Back in the day when Herbie had his radio program, his insight and knowledge of the game were excellent and I very much enjoyed listening to the show. Once he went national, he seemed to go out of the way to please each and every fanbase. You will rarely hear him criticize a coach, player or program. He just never goes out on that limb. Pete Carroll, Rodriguez, Ferentz, Mack Brown, Urban, Saban, and of course, Boise are all examples. That approach makes him popular amongst most fanbases, and that's what ESPN likes. The only program he doesn't hesitate to criticize is ours. I suspect that deep down he feels he is maintaining his credibility. I don't always appreciate it, and I certainly don't think it's necessary, but it doesn't bother me as much as it does some people around here.
What I do find annoying is that over time, he has become more and more a talking head. His knowledge is good, not great, and he is presented as this great "seer of all things college football". Personally, I would MUCH rather listen to Spiels call a game than Herbstreit. I feel like I get a lot more insight into the game, certainly on the defensive side of the ball, and I get a lot less blather.
As for TP's tweets and his sidelines behavior, I think I'll put my trust in Tress to handle it the right way. Molding character and maturity is a process, not an event.