Razorback Football

[HTL]

Yeah, but you can't reach it.

Well, yeah. It's 12 feet tall.

[SwahiliSteve]

How many threads can you possibly douche up with this junior high schtick of I'm better than you? Jesus

[BleedinRed]

To be fair, the reduced buyout was negotiation, in exchange he no longer has a duty to mitigate

Sorry catching up.  Thanks. Forgot that HY said they struck that from the contract during the negotiations. 

[BleedinRed]

who Hunter? I still have no clue why he didn't fire his ass last year and instead brought in Bobby as some sorta tag team duo. If I were Sam and your AD has to go out and get a coach we previously fired to help a head coach that the fan base loathes at this point then I'd be humiliated and embarrassed. But he wasn't because he's a sorry sack of shit that wanted to continue to get money till he was forced out.

No, Sam.  I suspect Sam thought he could get the job done.  That he could turn it around.  

[Lurk]

Well, yeah. It's 12 feet tall.

You should have said 15 feet, that way it could have been three times your height.

[animal]

How many threads can you possibly douche up with this junior high schtick of I'm better than you? Jesus

I had a solution for that but upper management wanted to take it in a different direction 

[passed]

I wouldn't have a problem with him except for two things.  He talked a lot of shit when he got here that he didn't actually do when it came to leaving.  And then I personally believe he pretty much quit on the job once he knew he was going to be fired.

Not huge failings.  Lots of people have done it, but irritating nonetheless and it will be awhile before I feel warm and fuzzy about him.

Pretty much this.  I don't think he is a bad guy.  Is he thin skinned?  Yup.  But I believe he genuinely cared about the team, the players, and the program.  I think he genuinely wanted to do well and be successful.  I think he was just in way over his head. 

My real issue with him is that he said when hired we wouldn't have to fire him.  He'd leave.  He didn't do that.  Maybe he really thought he could turn it around.  He may really have thought this year would be a great year.  Year 2 of TG in the Petrino system, some improvement on the OL, some weapons on the field.  I could see him convincing himself this would be a great year.  Plenty of talking heads said we'd be better this year than last.   Memphis should have told him that it wasn't the case... ND sealed the coffin.  He had to know then.  If he had told HY after that game that he'd resign, or when HY went to fire him he had said keep money, I promised everyone I wouldn't have to be fired if I couldn't get it done, and I clearly haven't.  Well, I along with most of the state would probably rally behind him and thanking him for being a stand up man, and remember HIM fondly (if not outright forgiving the tribulation on the field).

My big issue is, he didn't do that.  Then again... How many people do you know are turning down more than $6mil in walk away money?

[Show-Me Hog]

It's simple.  A football head coach (especially at the SEC / D-I level) has to have a strong personality type of wanting to impose your will onto other men.  Assistant coaches, players, trainers, all the way down – it's not a normal or easy thing to rule over others.  There are many different ways to do it (hard ass Petrino, mind fuck Phil Jackson, whatever it takes Pete Carroll, many styles), but you have to want to do it, and you have to do it.  Most men don't have the balls.  That's just the way it is.  Sam was one of those "most men."  Unfortunately, you really don't know whether someone is head coaching material until they give it a shot.  We were his first shot so we had to go in blind.  Some assistants have it, some don't.  Performance as an assistant doesn't tell you which is which.  We came up snake eyes.

[passed]

You want to blame someone, blame HY.

I agree with whichever poster said the buyout is the issue. That's on HY. He offered the terms, Sam agreed.

It's not morally wrong what Sam did, hiring Sexton. Sexton, much like a defense attorney, is going to negotiate to his client's best interest. There's a reason why most coaches uses him.

It sucks for us fans learning Sam isn't the aw shucks homer he wants us to believe. This was all business. But that doesn't make him any different than 99% of coaches.

Pretty much all of this.  Though, I will say, he can both be an "aw shucks homer" AND make smart "business" decisions.  The two are not mutually exclusive.

I'm not sure I blame HY for the buyout, though.  On the one had it seems really stupid.  On the other, Pittman just took a dumpster fire and turned in a 9 win season.  What happens if the next season is another 8 or 9 win season?  He couldn't know at the time that the ship was going to start sinking. 

[SwahiliSteve]

Pretty much this.  I don't think he is a bad guy.  Is he thin skinned?  Yup.  But I believe he genuinely cared about the team, the players, and the program.  I think he genuinely wanted to do well and be successful.  I think he was just in way over his head. 

My real issue with him is that he said when hired we wouldn't have to fire him.  He'd leave.  He didn't do that.  Maybe he really thought he could turn it around.  He may really have thought this year would be a great year.  Year 2 of TG in the Petrino system, some improvement on the OL, some weapons on the field.  I could see him convincing himself this would be a great year.  Plenty of talking heads said we'd be better this year than last.  Memphis should have told him that it wasn't the case... ND sealed the coffin.  He had to know then.  If he had told HY after that game that he'd resign, or when HY went to fire him he had said keep money, I promised everyone I wouldn't have to be fired if I couldn't get it done, and I clearly haven't.  Well, I along with most of the state would probably rally behind him and thanking him for being a stand up man, and remember HIM fondly (if not outright forgiving the tribulation on the field).

My big issue is, he didn't do that.  Then again... How many people do you know are turning down more than $6mil in walk away money?

he should have never coached after the memphis game. How the fuck do you get 3-4 games in and still think our defensive coaching staff doesn't need to make changes or fire someone? What did he think was gonna happen? I have no sympathy for him. He can now sit in his man cave and spend his money on beer and Taco Bell

[HTL]

He owns half of a local business now that's gonna make him some decent money. Bunch of haters.

[HTL]

I had a solution for that but upper management wanted to take it in a different direction

So Lurk, HRW, SS and the rest can ruin every thread and hurl ridiculous insults with impunity. Got it.

[animal]

So Lurk, HRW, SS and the rest can ruin every thread and hurl ridiculous insults with impunity. Got it.

Well good I'm glad that we all understand each other

[HogOfWar]

Pretty much all of this.  Though, I will say, he can both be an "aw shucks homer" AND make smart "business" decisions.  The two are not mutually exclusive.

I'm not sure I blame HY for the buyout, though.  On the one had it seems really stupid.  On the other, Pittman just took a dumpster fire and turned in a 9 win season.  What happens if the next season is another 8 or 9 win season?  He couldn't know at the time that the ship was going to start sinking. 

Y'all give Pittman too much credit for the 9-4 season. If it wasn't for Barry Odom, Briles and Morris's recruiting, it wouldn't have happened.

If Pittman was responsible for the turnaround, he wouldn't have been fired. He would not have let the slide start in 2022 and continue on.

Like others have said, he had no vision and didn't know what the hell to do.

[SwahiliSteve]

So Lurk, HRW, SS and the rest can ruin every thread and hurl ridiculous insults with impunity. Got it.

im not hurling insults. I said to STFU and stop fucking up every topic. Also most of the insults they've hurled are in response to your petulance so I'm not sure why you're throwing a fucking a tantrum

[PorkyPig]

My real issue with him is that he said when hired we wouldn't have to fire him.  He'd leave.  He didn't do that.

Pretty much exactly where I'm at.

[HTL]

im not hurling insults. I said to STFU and stop fucking up every topic. Also most of the insults they've hurled are in response to your petulance so I'm not sure why you're throwing a fucking a tantrum

You live in an alternate reality.

[Cornhogio]

Y'all give Pittman too much credit for the 9-4 season. If it wasn't for Barry Odom, Briles and Morris's recruiting, it wouldn't have happened.

If Pittman was responsible for the turnaround, he wouldn't have been fired. He would not have let the slide start in 2022 and continue on.

Like others have said, he had no vision and didn't know what the hell to do.

Agree with this.  With the benefit of hindsight on my part, when he hired Sexton and asked for more money, I would have told him no and that his contract would not be renewed, because the success wasn't his.  I don't know why Hunter Yurachek would ever do business with a Sexton managed coach again.

[HOGSRUNWILD]

I suspect he thought he could do the job. 

Maybe when he was first hired, but there is zero chance after a couple of years he still believed that.

[Piggielicious]

Agree with this.  With the benefit of hindsight on my part, when he hired Sexton and asked for more money, I would have told him no and that his contract would not be renewed, because the success wasn't his.

This is the correct answer. No one else wanted him. His market value was well below the average because of that. Hunter got played badly by Sexton.