I'm on the fence

[BrickTwnHog]

As sit here and read pro and anti CBB threads, I find myself going back and fourth with my own opinion with a slight lean towards giving him more time with the condition the defensive staff has changes made.

I'm not sure if I can pin point a specific problem with the defense. I do think that Rob Smith has to go regardless of what other changes are made. It might be CRS philosophy holding other coaches back, or gameday play calling or whatever the base reason is, it has formed one of the worst D's in our history. We are not consistent tacking and the secondary has played like crap at crucial times. Our D-line seems to be the worst part of our defense.

Coach B has "made upgrades" in the past when coaches "found other jobs" so I'm fairly confident that coaching changes will be made and if not, then Bielema will be looking for another job in 2 years. I think a "hopefully" new DC hire will either make or break his tenure here. If he makes a splash hire he will be able to tout even if he only wins 7-8 games next year that we are rebuilding the defense and if it shows progress on the field folks will buy it. If he keeps Robb Smith and we win 6-8 games with a bowl win people will start rumbling pretty loud and that leaves him trying to hire a new DC the following year and with a new QB and a HC coach on the hot-seat (possibly a new OC by this point with Enos landing a head coaching job) a 6-7 win season will seal his fate.

I was a big proponent of coach B hiring, and I still think he can get it done here (although I'm starting to question it some) he has the offensive staff to do it, he just needs a different DC with a new philosophy. We will never have that athletes in the secondary to play man on man. We need to gamble some and keep the offense guessing. We also have to tackle guys to the ground on every play. Our gap control is horrific and we still will not turn our DAMN heads when defending a WR.

[Danny J]

I am on the "its time to cut bait but we can't because of the buyout" side of the fence but could be pulled back over if next year we are competitive in most of our games and win at least 8 before a bowl. Anything less than that then I am done. Houston Nutt could have gotten us to 9 wins at least once in 5 years. We know BP could. So it can be done. The 7 win regular season plateau at Arkansas is not going to work. If we don't improve next year then he will be on the hot seat for sure going into 2018 season and if we don't get to 9 then he WILL be fired regardless of what the sunshine pumpers state on HV or on BO's show.

[Aeschere]

Could have kicked 2 field goals and easily won that game.

[tophawg19]

HDN would have been destroyed in the SEC as tough as it is now . that's the reason ole miss got rid of him

[TNhawgfan]

HDN would have been destroyed in the SEC as tough as it is now . that's the reason ole miss got rid of him

Other than bama, the SEC was average this year. Not the right year to boast about a tough schedule

[tophawg19]

the SEC isn't average . put our 4th team in most conferences and they win . the one thing missing was good Qb's though

[PLHawg]

The reality of the SEC West, as it stands now, is the absolute best we'll ever finish is third.  From a talent level we're not even close, doesn't matter who is coaching this team.  Axing Bielema just means we go from 7-5 or possibly 8-4 to another rebuild and 3-9 and 4-8 seasons for a couple of years and recruiting goes into the toilet (worse than it already is).  Unless we catch lightening in a bottle with an up and comer, what established coach would want to step into this situation?  Reality sucks.

[ballz2thewall]

i've a couple-a thoughts.........

first, findings of fact:

1. bret is a people person.
2. he is a strong and vocal supporter of his coaches.
3. during games, the coordinators have control of their squads.
4. his willingness to outright can a coach is untested.
5. the glaring issue from a coaching perspective is on defense.

accepting the above predicate;

it appears to me that bret has no choice but to replace rob smith. the regression is obvious as the inability to compete on the defensive side of the ball is glaring.

as a commentary, it is also the case that bret may need to break from his people-person mold with regard to his coaches. his demands should be perfection from this point on; especially on defense. the coordinator should never be too comfortable nor feel totally at home.

it is time for coach bielema to be unreasonable in what he expects from his defense.

if he does not do this, his tenure will suffer.

[ballz2thewall]

The reality of the SEC West, as it stands now, is the absolute best we'll ever finish is third.  From a talent level we're not even close, doesn't matter who is coaching this team.  Axing Bielema just means we go from 7-5 or possibly 8-4 to another rebuild and 3-9 and 4-8 seasons for a couple of years and recruiting goes into the toilet (worse than it already is).  Unless we catch lightening in a bottle with an up and comer, what established coach would want to step into this situation?  Reality sucks.

sadly, this appears true.

watching auburn and bama, there's not a single player on our defense that would start on either squad.

[sickboy]

Even if we wanted to get rid of Bielema, this is not the year to do it. Who are you going to get to come to Arkansas that's worth firing Bielema over? Herman's the hot name and I'm not even that jazzed about him. There were at least two or three names that were really exciting when we hired Bielema... this year just isn't that year. It's dry. We're better off sticking with Bilema for a year or two and seeing what our options are when the buyout isn't an issue.

[Wildhog]

The reality of the SEC West, as it stands now, is the absolute best we'll ever finish is third.  From a talent level we're not even close, doesn't matter who is coaching this team.  Axing Bielema just means we go from 7-5 or possibly 8-4 to another rebuild and 3-9 and 4-8 seasons for a couple of years and recruiting goes into the toilet (worse than it already is).  Unless we catch lightening in a bottle with an up and comer, what established coach would want to step into this situation?  Reality sucks.

Then you go get an up-and-comer.  These 7 win seasons just don't do it for me.  They're certainly not worth keeping coaches for "stability's" sake. 

"Yay, we're consistently mediocre.  Go stability."

[JOKERHOG]

Then you go get an up-and-comer.  These 7 win seasons just don't do it for me.  They're certainly not worth keeping coaches for "stability's" sake. 

"Yay, we're consistently mediocre.  Go stability."

Yeah, that is a terrible arguement but very popular on HV

[Airforcehawg]

The main point of the "should we keep or get rid of CBB", is who do you get to replace him? What coaches are available? Do you take a chance on a guy coaching a mid major (Western Michigan Coach)? Would they even come here?

[hobhog]

Hope you have good balance on that fence cause he ain't going anywhere. He has next year and we have No choice but to accept it. I am willing to see what happens in year 5.

[Deep Shoat]

Then you go get an up-and-comer.  These 7 win seasons just don't do it for me.  They're certainly not worth keeping coaches for "stability's" sake. 

"Yay, we're consistently mediocre.  Go stability."

Stability isn't about keeping the status quo.  It's about rebuilding the foundations.  When Nutt arrived, why did he succeed?  Because Danny Ford had rebuilt the foundation.  When Petrino arrived, why did he fail?  Because Nutt had destroyed the foundation.  When Bielema arrived, why did he fail?  Because Petrino set fire to the program and John L. kept pouring gas on it.

Stability is necessary in order to see the foundation rebuilt.  Then Bret, or whoever the next guy is, gets to build success on that foundation.

Do you REALLY believe a new coach could come in and be successful immediately?  If you don't, then you need to shut up and support stability for a couple more years.  The next two seasons will determine our fate under CBB.  More importantly, the next two recruiting classes will go a long way toward deciding our fate for the next 10 years.

[Wildhog]

Hope you have good balance on that fence cause he ain't going anywhere. He has next year and we have No choice but to accept it. I am willing to see what happens in year 5.

Also true.  That awful buyout guarantees that.

[JOKERHOG]

Stability isn't about keeping the status quo.  It's about rebuilding the foundations.  When Nutt arrived, why did he succeed?  Because Danny Ford had rebuilt the foundation.  When Petrino arrived, why did he fail?  Because Nutt had destroyed the foundation.  When Bielema arrived, why did he fail?  Because Petrino set fire to the program and John L. kept pouring gas on it.

Stability is necessary in order to see the foundation rebuilt.  Then Bret, or whoever the next guy is, gets to build success on that foundation.

Do you REALLY believe a new coach could come in and be successful immediately?  If you don't, then you need to shut up and support stability for a couple more years.  The next two seasons will determine our fate under CBB.  More importantly, the next two recruiting classes will go a long way toward deciding our fate for the next 10 years.

BB's fate is sealed.  He might be here two more years (if long is) but is a lame duck

[Wildhog]

Stability isn't about keeping the status quo.  It's about rebuilding the foundations.  When Nutt arrived, why did he succeed?  Because Danny Ford had rebuilt the foundation.  When Petrino arrived, why did he fail?  Because Nutt had destroyed the foundation.  When Bielema arrived, why did he fail?  Because Petrino set fire to the program and John L. kept pouring gas on it.

Stability is necessary in order to see the foundation rebuilt.  Then Bret, or whoever the next guy is, gets to build success on that foundation.

Do you REALLY believe a new coach could come in and be successful immediately?  If you don't, then you need to shut up and support stability for a couple more years.  The next two seasons will determine our fate under CBB.  More importantly, the next two recruiting classes will go a long way toward deciding our fate for the next 10 years.

No, I don't believe a new coach could come in and be immediately successful... because of CBB's piss poor recruiting.  Someone needs to come in and ACTUALLY build a foundation, not just talk about it.

[Deep Shoat]

No, I don't believe a new coach could come in and be immediately successful... because of CBB's piss poor recruiting.  Someone needs to come in and ACTUALLY build a foundation, not just talk about it.

His recruiting has been consistently better than anyone before him.  But you know that too.

[Calling All Hogs]

There are coaches out there somewhere. I said when we were coach hunting that James Franklin would be an unpopular pick that we would all love three years later.

[Deep Shoat]

BB's fate is sealed.  He might be here two more years (if long is) but is a lame duck

I think that in two years, reasonable people will be thankful for "that awful buyout".

[Danny J]

BB's fate is sealed.  He might be here two more years (if long is) but is a lame duck

Looking at what we have coming back next year plus our schedule I just don't see us winning more than 7 regular season games. Three straight years of 7-5 is NOT going to cut it and the only thing that could save him is an outstanding recruiting class and actually decides to start playing them from day one instead of the less talented but more experienced players.

[longpig]

There are coaches out there somewhere. I said when we were coach hunting that James Franklin would be an unpopular pick that we would all love three years later.

Yep, no way to know who's underpaid/underappreciated and coaches do have happy feet. 

[Wildhog]

His recruiting has been consistently better than anyone before him.  But you know that too.

His recruiting has been pretty on par with previous staffs.  Our OL recruiting has been abysmal, however, and that's the most critical position group for a Bret Bielema coached team. 

LB/DB recruiting has also been very poor. 

[Wildhog]

I think that in two years, reasonable people will be thankful for "that awful buyout".

Maybe you and the groupies will be right.  I hope so, as I just want to win. 

I'm not going to hold my breath, though. 

[JOKERHOG]

I think that in two years, reasonable people will be thankful for "that awful buyout".

Or "why didn't we cut our loses sooner"?

[Wildhog]

Or "why didn't we cut our loses sooner"?

Because we couldn't afford it.

[Bacon_Bitz]

Or "why didn't we cut our loses sooner"?

Yes let's cut our loses. You seem like a real winer.

[Bubba's Bruisers]

His recruiting has been pretty on par with previous staffs.  Our OL recruiting has been abysmal, however, and that's the most critical position group for a Bret Bielema coached team. 

LB/DB recruiting has also been very poor. 

You beat me to it.  The OL has been a real surprise.  And the defense has been, well, well, we all know. 

[JOKERHOG]

Because we couldn't afford it.

You find a way before the hole gets deeper.  He needs to find another opportunity now.  THe longer he stays, the more he is exposed as someone who can't coach and is ruining his career.  He may need "reminded" of that fact and encouraged to land somewhere else sooner rather than later.

[Inhogswetrust]

As sit here and read pro and anti CBB threads, I find myself going back and fourth with my own opinion with a slight lean towards giving him more time with the condition the defensive staff has changes made.

I'm not sure if I can pin point a specific problem with the defense. I do think that Rob Smith has to go regardless of what other changes are made. It might be CRS philosophy holding other coaches back, or gameday play calling or whatever the base reason is, it has formed one of the worst D's in our history. We are not consistent tacking and the secondary has played like crap at crucial times. Our D-line seems to be the worst part of our defense.

Coach B has "made upgrades" in the past when coaches "found other jobs" so I'm fairly confident that coaching changes will be made and if not, then Bielema will be looking for another job in 2 years. I think a "hopefully" new DC hire will either make or break his tenure here. If he makes a splash hire he will be able to tout even if he only wins 7-8 games next year that we are rebuilding the defense and if it shows progress on the field folks will buy it. If he keeps Robb Smith and we win 6-8 games with a bowl win people will start rumbling pretty loud and that leaves him trying to hire a new DC the following year and with a new QB and a HC coach on the hot-seat (possibly a new OC by this point with Enos landing a head coaching job) a 6-7 win season will seal his fate.

I was a big proponent of coach B hiring, and I still think he can get it done here (although I'm starting to question it some) he has the offensive staff to do it, he just needs a different DC with a new philosophy. We will never have that athletes in the secondary to play man on man. We need to gamble some and keep the offense guessing. We also have to tackle guys to the ground on every play. Our gap control is horrific and we still will not turn our DAMN heads when defending a WR.

I couldn't have said it better. That is exactly how I feel. The only thing to add is improve recruiting. How can that happen when the same coaches are doing it though is questionable.

[Bubba's Bruisers]

Or "why didn't we cut our loses sooner"?

Still too early. 

[JOKERHOG]

Yes let's cut our loses. You seem like a real winer.

Why take it personal?  Am I not entitled to my opinion?  Season ticket holder and RF supporter for a long time. 

[Wildhog]

Why take it personal?  Am I not entitled to my opinion?  Season ticket holder and RF supporter for a long time. 

For some reason, there are many people that actually get personally offended if you're unhappy with a football coach that they've never met.

[Danny J]

You beat me to it.  The OL has been a real surprise.

Haven't you been paying attention? That is Pittman's fault. Well its really Petrino's fault but still kind of Pittman...or so I have been told here on HV. Its definitely NOT Bret's fault. As a matter of fact this is the order of who fault it is we got smoked by LSU, aTm, Auburn and then lost to Mizzou:

1...Petrino
2...Pittman
3...Enos
4...JLS
5...the players
6...the state as a whole because we don't produce enough talent
7...the fans who complain on message boards

The people who are NOT at fault are as follows:

1...Bret
2...Jeff
3...Robb

[Danny J]

For some reason, there are many people that actually get personally offended if you're unhappy with a football coach that they've never met.

Yes...see #7 above...

There is one poster in particular going back to Toledo last year that I bet 90% of his posts are nothing but bashing posters who criticize our staff. This guy barely even talks football. He spends his time trolling people who expect better from our program. I don't know maybe he was banned. I haven't seen him in a couple days.

[Bubba's Bruisers]

Haven't you been paying attention? That is Pittman's fault. Well its really Petrino's fault but still kind of Pittman...or so I have been told here on HV. Its definitely NOT Bret's fault. As a matter of fact this is the order of who fault it is we got smoked by LSU, aTm, Auburn and then lost to Mizzou:

1...Petrino
2...Pittman
3...Enos
4...JLS
5...the players
6...the state as a whole because we don't produce enough talent
7...the fans who complain on message boards

The people who are NOT at fault are as follows:

1...Bret
2...Jeff
3...Robb

Pitman is the perfect example of coach worship.  He was the be all end all recruiter, but apparently couldn't count.  We adored him until he bolted.  Then all of a sudden he sucked. 

And that's squarely on BB.  And now look at the current OL class.  not a single one with any meaningful offers.  We definitely changed our strategy.  Going after the low hanging fruit.  Recruits with few options.  Have to make up ground from the last couple years.  Need bodies.

[HawgWyld]

Does anyone think a new coach will actually make much of a difference? We got rid of Houston Nutt, had a hopeful few years with Petrino, spent a humiliating year with Smith and then wound up with another ... Houston Nutt. Don't like it? Let that sweet, sweet apathy set in and quit worrying about it...

[Bubba's Bruisers]

Does anyone think a new coach will actually make much of a difference? We got rid of Houston Nutt, had a hopeful few years with Petrino, spent a humiliating year with Smith and then wound up with another ... Houston Nutt. Don't like it? Let that sweet, sweet apathy set in and quit worrying about it...

Nutt was a poor man's Beliema.

[Wildhog]

Nutt was a poor man's Beliema.

Bielema needs to win more before we can say that.

[justasportsfan]

Haven't you been paying attention? That is Pittman's fault. Well its really Petrino's fault but still kind of Pittman...or so I have been told here on HV. Its definitely NOT Bret's fault. As a matter of fact this is the order of who fault it is we got smoked by LSU, aTm, Auburn and then lost to Mizzou:

1...Petrino
2...Pittman
3...Enos
4...JLS
5...the players
6...the state as a whole because we don't produce enough talent
7...the fans who complain on message boards

The people who are NOT at fault are as follows:

1...Bret
2...Jeff
3...Robb

I am so laughing.

But seriously, there have been some threads about accountability, expectations, and that big honking contract.  Now don't we all wish that there were some clauses in there to account for poor coaching, and I say it in this manner, CBB is the HEAD Coach, he is responsible.  HE is paid the money to produce, and it AIN'T happening.

And, everyone is entitled to their view of CBB, and I applaud those that want to give him the rest of his contract, we're pretty much stuck to that anyway, but it does get tiresome if posters question Long and CBB and the rest, those posters get griefed for their opinions.  This is one of the worst bowl seasons I've ever seen

[East Clintwood]

Also true.  That awful buyout guarantees that.

We need to get rid of the person responsible for that horrible buyout. 

[LZH]

You find a way before the hole gets deeper.  He needs to find another opportunity now.  THe longer he stays, the more he is exposed as someone who can't coach and is ruining his career.  He may need "reminded" of that fact and encouraged to land somewhere else sooner rather than later.

Iowa would likely offer him the job when KF leaves, regardless of his record here. And if not, he has a lucrative TV gig waiting for him on one of the networks.

[Bubba's Bruisers]

Bielema needs to win more before we can say that.

Sorry, but I refuse to believe Nutt is superior to BB.  Would be the ultimate bottom for this program.

[Pig In The City]

The reality of the SEC West, as it stands now, is the absolute best we'll ever finish is third.  From a talent level we're not even close, doesn't matter who is coaching this team.  Axing Bielema just means we go from 7-5 or possibly 8-4 to another rebuild and 3-9 and 4-8 seasons for a couple of years and recruiting goes into the toilet (worse than it already is).  Unless we catch lightening in a bottle with an up and comer, what established coach would want to step into this situation?  Reality sucks.

This is the puke type of philosophy that makes people hate losers!

[JOKERHOG]

Iowa would likely offer him the job when KF leaves, regardless of his record here. And if not, he has a lucrative TV gig waiting for him on one of the networks.

K state after Synder

[HawgWyld]

Nutt was a poor man's Beliema.

Man, you must have really hated Nutt to say something like that. Don't worry, though -- if history is any guide, ol' Bert will be here for another six years or so. Enjoy...

[RedBird5]

Other than bama, the SEC was average this year. Not the right year to boast about a tough schedule

Says brilliant football mind you?  So [CENSORED] what?

[Bubba's Bruisers]

Man, you must have really hated Nutt to say something like that. Don't worry, though -- if history is any guide, ol' Bret will be here for another six years or so. Enjoy...

It wasn't meant as a compliment of BB, but it was definitely a shot at Nutt.  I'm a lean to BB not getting it done here.  Hope to be wrong.

[SooiecidetillNuttgone]

Sorry, but I refuse to believe Nutt is superior to BB.  Would be the ultimate bottom for this program.

Because it's not true.

The SEC that The Crown Emperor of Clowns coached in was a vastly different one.
Remember Clown's passing game?
Remember those hapless Ole Miss and Miss St teams?

Don't let some people's hyperbole sway you.

BB ain't Saban.
He's also not King Clown.