Spring Practice Closes With Optimism for Fall
Robert Shields
The good news coming out of spring practice and the Red-White game is that the team appears to have more depth. In particular, the quarterback position seems to have talent behind Ryan Mallett.
Jacoby Walker is going to be a good one, but the coaches are going to have the luxury of redshirting him. Tyler Wilson and Brandon Mitchell will be ample backups to Mallett. Walker will be a better quarterback for it in the long run.
Mitchell proved he has the speed and savvy to be dangerous. I expect he will be used some this next season in certain situations. While Mallett shows no ability to be a game breaker with his legs, Mitchell is very capable of beating the other team running the ball. It will give defenses one more thing to prepare for when they meet the Hogs, and it makes the Razorback playbook even larger because the chance of Mallett running the option was none.
Mallett, who will head to the pros after next season, will struggle in the fall at times. It will be good for the team to shift into a different speed during those times. It will only help Mallett.
The defense next year will be better. How much better? Nobody knows until Clay Henry issues his opinion at the Little Rock Razorback Club dinner in late summer. He was correct last year. It could be substantially better or it may be marginally better. Hog fans will find out when they enter conference play.
The bad news coming out of spring practice is that special teams is still a train wreck and will cost the Hogs a game or two if it is not corrected by kickoff of the 2010 season. The two kickers signed in the last class of incoming freshmen will be needed.
I may be suffering sampling error, but I have witnessed the kicker that was recruited from Russellville, Zach Hocker. At the high school level, he is one of the best that I have ever seen. Will he be that way in college? Who knows? The transition is difficult. I was most impressed with his punting ability.
The Hogs’ other signed kicker was Eduardo Camara. Out of the two of them, maybe the team can find a good package to put together a solid kicking game. Both kickers, though, are not big guys according to their stats. As a fan, you just hope they have big legs.
Besides those freshmen heading into the fall, I expect anyone who can play the role of linebacker may have a chance to hit the field. The Hogs have some linebackers, but largely it’s still a patchwork group. It still lacks that “thumper” in the middle. I do not expect a freshman to fill that role either this year.
It was also good to see Joe Adams on the field in the Red-White game. Hopefully whatever distraction was happening over a week ago is long gone. The same can also be said for Jerry Franklin. As a fan, you want both of them to have great summers.
Kudos to the UofA for another year of planning the Red-White game to stay off the Arkansas Derby weekend. In the past there were quite a few times when they arrogantly decided to go head to head with it and lost. With it being on separate weekends, it allows a winning situation for all sports fans.
In other news, this column may be too positive as my initial editor of my column tells me it’s not negative enough.
Send your post Red-White game report to fromthebench@yahoo.com and please don’t include the names of all the sponsors.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
From the Bench
Receiver’s Absence at Spring Practice is Puzzling
Robert Shields
I puzzle about the mystery surrounding the absence of Joe Adams from the practice field during the University of Arkansas’ spring football practice. Adams is one of the stars of the team. In fact, he may be the most important playmaker you will find on the roster.
Why is the Joe Adams situation weird? It’s the secrecy of it. Coach Bobby Petrino says it’s because of personal issues. I get the coach is limited in what he can say about his players when it comes to medical issues because of privacy laws and university policy, but we don’t even know why he is missing in action.
Adams had some very serious medical issues last year (he apparently had a very mild stroke) that kept him out of a few games. A stroke is a very serious matter for anyone. Yet somehow we all found out about that problem, and it was a medical issue. The word got out.
The fact Jerry Franklin is missing spring practice has also been disturbing, but it seems everyone knows why he is missing and hopes he gets back out on the field by summer. Most assume that he will work hard and return.
Then there is Brandon Mitchell. He has missed several practices for good cause -- he had a death in his family. I am sure Hog nation wishes him the best and prays for him in his mourning. We all know this is the reason he has missed practice. This situation is also a very personal issue, yet it is public knowledge.
Ryan Mallett, the star quarterback, is also missing practice. We all know the reason empirically as he limps around on his boot protecting his foot that recently underwent surgery.
But when it comes to Adams, nobody seems to know why the absence. And the poker-faced coach is not letting on as to why. Many Razorback fans are very interested and not just because he is a star player, but because of the secrecy surrounding him leads to so many questions and so much gossip.
-
Real Deal in the Rock
Apparently some great basketball was played in the Little Rock area over the weekend. Arkansas is home to three prized basketball recruits, and on their team there was apparently some more great talent.
My advice to John Pelphrey to keep his job in the short run, and he already knows it, is to better land a lot of those guys. Nolan Richardson was hammered for not recruiting Arkansas kids that were not even nearly as touted. Nolan finally gave into pressure, signed a group of Arkansas kids that never panned out, and most transferred or some just gave up basketball for forestry, which helped to push Nolan out of the coach’s office.
My advice to Pelphrey in the long run is to do as Petrino does and ignore the in-state talent so you can recruit the guys that you know are the best.
For transcripts of this column, send your e-mail requests to fromthebench@yahoo.com.
My books are available at fruitbatbooks.com, and you can receive free shipping by entering the code “freemail305” at checkout.
Robert Shields
I puzzle about the mystery surrounding the absence of Joe Adams from the practice field during the University of Arkansas’ spring football practice. Adams is one of the stars of the team. In fact, he may be the most important playmaker you will find on the roster.
Why is the Joe Adams situation weird? It’s the secrecy of it. Coach Bobby Petrino says it’s because of personal issues. I get the coach is limited in what he can say about his players when it comes to medical issues because of privacy laws and university policy, but we don’t even know why he is missing in action.
Adams had some very serious medical issues last year (he apparently had a very mild stroke) that kept him out of a few games. A stroke is a very serious matter for anyone. Yet somehow we all found out about that problem, and it was a medical issue. The word got out.
The fact Jerry Franklin is missing spring practice has also been disturbing, but it seems everyone knows why he is missing and hopes he gets back out on the field by summer. Most assume that he will work hard and return.
Then there is Brandon Mitchell. He has missed several practices for good cause -- he had a death in his family. I am sure Hog nation wishes him the best and prays for him in his mourning. We all know this is the reason he has missed practice. This situation is also a very personal issue, yet it is public knowledge.
Ryan Mallett, the star quarterback, is also missing practice. We all know the reason empirically as he limps around on his boot protecting his foot that recently underwent surgery.
But when it comes to Adams, nobody seems to know why the absence. And the poker-faced coach is not letting on as to why. Many Razorback fans are very interested and not just because he is a star player, but because of the secrecy surrounding him leads to so many questions and so much gossip.
-
Real Deal in the Rock
Apparently some great basketball was played in the Little Rock area over the weekend. Arkansas is home to three prized basketball recruits, and on their team there was apparently some more great talent.
My advice to John Pelphrey to keep his job in the short run, and he already knows it, is to better land a lot of those guys. Nolan Richardson was hammered for not recruiting Arkansas kids that were not even nearly as touted. Nolan finally gave into pressure, signed a group of Arkansas kids that never panned out, and most transferred or some just gave up basketball for forestry, which helped to push Nolan out of the coach’s office.
My advice to Pelphrey in the long run is to do as Petrino does and ignore the in-state talent so you can recruit the guys that you know are the best.
For transcripts of this column, send your e-mail requests to fromthebench@yahoo.com.
My books are available at fruitbatbooks.com, and you can receive free shipping by entering the code “freemail305” at checkout.
Monday, April 12, 2010
From the Bench
City Leaders Forgot About Golf Course’s Biggest Use
Robert Shields
With the Masters ending on Sunday, golf is on my mind. Not necessarily playing the game, but the existence of certain golf courses, to be exact. And I fear Little Rock may be on the slippery slope of destroying a great one in War Memorial Golf Course.
Make no mistake, War Memorial serves really only one purpose, and everything else is ancillary -- and the quicker Little Rock city leaders get that memo the better. The biggest annual use that golf course sees is to provide space for the best tailgating in the nation for Razorback football games when the Hogs’ busses make their way down Markham twice a year.
The rest of the time it serves as a park and a golf course for hacks like me who can brag about the time they hit it across University or bounced a ball off a Volkswagen on Fair Park. The city needs the course as another public course for the golfers it has served for so many years. It is an affordable place to play and I don’t feel bad when I divot up the place like I do at Rebsamen.
What I hate hearing is when some city leaders say that it does not make money. I never knew the government to ever make money except when it takes my tax dollars, so I don’t know why they are worried when some venture of theirs is not operating in the black.
What park for any city does? I doubt New York City ever complains about Central Park not making a dime.
If it’s the bottom line we are worried about, though, War Memorial Golf Course makes tons of money for the city for those two Razorback games. I think the Exxon station at the corner of Van Buren and Markham makes enough in tax sales on beer during game day to justify the park’s existence. The golf course is one of the main reasons that helps keep the games anchored in Little Rock.
I had a discussion with another Little Rock resident about this issue of what to do with the golf course, and his comment was he was just surprised Little Rock has not sold it to North Little Rock already.
Currently, the city has found some money to move some greens to rework the course and make it smaller. However, I fear there are still other plans in some minds to drastically alter the park. I doubt whatever they do with the park that it in the end it makes a dime unless they turn it over to parking for UAMS.
And to be honest, I really don’t care what they do with the golf course. They can turn it into a Frisbee course, equestrian venue, graveyard, or whatever, provided they leave the trees, grass, and greenbelt so cars can tailgate on it when the Hogs come to town.
If Little Rock messes it up, I say Jeff Long, who always seems willing to make a buck anywhere he can find it, should sell the two games Little Rock gets every year to the highest bidder. Maybe they can convert the infield at Oaklawn.
-
Spring Practice Round-Up
I heard Tyler Wilson took a snap. Spring practice lacks the same excitement that existed under the previous coach. It seems like Bobby Petrino is very capable of keeping everything under wraps. I miss the circus environment from the last regime (from a writing standpoint) because there was always something to talk about from quarterbacks having to throw over ladders to black tarps being put up to block everyone’s view.
Send your golf scores to fromthebench@yahoo.com
Visit fruitbatbooks.com for my current selections.
Robert Shields
With the Masters ending on Sunday, golf is on my mind. Not necessarily playing the game, but the existence of certain golf courses, to be exact. And I fear Little Rock may be on the slippery slope of destroying a great one in War Memorial Golf Course.
Make no mistake, War Memorial serves really only one purpose, and everything else is ancillary -- and the quicker Little Rock city leaders get that memo the better. The biggest annual use that golf course sees is to provide space for the best tailgating in the nation for Razorback football games when the Hogs’ busses make their way down Markham twice a year.
The rest of the time it serves as a park and a golf course for hacks like me who can brag about the time they hit it across University or bounced a ball off a Volkswagen on Fair Park. The city needs the course as another public course for the golfers it has served for so many years. It is an affordable place to play and I don’t feel bad when I divot up the place like I do at Rebsamen.
What I hate hearing is when some city leaders say that it does not make money. I never knew the government to ever make money except when it takes my tax dollars, so I don’t know why they are worried when some venture of theirs is not operating in the black.
What park for any city does? I doubt New York City ever complains about Central Park not making a dime.
If it’s the bottom line we are worried about, though, War Memorial Golf Course makes tons of money for the city for those two Razorback games. I think the Exxon station at the corner of Van Buren and Markham makes enough in tax sales on beer during game day to justify the park’s existence. The golf course is one of the main reasons that helps keep the games anchored in Little Rock.
I had a discussion with another Little Rock resident about this issue of what to do with the golf course, and his comment was he was just surprised Little Rock has not sold it to North Little Rock already.
Currently, the city has found some money to move some greens to rework the course and make it smaller. However, I fear there are still other plans in some minds to drastically alter the park. I doubt whatever they do with the park that it in the end it makes a dime unless they turn it over to parking for UAMS.
And to be honest, I really don’t care what they do with the golf course. They can turn it into a Frisbee course, equestrian venue, graveyard, or whatever, provided they leave the trees, grass, and greenbelt so cars can tailgate on it when the Hogs come to town.
If Little Rock messes it up, I say Jeff Long, who always seems willing to make a buck anywhere he can find it, should sell the two games Little Rock gets every year to the highest bidder. Maybe they can convert the infield at Oaklawn.
-
Spring Practice Round-Up
I heard Tyler Wilson took a snap. Spring practice lacks the same excitement that existed under the previous coach. It seems like Bobby Petrino is very capable of keeping everything under wraps. I miss the circus environment from the last regime (from a writing standpoint) because there was always something to talk about from quarterbacks having to throw over ladders to black tarps being put up to block everyone’s view.
Send your golf scores to fromthebench@yahoo.com
Visit fruitbatbooks.com for my current selections.
Monday, April 05, 2010
From the Bench
Spring Practice Begins With Great Expectations to be Fulfilled
Robert Shields
The Razorbacks have started spring football practice, so the grandiose proclamations, such as the one I heard on Drive Time Sports about this being the greatest offense in Razorback history, can commence.
I expect that fan expectations will run high from now until whenever the first devastating loss comes. Fans are coming off a lull during the winter since the Razorbacks do not have basketball any longer. The fans are also still basking in the great AutoZone Liberty Bowl victory that ended the season on a high note if you weren’t in attendance.
The fact that quarterback Ryan Mallett is sitting out the spring has not had a dampering effect. Even higher ticket prices have not dulled the enthusiasm, although how well tickets are selling is still unknown. Fans may settle for worshiping from afar because the University of Arkansas athletic department does not operate in an economic vacuum where price does not matter.
The oddity at the start of spring practice is that the Hogs’ leading linebacker, Jerry Franklin, is being held out so far. The report we get from the coach is that he did not perform as expected during the offseason and is behind. We all remember how the Hogs fared in the Georgia game when Franklin was tossed from the game. I know a lot of fans are hoping he finds his way back to the field sometime during spring practice.
Besides the kicking game, the weakest aspect for the team has been at linebacker the last two seasons. Starting spring practice with your leading linebacker absent is just not the way to get this beleaguered defense rolling.
-
Butler Makes Case for Football Playoff
I don’t know who will win as the deadline for this column is before Duke and Butler meet in the national championship game, but it is hard to not pull for seven-point underdog Butler. Just the idea of such a team winning from a second-tier, no make that a third-tier, conference is astounding.
Butler was ranked high at the beginning of the season and they have talent, but their compelling narrative is that a team like that can come from nowhere and beat the big boys. It truly is the Hoosiers story. It makes it possible for small schools to believe that their dreams of doing something big in the NCAA tournament are not in vain.
If Butler can do it, any team can do it. It is the very concept of the underdog winning it all. It is the story of the freshmen beating the seniors in your high school intramural basketball league. It is the story of David beating Goliath and that sometimes in life, it does not matter how much a school has in attendance, money, facilities, or talent -- they can overcome all of it.
This is the reason I wish Arkansas would go back to the overall state champion in high-school basketball.
And for those that were disappointed in their bracket because Kansas and Kentucky did not meet, get over it. If that is really what you wanted, you must also be an advocate of the BCS Championship game because what it does is preclude teams like Boise State from ever having a chance like they would in a football playoff.
I find it a complete mockery that some make the argument for expanding the basketball tournament by comparing it to the number of football teams that play in bowls. Only the NCAA could take the postseason that worked and make it more like the one that doesn’t in pursuit of the almighty dollar.
-
Stuff I Am Interested in
The new bridge being built in Little Rock that will connect the River Trail with Two Rivers Park is an excellent addition to the Central Arkansas trail system. I have waited for this addition for some time, and I am glad it’s finally coming to fruition. My only hope is that bike riders don’t come screeching off it like they are the space shuttle coming in for a landing as they already do on the Big Dam Bridge.
Even though I am really excited about the bridge being built, there is a small part of me that is going to miss the idea that to get to the point on the peninsula at Two Rivers Park, which is completely isolated, you had to make a 3-mile round trip. It will be easily accessible for all now, which I guess is a good thing.
-
Send your experience as the underdog to fromthebench@yahoo.com.
My books can be found at www.fruitbatbooks.com and at www.Amazon.com . Buy them.
Robert Shields
The Razorbacks have started spring football practice, so the grandiose proclamations, such as the one I heard on Drive Time Sports about this being the greatest offense in Razorback history, can commence.
I expect that fan expectations will run high from now until whenever the first devastating loss comes. Fans are coming off a lull during the winter since the Razorbacks do not have basketball any longer. The fans are also still basking in the great AutoZone Liberty Bowl victory that ended the season on a high note if you weren’t in attendance.
The fact that quarterback Ryan Mallett is sitting out the spring has not had a dampering effect. Even higher ticket prices have not dulled the enthusiasm, although how well tickets are selling is still unknown. Fans may settle for worshiping from afar because the University of Arkansas athletic department does not operate in an economic vacuum where price does not matter.
The oddity at the start of spring practice is that the Hogs’ leading linebacker, Jerry Franklin, is being held out so far. The report we get from the coach is that he did not perform as expected during the offseason and is behind. We all remember how the Hogs fared in the Georgia game when Franklin was tossed from the game. I know a lot of fans are hoping he finds his way back to the field sometime during spring practice.
Besides the kicking game, the weakest aspect for the team has been at linebacker the last two seasons. Starting spring practice with your leading linebacker absent is just not the way to get this beleaguered defense rolling.
-
Butler Makes Case for Football Playoff
I don’t know who will win as the deadline for this column is before Duke and Butler meet in the national championship game, but it is hard to not pull for seven-point underdog Butler. Just the idea of such a team winning from a second-tier, no make that a third-tier, conference is astounding.
Butler was ranked high at the beginning of the season and they have talent, but their compelling narrative is that a team like that can come from nowhere and beat the big boys. It truly is the Hoosiers story. It makes it possible for small schools to believe that their dreams of doing something big in the NCAA tournament are not in vain.
If Butler can do it, any team can do it. It is the very concept of the underdog winning it all. It is the story of the freshmen beating the seniors in your high school intramural basketball league. It is the story of David beating Goliath and that sometimes in life, it does not matter how much a school has in attendance, money, facilities, or talent -- they can overcome all of it.
This is the reason I wish Arkansas would go back to the overall state champion in high-school basketball.
And for those that were disappointed in their bracket because Kansas and Kentucky did not meet, get over it. If that is really what you wanted, you must also be an advocate of the BCS Championship game because what it does is preclude teams like Boise State from ever having a chance like they would in a football playoff.
I find it a complete mockery that some make the argument for expanding the basketball tournament by comparing it to the number of football teams that play in bowls. Only the NCAA could take the postseason that worked and make it more like the one that doesn’t in pursuit of the almighty dollar.
-
Stuff I Am Interested in
The new bridge being built in Little Rock that will connect the River Trail with Two Rivers Park is an excellent addition to the Central Arkansas trail system. I have waited for this addition for some time, and I am glad it’s finally coming to fruition. My only hope is that bike riders don’t come screeching off it like they are the space shuttle coming in for a landing as they already do on the Big Dam Bridge.
Even though I am really excited about the bridge being built, there is a small part of me that is going to miss the idea that to get to the point on the peninsula at Two Rivers Park, which is completely isolated, you had to make a 3-mile round trip. It will be easily accessible for all now, which I guess is a good thing.
-
Send your experience as the underdog to fromthebench@yahoo.com.
My books can be found at www.fruitbatbooks.com and at www.Amazon.com . Buy them.
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