Wag The Hog In 1997, Dustin Hoffman and Robert DeNiro led an all-star cast in a movie which manipulated the public viewing audiences of the actual goings-on in the world of politics, entertainment, and world events. The movie, Wag the Dog, involved a scheme where DeNiro, a spin doctor, concocted a false war in a movie studio with the help of Hoffman, to shift the media focus from the current presidents falling approval rating in lieu of an upcoming re-election campaign. The high tech smokescreen worked so well that the media and viewers were duped into believing the war was actually happening. Thus, the country was literally being run in a studio.
The Razorback athletic program is being run much the same and everyone who bleeds red, (I know that includes more than Hog fans so hush), knows who is at the controls on the hill. Its Frank Broyles. Coach Broyles has done more to put the Hogs on the sports map than anyone in Razorback history. But,...its time for a change. The change I am speaking of is relinquishing his hold on the reins of micromanagement of the football program in particular. It is so obvious that Houston Nutt was forced by Broyles to hire an O.C. against Nutts will. It is obvious now that when Gus Malzhan was hired as the O.C. it was simply to acquire the likes of his four high school standouts to attend the university. Malzhans HUNH offense wasn't implemented at all during the year even though glimpses of his influence were noticible. Yes he did call the plays; the ones written on a postage stamp for him to use sparingly. And he nearly had to run every play by Nutt who in turn was most certainly influenced by Broyles to keep the RUN as their bread and butter offense. Broyles was quoted in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette on January 16 as saying, "Any coach that doesn't hand it off to McFadden and Jones won't last one game. It ain't hard to be an offensive coordinator with McFadden and Jones." So if Broyles loves seeing his hogs run up and down the field every play, why did he approve/dictate the hiring of a coach who wrote a book on the Hurry Up No Huddle Offense that spreads the field and implements a balanced attack. Huh, go figure. Refer to my earlier statement about the high school boys from Springdale. Broyles is possibly the most powerful athletic director in the country and the University of Arkansas has the absolute best facilities in the country, bar none, thanks to Broyles. That is where he excels; marketing the Hogs, and he's the best. But, that's where his duties should end for a couple of reasons. The game is changing and teams indeed need to be more balanced to be successful. Even McFadden and Jones can't pile up yardage on the ground if we aren't balanced in our attack. SEC opponents are big ole boys and can stop the run with 8 men in the box. Broyles will never buy into this. Secondly, and most importantly, we will never be able to attract skilled players, specifically wide recievers and strong armed quarterbacks if we our offensive philosophy remains vanilla. Florida's Urban Meyer proved that you can spread the field and still run the ball. The key is balance. We had a man on our staff who was a believer in a balanced offense that keeps defenses off balance, but now he'll be wearing a headset for the Tulsa Hurricane. Dang-it. Thank you Coach Broyles for your tireless support of Razorback athletics but please walk away from the control room that leads directly to the sidelines of the gridiron. We, the average fan, are smarter than you give us credit for. We see you through the smokescreen.  ¶ 5:29 PM