The "Needs more Time" Argument

[ImHogginIt]

So if I'm reading some of the tea leaves right in a few posts in this thread and others then what we may see the next few months is Long taking a job at a school he perceives as  "greener pastures" and possibly Bielema resigning with a negotiated and probably reduced buyout because of "health reasons".

[Großer Kriegschwein]

Oh the irony if he DID fire him then....
Long gave the extension when he was 7-6.......then he fires him at 7-6.....

Well, I guess his slow starts becoming habits. Improper preseason preparation for the season, etc...
Mall of that is plenty reason to can him.

[Pork Twain]

He NEEDED a chance to get all of his players and build depth.  That should be what we are seeing on the field this year.

[Großer Kriegschwein]

He NEEDED a chance to get all of his players and build depth.  That should be what we are seeing on the field this year.

The culmination of his 5 years is an all-American center, a QB that can't keep on his feet, both graduate transfer & true freshman getting the best results at RB, a newly acquired JC receiver is the most productive.

When you piece it all together, he is just scraping to get by.

Development on the OL ended a long time ago. Probably because they had to focus on and rep their starters because the wheels have been close to falling off every week.

[texas tush hog]

The money argument is certainly a valid one but I still have a feeling this is BB's last year and perhaps Long's as well.

I believe the *tipping point* has been reached for them both, all the way from the BOT to the average guy on the street.

I can't fathom firing Bielema, without Long leaving as well. He can't carry Coach Broyles jock.

[southarkhog06]

Time is up, I have been a Beilema guy, but he has proven over 5 years that he cant do what I was excited about seeing, at least at Arkansas. I think the theory is right, focus on line play on both sides of the ball, recruit kids with talent that you can develop, build a strong red-shirt program. Results should net you 7-9 wins consistently, with a golden class every decade or so that can springboard you to National relevance for a year or 2 which should boost average recruiting for the next cycle.

I am willing to give a coach 4-5 years to build this, but it is not happening this go around.

[southarkhog06]

I can't fathom firing Bielema, without Long leaving as well. He can't carry Coach Broyles jock.

This is revisionist history at its finest.

Long has every other Razorback sport being average to elite as his saving grace right now. he has 2 choices right now get the next hire right (and don't give him a premature extension), or go down in flames with Beilema.

[TNRazorbacker]

Sometimes a coach does just need more time. Steve Spurrier had 5 years of 6 and 7 win seasons when he started at South Carolina. It was year 7 before he won in double digits but he won 11 three years straight at a school that had been nothing but a bottom feeder before.

Frank Beamer endured 6 years of losing and mediocrity before finally winning 9. He then proceeded to win in double digits 13 more seasons at V Tech.

Obviously every coach does not pan out this way after struggling early. It's rare nowadays they even get the chance. The trick is knowing when to cut bait. Bielema could be one that comes out of this in year 6 or 7 to make us a consistent winner, or giving him more time could just be prolonging the misery. Hard to know.

[Redhogs]

He needs more time because he just now has his own players in the system.  He started with Petrino's recruits and Petrino couldn't recruit.

He needs more time because whenever you don't think he's going to win, he does. See the Florida game last year. Blow out win. See the Auburn game, and Lsu, and Ole Miss shut outs. See the record against Ole Miss, a team that has beaten Bama a few times over the years.

He needs more time b/c he runs a clean program and has GPA at an all time high.

He needs more time b/c off the field he is not embarrassing the program.

He needs more time b/c you can justify every loss he has had b/c the other teams had more talent, or b/c he did not have his own players in the system, something that was out of his control.

He needs more time b/c he was a great coach at Wisconsin and had several 10 win seasons. He needs more time b/c he is still a young energetic coach with a lot to prove.

He needs more time b/c he is still learning the SEC.  He needs more time to implement his new 3-4 defense, the same defense most NFL teams and Saban also uses.

He needs more time b/c all indications are he can turn this thing around and lead us to the promised land.  He needs more time b/c only this year are we completely disgruntled over only 1 explainable loss, South Carolina. We played with TCU for 3.5 quarters and TCU looks like by far the best team in the big10.  We beat TCU at their house last year. The aggies look like the longhorns of old with their talent, and we played an overtime game with them and have played several overtime games with them since he's been here.

He needs more time because he might be able to get it done and take us to new heights.

Hey Bert...when did you change your name to depressed_ fan....must have been recent.

[Hogwild]

That's hard to believe. 

Off the top of my head

06
10
11
15

We didn't finish ranked in '15

[hawgon]

If I'm Jeff Long?

The schedule is just favorable enough next year that maybe, just maybe this con man that I hired can eek out enough wins that I don't look like a complete fool, don't have to admit that I was wrong, and can slide out of here to another job and let someone else clean up all of this mess.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

This is what I fear might happen. He does just enough to have a winning record. I want to still get rid of him if it happens.

I hope he closes with a miracle finish and bounces on his own acting as if he's too good for Arkansas on his way out. Win/Win..!

[HotlantaHog]

Sunshine Rick brought up a better question:

Say Bielema finishes 6-6. He beats CC, Ole Miss, Mizzou, and splits Miss State and LSU. Then he goes and beats a bad 6-6 team in some lower bowl. Making him 7-6.

At that point, do you fire him?

You make a firing decision based on what you expect the next 1-2-3-4 years, not what happened this past year. Do you reasonably expect next year to be better or worse? What would the record be after six years? I have no clear idea but that is the legitimate question to be asking.

[island hog]

I think that Coach B is the victim of trying to change philosophies mid stream and trying to make them work in a brutal SEC West.  Bringing in Enos as OC to open the offense up some meant changing from road graters to longer-armed, lighter O linemen who could pull and pass protect along with drive block.  Then changing to the 3-4 on defense without having the appropriate talent at LB has put more pressure on the offense and the team overall.  Add all of this up and you have 2017 Hog football.  Given more time to fine tune the O line and recruit to the new defense, things may turn but not sure coach will be given the time to find out. 

[mckinneyhog5]

I would be cautious about making any blanket statements at this juncture.

I'm good with my statement but thanks for the heads up...

[HognotinMemphis]

Let's suppose for purposes of argument that we finish 5-7 this year (I certainly do not foresee four more wins).

That would mean that after five years Bret Bielema's overall record at Arkansas is 30-33 (.476) and his SEC record is 12-28 (.300).

You are Jeff Long.

Make your case for why he should get a sixth year. Why does he "need more time?"

(My bet is that there isn't one, and the only justification for keeping him is the amount of money it would take to get rid of him...which is one helluva lousy reason to keep a coach with that record, and which is directly the fault of the athletic director.)

The arguments in favor of more time are few and weak and very subjective. The arguments against giving BB more time are more objective, fact/stat-based, and plentiful.

Note this: https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/10/10/16449914/gary-andersen-bret-bielema-wisconsin-football-coaches-barry-alvarez

The conclusion is that Wisconsin is a good place to coach regardless of your ability to recruit, coach and manage staff and the program. Both Bielema and Andersen left Wisconsin with what I will call false confidence. Like if I was working for Warren Buffett and thought I was a good asset manager then left his employ and shortly discovered it was all him and none of me that led to my success.

[rude1]

5-7 No justification, but if he manages 6-6 then a toilet bowl win, it will be marketed as success, 4 straight bowl appearances with 3 wins!!!!! It will be said to be proof we are still on track!!!!

[311Hog]

5-7 No justification, but if he manages 6-6 then a toilet bowl win, it will be marketed as success, 4 straight bowl appearances with 3 wins!!!!! It will be said to be proof we are still on track!!!!

hey at least it could be said he improved our dismal bowl record.

[GoldCoastHog]

He's lost more winnable games here than any coach in recent memory.
He's gone through assistant coaches faster than any coach in recent memory.
He's a terrible game day coach.
I think we're seeing that Bielema had a better chance of winning with Petrino's recruits than he has with his own.
So why in the world would anyone keep him?

Excellent post.

[Kevin]

It is all about long keeping his word to cbb that he would get 6 years. Because as long has said, cbb took over a complete mess

[GoldCoastHog]

You do realize that Jeff Long is very well respected in the AD community?  Outside of football, he's done an outstanding job at the University of Arkansas.

I keep seeing this same common narrative regarding Long "... he's very well respected nationally; he's considered one of the top five..." However, you added a new twist to it".. outside of football, he's done an outstanding job.."

That, right there ,is the most damning indictment one could make. We are in a football driven conference. There's football season, football recruiting season, Spring football season, baseball, then, coming in at number five is men's basketball.
Football is the Alpha and the Omega; it always has been, and always will be. PERIOD.
So, I'm stunned how you ,so easily,dismissed and brushed off the massive failure we're living in the moment right now!!
If anything, an SEC AD must get the football hire right; the fans will turn a blind eye to the other hires, because they will NEVER be as important.
Lastly, since Jeff is so highly respected, that should also mean he is highly coveted as well. So, who has been making recent overtures to our highly respected top five AD? Thanks.

[Tejano Jawg]

You could make an argument if there was something in BB's recent history that showed he knows how to get things turned around and is capable of doing so.  Nothing that we have seen over the end of last year to midway this year points to that.  Same mistakes game after game after game.

This would be Scenario 1. And we have seen a small-scale version of this—winning some big games after hard losses. Examples, the entire end of the 2014 season, in 2015 winning at Tennessee after losing to A&M and beating Auburn (4OT) after losing to Bama. The only thing 2016 had was that our best win (Florida) followed our worst loss (Auburn)...but the negatives of how last year ended wiped out the positives.

You could say the swings between good and bad are too extreme. That can be maddening, but at least there was some "good"...now there isn't much of that to be found. The trend is only pointing one direction—downward.

Given how poorly we have played in 2 of our 3 losses, it's hard to think about even the most remote possibilities of upsetting Bama and Auburn. It's rare that I have a feeling of NO hope whatsoever...this is a first since CBB's first season.

The only situation where I think the "needs more time" argument would be valid was if he had some serious young talent waiting in the wings or was building a killer recruiting class. Neither of those things are true in Bielema's case.

Scenario 2. This would be very hard to imagine. But yeah, what if we had 3 or 4 of the top offensive skill guys coming? What if we had some top 10 linebackers and defensive ends coming? What if we signed the best offensive lineman in the country? I can't fathom a recruiting class so great, it would make everyone tap the brakes on Bielema.

[Silver Hog]

Gus didn't need time, Bobby didn't need time, we should never again give a coach more than three years to prove his salt around here.

[ricepig]

Gus didn't need time, Bobby didn't need time, we should never again give a coach more than three years to prove his salt around here.

I'm sorry, when was Gus the head coach at Arkansas?

[ricepig]

It is all about long keeping his word to cbb that he would get 6 years. Because as long has said, cbb took over a complete mess

Correct, either both are here next year, or neither.

[urkillnmesmalls]

Let's suppose for purposes of argument that we finish 5-7 this year (I certainly do not foresee four more wins).

That would mean that after five years Bret Bielema's overall record at Arkansas is 30-33 (.476) and his SEC record is 12-28 (.300).

You are Jeff Long.

Make your case for why he should get a sixth year. Why does he "need more time?"

(My bet is that there isn't one, and the only justification for keeping him is the amount of money it would take to get rid of him...which is one helluva lousy reason to keep a coach with that record, and which is directly the fault of the athletic director.)

I understand Long going to the board with his rationale for the buyout, and the desire to make sure we're competitive with the landscape of CFB.  I know he probably THOUGHT CBB was a great fit here, and had a proven track record, and he would be successful. 

But...I refuse to believe that the UA would approve that buyout number if they ever thought that they would be in a position where they couldn't afford to pay it if things came completely off the rails.  If they did, then shame on them in addition to Jeff Long. 

I think the question will be whether or not the good things Long has done will outweigh the poor decisions along the way.  I don't fault him for the CBB hire, because while we have a segment of fans who insist that we needs a high octane spread offense to succeed, the national pundits thought hiring CBB with his resume was a coup for Arkansas.  I hated the hire, but warmed up to it...and now I'm back ice cold.   

I do wonder...if you're Jeff Long, and you see the full derail in front of your eyes, and you have backed CBB every inch of the way, and you KNOW that huge buyout number is looming, don't you just eliminate the doubt and immediately look for another job?  Even IF they retained him, if he hires another dud at HC, that would seem to forever label him as an AD who can't handle football...the cash cow of NCAA sports programs.

I don't see ANY way that Long remains if CBB is canned.   

[Grizzlyfan]

Sunshine Rick brought up a better question:

Say Bielema finishes 6-6. He beats CC, Ole Miss, Mizzou, and splits Miss State and LSU. Then he goes and beats a bad 6-6 team in some lower bowl. Making him 7-6.

At that point, do you fire him?

If Bielema can take this squad and do what you (or Rick) describe there and finish the year 7-5 he shouldn't be fired.  But I don't think this happens.

[Redhogs]

Correct, either both are here next year, or neither.

Then we are screwed.

[DeltaBoy]

Jeff got 15 million reasons to keep him for year 6. So I don't expect any changes except some more assistance getting moved.

[urkillnmesmalls]

Jeff got 15 million reasons to keep him for year 6. So I don't expect any changes except some more assistance getting moved.

So Jeff is on the hook for the $15M?  I hope he's been saving up.  And are the assistants going to move too, or just the assistance, and if it is the assistance, what type of assistance is it?  Monetary, helping with workload, or just basic volunteering?   

[Hog Fan...DOH!]

Defense:  Curl, Pulley, Ramirez, Greenlaw, Harris, Agim;  Offense:  Steamboat, Martin, Nance, Jones, Patton, O'Grady, Whaley, Hayden

[Großer Kriegschwein]

Long made a home run hire on paper when he brought Bielema in. Did it work out? F no. That does not change that he brought a proven coach with a winning record to the program.


To answer OP's question....

Jeff Long, "We are doing things the right way."

Doing it the right way is direct depositing the buyout instead of a money order.