I love this team

[MuskogeeHogFan]

You know the great thing about where we are headed? There are absolutes. And those absolutes include every player on the team and their level of dedication and performance. If you cut it, you remain. If you don't, you are gone.

There are expectations and not just expectations in terms of performance on game day, but expectations in terms of what has to be done prior to game day, every single day in practice, to prepare everyone for that performance on Saturday. There aren't any "off" days if you expect to start or play. Excellence in performance, in preparation in everyday life, in all aspects, is the key.

Excellence in execution on the field is obviously a key factor, but if a kid doesn't attend class, doesn't attend scheduled work outs (on or before time), doesn't make his grades, doesn't behave and execute as a responsible citizen in the public eye that represents the University of Arkansas and the Team in the most positive way, they relinquish their spot as a starter or as a player. You either buy-in and become a true member of the team and execute in all phases, or you don't play. Not just a quality player, but a quality person, dedicated to higher achievement and dedication in all areas.

Personally, I like it. In time, it will pay dividends to this program. Discipline is the key to success. And don't kid yourself, most kids worth having are crying out for a disciplined environment. Bear Bryant believed strongly that you didn't need the best talented, you just needed the most dedicated.

So many can't see or don't want to see what Bielema is instilling in this team. Some can, but some don't, for varying reasons.

These kids are buying into the process and becoming a team that is difficult to beat. We may not be where we want to be at this point and we may still lose some close games, but this is not the end, it is the beginning and this is a team that you can be proud of if you look beyond wins and losses.

The future is bright and I like what I see in regard to where this team is headed.

Go Hogs, finish in the 4th quarter and beat Georgia!

[blu]

Agree

[Oklahawg]

Good OP.

[Wild Boarnado]

Well said, OP.

[MissippHog]

You know the great thing about where we are headed? There are absolutes. And those absolutes include every player on the team and their level of dedication and performance. If you cut it, you remain. If you don't, you are gone.

There are expectations and not just expectations in terms of performance on game day, but expectations in terms of what has to be done prior to game day, every single day in practice, to prepare everyone for that performance on Saturday. There aren't any "off" days if you expect to start or play. Excellence in performance, in preparation in everyday life, in all aspects, is the key.

Excellence in execution on the field is obviously a key factor, but if a kid doesn't attend class, doesn't attend scheduled work outs (on or before time), doesn't make his grades, doesn't behave and execute as a responsible citizen in the public eye that represents the University of Arkansas and the Team in the most positive way, they relinquish their spot as a starter or as a player. You either buy-in and become a true member of the team and execute in all phases, or you don't play. Not just a quality player, but a quality person, dedicated to higher achievement and dedication in all areas.

Personally, I like it. In time, it will pay dividends to this program. Discipline is the key to success. And don't kid yourself, most kids worth having are crying out for a disciplined environment. Bear Bryant believed strongly that you didn't need the best talented, you just needed the most dedicated.

So many can't see or don't want to see what Bielema is instilling in this team. Some can, but some don't, for varying reasons.

These kids are buying into the process and becoming a team that is difficult to beat. We may not be where we want to be at this point and we may still lose some close games, but this is not the end, it is the beginning and this is a team that you can be proud of if you look beyond wins and losses.

The future is bright and I like what I see in regard to where this team is headed.

Go Hogs, finish in the 4th quarter and beat Georgia!

I agree.  Good days to come.

[panhandlepig]

  I love this team too. Some of these kids have endured the transition from BP to JLS to BB. Some of these kids signed up to play for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks during that transition and believed.

   These kids can win and win they will. They will deserve it.  :razorback:

[EngrHog]

Agreed, good OP. Really like the way Bielema is building this program on AND off the field. In this day and age it is a rarity to have a quality guy at the helm.

[JIHawg]

Agree totally Muskogee.  It's been a very pleasant surprise that he is as good as he is.

[Smokehouse]

Totally agreed. The best part is you can see programs across the country that have been built on the same foundation, and what you see is high floors, consistent success, and little to no embarrassment to the university. Love it.

[alohawg]

This team has been really close to being 5-1 and top 10..........I like them as well and see where they're going. Go hogs!

[Grunt]

Agree Muskogee & your thread caption is perfect. I became Razorback aware at the age of nine living on S. Washington in The Nam. I remember asking my mom what that crowd noise was and her telling me it was a football game at the U. Soon after, I learned we could tune in the games on radio. That was 58 seasons ago so I've been a Hog fan longer than some of your grandpas. That to say this: there's a gaminess and unity and some other, intangible attribute about this team. I've seen the like only a few times. One of those years was 1964. Another was 1977. There were others but not many.

[BorderPatrol]

Great OP.

+1, sir.

bp

[An old hog fanatic]

Great OP! As Winston Churchill once said, this is not the beginning or the end, but rather the end of the beginning. Go Hogs!

[oldbear]

As usual from Muskogee, great post. Coach B is aware that we may or may not ever have the depth of athletes that some schools have. However, through discipline and unity, they can accomplish just as much. I think he is a great leader. How can a kid not want to play for him and the parents not want to send them. Great times.

[PORKULATOR]

We're about to flip the switch. We as fans should be in for a treat.
Woooo pig sooie

[nchogg]

I also agree. It's nice not to be dealing with off field issues. It's great to see true student athletes at UofA. I don't care how good a player you are if you break the rules you pay. Each player understands that their mistakes affect the team as a whole. This team deserves a win but it has to come from the players. I know they can win saturday but it's up to them. Once the get a taste of winning in an sec game they will be tough to stop.
Go Hogs!

[BigPapaHawg]

Nice post!

[IntegrityHog]

+1 a million if I could to the OP.

There is so much more to life than winning football games, but I think that we will start doing that soon.  Our players are staying out of trouble, making good grades, and are behaving as all-around great ambassadors for the University and state.

So many other programs take shortcuts (like Louisville with Petrino) or will do anything to win (FSU with Winston, OU taking DBG, etc.).  While those teams may win on the field, the players won't be winners in the game of life.  I'm ok with winning a few less games, and having a greater long-term impact on these kids.

I never thought that this would be a bowl season, but I did hope to see progress.  I think we can all agree that this team is light-years ahead of schedule.  I think we are in good shape for at least 6-6 next year, with a bid in the 2015 Independence or 2015 Liberty bowl.  It's really unfair to CBB that he landed here when every other SEC-W team was hitting their 20-year peak.  I hope that CBB sticks around through the 2018 season, so that we can not only see the impact of a team full of 5th-year seniors he recruited, but so that he also has a chance to play SEC-W teams when they are off their peak.

Better days are ahead!

[JoeyCapital]

Couldn't agree more.

I think it says a lot that Alex Collins has been suspended, for only missing a meeting, for as long this year as famous Jameis has, for stealing and shooting BB guns and screaming obscenities in public and lying about it and autographing 2,000+ pieces of memorabilia.

Talent matters, but discipline does too. When our talent level gets to the place where we are equal or better than teams that discipline will pay dividends.

[bphi11ips]

I completely agree with your post.

If Frank Broyles was good at one thing, it was getting the most out of his players.  That was the result of selection and process.  Jerry Jones said last week that if a man will quit when he's 22, he'll quit when he's 50.  The '64 championship team was comprised of uncommon men.  That is the way Bret Bielema will win at Arkansas, and I'm an Arkansas fan as much as anything else because that is the way we have usually done it.   

[Tequilin' Time]

Agreed 1000%

becoming a program of men!

[texas tush hog]

We're about to flip the switch. We as fans should be in for a treat.
Woooo pig sooie

I totally agree. However if you think we do it the next few games, you are setting yourself up for a major let down. Enjoy the progress but our realistic success begins next year which is why Hedland is being redshirted along with Rafe, JoJo, Armon Watts, Brian Wallace and a few others. Be patient and enjoy the construction project.

[GolfnHog]

Spot on MuskogeeHog!

[Ragnar Hogbrok]

It's hard to be patient in this fast food, high speed internet world.  Good things come to those who wait.  It sucks to lose in the mean time, but just look at what we're building.  We can seriously make a good run next year. 

(Yeah, I know.  A few here will chime in with the obligatory "wait 'til next year" hardeeharhar)

[The NewEra]

Muskogee, I think a lot of the people who don't see what's being built have never had a disciplinarian in their life, so they don't understand the inherent value in Coach B's approach.

We are one "I'm tired of losing and I'm not going to take it anymore" moment away from a very good and winning program.  I do think this is the week that the losing trend ends and a winning one begins. 

Statistically 9-3 is still a possibility.  Now wouldn't that get some people's attention?  Any team that can bounce back each week from the close losses we have had and practice and play even better the following week, putting their heartache aside and focusing on the future will be a real force to recon with when they taste victories over top 10 rated teams.

The time is coming for these young men and I hope and think it's this weekend.

[Cardinal Browne]

 :razorback: :razorback: :razorback:wps!

[texas tush hog]

It's hard to be patient in this fast food, high speed internet world.  Good things come to those who wait.  It sucks to lose in the mean time, but just look at what we're building.  We can seriously make a good run next year. 

(Yeah, I know.  A few here will chime in with the obligatory "wait 'til next year" hardeeharhar)

I am aggravated at Bielema for this delay, but not for the reason you think. My body is getting to where I have a hard time making the 720 mile roundtrip any longer. With the exception of three or four games, I have made every game in Fayetteville since 1969. Granted for the first four years we lived in NWA, and the next 14 in Texarkana, but ever since 1986 been driving from the DFW metroplex. Have never really considered the expense, but since I retired in 2011, momma has been leaning on me to find some other things to spend $5000.00 a year on. Bielema is building something special here, and it breaks my heart to not be here, but it is what it is. A lot of you guys don't really know what patience is. But I have gloried in the years under Coach Broyles, Lou Holtz, and Kenny Hatfield, died under Jack Crowe and Danny Ford, and sat in the stands and seethed watching what Nutt did to us for ten years of mediocrity. Never really cared for Petrino, but loved his offense, If it weren't for the disaster of Smiley Smith I would have given, up two years ago. IMHO Bielema has built our program back to where I have always hoped it would be and he has done it the Saban way and it is getting ready to explode. For you Negative Nancies who want to win this year or else, get over it. I would like to be around for the most glorious period of Hog Ball in history but not sure my health will accomodate it, but if  I can I will. For you younguns, quit complaining and enjoy the ride. I will be in Arlington every year and all the rest of the games are on tv.

[JoeyCapital]

I am aggravated at Bielema for this delay, but not for the reason you think. My body is getting to where I have a hard time making the 720 mile roundtrip any longer. With the exception of three or four games, I have made every game in Fayetteville since 1969. Granted for the first four years we lived in NWA, and the next 14 in Texarkana, but ever since 1986 been driving from the DFW metroplex. Have never really considered the expense, but since I retired in 2011, momma has been leaning on me to find some other things to spend $5000.00 a year on. Bielema is building something special here, and it breaks my heart to not be here, but it is what it is. A lot of you guys don't really know what patience is. But I have gloried in the years under Coach Broyles, Lou Holtz, and Kenny Hatfield, died under Jack Crowe and Danny Ford, and sat in the stands and seethed watching what Nutt did to us for ten years of mediocrity. Never really cared for Petrino, but loved his offense, If it weren't for the disaster of Smiley Smith I would have given, up two years ago. IMHO Bielema has built our program back to where I have always hoped it would be and he has done it the Saban way and it is getting ready to explode. For you Negative Nancies who want to win this year or else, get over it. I would like to be around for the most glorious period of Hog Ball in history but not sure my health will accomodate it, but if  I can I will. For you younguns, quit complaining and enjoy the ride. I will be in Arlington every year and all the rest of the games are on tv.

Great post.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Muskogee, I think a lot of the people who don't see what's being built have never had a disciplinarian in their life, so they don't understand the inherent value in Coach B's approach.

We are one "I'm tired of losing and I'm not going to take it anymore" moment away from a very good and winning program.  I do think this is the week that the losing trend ends and a winning one begins. 

Statistically 9-3 is still a possibility.  Now wouldn't that get some people's attention?  Any team that can bounce back each week from the close losses we have had and practice and play even better the following week, putting their heartache aside and focusing on the future will be a real force to recon with when they taste victories over top 10 rated teams.

The time is coming for these young men and I hope and think it's this weekend.

I think you are right and as it usually is, it tends to be a work in progress.

Thought it comes from ancient history, as an example, I can tell you about when I was in high school in Muskogee and we had a new high school HC hired. His name was Frank Tillery and he was a legend in Arkansas and Oklahoma in both football and education. Just ask anyone from Rogers.

Tillery's first year was when I was in the 9th grade and 9th graders were still limited to Jr. High School football, yet he was a regular at our practices. The high school only went 2-8 his first year.

As a Sophomore, our teams were still split. Sophomores on the Sophomore team, Jr's and Sr's on the Varsity team. The Sophomore team, playing other big schools and the Varsity of smaller schools went 8-1 that year. The Muskogee varsity playing in the highest classification in the state went 4-6.

As a Junior, I started and our Varsity team went 6-4. But during that season we entertained Lawton High School (the eventual state champions in 6A) for Homecoming. We were playing them neck and neck, 0-0 with about 30 seconds left in the first half and they had just pinned us with a punt at our own 1 yard line. I was playing Center on that play and our QB (who had a tendency to be a nervous type), pulled out early on the snap and there was a bad exchange which resulted in Lawton recovering the ball at our 2 yard line. They scored on the next play and went in at the half up 7-0.

That is how the game ended. Lawton won 7-0. Tillery was ticked beyond belief. He called a practice for 7 a.m. the next morning (Saturday, the morning after Homecoming mind you) in full pads. We were sitting in our meeting room in full pads and at about 7:05 our starting TE came in the back door of the locker room. He was told to leave. He made a derogatory statement to our DL Coach and he was instantly kicked off the team. Gone. How serious of a disciplinarian was Frank Tillery? Pretty doggone serious.

We went out to practice, scrimmaged and the Centers (2 of us) had to make 100 snaps without a screw up or mishandling to the QB. Screw one up and you started over on your snap count. You think that we didn't know that they were serious about being disciplined and focused?

The point being is that Frank Tillery was shaping and molding a team and instilling his thought process and discipline in our team and it took time to re-shape the mentality and focus of the team in terms of execution and discipline.

My Senior year we went 10-0 and went to the state playoffs.

He built a team and improved on our wins every year, though it wasn't something that happened instantly. He had to change the culture of the program. He demanded discipline and I saw him dismiss kids who were great athletes, but didn't buy in and exercise the discipline to enable them to be a part of our program. It wasn't about individuals, but the sum total, the team as a whole.

I am a better man for having been able to play for Frank Tillery (and all of his staff) and I was saddened by his passing, back home, in Rogers. A great man, a great coach and more importantly, a great role model for what he taught me about discipline and life.

I see very similar traits in Bielema and what he is teaching these kids.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I just see so many things in common.

[hellwonthaveme]

Love in the hot afternoon.....

PRJ

[The NewEra]

I see very similar traits in Bielema and what he is teaching these kids.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I just see so many things in common.

I never knew Tillery, but I would bet he truly loved his players also and wanted first and foremost to make men of them.

That was a good story.  The one thing that some don't understand is that this approach has been tried and proven since the beginning of time.  My experience came from my father and then later in the military.  Show me an undisciplined military unit and I'll show you a group that will fold in battle.

Thanks for the story.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I never knew Tillery, but I would bet he truly loved his players also and wanted first and foremost to make men of them.

That was a good story.  The one thing that some don't understand is that this approach has been tried and proven since the beginning of time.  My experience came from my father and then later in the military.  Show me an undisciplined military unit and I'll show you a group that will fold in battle.

Thanks for the story.

Thanks, I appreciate that. And to show you what a disciplined program and better coaching can do, my Sophomore year we had 2 guys go on to play college football. My Junior year, we had 5. My Senior year we had 11 off of the offense and defense combined. That isn't a testimony to us, but to our coaches. But it took time to develop players.

[RockyMtnHog]

I never knew Tillery, but I would bet he truly loved his players also and wanted first and foremost to make men of them.

That was a good story.  The one thing that some don't understand is that this approach has been tried and proven since the beginning of time.  My experience came from my father and then later in the military.  Show me an undisciplined military unit and I'll show you a group that will fold in battle.

Thanks for the story.

I too was in the military (Army Retired) and now am an Air Force civilian supervisor.  I would go to war with any of the military that I supervise now. The military is a team of disciplined professionals that has each others backs.

This Arkansas team is the same way.  They go into the SEC wars week in and week out thinking that they have a chance to win.  The tide is about to turn and the wins are going to start coming.

GO HOGS!

[The NewEra]

I too was in the military (Army Retired) and now am an Air Force civilian supervisor.  I would go to war with any of the military that I supervise now. The military is a team of disciplined professionals that has each others backs.

This Arkansas team is the same way.  They go into the SEC wars week in and week out thinking that they have a chance to win.  The tide is about to turn and the wins are going to start coming.

GO HOGS!

Amen!!

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I never knew Tillery, but I would bet he truly loved his players also and wanted first and foremost to make men of them.

That was a good story.  The one thing that some don't understand is that this approach has been tried and proven since the beginning of time.  My experience came from my father and then later in the military.  Show me an undisciplined military unit and I'll show you a group that will fold in battle.

Thanks for the story.

I understand, I served just over 6 years on active duty. Discipline is key whether it be the military or football.