Gil Brandt: Bret Bielema turned down Nebraska job

[Mavric]

Posted this elsewhere as well:

Gil Brandt, veteran analyst for NFL.com, reported that NU actually offered the job to Arkansas coach Bret Bielema on Wednesday. Offer or no offer, NU seemed to have some level of interest in Bielema, as first reported by FootballScoop.com.

On Thursday, Football Scoop filled in some details and reported that "(Bielema) checked with his connections who know the current atmosphere in Nebraska as well as anyone and was advised against taking the position." Multiple sources told the Journal Star that Arkansas assistants were thinking they could be headed to Lincoln as late as Wednesday morning.

Link

Note that it wasn't all FootballScoop on this. "Multiple sources told the JOURNAL STAR that Arkansas assistants were thinking they could be headed to Lincoln" (emphasis added).

[C N Red]

I am not a fan of HP, but I for one actually believe him on this. I don't know how, with the time schedule it ever could have happened. Including what Perlman said. I've said it more than once since the rumors began....Bielema left Wisky and it wasn't under good terms. Alvarez was pissed. Alavarez and Ginga are best buds. Why in the world would SE hire him or Alvarez recommend him? It doesn't make sense and isn't true.

[zoogs]

Yeah, I don't think these further sources make it any more credible. The search was conducted with such secrecy, and yet there are sources everywhere? Riley was hired and didn't even talk to his assistants. This was clearly a move to get rid of a perceived headache in Bo, and yet we think Eichorst wants a known headache for his friend and mentor Barry Alvarez, in Bielema. Perlman goes as far as to suggest this publicly about Bielema ("you think he'd stay?") And Bielema is obviously a guy known for embracing his fanbase and being Mr. Positive Sunshine -- or not really.

 

If there were other players in the game...we're unlikely to ever know who they were. And that's just how it goes.

[74Hunter]

I have a hard time believing anything that comes from the admin at NU. We'll never know the truth, so we need to move on with the guy we got

[NUance]

Posted this elsewhere as well:

 

Gil Brandt, veteran analyst for NFL.com, reported that NU actually offered the job to Arkansas coach Bret Bielema on Wednesday. Offer or no offer, NU seemed to have some level of interest in Bielema, as first reported by FootballScoop.com.

 

On Thursday, Football Scoop filled in some details and reported that "(Bielema) checked with his connections who know the current atmosphere in Nebraska as well as anyone and was advised against taking the position." Multiple sources told the Journal Star that Arkansas assistants were thinking they could be headed to Lincoln as late as Wednesday morning.

 

Link

 

Note that it wasn't all FootballScoop on this. "Multiple sources told the JOURNAL STAR that Arkansas assistants were thinking they could be headed to Lincoln" (emphasis added).

 

Knowing LJS, it might have been Flu and two or three of his sockpuppets.

 

[knapplc]

If these people actually have in-the-know sources, why wasn't Riley's name brought up until after the announcement?

 

If they were talking to Riley since Monday, wouldn't these sources have at the very least mentioned his name?

[Mavric]

Knowing LJS, it might have been Flu and two or three of his sockpuppets.

 

Come on. At least admit ONE of the sources could have been wifi.

[Mavric]

If these people actually have in-the-know sources, why wasn't Riley's name brought up until after the announcement?

 

If they were talking to Riley since Monday, wouldn't these sources have at the very least mentioned his name?

 

Not if the sources were acquainted with Bielema's assistants and not someone from Riley's camp. Bielema was rumored to be a candidate. There would be every reason to be snooping around people close to his assistants trying to find out info. No one - literally no one - considered Riley a candidate. There would be no reason to be searing for leaks there.

[knapplc]

I'm thinking about what is most likely to be true:

 

Eichorst truly only ever had one guy and started in with him Monday,

 

-OR-

 

We really did approach Bielema, got turned down, and moved down the list.

 

 

 

 

 

It's not impossible that we contacted Bielema, or Wittingham, as the LJS has mentioned. Perlman's statement that we'd have to worry Bielema would leave soon if he left Arkansas after two years makes a lot of sense. The fact that Bielema is acerbic as hell, and they wanted to get rid of that quality in coaches makes a lot of sense, too.

[knapplc]

 

If these people actually have in-the-know sources, why wasn't Riley's name brought up until after the announcement?

 

If they were talking to Riley since Monday, wouldn't these sources have at the very least mentioned his name?

 

Not if the sources were acquainted with Bielema's assistants and not someone from Riley's camp. Bielema was rumored to be a candidate. There would be every reason to be snooping around people close to his assistants trying to find out info. No one - literally no one - considered Riley a candidate. There would be no reason to be seachring for leaks there.

 

 

 

 

The further away from Memorial Stadium these sources are the less credible they become.

[Mavric]

Yeah, I don't think these further sources make it any more credible. The search was conducted with such secrecy, and yet there are sources everywhere? Riley was hired and didn't even talk to his assistants. This was clearly a move to get rid of a perceived headache in Bo, and yet we think Eichorst wants a known headache for his friend and mentor Barry Alvarez, in Bielema. Perlman goes as far as to suggest this publicly about Bielema ("you think he'd stay?") And Bielema is obviously a guy known for embracing his fanbase and being Mr. Positive Sunshine -- or not really.

 

If there were other players in the game...we're unlikely to ever know who they were. And that's just how it goes.

 

There were most decidedly not "sources everywhere." That was one thing that was brought up quite a bit early in the week was how close to the vest Eichorst was keeping things because there were no leaks about who he was talking to. That's why when there was finally a leak, it's pretty telling that there was enough smoke there that someone finally talked.

 

I don't know that Bielema was a terrible headache to Alvarez. There main point of contention was Bielema wanted to pay his assistants more to keep them from getting hired other places and was told no. Eichorst himself said that resources are not a problem here. I don't know of anything else that would have caused a headache for him.

[Mavric]

 

 

If these people actually have in-the-know sources, why wasn't Riley's name brought up until after the announcement?

 

If they were talking to Riley since Monday, wouldn't these sources have at the very least mentioned his name?

 

Not if the sources were acquainted with Bielema's assistants and not someone from Riley's camp. Bielema was rumored to be a candidate. There would be every reason to be snooping around people close to his assistants trying to find out info. No one - literally no one - considered Riley a candidate. There would be no reason to be seachring for leaks there.

 

 

The further away from Memorial Stadium these sources are the less credible they become.

 

Agreed. But with the caveat that those closest to Memorial Studum have the most to gain from offering misleading statements.

[zoogs]

They don't have the most to gain. They have an interest in portraying it a certain way, yes. So does Bielema. So does the "Perlman's climate in Lincoln is driving away coaches" crowd.

 

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I don't see anything about Bielema that even makes sense. I'd be much less skeptical if these rumors were about someone in a similar mold to Riley.

 

Actually, if Bielema were the #1 choice, I'd have some questions about the AD's vision for Nebraska. It just seems so odd.

[NUinID]

 

If these people actually have in-the-know sources, why wasn't Riley's name brought up until after the announcement?

 

If they were talking to Riley since Monday, wouldn't these sources have at the very least mentioned his name?

 

Not if the sources were acquainted with Bielema's assistants and not someone from Riley's camp. Bielema was rumored to be a candidate. There would be every reason to be snooping around people close to his assistants trying to find out info. No one - literally no one - considered Riley a candidate. There would be no reason to be searing for leaks there.

 

For some reason you really want this Bielema story to true Mavric. You just don't want to believe that SE could really have Mike Riley as his first choice for this job. I think Riley is precisely his first choice, it all fits IMO. Riley was on his radar from his days when they were searching for Bielema's replacement at Whisky.

 

The fact that it is an out of the box/ not real conventional hire looks a lot like Barry's style also. No one was thinking Gary Anderson when he hired him, and it was a quick hire.

 

Again I think it is a bold hire, not a safe hire, it could backfire or be great, but I don't think Riley was 2nd or 3rd choice.

[SouthAfricanHusker]

Football scoop and others rely on firms to leak info. SE isn't into publicity for no reason. He sees no value in rumors of every turn in a search getting out. He wanted to pick his guy because he knew his job relies on it. Since he was the only on (or one of the few) that knew then the media types had nothing to gossip about.

 

Then enter Bert. He saw an opportunity for more money. Knew Arkansas didn't want to go through another search so he had them by the balls. Good way to make an extra million or two. In the he said he said game of coaching offers Arkansas couldn't afford to search again.