Hogs’ Smith Needs To Stop Talking

September 24th, 2012 05:45 PM║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║ Schools: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky
Tags: Alabama, Auburn, Little Rock, LSU

Pity John L. Smith. He took over a program with dreams of beating Alabama and LSU… though said program has no defense to call its own. He caught a bad break when his starting quarterback was lost for a game-and-a-half to a concussion. He’s had his bankruptcy turned into a national story. Last week, his brother died and on the same day got shredded for making a bizarre request that media members smile at a press conference.

Now he’s slipped up and called the state of “Arkansas” the state of “Alabama” in front of a Little Rock booster group and the whole world is laughing and pointing fingers again.

“Don’t give up on us,” Smith told the crowd. “It’s our program, it’s a state of Alabama program. It’s not one individual’s program.”

Ouch.

Making matters worse, Smith was asked if he could see Bobby Petrino coaching at Kentucky or Auburn next year and he said the following:

“Kentucky or Auburn. I don’t know that Kentucky might be in there. Auburn probably is a better guess if I were to guess, to be perfectly honest with you.”

Gotta wonder what Gene Chizik will think about that.

I guess I’m the only bleeding heart left in the world, but I feel sorry for Smith. So could someone at Arkansas just cancel Smith’s future speaking engagements? Please?

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11 comments

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Fayettechill14

Believe it or not, but I think Smith's futility is good for Arkansas. If we're going to be 1-3, it's better to have an obvious scapegoat (clueless goofball interim) to blame rather than have promoted a serious on-staff guy.

At this point, the nation blames John L (and Bobby) and doesn't act like the program is falling apart at the seams. The perspective is that we'll get a good coach at the end of the year whether we finish 7-6 or 1-11, and things will be fine in 2013.

iPig

On the bright side, the national media is focussing on John L. Smith's gaffes rather than the futility of the football team. So there's that.

viciousdawg

Will there be a house cleaning at Arkansas after the season or before? That's the question.

BrianH618

@MrSEC in an outsider like that who meshes poorly

BrianH618

@MrSEC Arkansas would have been better off appointing an interim coach from Petrino's staff that was already there instead of bringing

MrSEC

@BrianH618 Smith had been on Petrino's staff up til the end of the '11 season. He'd been gone about 4 months when re-hired. Not an outsider.

OregonAg90

@MrSEC @brianh618 exactly, they were trying not to change the chemistry, just didn't work out. The timing put their AD in no win situation

JamieThornton

I'm sick of people saying it's Bobby Petrino's fault for John L SMith. Bobby Petrino didn't hire John L Smith as the replacement coach. Jeff Long did. If you look at it, Jeff Long has now hired Bobby Petrino and this Clown. I don't know who's worse. I have to wonder about Jeff Long's decision again to leave him as coach. As bad as the football team is playing and on D (giving up) it's not even as bad as John L Smith in front of a camera. I can tell you this much, Frank Broyles wouldn't have put up with this crap.

John at MrSEC moderator

@JamieThornton

If you read what I wrote, I didn't say Bobby Petrino hired John L. Smith. I said this whole mess is Bobby Petrino's fault. If he's not having an affair with someone he hired, there's no need for an interim coach.

Now, I also think it's hard to blame Smith for Wilson's concussion and his lack of a backup, too. Also, as stated, that's Petrino's hire that's leading a defense that still hasn't stopped anyone all season.

Te simple answer is to blame the guy in the captain's chair for all this mess. But the reality is he didn't build the boat.

Thanks for reading,

John

aggiespirit

After A&M spanks Arkansas this weekend, he will be done.

BonzaiB

@aggiespirit The game could go either way, and by either way I mean 1) Arkansas could show up and the team gels and everything goes right for them (not likely) and A&M could do an Aggie and blow it (not likely, but there are historical precidents at Kyle, can you say Mizzou and the last two quarters against Texas last year?). Telling you guys, while the Hogs looked awful two weeks ago, they actually did better against Rutgers, they have some talent, and they are desperate. 2) It could go as scripted and A&M could slaughter them.

Depends on which two teams show up this week. The big deal about UF, UGA, Bama and LSU is they are generally very, very consistent. A&M is anything but consistent (playing good ball, but no running game to speak of, most of Manzeils' long runs are on plays the pocket doesn't hold. A&M has a real problem on the interior of that O line and the secondary has not faced a really good quarterback this year, and won. Good news for A&M, even if the Aggie secondary is shredded, the Hogs defense looks more like SMU than Florida.

And if A&M loses, it will not be Smith who is the butt of jokes in the SEC this coming Sunday. Lot of pride in Arkansas, be careful what you boast about on Tuesday Ags.

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