies the problem.  The football program continues to deflate like a tire with a pin hole leak and much like that tire, we continue to pump air in a couple of times weekly instead of taking the time to have it fixed. 

We have hired mostly good people for 3 decades but in nearly all cases, a poor, poor choice for the Football HC.

Until we correct the hiring process, we will never correct the results and reach the potential that we have.

I don't disagree at all and you list all those coaches since JFB and you see we've ran off the three best of the bunch.

[Cinco de Hogo]

You gotta have playmakers on the field.

Right, through two games we have yet to single out the playmakers.  Yea the running backs look pretty good but when haven't they in a CBB system.

[Wildhog]

Right, through two games we have yet to single out the playmakers.  Yea the running backs look pretty good but when haven't they in a CBB system.

We've got to get Hammonds the ball in space.  That kid is just too good to not be out there.

[Cinco de Hogo]

We've got to get Hammonds the ball in space.  That kid is just too good to not be out there.

I think most of all we need a scheme that allows or playmakers to go make plays and who knows they may bust out at any time and saying that I'm not passing judgement on what the problem is that it wasn't figured out in spring or summer practices.  It just wasn't!  Just like once again the O-line wasn't figured out.

[Wildhog]

I think most of all we need a scheme that allows or playmakers to go make plays and who knows they may bust out at any time and saying that I'm not passing judgement on what the problem is that it wasn't figured out in spring or summer practices.  It just wasn't!  Just like once again the O-line wasn't figured out.

Problem is they aren't going to totally re-work the offense mid-season.