Football

Andrew Linnehan

Coach Bielema has had to answer to many critics this offseason. He has approached them with an unwavering sense of optimism.

The man’s lost more games each year he’s been at the helm of the Wisconsin football program. He is constantly criticized — Even by our own Ryan Burnett — for allowing a storied program to fade, for not recruiting well, and for dropping the torch passed to him by the great Barry Alvarez. But Bret Bielema’s badge of courage is as permanent as the Iowa Hawkeye tatoo he sports on his calf (he got it when he played at U of I), and for this he has my commendation.

“I always say [the tattoo] was a good idea when I was 19,” Bielema quipped. “When I’m asked about it, to be quite honest, I always say that I’ve never met a successful man who isn’t proud of where he came from. I’m from Illinois, I played at Iowa, and I wouldn’t trade any of that in to be where I am right now. It’s part of your history, it’s part of who I am.”

After sitting at a table with Bielema for 20 minutes, you can easily see why UW inked a deal with him to succeed the legendary Alvarez. He speaks with pride, he speaks with confidence, and he speaks with a firmness that you would hope fosters positive responses out of fans, media, and players alike. But what most impresses me is how he deals with the negative proprieters. One such reporter kept badgering Bielema about what he called a “watered down” non-conference schedule.

“I wish you’d write that we play Arizona, we play Arizona State, we play Oregon State. I wish you’d write about that.”

Bielema was obviously irritated by the pursuant skepticism, and I was, too. Maybe if the Big Ten media sucked up to its conference as much as the SEC or Pac-10 or Big 12 folk, the national media wouldn’t give us as bad of a wrap. I understand honest journalism, but the practice is supposed to remain objective. And some of the questions the Chicago Sun-Times or various student-newspapers or WGN asks are being asked just to be negative. I understand we’re in a recession, but these outlets’ need to sell their news has become blatantly obvious. I don’t know that Bob Woodward would constantly badger a new head coach about an SOS that A) Was completely set before he took the job, and B) Is about an average slate (according to difficulty) nationally.

But Bret just keeps answering the questions, and keeps trying to persuade people to spin his actions and his program’s doings into a positive light. The common sense in him tells people to look at a bigger picture than just one game or one season. After all, in the last five years, Wisconsin only trails Ohio State in terms of conference winning percentage.

“You never want to change who you are or what you are because other people are overreacting to a situation. If you let that change who you are or how you go about it, then you’re in real trouble.”

I think Lloyd Carr just made a friend.