Football Fix

9 comments July 1st, 2008 9:05am Walking on Sunshine

As I was perusing through the RazorBloggers copy of Phil Steele’s 2008 College Football Preview (a.k.a. the annual college football bible), a couple of interesting things caught my attention.

For those of you who are familiar with Steele’s preseason magazine, you know how easy it is to get completely lost in it.  Never has so much been put into 328 pages for the college football crazy.

If you’ve never seen it, take it from me, you can find yourself mesmerized to the point where you wonder out loud if this is the long lost cure for Attention-Deficit Disorder.

Home Field Edge — One of the things that Phil does every year is give each team what he calls a “Home Field Edge” value.  This equates to the amount of points a team can expect to benefit when playing in front of the home crowd.

As you can see below, the Hogs fare very well in this ranking.  And when you look at home points divided by average attendance, Razorback fans are actually the most valuable in the SEC.

Strength of Schedule — We all knew the Hogs’ 2008 schedule was brutal…and Steele just confirms that.  Only the University of Washington ranks ahead of Arkansas nationally.

Here’s the list of SEC schools, and you can see the complete ranking here.

As much as I like the Georgia Bulldogs, it’s going to be tough to negotiate that schedule and win a national championship.

Phil Steele has been the most accurate of the preseason magazines over the last nine years.  For 2008, he picks the Hogs to finish dead last in the SEC West, with a below .500 record overall.

Here’s hoping that at the end of the year, Phil wishes he had put us in his “Teams Most Likely to Surprise” list.

Best Razorback Games Of 2007-08 — One For The Razorbacks

16 comments June 27th, 2008 10:05am TipsterHog

It’s not like there was going to be much of a surprise about what game would occupy the top spot in our countdown of the best Razorback games of the 2007-08 seasons.

When you defeat the #1 team in the country for the fourth time in school history and the first time in 26 years, that pretty much takes all the guesswork out of the decision for us.

Arkansas Defeats #1 LSU - SportsCenter

Arkansas Defeats #1 LSU - College GameDay

Arkansas Defeats #1 LSU - Pump Up The Volume

And who knows…when you look back in 50 years at a victory over the #1 team in the country that was clinched on the last play of triple overtime…it might just qualify near the top of the best Razorback games of all-time.

Best Razorback Games Of 2007-08 — Instant Classic

6 comments June 25th, 2008 6:05am TipsterHog

After it was over, here’s how we described the game that is #3 on our countdown of the best Razorback games of 2007-08:

You know…just another Razorback Saturday.  The stadium field gets a name; the legendary Keith Jackson stops by to ‘Call the Hogs’; Felix rushes for 174, DMac rushes for 321 and we completely steamroller Steve Spurrier.  Ho hum?  Yeah, right.  It was a magical night.  What an honor it was to be there to see an ‘Instant Razorback Classic’ in person.

And thanks to YouTube (and GTHogFan), there’s really no need to say anything more.

Felix Jones 40 Yard TD

Felix Jones 72 Yard TD

Casey Dick TD Lucas Miller

DMac TD to RoJo

DMac 80 Yard TD

RazorBits: Filling Time

22 comments June 17th, 2008 6:05am TipsterHog

RBN tidbits from around the web.

– A lot of local sportswriters are filling their column inches at the moment talking about how to pass the time between now and fall football practice.  Robbie Neiswanger over at The Morning News gives Hog fans a few dates to remember between now and August 4th.  And the original Mr. Sunshine warms up a little stale football news for us.

– And speaking of stale, this report is a few days old but I didn’t see it blogged anywhere.  According to the Cowboys Blog, it sounds like a package is being added to the playbook that includes both Felix Jones and Marion Barber in the backfield at the same time:

Felix’s primary offensive role as a rookie will be a change-of-pace back. But the Cowboys also plan to put him on the field with Barber on occasion.

Barber and Felix lined up in the backfield together several times during today’s workout. Barber lined up in front of the offset I with Felix starting at tailback and motioning out wide.

[...] Felix didn’t put up big receiving numbers at Arkansas, which had a poor passing game. But the Cowboys’ scouts and coaches saw a back with good hands and route-running ability who could blossom as a receiver in the pros.

Hmmm…throwing the ball to Felix…why didn’t we think of that?  Three years…38 games…39 receptions.  Based on those numbers, a more accurate description would be ‘piss poor passing game.’

– Felix also made it to Canton, Ohio last Friday.  No…they weren’t inducting him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame just yet.  He was one of 18 Cowboys’ rookies who toured the facility.

– Finally, sportscaster Mike Irwin used his ‘blog’ yesterday to flame a “recruting guru” over comments made about recent Razorback decommit Darius Winston.  But since Irwin doesn’t mention Dudley Dawson by name, I guess it’s not really a personal attack, is it?

Positive Experience

8 comments May 28th, 2008 6:05am Walking on Sunshine

History has typically shown that your final record in the SEC is directly proportional to the level of experience you have at the quarterback position.  And for a change, Arkansas is one of the few conference schools to have a veteran presence heading into the fall.

Here’s a quick look at who will be under center in 2008 (ranked using our own “top to bottom” ordering).

1. Tim Tebow, Junior, Florida — One word…Heisman.  Tough as they come and in a good system, Tebow’s leadership could bring home another national champioship to Gainesville.  Expect his passing skills to take another leap forward in 2008.

2. Matthew Stafford, Junior, Georgia — In the same class as former Hog Mitch Mustain, Stafford didn’t have the same level of scrutiny coming into his freshman season.  But his solid play down the stretch in 2007 helped the ‘Dogs win their last seven games and finish as one of the hottest teams in college football.

3. John Parker Wilson, Senior, Alabama — Wilson threw for over 2,800 yards and 18 TDs in 2007 for the 7-6 Crimson Tide.  For 2008, Wilson will be breaking in his third offensive coordinator (Jim McElwain) in three seasons.

4. Casey Dick, Senior, Arkansas — For the first time ever, Casey looked like a college quarterback in the spring.  Throwing for 404 yards and 2 TDs in the spring game, he showed Razorback fans what a good system and good quarterback coaching can do.

5. Wesley Carroll, Sophomore, Mississippi State — Carroll made a believer out of me last year when he torched the Hogs for 421 yards and 4 TDs in Little Rock.  With an improved surrounding cast, look for Carroll to take off in 2008.

6. Jonathan Crompton, Junior, Tennessee – While waiting his turn for two years behind Erik Ainge, Crompton has seen only spot duty for the past two seasons (498 yards, 5 TDs).  The absence of OC David Cutcliffe, however, may stunt Crompton’s growth.

7. Jevan Snead, Sophomore, Ole Miss — Some might have him higher, but we have seen what the former regime can do to a promising young quarterback.  Snead didn’t want to compete with current Texas QB Colt McCoy, so he bolted for Oxford.  Hope he likes handing the ball off.

8. Kodi Burns, Sophomore, Auburn — Even though he split time with four-year starter Brandon Cox last season, Burns surprisingly has competition for the starting job in 2008.  JC transfer Chris Todd is pushing hard and new OC Tony Franklin (formerly of Troy) has held off naming a starter until the fall.

9. Chris Nickson, Senior, Vanderbilt — Ankle injuries wiped out Nickson’s 2007 season (763 yards, 6 TDs).  With only two other offensive starters returning and the loss of All-SEC wideout Earl Bennett to the NFL, 2008 could be an exercise in futility.

10. Tommy Beecher/Chris Smelley, South Carolina — The ‘Ole Ball Coach’ couldn’t make up his mind on a starting QB this spring (surprise, surprise)…so he just picked one (Beecher).  The elevation of Steve Spurrier, Jr. to playcaller (à la Skip Holtz) has signaled the beginning of the end for “Steve Superior” in Columbia.

11. Curtis Pulley/Mike Hartline, Kentucky — The loss of All-SEC performer Andre Woodson and his 40 TD passes will hit the Wildcats hard.  Pulley and Hartline combined to throw four passes for 34 yards in 2007.  They will be learning on the job…and that’s definitely not good in this league.

12. Jarrett Lee/Andrew Hatch, LSU — With the cancer that was Ryan Perrilloux removed from his team, Les “The Hat” Miles will pick between a redshirt freshman (Lee) or a transfer from Harvard (Hatch).  Yes…that’s right…Harvard.  Hatch attempted only two passes in 2007.

So there you have it.  Does that make you like our chances in 2008 any better now?  Are any of these new guys going to have a big year and burst onto the national scene?

High Expectations

12 comments May 9th, 2008 6:05am HogBlogger

Now that Bobby Petrino has wrapped up spring practice and released a post-spring depth chart, let’s take a moment to recap some of the changes in mindset that have occurred on The Hill over the last five months.

After a strong finish in February, these coaches should feel they can recruit against any program in the nation.

Quarterbacks are going to want to come to Arkansas to play in an offense where they can make NFL-type decisions and throws.  And receivers will like that the ball is spread around with plenty of chances provided to make plays.

Running backs will see the history of these coaches getting players to the NFL.  And defensive players will like running an NFL-type scheme that allows ample opportunity to display their talents in the toughest conference in the country.

So what will we see from this team in the fall?  Yes…this will be a Razorback squad that will need to outscore opposing teams.  The defense has some good players, but there is a real shortage of bodies in general on that side of the ball.

But how will we do?  Who knows…I guess we’ll all try to figure that one out between now and August 30th.

But the administration and mentality that said we could only expect to be middle of the pack among SEC schools is gone.  Bobby Petrino made the decision to come to Arkansas because he thought he could win a national championship here.  And it’s been easy to see that he expects to be very successful.

Not ‘hopes’…expects.  And more than any newly installed offensive or defensive scheme, that mindset has been the biggest change of all.

2008 Razorbacks Post-Spring Depth Chart

Add comment May 7th, 2008 10:19pm TipsterHog

Hogwired.com: Post-Spring Practice Football Depth Chart Released

Arkansas head football coach Bobby Petrino released his post-spring practice depth chart on Wednesday.

First Team Offense
Marques Wade, Carlton Salters, London Crawford, WR; Ray Dominguez, LT; Mitch Petrus, LG; Jonathan Luigs, C; DeMarcus Love, RG; Jose Valdez, RT; D.J. Williams, TE; Casey Dick, QB; Michael Smith, RB, Lance Thompson, FB.

First Team Defense
Jake Bequette, DE; Ernest Mitchell, LT; Malcolm Sheppard, RT; Adrian Davis, DE; Elston Forte, SLB; Jerry Franklin, MLB; Ryan Powers, WLB; Jamar Love, CB; Dallas Washington, SS; Matt Harris or Rashaad Johnson, FS; Isaac Madison, CB.

First Team Special Teams
Jeremy Davis, P; Alex Tejada, PK; Matt Harris, Holder.

Also:

• Hogwired.com: Bobby Petrino Press Conference – Spring Practice Wrap-Up
• Alex Abrams: Petrino Unveils First Depth Chart
• Robbie Neiswanger: Norton Undergoes Surgery; Fairchild’s Status Remains Uncertain
• Tom Murphy: Charting the progress
• Nate Allen: Charting a course
• Brandon Marcello: Hogs’ new coach looking to fill voids on special teams in fall

Updated 5/8/08 10:45 a.m.

Sensory Overload

22 comments May 5th, 2008 6:05am HogBlogger

After being counted as one of the 40,000+ at the Razorbacks spring game, my head has been swimming over the last week thinking about all that I saw.

First and foremost…this is definitely the beginning of a new era for Arkansas football.  Without having to do a lot of talking, the coaching staff and players have let us know with their actions that things have changed.

Here are some of the things that I noticed this spring:

The new offense is not predictable, and can apparently be taught to the players.  The ‘package’ doesn’t predict the play.  In fact, it seldom changes between plays.

Passing?  Five receivers out on the same play…three progressions and then a swing pass to the flat.  Next up…two tight ends on the field at the same time — on the same side — with a split receiver and a slot guy on that side as well.

This offense literally throws the ball all over the field…and that includes the middle of the field, too.

Rushing?  Draw plays…reverses…counter plays…fullback dive…even the infamous Houston Dale stretch play.  And sometimes…passing the ball first to setup the run.  Imagine that?

This offense gives the defense a lot to think about and very few clues as to what’s coming next.

The whole negative notion of quarterbacks as ‘bus drivers’ — on the field not to make plays and not to make mistakes — is gone.  Casey Dick is pointing and barking instructions…changing blocking assignments, formations, and plays.  In other words, being the leader of the offense.

Not yet Peyton Manning…but definitely well beyond ‘bus driver.’

This football team is going to hit.  No more constant worrying about the number of bodies and the fear of getting someone hurt.  The ‘being afraid’ that we’ve had over the past several years is gone.

Short on linebackers?  Let’s tackle to the ground.  Running backs?  Tackle them and try to strip the ball, too.

Physical?  For years the Razorbacks have been thought of as one of the most physical teams in the SEC.  The new coach doesn’t think they’re physical enough yet.  Hit every day until it is second nature.  Find out who your best football players are and put them on the field.

Rather than a package of blitzes and cornerbacks on an ‘island,’ the focus now is on ‘team’ defense.  The offense will get the benefit of practicing against the type of defenses they will see in games.  The defense will get to practice against a ‘high end’ version of the type of offense they will see in games.

I’ll stop there for now.  I realize that’s a lot to digest…but that’s actually kind of my point.  I’ll try to summarize a few more things in a post later this week.  Until then, for those who saw any spring practice or scrimmages, what are your thoughts?

Good Is Good

6 comments April 28th, 2008 6:05am TipsterHog

Jean-Jacques Taylor of The Dallas Morning News thinks the Cowboys made a mistake drafting Felix Jones ahead of Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall with the 22nd pick:

You don’t draft a complementary player in the first round when you have an opportunity to select a franchise back.

Ever.

But that’s what the Cowboys did Saturday.

So…apparently there’s some sort of ‘Draft bible’ that Jean-Jacques is quoting from here.  Although he doesn’t reference chapter and verse.

And, unfortunately, he also doesn’t bother to list many facts to support his argument that Mendenhall is a ‘franchise back.’  In truth, a comparison of career stats shows very little difference between the two rushers:

Jones: 38 Games, 387 Attempts, 2,954 Yards, 20 TDs, 7.6 yards per carry
Mendenhall: 35 Games, 388 Attempts, 2,539 Yards, 22 TDs, 6.5 yards per carry

Size?  Jones is slightly taller and Mendenhall is nearly 20 pounds heavier.

Speed?  Mendenhall ran a 4.45 at the NFL Combine and Jones ran a 4.47.

Now explain to me again how one of these players is obviously a 20-25 carry running back and the other one isn’t?  Or, more specifically, that either one of them has proven their NFL franchise back potential?

So maybe the truth is that both of them are equally good.  Which is exactly what the Cowboys said after the draft:

“Both of them were so close you could flip a coin over them,” Jerry Jones said.

But wait…Jean-Jacques uses his powers of deductive reasoning to prove (prove!) that the Cowboys had Mendenhall rated higher:

“I don’t want to get into which was the highest rated,” Jerry said. “I don’t want to do that.”

Trust me, that means Mendenhall was rated higher, which is one more reason Jerry should’ve trusted the draft board and taken Mendenhall.

Ah yes…just trust the board, Jerry.  But here’s the real question: if one player is ranked 22-A on this ‘almighty board’ and the other is 22-B…does it really matter which one you choose?

Four Razorbacks Are Second Day NFL Draft Picks

Add comment April 27th, 2008 10:55pm TipsterHog

Hogwired.com: Four Razorbacks Drafted on Day Two of NFL Draft

Arkansas defensive tackle Marcus Harrison, offensive tackle Nate Garner, fullback Peyton Hillis and wide receiver Marcus Monk heard their names called on Sunday in day two of the 2008 NFL Draft.

Also:

• Robbie Neiswanger: Harrison One of Four Hogs Selected Sunday, Two Hogs Agree To Free Agent Contracts
• Bob Holt: Harrison gets call from Bears

Updated 4/28/08 8:10 a.m.