Arkansas Blog

Houston on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM-yCyIdOYU

All coaches are boys who never grew up, not wanting to leave the locker room, the linament, the towel slaps across the behind, the bad smells, but Houston Dale can't get over not being the quarterback. That's why he has never recruited a top QB prospect -- Stoerner was inherited, and Matt Jones was a bit of a fluke as well as flake -- and chased off Mustain, who was all but forced on him. Nutt is in over his head, which was clear from the first day, and he was forced on Frank Broyles by the mob (armed with laptops). You could look it up.

"Nutt is in over his head"

You nailed it Casimer.

This is Brummett's no. 2 best column ever. His best ever was "At least they're not in jail" during Huckabee's '02-'03 reign.

I truly despise sexist ass John Brummett, so why can't we fire Nutt AND Brummett? In the meantime, here's a cartoon that everyone has probably already seen because Cato very likely posted it weeks ago.

In case click on the name doesn't work, here's the url:

http://www.arkansasnews.com/display_cartoon.php?img_name=/archive/2007/10/16/Cartoons/photoeditcartoon1.jpg

Vegan4Hillary? What a odd user name for someone who follows the trainwreck known as the NuttExpress!! Just kidding.

The "win" over the cellar dweller (now alone) didn't move him off the hot seat according to those who keep the rankings! Yeah, just like the Top 25! A long forgotten dream.

Imagine though, the recently departed Nebraska AD wanted to hire this guy before their current coach who is #2 in the hot seat!!!!!

yo, Max...the link to Brummet article is broke and the NW News page shows his sunday column is about that other idiot, W.

ARK. BLOG: Yes, the link changed when they put in the latest Brummett column and, for some reason, the Capitol bureau website hasn't been updated. But I found a link to the column and it's corrected.

All right now, step back Roger. Actually, my full name is Vegan 4 Footballs Made of Pleather and Who Also Supports Hillary Clinton for President, but that wouldn't fit in the brief space allowed, so I shortened it down to Vegan4Hillary. And vegans like soap operas as much as the next person, so of course I'm following this. I feel bad for the team, especially McFadden, but he has made his support for Nutt clear, and we should respect that. And in spite of my thinking that cartoon is about the funniest thing I've seen, I actually wish we could all lighten up a little until the season is over. Then the real soap opera will start when we see if the new AD has what it takes to actually wrest the power of the office from Frank.

The time for Houston Nutt's departure may be at hand. That doesn't stop Mr. Brummett's column from being complete rubbish. It is.

Mr. Brummett complains that Coach Nutt wins and sings. *This* has something to do with coaching? *This* is an example of making the program about himself? Come on, Coach Nutt is not grabbing the microphone and doing his Tony Bennett impersonation. If you have a shred of objectivity you see him leading his players in singing the school fight song to the fans and students. Maybe you hate it. Maybe you think it looks Bush (hmmm...a new meaning these last seven years) League. Fine. Say that. But don't distort it to make it about Nutt. Don't pretend it impacts his coaching. Say it is a motivational technique that you (ahem, as a non-player) don't like. Win one for the Gipper why don't cha.

Personally, I bleed Dodger Blue. And the thing I liked about Tommy LaSorda is that he bled Dodger Blue too, and it meant something when "we" won. His heart was in it, and he wasn't going to be managing the Giants or Cards next year. Whether or not you agree that Nutt's heart is in it, to make his singing the first point in a column about his time being up is just . . . facile. It is beneath Mr. Brummett.

So Coach Nutt is human. After enduring seasons of complaints about his play-calling, he has in moments of euphoria following victories pointed out that he called surprising pass plays or daring maneuvers. Oh yeah, he's a regular Steve Spurrier. That's a good reason for letting him go.

Gasp! Coach Nutt blames execution sometimes when the Hogs lose!! Let us not only fire him, but pillory him as well. After all, we have *never before* heard a coach say "we didn't block anybody" or "our tackling was poor" or "we didn't play with the intensity we needed" or "they kicked our butts." Nope, this blaming of poor blocking and tacking is a technique Coach Nutt invented, heretofore unknown in the annals of college and professional football! For this, he must pay the price.

Likewise for his foolish insistence on *catching* the ball as fundamental for any punt returner. Why such dribble would be like coaching a receiver to *catch* the ball before running with it. Off with his head!! Any coach who would put special emphasis on finding the player who can consistently *catch* the ball, after last year's Florida game is plainly incompetent. What time shall we burn him in effigy?

And what could *possibly* motivate a coach who must keep his team's morale up and recruit players currently in high school to make the comment that he is under contract for several more years. I concur with Mr. Brummett that it would be foolish to think other schools are telling recruits that signing with Arkansas means they don't know who the coach will be. Nutt is plainly acting out of self interest. Impeach him and Cheney!! Oh....got carried away.

Mr. Brummett believes it's time for Houston to go? Fine. A great many people agree. (And he will go because the people who want him gone are more stubborn, determined, and self-interested (they fly planes around to give opposing recruiters highlight video, yanno?) than his supporters. The Nutt supporters will forgive his firing sooner than the Nutt haters will forgive his retention, and for that reason his days are numbered.

But a writer and thinker of Mr. Brummett's caliber ought to be able to make his case based on a lack of SEC success, a failure to meet expectations such as that which doomed Coach Heath -- rather than wrapping it in dreck about singing, post-game comments and chasing away angelic and productive quarterbacks who themselves played no role in the controversy surrounding them.

Mr. Brummett writes politics so well. Perhaps he should stick to it.

TAP

IMHO, Nutt does make things too much about himself. Ya might try listening to him with that in mind. You are a sharp feller....it is in his speech.

Yeah....the naysayers may finally win. I ain't holding my breath.

I couldn't access the article in question....but....

oh....what the hell.

I think ya might be a little too close to the guy to see what alot of us see.

I respect your respect for him so I will shut up for a change....

ARK. BLOG: That link is fixed.

Thanks Blog.....the article is spot on as far as I am concerned. Of course, I have never met the man in person.

I don't think it is necessary to do that to see what he thinks when he fields a team.

We hear the touting of the racking up of offensive yards.....but they don't result in TDs for some reason. Coaching?

If Nutt is a genuinely good guy.....he should see the writing on the wall and realize his love for the helmet and his own self-enrichment don't mesh up. Time to see he isn't the top tier coach his short-lived alma mater needs to succeed in a big way again.

We need a higher caliber coach who maybe loves the helmet a little less and considers winning a little more important.

Sad to say....but the fans and the program as a whole deserve better.

Nutt produces one good year in every four. Last year was it. Leave Nutt in and we are due a top twenty finish in 2010. Nutt also produces at least one good old fashion college football upset per year and we're due one...hopefully it will be Black Friday for LSU.

Fire Nutt and you disturb the cycle. If we have to suffer another Jack Crowe-Joe Kines-Danny Ford cycle or even a single 5 year long Stan Heath episode it may be 2014 before we break out of the SEC West bottom three.

Pro or Con HDN, what jumped out at me from Brummett: "This Nutt character is a whining excuse-maker."

Isn't THAT the predominant characteristic shared by ALL shallow "Christian" nuttcases," football AND any other topic?

I'd like to see some of you nuts coaching anything. ha
You forget the competition in the SEC is very tough!
I like to see the best teams from every conference trying to go though the SEC undefeated.
Stop whinning it don't look good on you.

chasv, it's a rainy, foggy, rare day when you and I are on the same page, but we are today, dude. Click my blue name for an "outsider's view" of HDN and other SEC coaches.

I like the outsider's views DK thanks.
I have watched games and I see the kids playing their hearts out and they're not even being paid for the thrills they give us.
Just a play here and there and the standings could be upside down.
Enjoy it, basketball is not far off. Go hogs.

Oooooh!

So that link is a good one to see what outsiders think of Nutt?

Did ya actually go down and read the 83 comments from outsiders other than the idiot who wrote the rankings?

The list was panned......panned badly by the adoring SEC fans.

And Nutt was the most controversial ranking on the list......too high.

Thanks for the laugh.

As a matter of fact, I did read through all of the 83 comments. No more than a dozen mentioned Nutt at all, and of those, maybe nine were directly or harshly critical of him. Of those nine, at least seven (as one might expect) were disgruntled Arkies like you, BIGFAN1. I would hardly call you guys objective "outsiders."

hogcallers69's comment was interesting, and something few HDN critics have factored into the equation. His post: "How would each of these (SEC) coaches fair at Arkansas? With that in mind I would have Nutt about where he is (5th). I would have Fulmer ahead of Nutt, not that I think he is a better coach but his jewelry is far more impressive. I would have Nutt ahead of Tubbs."

As I've often said, the issue of HDN's future at Arkansas is moot. It's highly unlikely he'll be fired, but you can be sure he's looking for another job as we speak, and he'll take the first good one that comes along. If they take up a collection to help pay his moving expenses, I'll be among the first to chip in. I'm not certain his departure will be the best thing for us (time will tell), but it'll damned sure be the best thing for him.

And we're equal on the laughs, partner. I thought your post was a hoot, too.

"It's highly unlikely he'll be fired, but you can be sure he's looking for another job as we speak, and he'll take the first good one that comes along."

dk

He's been looking for a while now. The longer he hangs on here....the lower his chances of a "good one" coming along.

By the way, read the latest emails?

I was in the cattle barns at the State Fair most of last week, and don't know what emails you're talking about. Clue me in! I'm eager to see 'em.

Nutt's Status Causes Pick to Pick Again

By Richard Davenport
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
October 23, 2007

Because he's not sure Houston Nutt will be coach at Arkansas next year, quarterback Kale Pick has reneged on his oral commitment to the Razorbacks and switched his pledge to Kansas.

Pick, 6-1, 198 pounds, 4.48-second 40-yard dash, of Dodge City, Kan., committed to the Razorbacks in late May but said he changed his mind Sunday night. On Monday night, Pick, rated by Rivals as the 11th best dual threat quarterback in the nation, committed to Kansas.

"The reason why I committed to Arkansas was because of their coaching staff," Pick said. "I love their coaching staff. That's the No. 1 thing on my list is the coaches, and I love Coach Nutt and Coach [David] Lee and Coach [James] Shibest. I love them to death. I have a lot of faith in all of them.

"It's just the fact if they're going to be there. I was trying to think if they're not there it would be tough for me to be there. It just seems like they're under a lot of pressure with a lot of things. When we come down there, it seems like they're under pressure."

Pick said undefeated Kansas, ranked ninth in the BCS standings, had been talking to him "quite a bit."

Pick has a thumb injury and is not expected to play anymore this season. In his one game before the injury, he was 11 of 15 passing for 255 yards and 4 touchdowns and rushed 4 times for 40 yards. As a junior, he passed for 1,779 yards and 19 touchdowns with 6 interceptions and ran for 3 more scores.