| NFL | |
|
NFL Mock Draft 2009 Draft of 2009 Lacks Star Power NFL Draft 2009: Getting Started Super Bowl Well Worth Tuning In For
|
| NBA | |
|
Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
|
|
Razorbacks Hopeful For 2006 By Ron Jumper Is Gus Malzahn the right person for the offensive coordinator job? Was Malzahn hired just to bring in Springdale recruits? Is Arkansas going to turn things around this year? Should Darren McFadden be considered for Preseason SEC Player of the Year? Is the USC game going to be as bad as last year’s was? An awful lot of questions with only time to tell what will happen… Gus Malzahn has been criticized and analyzed every way from Sunday. The radio shows and newspapers have been all over the issue. Some would say he is the answer because he brings a spread offense to the table, not to mention a pipeline to northwest Arkansas recruits. I think it would be interesting for Arkansas to run a spread-oriented offense, but there are a few problems there. Arkansas runs the football religiously and making a drastic change could take a lot of time. Nebraska went from the option attack to the west coast offense. They are about to begin year three of the transition period and, other than a big win over Michigan to finish the season, still haven’t gotten back to where the program was before. Houston Nutt has to win this year or he is gone. I doubt Nutt wants to have that huge of an adjustment period, especially considering the talent at running back already in place. The theory is that Gus Malzahn was hired just for the purposes of landing prized recruits Mitch Mustain, Damian Williams, and Ben Cleveland. Houston Nutt seemed to be in a desperate situation as he was about to lose the state’s top prospects, and possibly his job, so drastic changes were made. In a way, it takes some pressure off of him because if the Razorbacks don’t get the results they want there is a lot more blame to go around. If we are giving up a lot of points there is Reggie Herring to blame, if we don’t score enough there is Gus Malzahn to blame, and if the Springdale recruits don’t pan out then there is about 99% of the country who was wrong on that one. Malzahn is put into a tough spot because he doesn’t have time to get his feet wet, he just has to dive in. His first game will be against the USC Trojans, who in case you’ve been hiding under a rock are as talented as you can get. If they beat USC then the rest of the season should be pretty drama free; however, if they get blown out there will be a lot of people pointing fingers in a lot of different directions. Arkansas has been everyone’s “dark horse” so far because of the amount of young talent returning. The common picks for league supremacy have been juggled between Florida, Auburn, and LSU. Florida’s Marty Cohen said, “I think Arkansas is the dark horse in the west with so many returnees. I’d say Arkansas is laying in the weeds, very dangerous this year. I like the way they finished the season.” Personally, I love the raw talent but I’m worried about it blending together to become successful on a high level. I’m also concerned about Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, and Peyton Hillis getting the amount of touches they feel they should have. If Casey Dick starts the season opener, how much patience do Nutt and Malzahn have if he struggles? It can be hard to play with confidence when you’re afraid to make a mistake. Darren McFadden was sensational as a freshman and should be just as sensational as a sophomore. I hope the hype doesn’t get to him and the injury bug lands somewhere else because he has all-world speed and quickness. The SEC doesn’t really have a big name player out there right now to be considered for SEC Player of the Year. Some feel Kenny Irons is the best player in the conference right now, maybe Chris Leak down in Florida. My question is why not put Darren McFadden right there in that breathe? Irons had 1293 yards on 256 carries while McFadden had 1113 yards on only 176 carries. Leak didn’t appear to perform well enough last season to warrant preseason recognition, but if Florida has the year some feel they are capable of then Leak could emerge as far as national recognition. Opening the season in Fayetteville with USC should be one of the more exciting times at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The hype leading up to the game should be entertaining in itself. Razorback players have a sour taste in their mouth after last year’s demoralizing defeat. They hope to break in the new faces in this year’s Trojan backfield. The Trojans lost Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, and Lendale White to the NFL draft. Arkansas needs this victory in more ways than can even be imagined. Houston Nutt would love to earn back some respect for his Razorback football team, especially after having to see clips of hog players chasing Leinart and Bush on ESPN over and over again. With all the uncertainties on both teams, I can’t see this game getting to far out of reach in either direction. May 30, 2006 |
| NCAA Football | |
|
Be Careful What You Wish For
|
| NCAA Basketball | |
|
Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
|