Friday, December 23, 2005

WTF? firePatHill.net

Bubba says, "Don't Fire Hill. I have no spot for him at City Hall."

Now come on, if you are going to be so bold provide some substantial analysis. For those you have not heard, seen or have had the pleasure of reading firepathill.net, you are not missing much. Whoever started this site has some balls but lacks any details on why Fresno State should fire Pat Hill.

Hill has let down many Bulldog fans every year since 2001, but look at the intangibles the boy brings to the table. Personally, I do not have a problem with any fan wanting to fire Pat Hill, but just give me a good reason. My take:

I do not think Hill is the best gameday coach. In fact, I think he is one of the worst in college football. Yet, somehow his teams always tend to win at least 8-9 wins every year.

I think Hill does rely too much on emotion, but that is not such a bad thing. As long as there are some strong assistants around to help take control of this team. Not too mention a vocal team leader that is head strong.

This is why I think Hill just needs to make some changes to his coaching philosophy and replace a good part of his staff. Last year during the 3 game skid Jim Sweeney came aboard as a consultant, and all of a sudden the 'Dogs started winning. Did Sweeney make the difference? Who knows? But some change or new blood never hurts.

Now back to the mutherfucker who wants to fire Pat Hill. Who in the fuck is going to come into Fresno and bring the same national appeal?

Norm Chow? Chow would be a nice hire, but forget about playing the Big Boyz. Chow has never been a head coach, and I doubt he has the guts Hill has to play brutal schedules and expect to win. Chow would certainly dumb down the schedule and put a couple of safe 9-10 wins seasons under his belt. The offense would put of some yards and points but Chow could gone to the Pac 10 or BYU by his third or fourth year.

Al Borges? Bob Toledo's former main man has done wonders on The Plains but look how Auburn schedules out of conference. No doubt he takes the same measures as a head coach. Fresno would just be a layover anyways, until UCLA/Pac 10 school is ready to hire him.

Rick Neuheisal? Like this University needs anymore negative publicity. Neuheisal could never get the athletes he needs to be successful. He would be gone after one winning season to a high profile program.

Dennis Erickson? Sweeney's former assistant would keep the winning going and could take this program to the next level. But, you could forget about the Academic Gameplan and integrity within the program. Erickson would bring plenty of JUCOS and borderline players to win and really create the renegade program so many around the country already have the impression Fresno State is.

Who? Nobody! That's right, there is not one coach that could come in and take over for Hill and continue what he has started, and maintain the same level of national prestige and integrity.

Sure there are plenty of young enticing candidates that in time could have good program, but few if any will take on the demands Hill expects from his players and program.

I only have one problem with Hill and that is he just needs to stop talking. Just Shut Up and Coach for Pete's sake! Quit the BCS talk, the poker analogies, and just play some freakin football.
Last year Boise State, Fresno State, Louisville, and Utah were all considered BCS Busters in September. Pat Hill was the only coach of the four that was vocal about playing in the BCS, and his school was the first to lose. The other three went a combined 32-1 in the regular season, the only loss was by Louisville, 41-38, at #3 Miami. Utah, ultimately, got the job done and won its BCS bowl. I am sure Hill had a hard time swallowing that. Urban Meyer in just his second year at Utah, and only his fourth year as a head coach in I-A, did what Hill could not do in eight years. How did Meyer get the girl(BCS Bowl)?

Well, think of Hill as the vocal jock who is always talking shit and always ready to beat the shit out of you. Think of Dan Hawkins as the geeky nerd always on his computer trying to figure out ways of trying not to get into fights. Think of Bobby Petrino as the hotshot prep always thinking of himself. Finally, there is the quiet one with the Catholic name, Urban.

Hawkins is too busy avoiding confrontations and will never get the girl. Petrino is too busy looking in the mirror and worrying about his image but misses out on the girl. Hill is too busy beating the shit out people and loses his many chances to get the girl. During all this, Urban just quietly takes care of business and wins the girl. Then he gets the fuck out of Dodge, to a place(Florida) where he does not have to worry about this game anymore.

Only Hill remains, of these four, at a non-BCS school. As long as he has to play the game, he will continue to beat the shit out of people, but maybe he should take a step back, so maybe just once he could win the girl.

I don't know about you guys but I rather take the bully jock over the geeky nerd, the pretty boy prep or the quiet kid. The nerd, the prep or the quiet kid will never learn to be tough, but the bully will eventually learn to control his emotion.

But......Fresno State must beat Tulsa. If the Bulldogs lose or worse yet get blown out, then there could be some serious problems within the program that will need to be addressed. If that happens and FS gets rolled by the Golden Hurricane then that fucked up firepathill.net will be permanent link on the FS Blog until Hill comes forward about his coaching philosophy and vows to make some changes.

Fresno State has not lost four games in a row since the 'Dogs lost their last five back in 1984, Hill's first year as an assistant. With a possible game at top 10 Virginia Tech, top 15 Oregon at home, and a game at Washington Fresno State could very well start next year 0-3. This program has not lost seven games in row since 1972-73 and that was the only time that it has happened since the Bulldogs went Division 1 back in 1969.

Don't fire the guy, worse comes to worse, force him to make changes. That's what poor old Phil Fulmer is doing at Tennessee. Many fans are just on Pat Hill's nuts, and will disagree on some of my thoughts, but I don't give a fuck. If the 'Dogs lose to Tulsa, go 7-5 next year and finish beneath first in the WAC again, it is time for some change. Hill would have had ten years to get his dream off the ground and records of 11-3, 9-5, 9-5, 9-3, 8-5, and 7-5 is a downward curve. Thomas Boeh will have to step in, and force Hill to make some changes, otherwise..............look I am getting ahead of myself here. Just please beat Tulsa, I would hate to end the first year of the Blog with a loss to the freakin Golden Hurricane.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, by the tone of your article, I would think you want Pat Hill fired more than me.

BarkBoard.com said...

No, unlike you I do not think firing him is the solution. Pat Hill gives Fresno State a positive national image that is both recognized and respected nationally. Am I happy with his tangible results as a head coach? Fuck No!

But look at what he has done for this program. His intial goal at Fresno State was to play big-time football. No one, not even yourself MR. firepathill.net, can deny he has accomplished that goal and then some. No one can argue with the performance the Dogs put on against USC. Sweeney's team's were always embarrassed when opposed against bigger, stronger faster teams.

My biggest complaint with Hill is his coaching. When he first started he was a Riverboat Gambler, and now is very conservative. He built the program to an all-time high in 2001 and since has not been the same gameday coach, IMHO. Against USC, Hill and Cignetti pulled out all the stops, but Hill does not do that for every game. The fake punt against USC, I believe, was the first such since 1998 against Texas Tech.

At times I have thought Pat Hill should go, but then I pull my head out of my ass and I realized how stupid that would be. I have no doubt any decent coach in America could come in 06 and win a WAC title with the talent Hill has assembled. At the same time that coach probably will not be around for the long haul and might not want to battle the Big Boyz. He would be content on just winning the WAC and beating Colorado State,a I-AA team and maybe Washington.

Hill just needs to get himself some better assistants, which is eaiser said than done. Next he needs to shut the fuck up and stop talking about playing at the big table. Just play and win. Everyone in the country knows about Fresno State football already. Hill is a great program builder, and maybe he has peaked with his current staff and philosophy but his dream is irreplacable. There is not one coaching candidate in the entire country that will be as dedicated or passionate about Bulldog football than Pat Hill. He deserves at least one more year, but if the Dogs lose to Tulsa and finish 7-5 next year then it is time for some freakin change in the program.

It is not like Hill's teams are finishing 5-6 or 6-5 every year but they are not finishing in the top 25 every year either. IMO, the current staff is not going to take this program any higher. Hill is the dreamer but not the best coach. Like I said Phil Fulmer at Tennessee was forced into making some changes in his staff for the first time in like 15 plus years. If Hill has another underchieving year next year, then Boeh needs to step and say it is time for some change Mr. Hill. But in no way am I saying to fire Pat Hill, just his staff.

Anonymous said...

well said MDG.

Anonymous said...

Wow, you seem angry. I thought you would be overjoyed that someone actually visited your site.

BarkBoard.com said...

I started the blog to voice my opinions and thoughts on Bulldog football. As well, as a centerpoint to link to many sites and info on Bulldog football. Gobulldogs.com is a very poor site and the info is always vague and sometimes incorrect.

If I wanted major media attention or a flood of visitors, I would start a firepathill website. But you my friend from the East Bay want that hype, and you can have it. The funny thing is many more will probably jump on your bandwagon if Tulsa beats Fresno State.

But do you really want Hill fired, or is that just get some media attention? Because you have not gone on record to voice your choice for his replacement. Maybe your site should be changed to firehill'sstaff.net. That is where the problem is, IMO.

Anonymous said...

Well, if you didn't start this blog for media attention, were you looking for anyone's attention? Because it seems no one is reading this crap but me and that nitwit Aaron. If you were looking to reamin completely anonymous, job well done.

BarkBoard.com said...

Eddie, I don't give a fuck who reads it. Like I stated, I didn't start it to gain any attention. If its crap why are you wasting your time commenting. I'll admit it, traffic is low, but I am not on every message board promoting it either.

What is the point of your site, anyways. You do not write any original content. You link to stories on the program postive or negative about Hill. If you really want Hill fired, why don't your put down all your reasons for it.

You have not given any substantial reason for his firing besides his coaching record. There are only a handful of non-BCS that can match FS's record the last 7 years and only Utah has more BCS wins with 11 since 2000 after beating GT yesterday, but dig deeper and you see that they have played 8 BCS schools at home since 2000, while Fresno State has only played 3.

As far as me being anonymous, I guess you can figure shit out. I write for three other sites, that all use my name. All three are linked to the homepage of the blog.

As much as I can't stand your site(because it has no reason for existing), I do find it amusing. If the purpose of the site was for you to express your disgust for Pat Hill, then why haven't you done it. If your problem is with the constant promotion of the "big" BCS wins, then your beef is with Sports Information and Steve Weakland. That Weakland is an idiot. SI makes so many mistakes in its media releases its embarrassing, and one of those is making the BCS wins seem bigger than they really are. SI has not been the same since Dave Haglund left in the late '90s.

Hill just coaches the games and plays the schedule that he is dealt. He does talk too much about the BCS but that is just his way of promoting his program, and it has worked. Fresno State is a known commodity. Like I stated before, Utah has more BCS wins than FS since 2000, won the MWC in 03 and 04, won the Fiesta Bowl last year, and finished in the top 5. But who gets more media attention and TV games? Fresno State. The nation respects this program. The ones in the know realize Hill has built this program from the ground up using freshman and it can compete with anyone in the country. But at the same time they do not consider the program big-time because it still has not gotten over the hump. That was suppose to happen this year, but oh well.

Lastly, why in the fuck are your dogging the site. If you like Fresno State football, you will take it for what its worth, just one guys opinion. I might not agree with your site, but I have said if Fresno State gets embarrassed by Tulsa, I will link to it permanently until Hill goes on record and says he needs to make changes to his program. I have said it before, I have no problem with anyone wanting Hill fired, but give a good freakin reason why? The whole BCS record thing has no substance. Remember, Fresno State has not lost to a team with a losing record since 1999 against SMU. Notre Dame is in the top 10 and playing in the Fiesta Bowl but lost to a 5-6 Michigan State team, and were on the ropes at Stanford.

Good coaches find ways to win. You fail to mention in your site about Hill's failures as a gameday coach. But he brings so many intangibles to the table, Boeh has to give him chances to improve his coaching and staff. Its not like FS is finishing 5-6 or 6-5 and missing out on bowl games.

Fresno State is at a point that if they finished 6-5, Bowl games would take as serious look at them as an at-large team because nationally people know the program and tune in to watch them. The FS-USC game was the highest rated game on FSN all year and their second highest rated sports contest all-time.

Anonymous said...

well, i like this site because it's obviously stating facts and opinions without giving a fuck and NOT being worried about saying fuck.lol. great site here and i like all of the unique, straight forward stuff about it. p.s. i stayed up waaaay too late the other day watching that mpc bowl 2004 the other night, good job of having that stream available.

BarkBoard.com said...

Thanks for the kind words. I will continue to be as honest as fucking possible, lol, and enjoy the stream because the MPC Bowl will probably remove it by mid-January if not earlier.

Anonymous said...

Im not sure what you are more of. Boring or longwinded. Either way you suck.

BarkBoard.com said...

Its pretty sad, when you have to hide behind someone else's name to post your comment. Aaron lives on the East Coast, doesn't use AOL, wouldn't be surfing the net googling "fire pat hill" at 4:18 am ET. Good try, are you still in junior high? This is a football site, talk some football. If you want Hill fired, then give the reasons why!

Anonymous said...

Funny how this joker hides behind a moniker and yet when I ask him his name or what type of Fresno State fan he is it's just ignored.

This is why he will have no credibility. Keep up the good work on this site, Eric Prisbell from the Washington Post has read it from time-to-time along with Brandon Molale.