A New Coach Brings One Critical Commodity

[HatfieldHog]

Hope. A belief that things will get better, even if not right away.

The only emotion most Hog fans have right now is resignation.

Apathy is what I am feeling....  I just don't care anymore....  I find myself planning on what I'll do on Saturdays in the near future, when in the past, I'd circle all the dates to make time for Hog football. 

I find myself wanting a 1-11 season so that maybe we can get a new coach to right this ship, but I also realize that this group of players does not deserve that. 

Apathy......

[hoglady]

Apathy is what I am feeling....  I just don't care anymore....  I find myself planning on what I'll do on Saturdays in the near future, when in the past, I'd circle all the dates to make time for Hog football. 

I find myself wanting a 1-11 season so that maybe we can get a new coach to right this ship, but I also realize that this group of players does not deserve that. 

Apathy......

I understand.
I hated seeing our players lose this game because they really played hard.
But then I thought - oh well, maybe one step closer to getting rid of Bielema.

[rtr]

didn't we win 9 in a row after USC... not saying I thought he was a great coach but I never thought we we weren't going to win or at least

Ten in a row?

No, 70-17 was the year of "I called that play brotha"  4-7 or 5-6.  It was the next year we reeled off ten in a row after a USC butt whipping.

[rtr]

Following such a devastating loss, I've never seen this board so inactive.

[hoglady]

Following such a devastating loss, I've never seen this board so inactive.

Same with all the boards.
This is only one I post in, but I check in with the others.
It's really surprising.
I think most just think this ship has sailed.

[wachhog]

A new coach also brings in 2 more years of mediocrity until he gets his players on board. If we go back to a spread offense it could take 4 years to get to an 8-4 season.

The current one brings mediocrity or worse for as long as he's here. I'd take two years compared to infinity.

[East Clintwood]

A new coach also brings in 2 more years of mediocrity until he gets his players on board. If we go back to a spread offense it could take 4 years to get to an 8-4 season.

Even if true (which I don't believe it is), we're no worse off than we are now and there is an upside unlike with the current situation.

[hogfan870]

I just don't understand the "best we can do is average 7 or 8 wins" mentality after we saw what can be done when Petino was here.  I also recognize that Petrino is an elite coach, and there are some other elite coaches out there. Some of them are coordinators or coaching smaller schools right now, and most of us (including me) have never heard of them before, but they are out there. The next Chris Peterson, Petrino, Saban, Chip Kelly, heck I would take the next Gary Patterson, is out there. Not that I really trust Long to find them, but why stick with a worse coach than Nutt, even if he is more likable, instead of taking a shot at being good.  CBB is not going to do it. He's just not the guy.

[Jimbob111]

I understand.
I hated seeing our players lose this game because they really played hard.
But then I thought - oh well, maybe one step closer to getting rid of Bielema.

The funny thing is, I heard these same comments regarding HDN. How many of us wanted him gone, even if it meant the team went winless?  I've never wanted the Hogs to lose, never hoped they'd fail just to get rid of a coach but the silver lining when Nutt was here was that I knew the losses meant he would be gone. I wish I could feel that certain about Beliema. Long CANNOT fire the integrity hire. He'll let himself be fired first.

[Inhogswetrust]

A new coach also brings in 2 more years of mediocrity until he gets his players on board. If we go back to a spread offense it could take 4 years to get to an 8-4 season.

It appears we are already mediocre so what difference does that make if a new coach brings hope back. Has nothing to do with changing offenses.

[hoghearted]

Same with all the boards.
This is only one I post in, but I check in with the others.
It's really surprising.
I think most just think this ship has sailed.

I really expected a bigger meltdown, honestly. It's tough to get apathetic people back on board.

[ImHogginIt]

The league is pulling away from us and has been been the last few years.

I guess part of this is frustration on my part and resignation but I really don't think we will ever be able to recruit well enough to be much better than a seven or eight win team.

Probably the constant losses are influencing my opinion.

Say what ? Where were you in 2010 and 2011 ?

Please don't develop the "Poor little Arkiesaw inferiority complex" some folks have 

[Inhogswetrust]

I really expected a bigger meltdown, honestly. It's tough to get apathetic people back on board.

Not really. All you have to do is figure out the source of the apathy and get rid of it.

[Bacons Rebellion]

Hope. A belief that things will get better, even if not right away.

The only emotion most Hog fans have right now is resignation.

The only hope most Hog fans have right now is a resignation.

[Al Boarland]

Trust me, 90% of the fan base will convince themselves things will turn around just before the season starts no matter who the coach is.

[Sundog]

This is what you can expect: Bert will NOT be fired during this season.  He will NOT be fired at the end of the season. He WILL be the head coach in 2018.  He will likely remain coach in 2019 as he will have "outperformed" his 2017 record.  Expect assistant coaches to be hired and fired...expect mediocre recruiting. 

[ricepig]

Trust me, 90% of the fan base will convince themselves things will turn around just before the season starts no matter who the coach is.

That's what fans do, or they are just observers posing as fans.

[rzrbackrob]

New AD is the only move that would give me any hope.

If BB was fired today, I would have no faith Long to make the next hire.

Long is considered by many to be a great AD, so if encouraged to leave he could spin it as he is looking for a new challenge

Then hire a new AD that knows how to hire football coaches, like the Memphis AD

BB would get the message and could negotiate a reasonable buyout leaving for "family reasons"

Hope restored

[Tejano Jawg]

Things are different now, for sure. Is it the wearing down of these past 4 (soon to be 5) years?

Not to revisit old wounds, BUT that wound apparently is still with the team—the end of last season. I've been ready to put that in my rearview mirror. But as I came out of the Bobby Hopper tunnel on my drive up for the TCU game, I was apprehensive and uneasy. I was hoping the feeling was just first game nerves and not that of impending dread. Turns out it was dread.

Over the years, even when it's doubtful we have a chance to win a game (Alabama), I still had that wonderful feeling of excitement. And yeah, maybe hope...the "punchers chance." Unfortunately I didn't feel that different before Texas A&M. I'll see how I feel on the drive up to the Auburn game.

[dj shanon "Notshavin" smeya]

BB won't "mail it in", and these next few games are important.  Wether he leaves at the end of the season, stays one more OR we have a shocking(but not unprecedented) resurgence due to a player or 2 suddenly playing ALL-WORLD SEC and leading us to some major upsets, thus bringing BACK that HOPE to the staff and team as a whole - and most important NATIONAL exposure(recruiting!) - there is still HOPE.

Ironically, that hope we can have can come from the three scenarios above.

Jeff Long is a whole other story, and could be a problem with all this.