What to watch for in spring practice?

[hobhog]

I'm interested to see who steps up at WR and how much attention Hammonds gets. Also who will step up at LB and DB.

[Potosihog]

Can they solidify an OLine in the Spring?  It would be really good to see an OLine go through summer workouts and begin Fall camp with some chemistry in place.  If we are 3 days before opening kickoff and guys are still moving around we may have another year of poor Oline play.

[Boss Hog in the Arkansas]

Who steps up on the defensive line. If the guys up front can play up to their talent level, it will make things easier for everyone behind them and create a much better defense in general

[bennyl08]

Can they solidify an OLine in the Spring?  It would be really good to see an OLine go through summer workouts and begin Fall camp with some chemistry in place.  If we are 3 days before opening kickoff and guys are still moving around we may have another year of poor Oline play.

It would be pretty shocking if that happened considering the stability of the OL during the season last year and that we return virtually everybody again. Next season could see a lot of suffling after we lose 4 scholarship player's, but this season, we already have an established OL with established chemistry.

You should be more worried about who out starting qb is or whether or not we have two SEC ready running backs. That is to say, you shouldn't be worried at all.

[Hawgboy64]

I want to see if the defense can get on the same page.
I want to see who steps up at TE.
Who's the punter?

[Al Boarland]

Can they solidify an OLine in the Spring?  It would be really good to see an OLine go through summer workouts and begin Fall camp with some chemistry in place.  If we are 3 days before opening kickoff and guys are still moving around we may have another year of poor Oline play.

We won't know about the line until we play another team with a good pass rush. Spring doesn't tell you a whole lot except who the coaches think is stepping up.

[bennyl08]

What to watch for IMO:

QB: Austin is already one of the top dog qb's in the SEC. However, as expected, he was a lot riskier with his throws than his brother. We have a pretty good Secondary and are breaking in some new receivers. This should be a case where the defense has a big advantage over the offense and a good test to see if Austin starts to reign in the interceptions a bit.

RB: Very little question to me at all if RW3 and Whaley both won't at least be in contention for 1000 yards. As mentioned before, it will be interesting to see what happens at #3. Does Hammond stay there as a scat back, or does he move to more of a slot receiver, or somebody who does both? How well does Maleek Williams do? Will he be more of an early down backup while Hammonds comes in on third downs, or does his play push Hammonds more into a slot role, or does Hammonds fully seal the 3rd back role with Williams solidly in 4th?

WR: Easily the biggest change for the offense this off season. We know what he have in Cornelius. Probably the biggest question people will ask is how quickly does Martin acclimate. I'm very interested in that question as well, but he is the shiny new toy, so I'll go for a deeper track here. What about the guys we already have on the roster? Who comes out of the crowd and takes one of the several open jobs? Does Stewart remind people that Barnes, Warren, and Hammonds aren't the only wiggle guys we have? Does Pettway show why we were so excited to get him a couple years ago as a much bigger Jarius Wright-esque player (think Roddy White or Antonio Brown or Javontee Herndon). Jordan Jones is probably the highest rated and coveted by other schools receiver we have outside of Martin. Reminds me of Amari Cooper from Bama who was trying to recruit him early on as well. There are other talented receivers we will have on the spring roster, but those are the guys I think are the most likely to make a push.

TE: While not getting a ton of coverage, being overshadowed by the receivers, there are a lot of juicy story lines at the TE position. With Sprinkle now graduated, there isn't anybody clearly in line to be the next guy. Cantrell and O'Grady have the most experience and would be the favorites. Gragg is still a talented candidate at the position and Gunter saw a little bit of playing time. Not sure about Kraus, but looks like he is being buried and just a guess, but if he wants playing time would be a strong candidate to transfer. With Patton delayed in his ability to come here, that gives more time for the players already here to make their case for who should be the top two.

OL: As I posted above, this should be one of the more boring plots this spring. We return 4 out of 5 starters and only lose Skipper. Which brings us to the one question at the position, who takes the LT spot? Does Jackson return to the spot that he held for nearly the entirety of last year's offseason? Ramirez didn't come in until the summer but the coaches were high on him until he had an injury. From his JUCO tape, I think he might be one of our best combinations of athleticism, technique, and power , at least outside of Ragnow. Do we move one of our returning starters to the spot and thus have to fill a different position? The one question outside of the LT that could be worth following is does Gibson hold on to his starting spot?

DEFENSE

While the offense has a ton of stability and should be greatly improved over what was already a potent offense last season with only a few questions at the positions, the defense gets a section all to itself. First, who plays where and the addendum question, where does that leave us depth wise? How well does the defense look? Last year, we had a surplus of talent on the DL vs a very green OL which didn't go well for the offense last off-season. Outside of the receivers and secondary, the roles are reversed this  year. We return most of our best players on defense, but they are facing a very experienced and talented offense now that isn't changing much while the defense will be facing a whole new scheme. Defenses are characteristically better than offenses in spring ball. If they are worse or tied with our offense, that would mean we are still behind the 8-ball so to speak. Which, with such a radical change, isn't out of the ordinary. However, we could be 2015-ish leaning on our offense while the defense is still trying to find its legs in a new scheme. If the defense is better than the offense in spring, given how good our offense is, that would bode extremely well for our defense. How multiple on defense are we talking about is another big question? 2-gap 3-4 on one play, 4-3 the next, then a 1-gap 3-4, then a nickel 4-3, then a 3-3, 1 gap or 2 gap? We can do a 2-gap 3-4, but don't think we have the depth to do that for a full game or season.

DE: Agim is a pretty safe bet to start at one of the positions. Who starts at the other? TJ Smith is an ideal candidate IMO. Guidry would be the next top contender, but it depends on where the coaches want to play him. He is very much an explosive tackle in a 4-3. If we want to do more 1-gap 3-4 schemes, he'd be a good candidate for NT still.

DT: Hodge suffered from conditioning issues his whole career here, but really seemed to improve on that his senior season. Jackson has been in a similar boat so hopefully we see him become more of a permanent mainstay at NT. However, even if he does improve, Capps is also pretty darn good so the two may rotate out a fair amount anyways. Who is playing NT for us would be an easy indicator of what style 3-4 we are going for.

OLB: Coach has suggested that we are going for an unbalanced OLB approach for the most part. With one who is a rusher and one who is a WOLB. However, being multiple on defense, I imagine that will change as well. Two big questions for the players here though. First, how often do we see the WOLB type player, such as Greenlaw and Eugene, vs how often do we see either a nickel/S-LB hybrid or a 2nd rushing OLB? The other question, and IMO, the most important question for our whole defense, do we see success rushing from the LB spot compared to what we were used to with the DE spot? Taylor and Ramsey should be our top two guys here. How often do we hear about them getting pressure? Further, who our our rushing OLB's behind those two? Roesler and Fisher have to be the early favorites. Does Fisher jump Roesler on the depth chart?

ILB: Similar question to above with the groupings. Don't really have any questions with Harris. He's a stud. Do we play Eugene or LaFrance on the inside, or is Greenlaw going to be there with two rushing OLB's on the outside? When we go nickel, does Greenlaw come off the field, or would we take LeFrance off and move Greenlaw inside? Where does Walker end up? Athletically, I don't think he's a fit for OLB being it weak or rush. Size wise, he's smaller than you'd want for an ILB.

CB: Returning Pulley and Toliver is great, but I think people are underestimating how good Collins was, who led the SEC in pass breakups himself in 2014. Outside of the two mentioned before, we really don't have very much experience at the position. KR3 comes back who could be our primary nickel guy and he's experienced. Tutt was hampered by injury last season but he brings some good speed with him. Who will be our other CBs? Dalton, Edwards, and Miller are the only other names that I really see who could be. Dalton has been floated as a S and a CB so unsure where he'll be in spring. Edwards certainly has safety size. Miller is kind of in that honey badger zone of a mix b/w a nickel corner and a SS. Whoever they are, it will be an important spring for them to show the coaches what they can do. With Curtis and Calloway coming in the summer, you could get quickly buried on the depth chart.

S: A bit more stable here. With the current players, I have two main questions. First, Ramirez showed last year that he has the speed we've been missing at S. How much has he gained from his first year with significant playing experience? 2nd question is with Coley and Liddell. Both saw a lot of playing time last year. Does one separate themselves from the other as a SS? Liddell is a bit more athletic, Coley is a harder hitter and better int he run game. Similar to the CB's, with Brown and Curl coming in, spring is the last chance for a lot of players to really show their stuff before the possibility of being buried.

K: Hedlund was one of, if not the best kicker on paper in his entire class. He's made some good kicks here as well. As a junior, hopefully he has gotten used to kicking without the Tee. Kicking is a very important part of the game and this could be the difference between a 9-10 win season and another 7 winner for us. Limpet should give him some good competition.

P: Difference between Hedlund and Blake Johnson is that Hedlund was the starter for a bit before being replaced. Johnson, otoh, has simply been behind some really good punters his time here and will be a RsSo. In a few punts last season, he did very well, so I expect us to not see very much drop off for the next several seasons punting. However, consistency will be important to see in the spring as a couple of punts does not a full story make.

[Exit Pursued by a Boar]

I can't argue with the long breakdown above.

I do wonder how Bell fits in and on which side of the ball.

I also wonder how good Kelley is.  They call him "the franchise."  AA is already one of the top returning QBs in the conference, so I don't think his job is in danger. I do thing Ty Storey's back-up role could be. And if CK is THAT good, maybe AA is in danger too. Probably not in all likelihood, but they sure have talked CK up.

EFBAB

[bennyl08]

I can't argue with the long breakdown above.

I do wonder how Bell fits in and on which side of the ball.

I also wonder how good Kelley is.  They call him "the franchise."  AA is already one of the top returning QBs in the conference, so I don't think his job is in danger. I do thing Ty Storey's back-up role could be. And if CK is THAT good, maybe AA is in danger too. Probably not in all likelihood, but hey sure have talked CK up.

EFBAB

Completely forgot about Bell, thanks for mentioning him. From his HS tape, he certainly appears to be in the same type of mold as a Gronk or a Watt. Big, strong, extremely fluid athlete. Could be a great TE or OLB or DE from a purely potential standpoint. However, you have to have the mentality and the desire as well. When he was moved from DE-TE, we were absolutely flush with DE's and only had Sprinkle at TE with experience while the other players were too soft at the time. Now, our TE position is much deeper and we lost a lot of DE's. What becomes of Bell?

[12247]

I hope the staff is going through and breaking down each and every player as to talent and position.  Until we get a decent 2 deep at every position we will not win many football games and in fact, look bad losing in most.

On O, I would love to see Hammond on the wing and Whaley in D-mac's spot in the wildcat.  Doubt we would even consider trying that.

I just hope the coaches are trying to figure things out where we don't just line up and try and run over folks bigger than us all season long, only to be forced to then try low percentage throws that we can't make either.

And on D, being out of position way too often, and having no one to ever come in and give anyone relief. 

If we can just appear to look like we have been coached:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[ricepig]

I hope the staff is going through and breaking down each and every player as to talent and position.  Until we get a decent 2 deep at every position we will not win many football games and in fact, look bad losing in most.

On O, I would love to see Hammond on the wing and Whaley in D-mac's spot in the wildcat.  Doubt we would even consider trying that.

I just hope the coaches are trying to figure things out where we don't just line up and try and run over folks bigger than us all season long, only to be forced to then try low percentage throws that we can't make either.

And on D, being out of position way too often, and having no one to ever come in and give anyone relief. 

If we can just appear to look like we have been coached:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Hammonds is going to work at both the slot, and at RB, we don't have a wing, that's in basketball, or the Wing-T. Hammond lined up in the Wildcat last year, I suspect they will continue to implement it. LB was the position we were short of depth, as far as rotation goes.

[Hollywood870]

What to watch for IMO:

QB: Austin is already one of the top dog qb's in the SEC. However, as expected, he was a lot riskier with his throws than his brother. We have a pretty good Secondary and are breaking in some new receivers. This should be a case where the defense has a big advantage over the offense and a good test to see if Austin starts to reign in the interceptions a bit.

RB: Very little question to me at all if RW3 and Whaley both won't at least be in contention for 1000 yards. As mentioned before, it will be interesting to see what happens at #3. Does Hammond stay there as a scat back, or does he move to more of a slot receiver, or somebody who does both? How well does Maleek Williams do? Will he be more of an early down backup while Hammonds comes in on third downs, or does his play push Hammonds more into a slot role, or does Hammonds fully seal the 3rd back role with Williams solidly in 4th?

WR: Easily the biggest change for the offense this off season. We know what he have in Cornelius. Probably the biggest question people will ask is how quickly does Martin acclimate. I'm very interested in that question as well, but he is the shiny new toy, so I'll go for a deeper track here. What about the guys we already have on the roster? Who comes out of the crowd and takes one of the several open jobs? Does Stewart remind people that Barnes, Warren, and Hammonds aren't the only wiggle guys we have? Does Pettway show why we were so excited to get him a couple years ago as a much bigger Jarius Wright-esque player (think Roddy White or Antonio Brown or Javontee Herndon). Jordan Jones is probably the highest rated and coveted by other schools receiver we have outside of Martin. Reminds me of Amari Cooper from Bama who was trying to recruit him early on as well. There are other talented receivers we will have on the spring roster, but those are the guys I think are the most likely to make a push.

TE: While not getting a ton of coverage, being overshadowed by the receivers, there are a lot of juicy story lines at the TE position. With Sprinkle now graduated, there isn't anybody clearly in line to be the next guy. Cantrell and O'Grady have the most experience and would be the favorites. Gragg is still a talented candidate at the position and Gunter saw a little bit of playing time. Not sure about Kraus, but looks like he is being buried and just a guess, but if he wants playing time would be a strong candidate to transfer. With Patton delayed in his ability to come here, that gives more time for the players already here to make their case for who should be the top two.

OL: As I posted above, this should be one of the more boring plots this spring. We return 4 out of 5 starters and only lose Skipper. Which brings us to the one question at the position, who takes the LT spot? Does Jackson return to the spot that he held for nearly the entirety of last year's offseason? Ramirez didn't come in until the summer but the coaches were high on him until he had an injury. From his JUCO tape, I think he might be one of our best combinations of athleticism, technique, and power , at least outside of Ragnow. Do we move one of our returning starters to the spot and thus have to fill a different position? The one question outside of the LT that could be worth following is does Gibson hold on to his starting spot?

DEFENSE

While the offense has a ton of stability and should be greatly improved over what was already a potent offense last season with only a few questions at the positions, the defense gets a section all to itself. First, who plays where and the addendum question, where does that leave us depth wise? How well does the defense look? Last year, we had a surplus of talent on the DL vs a very green OL which didn't go well for the offense last off-season. Outside of the receivers and secondary, the roles are reversed this  year. We return most of our best players on defense, but they are facing a very experienced and talented offense now that isn't changing much while the defense will be facing a whole new scheme. Defenses are characteristically better than offenses in spring ball. If they are worse or tied with our offense, that would mean we are still behind the 8-ball so to speak. Which, with such a radical change, isn't out of the ordinary. However, we could be 2015-ish leaning on our offense while the defense is still trying to find its legs in a new scheme. If the defense is better than the offense in spring, given how good our offense is, that would bode extremely well for our defense. How multiple on defense are we talking about is another big question? 2-gap 3-4 on one play, 4-3 the next, then a 1-gap 3-4, then a nickel 4-3, then a 3-3, 1 gap or 2 gap? We can do a 2-gap 3-4, but don't think we have the depth to do that for a full game or season.

DE: Agim is a pretty safe bet to start at one of the positions. Who starts at the other? TJ Smith is an ideal candidate IMO. Guidry would be the next top contender, but it depends on where the coaches want to play him. He is very much an explosive tackle in a 4-3. If we want to do more 1-gap 3-4 schemes, he'd be a good candidate for NT still.

DT: Hodge suffered from conditioning issues his whole career here, but really seemed to improve on that his senior season. Jackson has been in a similar boat so hopefully we see him become more of a permanent mainstay at NT. However, even if he does improve, Capps is also pretty darn good so the two may rotate out a fair amount anyways. Who is playing NT for us would be an easy indicator of what style 3-4 we are going for.

OLB: Coach has suggested that we are going for an unbalanced OLB approach for the most part. With one who is a rusher and one who is a WOLB. However, being multiple on defense, I imagine that will change as well. Two big questions for the players here though. First, how often do we see the WOLB type player, such as Greenlaw and Eugene, vs how often do we see either a nickel/S-LB hybrid or a 2nd rushing OLB? The other question, and IMO, the most important question for our whole defense, do we see success rushing from the LB spot compared to what we were used to with the DE spot? Taylor and Ramsey should be our top two guys here. How often do we hear about them getting pressure? Further, who our our rushing OLB's behind those two? Roesler and Fisher have to be the early favorites. Does Fisher jump Roesler on the depth chart?

ILB: Similar question to above with the groupings. Don't really have any questions with Harris. He's a stud. Do we play Eugene or LaFrance on the inside, or is Greenlaw going to be there with two rushing OLB's on the outside? When we go nickel, does Greenlaw come off the field, or would we take LeFrance off and move Greenlaw inside? Where does Walker end up? Athletically, I don't think he's a fit for OLB being it weak or rush. Size wise, he's smaller than you'd want for an ILB.

CB: Returning Pulley and Toliver is great, but I think people are underestimating how good Collins was, who led the SEC in pass breakups himself in 2014. Outside of the two mentioned before, we really don't have very much experience at the position. KR3 comes back who could be our primary nickel guy and he's experienced. Tutt was hampered by injury last season but he brings some good speed with him. Who will be our other CBs? Dalton, Edwards, and Miller are the only other names that I really see who could be. Dalton has been floated as a S and a CB so unsure where he'll be in spring. Edwards certainly has safety size. Miller is kind of in that honey badger zone of a mix b/w a nickel corner and a SS. Whoever they are, it will be an important spring for them to show the coaches what they can do. With Curtis and Calloway coming in the summer, you could get quickly buried on the depth chart.

S: A bit more stable here. With the current players, I have two main questions. First, Ramirez showed last year that he has the speed we've been missing at S. How much has he gained from his first year with significant playing experience? 2nd question is with Coley and Liddell. Both saw a lot of playing time last year. Does one separate themselves from the other as a SS? Liddell is a bit more athletic, Coley is a harder hitter and better int he run game. Similar to the CB's, with Brown and Curl coming in, spring is the last chance for a lot of players to really show their stuff before the possibility of being buried.

K: Hedlund was one of, if not the best kicker on paper in his entire class. He's made some good kicks here as well. As a junior, hopefully he has gotten used to kicking without the Tee. Kicking is a very important part of the game and this could be the difference between a 9-10 win season and another 7 winner for us. Limpet should give him some good competition.

P: Difference between Hedlund and Blake Johnson is that Hedlund was the starter for a bit before being replaced. Johnson, otoh, has simply been behind some really good punters his time here and will be a RsSo. In a few punts last season, he did very well, so I expect us to not see very much drop off for the next several seasons punting. However, consistency will be important to see in the spring as a couple of punts does not a full story make.

I thought Dee Walker looked very athletic coming out of high school.. What happened?

[bennyl08]

I thought Dee Walker looked very athletic coming out of high school.. What happened?

I have no insider info. Coming out of HS, he looked to me to be a full tier lower than other players like Harris, Lefrance, and AJB to my eyes. I should qualify that that doesn't mean he isn't very athletic. Just looked to be a lot less so than other players in his class. He's probably in the top 1% of the human population athletically for what it's worth...

[Mike_e]

I'm easy.  I just want to see the D Get in position, stay in position (no running around trying to figure out where they are supposed to be) and tackle         to the ground ie stop playing bumper football.

[LZH]

Nice breakdown benny.

Last spring, watching practice, I couldn't tell if our DL was that good or if our OL was that weak....we absolutely could not run the ball. Again, it was practice so I don't know if there were any restrictions on line playcalling, etc., but it stood out. I'm curious as to what I see in a couple of months.

[nchogg]

Who steps up on the defensive line. If the guys up front can play up to their talent level, it will make things easier for everyone behind them and create a much better defense in general

Trey Flowers. I wish. :razorback:

[nchogg]

I'm easy.  I just want to see the D Get in position, stay in position (no running around trying to figure out where they are supposed to be) and tackle         to the ground ie stop playing bumper football.

My thoughts.

[longtimeHogfan]

I'm easy.  I just want to see the D Get in position, stay in position (no running around trying to figure out where they are supposed to be) and tackle to the ground ie stop playing bumper football.

This is something that stood out to me in the Clemson/Bama game.  Solid, wrap-up, take-to-the-ground tackling.  I love a good 'D'.

[HiggiePiggy]

Really the way media and coaches make it seem great there really is nothing in practice that will show the future. For me I have to wait and see it on the field. There have been too many years where our team is hyped up and then the season gets going and we see how bad things were. 

All I know is our offense should be a little better than last year with the Rbs being the more featured part of our team.  Not saying that Allen isn't going to get his yards and look good, but we should have the most experienced backs in the league returning. 

The defense next year can it really be any worse than last 2 years? I mean if it is then wow we are looking at a 4 win season. Which I have already predicted in another thread that we go 9-4 so I don't expect the defense to be any worse than last year. 8 regular season wins with a bowl win. 

[NotSoFastMyFriend]

Jonathan Marshall will be in heavy rotation at DE. Wouldn't be surprised to see two new safeties in the back end either.

[hawginbigd1]

BENNY I like your takes, you provide a lot of thought and detail. If you think Ramirez has the speed to play S we clearly have been watching different games.

[bennyl08]

I'm easy.  I just want to see the D Get in position, stay in position (no running around trying to figure out where they are supposed to be) and tackle         to the ground ie stop playing bumper football.

The switch to a 3-4 has historically made that more difficult. The largest advantage of it is its ability to be more complex than the 4-3 and this confuse the offense. However, if the defense was struggling by the complexity of the 43, things won't be getting any easier for them.

That said, it isn't just soon and gloom. We had a lot of new starters last year on defense in the back 7 who will be more experienced this year. What confused them then, they can do in their sleep now. Moreover, with a new DC, there's a chance that the way they the way the info is presented will be more readily absorbed.

[PorkRinds]

Wonder if santos could put on some weight and be an OLB?

[hawginbigd1]

Wonder if santos could put on some weight and be an OLB?

Some teams play a nickel LB, I think he could play a role like that.

[Count De Money]

I'm praying for more quickness and speed on both sides of the ball - not lumbering hulks

[TheEnemy]

I'm hoping to see Agim at NT some as well.

I think his ability to play both DE and NT will be what makes this defense work.

I could also see Capps playing some DE on short yardage situations.

Its all about being able to mix it up and make adjustments.  I'm already excited.

[daBoar]

If we can just appear to look like we have been coached:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

This

[TheRazorback500]

I want to see if Johnson or someone else can replace Baker as an effective punter. I want our placekicking to improve. We need to establish a solid starting lineup at OL before fall. The running backs need to continue to mature and learn. A consistent TE opposite Cantrell needs to emerge and a couple of the new receivers need to make up an effective rotation along with Cornelius. I'd like to see us find some LBs and DEs who can seal the edge. New young talent at DL and in the secondary need reps. I'm eager about the 3-4 and if our new coaches can impart it to our current players and the new ones going through spring.

:razorback:

[PORKULATOR]

Fast Defense
Quick reads from top 2 QBS
New wr'so, rb's, and definitely  TE's

[Tusks]

If we can just appear to look like we have been coached:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

A-fricken-men.

[nchogg]

I'm hoping to see Agim at NT some as well.

I think his ability to play both DE and NT will be what makes this defense work.

I could also see Capps playing some DE on short yardage situations.

Its all about being able to mix it up and make adjustments.  I'm already excited.

I want to see Agim put some lights almost every play. I want a defense that will tackle no matter who has the ball. I am tired of AA getting the sh** knocked out of him. I hope to see AA SEC QB of the year. With a 10 game stretch he needs to be able to stay upright.

[12247]

To me it is pretty simple.  I just hope this HC and staff takes the time to really evaluate these players to their fullest potential and tries to teach exceptional players that may have flaws, to remedy those flaws.  Example:  Our fastest player stayed on the sideline 99 percent of last year because he didn't protect the ball.  With a full staff, we cannot find the time to teach one player with gifted speed, the correct way to protect the ball on a damn football field?? 

I hope we don't start AWARDING starting positions before the first half of Spring practice is complete.  There goes the incentive for all others to mail it in and the awarded starter to mentally ease up.  I just hope, and this has happened before, that the staff isn't surprised when a second teamer who they were finally forced to play usually due to injury of the starter, actually shows his talent in spite of their omission to note him earlier.  Until we decide that a learned #2 group is necessary to winning, we will continue to lose and not live up to the team's potential.

We got enough players with talent to have a decent season, I doubt we have the coaches to help them reach their potential.

[ricepig]

That's your problem, thinking things are simple.

[PonderinHog]

That's your problem, thinking things are simple.

Nothin' to it.  Just like fallin' out of a tree.

[island hog]

At least he didn't mention how "aloof" our HC is! 

[ricepig]

At least he didn't mention how "aloof" our HC is! 

Well, he's too busy being lazy to be aloof.

[ThisTeetsTaken]

I want to see the Defense "set the edge"!  Watching teams like Auburn get outside on us over and over again was gut-wrenching.

[onebadrubi]

I want to see the Defense "set the edge"!  Watching teams like Auburn get outside on us over and over again was gut-wrenching.

I think we have seen rumbling come out since the end of season to lay some if not most of that blame on scheme.   Lets hope that was it.  Our in ability to keep the Olineman in the trenches and allow tackles to swallow up our DE's just absolutely killed our edge. 

Also, for whatever reason I think you ahd DB's trying to compensate for no edge and this allowed them to get beat.  Something our defense needs to learn is where to play a runner, meaning where to push that runner for help and where is the help going to come from.  Our 14' defense did this great and allowed for there to always be 3-4 guys making the tackle.  Sound defensive teams do this.  No reason your DB/safety should be getting beat inside the hashes to the outside losing contain. 

[Biggus Piggus]

On offense:

1. Most intrigued about whether Enos will focus on sharpening Austin Allen's skills, or distribute practice time more equitably. Allen has a lot to improve. Protect the football better, execute run plays better, improve ability to read the field, avoid sacks, adjust protections better.

2. The wide receiver and tight end battles should be very interesting. Jordan Jones and Brandon Martin are the most interesting additions for spring. And I want to see T.J. Hammonds in the passing game. Tight ends ought to be in a real fight, as the top recruit won't be around yet. Want to see O'Grady rise up.

3. The offensive line should be a much different unit than the disaster of last spring. Who knows who'll end up at each position. I bet the coaches have a hard time deciding, because competition will be much improved.

On defense:

1. Putting together the 3-4 front will be a big deal. What direction will the coaches go - will they work the base defense a lot, to help the offense get a lot of reps in its base? Or will they focus more on the nickel and dime sets, which will be predominant during the season?

2. I don't believe the player allocations on the three-man front are set in stone. They aren't sure who will end up playing inside vs. at end. Could go massive at NG, or use a better blend of strength and quickness. At first, we're talking about the linemen being Agim, Capps, Guidry, Hall, Jackson, Marshall, Smith and Watts. Adequate numbers, right?

3. The defense ought to benefit from having one assistant in charge of three DL positions, one coaching two OLB spots, one coaching two ILB spots, and one coaching the secondary.

4. We won't see Dre Greenlaw get any contact in spring. Leaves room for young players to get more reps. I'm most interested in seeing all the redshirt LBs + how easily the 4-3 DEs make the transition. Hoping that Randy Ramsey and Michael Taylor are a wrecking crew.

5. CB Korey Hernandez is the only midterm addition to the secondary. Out are Collins and Dean at CB. Not sure whether Britto Tutt will be ready for contact. Kevin Richardson should be. Want to see Micahh Smith and Deon Edwards at safety.

***

Overall:

I'm guessing that the offense will own the defense in spring, unlike last season. Offensive line and backfield will be much stouter than a year ago, when the spring backfield was depleted and line groped for starters.

[colbs]

OL: Last spring they only had like 8-10 OL on scholarship during spring practices right?  This spring they look to have more than anytime since BB has been here I think with 16.  I think besides Ragnow the next 7-8 OL there isn't much difference.  So hopefully this will push everyone and the cream will rise to the top.  I will be interested to see how much they have improved from last spring.  I think the OL troubles had a lot to do with the 2nd half woes and the inconsistencies.  The defense struggled the whole year pretty much so when the OL struggled it was really tough to pull out Ws.

WR:  I think there is a ton of talent at WR.  The only problem for the most part they are unproven on the field.  It is big that Martin and Nance are going to be able to go through spring practices.  I want to see who emerges behind JRed. 

TE:  O'Grady looked good in the bowl game with Sprinkle out.  Patton looks to be a starter but he won't be with the team till the summer.  It will be interesting to see if anyone steps up after Cantrell and Grady.  Also, if Bell doesn't move up the depth chart does he move back to defense?  He looks to fit in perfectly at an OLB position.

Defense:  I want to see the defense as a whole with the new scheme.  Also, interested to see how the DL & LB positions shake out coming out of spring. 

[HF#1]

It's really all about the defense isn't it? That is where the most changes were made.

[jdelo77]

I pray we see hammonds line up in the slot , and take 5-7 snaps at RB ..

[RagingHawgOn]

On offense:

1. Most intrigued about whether Enos will focus on sharpening Austin Allen's skills, or distribute practice time more equitably. Allen has a lot to improve. Protect the football better, execute run plays better, improve ability to read the field, avoid sacks, adjust protections better.

I'm with you 100% here. AA is a fine QB, tough kid with a lot of intangibles who could play on Sundays. But, the things you listed were all glaring weaknesses at different points throughout 2016. Do I think AA is in danger of losing his job? Not really. It will be interesting, though, to see if Enos fine-tunes AA's game.

[navyhog24]

I want to see a Head Coach that won't blow smoke up our arses about the defense

[Biggus Piggus]

I'm with you 100% here. AA is a fine QB, tough kid with a lot of intangibles who could play on Sundays. But, the things you listed were all glaring weaknesses at different points throughout 2016. Do I think AA is in danger of losing his job? Not really. It will be interesting, though, to see if Enos fine-tunes AA's game.

Anybody know how many fumbles Allen lost? He was sacked 34 times and threw 15 interceptions. All those mistakes are serious business.

Moreover, Allen's completion % after September was 58% with 16 TD, 13 INT.

He was 56% for the season in the second halves of games, with nine TDs and 11 INTs.

And 46% completion on third downs.

Allen's completion % dropped sharply inside the opponents' 40-yard line, which is normal. Also fell way off when the Hogs were trailing, also normal but a little too extreme.

His interceptions were equally distributed among situations when the Razorbacks were ahead, tied, or behind.

You can blame his pass protection for some of his problems. But the third down and second half stats were dangerously correlated with the team's biggest blunders.

Comparing Austin with Brandon in 2015:

Brandon's completion percentages were over 60% in all scoring splits - ahead, tied, behind.

He completed 70% in September, 56% in October, 69% in November, 77% in the bowl.

He had 23 TDs / 5 INTs / 12 sacks from October-January.

He completed 62% in the second halves of games, with 13 TDs, 3 INT.

Brandon completed 56% on third downs, 1,000 bp better than Austin did.

[factchecker]

Anybody know how many fumbles Allen lost?

4

https://www.teamrankings.com/college-football/player-stat/fumbles-lost

[jbhogfan4]

I can't remember if Derrick Graham is still wth the team or. It. I remember he was one of those that seemed to always be stuck between linebacker and DE size and couldn't seem to settle into a position.

Edit: he did transfer so nevermind the question

[ricepig]

I can't remember if Derrick Graham is still wth the team or. It. I remember he was one of those that seemed to always be stuck between linebacker and DE size and couldn't seem to settle into a position.

Gone.


http://www.wholehogsports.com/news/2016/aug/04/derrick-graham-will-transfer-arkansas/

[12247]

Please remember those stats were Brandon's 3rd year and Austin's 1st year.  Hard truth is we need improvement at every position, just some much more than others.

Also Rice, Hammonds ran wide or ran the old end around modified from the wingback position or ran a slight version of the Wildcat or ran off the tackle/end with understanding to turn up as dictated by the coverage or maybe he was just given the damn ball once per game to complete an agreement with BB and Enos, maybe just to see if he had learned by himself during the previous week to carry the ball a bit safer.  In any event, I didn't see the full version of the Wildcat formation being used but I am not an expert so could be wrong.

As for simple, much of it is.  Repetitions, Attention to detail, hard work and leadership.  We need a bunch of that simple stuff.

[ricepig]

Please remember those stats were Brandon's 3rd year and Austin's 1st year.  Hard truth is we need improvement at every position, just some much more than others.

Also Rice, Hammonds ran wide or ran the old end around modified from the wingback position or ran a slight version of the Wildcat or ran off the tackle/end with understanding to turn up as dictated by the coverage or maybe he was just given the damn ball once per game to complete an agreement with BB and Enos, maybe just to see if he had learned by himself during the previous week to carry the ball a bit safer.  In any event, I didn't see the full version of the Wildcat formation being used but I am not an expert so could be wrong.

As for simple, much of it is.  Repetitions, Attention to detail, hard work and leadership.  We need a bunch of that simple stuff.

Slot

Go back and watch the Belk Bowl, Hammonds lined up in the Wildcat, but we had a penalty that pushed us back, and changed formation.