Fans who’ve long grown tired of bubble screens, no-huddle offenses and a flag-football mentality likely won’t be disappointed in 2013.
Arkansas’ hiring of former pig farmer Bret Bielema from Wisconsin could spearhead a return in the state to an old-school brand of football, when teams emphasized defense and physical play instead of trying to outscore each other. That attitude has largely been missing with the emergence of the wide-open spread offenses that have dominated the high school and college landscapes the past several years.
Shortly after Bielema was hired by Arkansas, two area high schools filled vacancies with defensive-minded coaches who also emphasize defense and physical play. Alma hired Doug Loughridge, who led Charleston to state championships in 2008 and 2011 and was the defensive coordinator for the Tigers’ state championship team in 2005.
Fort Smith Northside hired Mike Falleur, who has spent most of his coaching career in Georgia after graduating from Northside in 1980. Falleur knows all about Northside’s reputation for tough, physical football, and he pledged the Grizzlies would become fierce tacklers again under his leadership.
That’s got to be good news for Northside fans, who’ve watched their teams give up about 50 points per game the last few seasons.
Bielema’s hire could be a trend-setter similar to when the Razorbacks hired Nolan Richardson as its basketball coach in 1985. Before Richardson, Arkansas fans were used to Eddie Sutton’s half-court style with winning scores in the 50s and 60s. But Richardson’s “40 minutes of Hell” began a surge toward uptempo play with an emphasis on swarming defensive pressure.
Suddenly, high school players all over the state were wearing baggy shorts like the Razorbacks while racing up and down the court. It is a style many Razorback fans hope current Arkansas coach Mike Anderson will be able to resurrect.
Football fans who enjoy exciting games with plenty of offense shouldn’t be alarmed. These recent hirings won’t mean a return to a different era when teams punted on third down to gain field position and passed on rare occasions.
Bielema, Loughridge and Falleur enjoy offensive football, and all directed high-scoring offenses with talented players at quarterback. Bielema coached Russell Wilson, who is a candidate for NFL Rookie of the Year with Seattle, and Loughridge coached Ty Storey, who passed for 4,496 yards and 49 touchdowns as a sophomore for Charleston this year.
Charleston switched from its traditional run-oriented Wing-T offense this season to take advantage of Storey’s passing ability.
There’s been plenty of shootouts in recent years that looked more like 7-on-7 games during the summer. Those games can be entertaining, but it’s not real football until defenders deliver a blow and keep their opponents out of the end zone on occasion.
Hopefully, the pendulum will swing back toward that line of thinking in 2013.
RICK FIRES IS A SPORTS REPORTER FOR NWA MEDIA.