CBB's Grade

[IntegrityHog]

46% of you guys think that what he has done from game 1 to where we are right now is worthy of a B or better grade? A grade should be based on actual performance, not what you think that he will accomplish in year 4, 5 or 6.

BTW, I'm not saying that he won't get us over the hump in year 4, 5 or 6. I am saying that based on his CURRENT performance his grade should be nowhere close to an A.

Guys, this integrity thing is great and recruiting good citizens is wonderful, but I can assure you winning games is a very big part of the equation. Those of you putting winning down to # 5 or 6 on the list are kidding yourselves. IF, and I am saying IF this losing streak continues towards the middle of next season tons of you A graders will fall off the wagon. You will be the ones screaming the loudest because you will be the ones falling the hardest.

We absolutely NEED for BB to be successful. Our program needs stability so badly just to get back on a even keel. But, it is going to take this team winning games to give him that opportunity.

There are some folks on here (not saying you're one of them) that poo-poo integrity, like it is something trivial.  Fact is, integrity is the MOST IMPORTANT thing in a football program, more than wins or losses.  Without integrity, you are not going to be able to keep quality players and coaches long enough to be successful in terms of wins and losses.  Sure, you might end up with a tainted National Championship like FSU, but is it worth compromising your principles?  Absolutely not.  And for those that would come on here and say "principles don't matter, only winning", keep this in mind:  if you cheat, you're going to get that trophy taken away from you ala USC.

After the Petrino debacle, we were a national laughingstock.  Jeff did the difficult (but correct) thing in sending that unethical jerk Petrino down the road.  That decision has paid off IN SPADES.  We have regained the respect of the national media, and landed an ethical coach that everyone respects.  We are building our team the right way (unlike OU, taking someone like DGB), and are already showing improvement.  Off-the-field issues are non-existent, grades are good, and our APR will be one of the highest in the country.  Sure, the wins would be nice now, but THEY WILL COME.  This is a process, and it has really only gotten started.  We're going to see even more progress next year, and should be in position to go bowling again.  It is just really important that we remain patient, and keep supporting CBB.

[jkstock04]

46% of you guys think that what he has done from game 1 to where we are right now is worthy of a B or better grade? A grade should be based on actual performance, not what you think that he will accomplish in year 4, 5 or 6.

BTW, I'm not saying that he won't get us over the hump in year 4, 5 or 6. I am saying that based on his CURRENT performance his grade should be nowhere close to an A.

Guys, this integrity thing is great and recruiting good citizens is wonderful, but I can assure you winning games is a very big part of the equation. Those of you putting winning down to # 5 or 6 on the list are kidding yourselves. IF, and I am saying IF this losing streak continues towards the middle of next season tons of you A graders will fall off the wagon. You will be the ones screaming the loudest because you will be the ones falling the hardest.

We absolutely NEED for BB to be successful. Our program needs stability so badly just to get back on a even keel. But, it is going to take this team winning games to give him that opportunity.

I have come to the conclusion that no only the university...but the majority of Arkansans would put winning way down the list compared to integrity/morals. It's just our mentality.

In my opinion it's a major factor as to why we will never be a top tier SEC football team, and most likely never win a championship. Winning at a sustained high level just isn't really THAT important to most Hog fans or the university.

I know when the whistle blows everyone wants the Hogs to win, but honestly, as a whole...I don't think we take it nearly as seriously as most of our other SEC foes.

[VT HOG]

Think about how many choke jobs BB has had in the past year and a half. Do you really think it's a coincidence or is he in fact a bad game manager?

Rutgers 2013 - up 17 in the second half, up two scores with ten minutes left. Bielema let's off the gas and ends up losing.

MSU 2013 - started off with a 10-0 lead, led the whole game until the 4th quarter then lost in overtime.

LSU 2013 - LSU goes 99 yards with a freshman QB with two minutes left in the game. Bielema is supposed to be a defensive coach.

A&M 2014- dominating a bad team, still called a top ten team by Bielema and his Bielemers for some reason, and up by two scores in the 4th quarter. The team epically collapses again.

That's not even mentioning the Alabama game, while it wasn't a collapse Alabama almost seemed like they wanted to lose and Arkansas couldn't help them out.
A coach that deserves a B or even a C ranking would've been able to win at least one of those games.

[moses_007]

Thus far, he's clearly flunked out.  He deserves no better than an F.

[razorjon]

Thus far, he's clearly flunked out.  He deserves no better than an F.

[gchamblee]

+ 1 million if I could.

There is more to life than winning football games.  Teaching and molding youngsters, helping them to become outstanding citizens and grown men, is worth far more than wins and losses on the field. 

That said, I think we will see a couple of SEC wins next year, and get back to the Independence or Liberty bowl.   Once we get to 2018, and see the full fruits of CBB's system, folks are going to be very happy that we were patient.

2018 is longer than I am willing to wait. I think we will be competing by 2016 for the SEC... it is my hope anyway.

[BigPapaHawg]

I do believe that we will be competing by 2016!

[WilsonHog]

I have come to the conclusion that no only the university...but the majority of Arkansans would put winning way down the list compared to integrity/morals. It's just our mentality.

In my opinion it's a major factor as to why we will never be a top tier SEC football team, and most likely never win a championship. Winning at a sustained high level just isn't really THAT important to most Hog fans or the university.

I know when the whistle blows everyone wants the Hogs to win, but honestly, as a whole...I don't think we take it nearly as seriously as most of our other SEC foes.

I certainly don't speak for anyone except me, but for my part you are completely correct and I will own it. If Bielema can win seven or eight games a year while maintaining the same player accountability standards he has now, he can stay as long as he wishes.

[jkstock04]

I certainly don't speak for anyone except me, but for my part you are completely correct and I will own it. If Bielema can win seven or eight games a year while maintaining the same player accountability standards he has now, he can stay as long as he wishes.

For myself, as a fan that mainly only cares about seeing the Hogs win... I have had a tough time coming to terms with this. Especially when writing checks to the foundation every year.

BUT, it's not like anyone has a gun to my head. If I dislike it badly enough I can save my money and time...pick up another hobby.

[Redhogs]

There are two extremes being represented here. One extreme is that BB is a complete failure because he needs to have the Hogs competing in the Top 25 now; the other extreme is that BB is already a success for completely turning the program around and getting us back on track for winning both on and off the field.

The reality is somewhere in the middle.

If we are still scratching and clawing for 3 SEC wins in 2016, is BB a success then? If we are an 8-4 team in 2018 is BB a success then?

If the wins increase next year but the grades and graduation rates drop, if the wins increase in 2016 and the off the field player criminal adventures increase, will BB be more of a failure or more of a success.

Just my 2 cents, but I don't see how anyone with any amount of discernment can give BB a passing grade right now until he wins a SEC game. The growth of the team is clear, but the team is still lacking in some basic fundamentals and doesn't appear to actually know how to win a conference game at this point.

That kind of thing, winning a conference game, needs to count for something.

Good post.

[Redhogs]

I certainly don't speak for anyone except me, but for my part you are completely correct and I will own it. If Bielema can win seven or eight games a year while maintaining the same player accountability standards he has now, he can stay as long as he wishes.

Why can't we do both?...If this is truly the mentality of most of our fan base, we do not belong in the SEC.

[WilsonHog]

Why can't we do both?...If this is truly the mentality of most of our fan base, we do not belong in the SEC.

I disagree, from this standpoint: in my mind, winning 7 or 8 a year in the SEC is a pretty good accomplishment.

[Ex-Trumpet]

I am amazed at how many people don't remember the dumpster fire that was created and left here such a short time ago. 

It takes years to clean up and rebuild after a disaster has occurred--and what we experienced in college football terms was a disaster!

[bigbadhog]

Seems to have worked pretty well for Mississippi State.

Yeah, if you want to be a doormat for out of every five years...

[Bahahaha11]

There's a nice letter in today's Arkansas Democrat Gazette defending Coach B written by Brooks Ellis of Bryant. Is this the current player or a coincidence?

[hogcard1964]

There's a nice letter in today's Arkansas Democrat Gazette defending Coach B written by Brooks Ellis of Bryant. Is this the current player or a coincidence?

Sides are forming.

[Horthawg]

D as there is improvement but 0-12 in the conference does not warrant anything higher. This is a mid-term grade and will be adjusted up or down depending on how the rest of the season plays out.

[TheRazorbackGuy]

Think about how many choke jobs BB has had in the past year and a half. Do you really think it's a coincidence or is he in fact a bad game manager?

Rutgers 2013 - up 17 in the second half, up two scores with ten minutes left. Bielema let's off the gas and ends up losing.

MSU 2013 - started off with a 10-0 lead, led the whole game until the 4th quarter then lost in overtime.

LSU 2013 - LSU goes 99 yards with a freshman QB with two minutes left in the game. Bielema is supposed to be a defensive coach.

A&M 2014- dominating a bad team, still called a top ten team by Bielema and his Bielemers for some reason, and up by two scores in the 4th quarter. The team epically collapses again.

That's not even mentioning the Alabama game, while it wasn't a collapse Alabama almost seemed like they wanted to lose and Arkansas couldn't help them out.
A coach that deserves a B or even a C ranking would've been able to win at least one of those games.

His meltdowns have been being out coached in the X's and O's by the opposing coach and what's really sad is Rutgers is a B1G conference team. Any SEC team losing to.a B1G conference team is an embarrassment.

[MountieDawg]

IF
A is Outstanding
B is Above Average
C is for Average
D is for Below Average
F is for Failure

I would give him a B if we were in the Big 12
F in the SEC since we have not wins.

[BorderPatrol]

Sides are forming.

This is the most ignorant freaking thing I have ever seen, and it seems that is all Arkansas fans are worried about.

Whatever happened to supporting the freaking team, instead of your side?

bp

[hogcard1964]

IF
A is Outstanding
B is Above Average
C is for Average
D is for Below Average
F is for Failure

I would give him a B if we were in the Big 12
F in the SEC since we have not wins.

I can agree with this, but I would rather wait until after this season.

[hogcard1964]

This is the most ignorant freaking thing I have ever seen, and it seems that is all Arkansas fans are worried about.

Whatever happened to supporting the freaking team, instead of your side?

bp

Happens everywhere.

Go check out the Wisky boards.  Guess who they're blaming for their current problems?

[BorderPatrol]

Happens everywhere.

Go check out the Wisky boards.  Guess who they're blaming for their current problems?

I guess that makes it ok. My bad.

bp

[Hogsenburg]

I gave him an A because he is building this program the right way. He's brought accountability to the program and has shown even the best players on the team that there are consequences for their actions. The wins will come in time, as will the success stories of Razorbacks off the field.

I agree....I like what he's doing. It takes a while to change a losing culture....which we had when he came. I can't stand losing but you have to crawl before you walk so to speak. The program didn't get in bad shape overnight so we can't expect it to be fixed overnight.

[Kevin]

I think hog fans like turmoil more than stability & progress.

There is no question the program is better, losing does suck

True character from the players will be revealed during this time.
Play the players who are totally in, regardless of year
Don't reward players with playing time because of "they gives us the best chance to win" 

Integrity & character does matter. I believe arkansas can win 8 or more games a year, this way. With a chance to make a run every three or four years

[thefisher]

Yeah, if you want to be a doormat for out of every five years...

Mississippi State took 5 years building/rebuilding and are now the #1 ranked team in the country.... In year 6 of the build out! The lesson is to keep stability with a solid coach and let him get the pieces in place. That will take 4-5 years to fully accomplish in a total rebuild like Arkansas or a total build out like Mississippi State was. They showed slow but steady improvement each of the seasons until this year when they fully broke through.

Learn the lesson and see bright future on the very near horizon .... or keep rehashing the same dumb mistakes again and again.

You do realize that Mississippi State had a losing conference record for 5 straight years under Mullen don't you?  This is the first year they have a winning record. It took until the 6th year for them to get to the top.

Learn the lesson well or keep wallowing in perpetual failure.

[Wants2Win]

MSU finally found a QB^

[BorderPatrol]

MSU finally found a QB^

So, that is the ONLY reason they are the #1 team in the country?

bp

[MalzahnFan]

Mississippi State took 5 years building/rebuilding and are now the #1 ranked team in the country.... In year 6 of the build out! The lesson is to keep stability with a solid coach and let him get the pieces in place. That will take 4-5 years to fully accomplish in a total rebuild like Arkansas or a total build out like Mississippi State was. They showed slow but steady improvement each of the seasons until this year when they fully broke through.

Learn the lesson and see bright future on the very near horizon .... or keep rehashing the same dumb mistakes again and again.

You do realize that Mississippi State had a losing conference record for 5 straight years under Mullen don't you?  This is the first year they have a winning record. It took until the 6th year for them to get to the top.

Learn the lesson well or keep wallowing in perpetual failure.

They also didn't go 0-15! Would you buy sand in the desert ? MISSISSIPPI ST also isn't a one dimensional team

MF

[Ex-Trumpet]

They also didn't go 0-15! Would you buy sand in the desert ? MISSISSIPPI ST also isn't a one dimensional team

MF

Troll.  Nice handle you got there, too...

[LZH]

Think about how many choke jobs BB has had in the past year and a half. Do you really think it's a coincidence or is he in fact a bad game manager?

Rutgers 2013 - up 17 in the second half, up two scores with ten minutes left. Bielema let's off the gas and ends up losing.

MSU 2013 - started off with a 10-0 lead, led the whole game until the 4th quarter then lost in overtime.

LSU 2013 - LSU goes 99 yards with a freshman QB with two minutes left in the game. Bielema is supposed to be a defensive coach.

A&M 2014- dominating a bad team, still called a top ten team by Bielema and his Bielemers for some reason, and up by two scores in the 4th quarter. The team epically collapses again.

That's not even mentioning the Alabama game, while it wasn't a collapse Alabama almost seemed like they wanted to lose and Arkansas couldn't help them out.
A coach that deserves a B or even a C ranking would've been able to win at least one of those games.

Excellent.  I haven't read past this post, but I bet there is at least one posted since yours that will make excuses for any or all of these games and why we lost....and none of them will be Bielema's fault.

[IntegrityHog]

Mississippi State took 5 years building/rebuilding and are now the #1 ranked team in the country.... In year 6 of the build out! The lesson is to keep stability with a solid coach and let him get the pieces in place. That will take 4-5 years to fully accomplish in a total rebuild like Arkansas or a total build out like Mississippi State was. They showed slow but steady improvement each of the seasons until this year when they fully broke through.

Learn the lesson and see bright future on the very near horizon .... or keep rehashing the same dumb mistakes again and again.

You do realize that Mississippi State had a losing conference record for 5 straight years under Mullen don't you?  This is the first year they have a winning record. It took until the 6th year for them to get to the top.

Learn the lesson well or keep wallowing in perpetual failure.

The irony is that Mullen would have been fired he MSU hadn't beaten us last year, since that allowed them to get to 6 wins and a bowl game.

[Ex-Trumpet]

Excellent.  I haven't read past this post, but I bet there is at least one posted since yours that will make excuses for any or all of these games and why we lost....and none of them will be Bielema's fault.

You sound like folks think CBB is perfect...he's made plenty of mistakes--some that may have even cost us some W's, given the talent pool he's had to work with.  Give him some time to build to his ideal.

If that fails, I'll be with you (and everyone else) wanting a change.  But it is WAY too early to want that at this point.  And given the improvement we've seen this year, I don't understand the vitriol towards CBB.  It's asinine.

[holman24]

I disagree, from this standpoint: in my mind, winning 7 or 8 a year in the SEC is a pretty good accomplishment.

that is what we had with houston nutt and everyone got tried of the middle of the pack mentality.  We have seen what can be done in just 3 years here and I for one want that winning style back and this joker isn't going to get us there.

[BorderPatrol]

that is what we had with houston nutt and everyone got tried of the middle of the pack mentality.  We have seen what can be done in just 3 years here and I for one want that winning style back and this joker isn't going to get us there.

So, since you are so short sighted, do you think a coaching change is the best thing for the program?

bp

[LZH]

You sound like folks think CBB is perfect...he's made plenty of mistakes

You're one of the guys who will acknowledge this ET...a lot of people won't.  I've never called for his firing, that would be crazy.  Now, in a year or two if we don't see anything different than what we're seeing now, then that's different.

[holman24]

So, since you are so short sighted, do you think a coaching change is the best thing for the program?

bp

I said 7 to 8  wins a years isn't what we need.  We all know what can be done in a very short period of time.  I don't think this coach is going to get us to 10 or 11 wins a year ever.  Hell he had a hard enough time to do that at WI and that is the big ten this is the sec and he will never be a top coach in this conf. just another mid of the road Nutt at best.  At worst well we are already there with him.

[Melorock089]

Essentially this might as well be the stance of many so called fans.

CBB can't beat a sec top 10 team in halfway of his 2nd year?
We are getting blown out by said teams!

[ifghog]

I certainly don't speak for anyone except me, but for my part you are completely correct and I will own it. If Bielema can win seven or eight games a year while maintaining the same player accountability standards he has now, he can stay as long as he wishes.

I have ot agree with you. I want to win 12 every year but...I am realistic.

[hogcard1964]

I said 7 to 8  wins a years isn't what we need.  We all know what can be done in a very short period of time.  I don't think this coach is going to get us to 10 or 11 wins a year ever.  Hell he had a hard enough time to do that at WI and that is the big ten this is the sec and he will never be a top coach in this conf. just another mid of the road Nutt at best.  At worst well we are already there with him.

I somewhat agree but there's no reason for this team not to gradually get better every year. 

[MalzahnFan]

I think the bigger question is if you think Mullen is a better coach than BB.

[thefisher]

I think the bigger question is if you think Mullen is a better coach than BB.

Apples and oranges although they are similar in one key aspect.  They both have shown the ability to do more with less.

[dwcherr]

I think the bigger question is if you think Mullen is a better coach than BB.

Mullen went 3-5 and 4-4 in his first 2 years in the SEC...

[MalzahnFan]

I see what you're saying but disagree a little. I don't believe Miss State is a better job than Arkansas and I also didn't see them go 0-15. I think it gives some stock that BB may not be the right fit. So waiting around hoping it works and giving it time is just pushing off the inevitable

[MalzahnFan]

Mullen went 3-5 and 4-4 in his first 2 years in the SEC...

Exactly. That was even at Miss State not Arkansas. And that is still better than BB is doing..

[TheRazorbackGuy]

You're one of the guys who will acknowledge this ET...a lot of people won't.  I've never called for his firing, that would be crazy.  Now, in a year or two if we don't see anything different than what we're seeing now, then that's different.

LZH, Totally agree.... +1 if i could

[IntegrityHog]

Exactly. That was even at Miss State not Arkansas. And that is still better than BB is doing..

Apples and oranges.  The league was much weaker when Mullen started.

[Dropkick]

Thought this tweet was interesting.......................


Keith Grayson ‏@KeithGraysonAZ 1h1 hour ago

In Bobby Petrino's 2nd year at Arkansas (with Mallett at QB) he was 3-4 through 7 games with an 11 point home loss to Georgia. #Perspective

[dwcherr]

Thought this tweet was interesting.......................


Keith Grayson ‏@KeithGraysonAZ 1h1 hour ago

In Bobby Petrino's 2nd year at Arkansas (with Mallett at QB) he was 3-4 through 7 games with an 11 point home loss to Georgia. #Perspective

One of those wins was a conference games (Auburn). We beat A&M by 28 and Auburn by 21. Our other OOC games were later in the season that year. #Perspective

[Dropkick]

One of those wins was a conference games (Auburn). We beat A&M by 28 and Auburn by 21. Our other OOC games were later in the season that year. #Perspective

I know, he lost by 13 to a Houston Nutt "coached" Ole Miss team too.