– 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?

Along with Press Row with Mike Irwin and Bo Mattingly, these two shows are definitely the best Razorback talk radio on the airwaves today.

I got the word a few minutes ago. Forty years of tradition undone by man who doesn’t understand the relationship that football program has with the fans. Good luck Houston. You’re gonna need it. You just cut yourself off from one of the things that has always made this program special.
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There will be plenty of fans who agree with this decision. They’ll buy into Nutt’s baloney that the players don’t want to be distracted. That’s the main problem I have with Houston. He thinks people can’t see through his sanitized explanations for the decisions he makes.

From what I’ve heard, Mike and Nate Allen were the most pissed off about this in the spring. Looks like he definitely confirms that in this post!

It’s funny that, in a lot of ways, having a policy like this allows people like me who aren’t officially reporting on the Razorbacks to “cover” them almost as good as the major media outlets. At least during the practice week, that is. Game day coverage, of course, will always be done better by members of the “official” press.