HOG CALLS

Hogs’ offensive staff a collected effort

Arkansas offensive coordinator Jim Chaney watches practice at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE - Other than interim coaches Joe Kines in 1992 and John L. Smith in 2012 and hastily promoted offensive coordinator to head coach Jack Crowe in January 1990, all the University of Arkansas head football coaches since Frank Broyles began their Razorbacks tenure with assistance from at least some who assisted them before.

Bret Bielema is no exception. From the University of Wisconsin, which he had head coached since 2006, Bielema to Arkansas brought defensive coordinator Chris Ash, defensive line coach Charlie Partridge, strength coach Ben Herbert, director of football operations Mark Taurisani and on-campus recruiting coordinator Chris Hauser.

That may seem like plenty, but it’s a relative few compared to the Carroll College collection that Bobby Petrino brought to Arkansas with ties to his alma mater in Montana.

“I brought the coaches with me from Wisconsin that I wanted to bring with me and establish myself down here,” Bielema said. “But I didn’t want to do just that. I wanted to bring in some influences from other areas.”

Until last spring, Bielema never coached with any of this offensive staff.

He hired play-calling offensive coordinator Jim Chaney and line coach Sam Pittman from Tennessee; running backs coach Joel Thomas from the University of Washington, and receivers coach Michael Smith from Kansas State.

At the 11th hour needing a coach with Arkansas ties, Bielema hired as tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr., the former Razorbacks quarterback and Bentonville offensive coordinator under his Arkansas high school coaching legend father, Barry Lunney Sr.

Anyone recalling Lunney taking charge as Arkansas’ true freshman starting quarterback in 1992 would presume Lunney wouldn’t just hang on by a good, old boy thread. They would be right.

“Barry gave us a chance to join not just former players but all the high school coaches and how important I feel their role is” Bielema said. “But I didn’t give Barry the job because he played here and was a high school coach. I gave it because he is very qualified. He has been outstanding.”

All are different offensive voices than Bielema has heard. Likely all variously suggest things maybe he wouldn’t have wanted to hear at Wisconsin.

That’s why he assembled them,to inject different views into an offense that Chaney will coordinate on Bielema’s solid Wisconsin principles that good offense begins with running the football but balance means passing must have prominence, too.

Chaney knows about passing prominence. As Purdue University offensive coordinator, he coached quarterback Drew Brees, a surefire bet for the NFL Hall of Fame.

“Jim Chaney has done a little bit of both,” Bielema said of coordinating running offenses and predominantly passing offenses. “It’s not going to be Wisconsin reincarnated, but we will have a lot of similarities.”

Whatever success is achieved, don’t expect any on this staff posturing as a “genius.”

“They understand first and foremost that they like to work together and formulate ideas,” Bielema said. “And they understand it’s not what we know as coaches but what we know as players that makes us win.”

Sports, Pages 16 on 07/15/2013