Spring practice report: March 18, 2014 UPDATED

[ChitownHawg]

As for your character and leadership acumen, this gem you wrote about Michael Dyer joining the Hogs told me all I needed to know about you

That does say a lot. 

[dazerback]

As for your character and leadership acumen, this gem you wrote about Michael Dyer joining the Hogs told me all I needed to know about you

IF that told you all you need to know then youre awfully shallow. haha

[ChitownHawg]

Back to yesterday's practice. Is the media allowed in beginning today? I would like to hear what other non-coaches are seeing.

[ChitownHawg]

IF that told you all you need to know then youre awfully shallow. haha

Crap you remind me of the kid at school I would defend to keep others from picking on him. Every time I defended he opened his mouth again. Eventually I just let the guys make his life miserable as he didn't know when to keep quiet.   

[dazerback]

Crap you remind me of the kid at school I would defend to keep others from picking on him. Every time I defended he opened his mouth again. Eventually I just let the guys make his life miserable as he didn't know when to keep quiet.   

no misery in seeing you guys getting all worked up, flinging insults and what not.. I can tell you guys are very understanding, compassionate and open individuals.

[Biggus Piggus]

no misery in seeing you guys getting all worked up, flinging insults and what not.. I can tell you guys are very understanding, compassionate and open individuals.

People who track mud get the darn end of the stick.

[PonderinHog]

no misery in seeing you guys getting all worked up, flinging insults and what not.. I can tell you guys are very understanding, compassionate and open individuals.

Bless your heart.

[dazerback]

Bless your heart.

Brilliant!

[dazerback]

People who track mud get the darn end of the stick.

Im getting a lot of cheeky responses

YALL MAD?

[ChitownHawg]

Im getting a lot of cheeky responses

YALL MAD?

I can only speak for myself, but anger only comes from someone I respect. And you are a long way from gaining my respect or getting me angry. 

[havok]

As for BA.. I am gonna hold out any judgement until I see for myself, this year and if he stands out above the other QB's on campus..

I remember seeing Tyler Wilson play some snaps in his first games he was on campus, and he looked pretty unimpressive.  Then when Mallett went down in the Auburn game. I couldn't have been the only one to go Uh-oh... this game is definitely over....but evidently Tyler had made HUGE Gains in confidence and understanding of how to play QB in the SEC..and WOW he had the announcers and everyone else firmly planted in the "Ark is gonna be very OK at QB for a few years" camp.

I am hopeful that this will be the season the light just comes on..and that Confidence and understanding, meets the game experience and all those frowns and screams at the TV last year will be reversed.

[dazerback]

I can only speak for myself, but anger only comes from someone I respect. And you are a long way from gaining my respect or getting me angry. 

Likewise.

I'll try and be more positive from now on. Go hogs!

[Vantage 8 dude]

Where did I whine? Im expressing whats more likely to happen than not in my opinion.. whats wrong with that? there are some sensitive people on here.. I dont think I typed anywhere "Oh No! Not BA again!" or "WE hired the wrong coach." I would consider those whines.. I am hopeful for BA, dont get me wrong...

And I have poor character for exhibiting logical consistency??? You're the one attacking my character in the first place, sir.

If anyone is appealing to emotion. it is you.

"More likely to happen"...!!!And what proof do you offer other than YOUR OPINION? While I completely understand that this is merely a discussion board and therefore you have the right to offer your thoughts/opinions, how about someone else (me) offering one? I think (hope) with the additional year of maturity, having healed from his shoulder problem, and increased competition BA has the chance of being a much improved QB going forward. No, while there's absolutely no guarantee he will be more effective this year there's also a decent chance that he will. Let's not forget that just because a player isn't necessarily an ALL-SEC performer his first couple of seasons doesn't mean he can't dramatically improve as he gets into his junior/senior years. It's happen time and time again in a number of positions throughout the league.

So go ahead with your "wailing and gnashing of teeth", your whining that the young man won't likely turn out to be a much more effective QB going forward, the staff apparently doesn't know what's it's doing because WE'RE JUST NOW GOING INTO THE SPRING OF HIS JUNIOR YEAR, and all the other stuff you're spouting. However, while you're at it just remember that nothing is a foregone conclusion when it comes to the QB position (or any other). Consider too that last year as much as Brandon might have struggled neither he or any other of our QBs had the luxury of throwing to SEC caliber WRs either. With hoped for improvement in THAT area WHOEVER ends up at QB will find their task much easier by throwing to a bunch of receivers without "hands of stone" as we saw far too often in '13.

[Biggus Piggus]

In other words, you can say

1. Brandon Allen sucked in 2012. He sucked in 2013. He will suck forever. If you disagree, you are an idiot.

or

2. Brandon Allen sucked in 2012. He sucked in 2013. Based on what I've seen, I believe he will always suck. What am I missing?

One is a conversation. The other is flamebait.

[hogfan870]

I have always thought about Clint Stoerner when hoping Brandon Allen will be better next year.  I looked up the stats:

Clint Stoerner

Soph - 173 comp; 357 att; 48.5%; 2347 yds; 12 TD; 13 Int; 107.5 rating

Brandon Allen

2013 - 128 comp; 258 att; 49.6%; 1552 yds; 13 TD; 10 Int; 109 rating

And for Clint Jr and Sr years

JR - 146.7 rating; 26 TD; 8 Int
SR - 130.1 rating; 19 Td; 10 Int

hopefully we will see a similar improvement for Brandon - though I do think the SEC west is a little more difficult now than it was for Clint

[Kevin]

Kevin, how many WRs played last year? How many freshmen played last year? I think the coaches were looking for a WR that could run the correct routes. You cannot bench everyone. Also look at the senior WRs and ask yourself how many of them saw game time when CBP was coach? CBP was a monster on players being precise and these guys were not given much time on the field.

It may have been due to they could not comprehend the correct reads and run precise routes. Then they had a year of "loosey goosey" coaching from CPP. So it doesn't surprise me this issue is popping up. IMHO

tired of excuses

[dazerback]

"More likely to happen"...!!!And what proof do you offer other than YOUR OPINION?

Observation of how BA has handled the SEC thus far is enough for anyone to form an opinion dude.
I never said anybody was wrong or right. That's been all you guys..   

[Vantage 8 dude]

Observation of how BA has handled the SEC thus far is enough for anyone to form an opinion dude.
I never said anybody was wrong or right. That's been all you guys..

I repeat: what's happened in the past offers not guarantee or likelihood that it will or won't be in the future. Otherwise any/all players who have failed in the past would almost without exception either not improve or fail completely going forward. Personally I'm holding out for the possibility that he WILL be a more effective QB in the future. Hence the crux of our obvious disagreement going forward.

[dazerback]

You're right there is no guarantee but there is likelyhood. Likelyhood for either way. Applying possible outcomes based off observation is not bogus. Otherwise observation wouldn't be the first step of the scientific method.

[dazerback]

I repeat: what's happened in the past offers not guarantee or likelihood that it will or won't be in the future. Otherwise any/all players who have failed in the past would almost without exception either not improve or fail completely going forward. Personally I'm holding out for the possibility that he WILL be a more effective QB in the future. Hence the crux of our obvious disagreement going forward.

You're right there is no guarantee but there is likelyhood. Likelyhood for either way. Applying possible outcomes based off observation is not bogus. Otherwise observation wouldn't be the first step of the scientific method.

[Vantage 8 dude]

You're right there is no guarantee but there is likelyhood. Likelyhood for either way. Applying possible outcomes based off observation is not bogus. Otherwise observation wouldn't be the first step of the scientific method.

Sorry but there's nothing scientific at all about either this particular discussion or this whole site.

[dazerback]

Sorry but there's nothing scientific at all about either this particular discussion or this whole site.

Cool comeback bro. Looks like you're still not getting my point though.

[ChitownHawg]

I have always thought about Clint Stoerner when hoping Brandon Allen will be better next year.  I looked up the stats:

Clint Stoerner

Soph - 173 comp; 357 att; 48.5%; 2347 yds; 12 TD; 13 Int; 107.5 rating

Brandon Allen

2013 - 128 comp; 258 att; 49.6%; 1552 yds; 13 TD; 10 Int; 109 rating

And for Clint Jr and Sr years

JR - 146.7 rating; 26 TD; 8 Int
SR - 130.1 rating; 19 Td; 10 Int

hopefully we will see a similar improvement for Brandon - though I do think the SEC west is a little more difficult now than it was for Clint

I fully agree with you, but let me defend Clint a bit. While the SEC may be tougher now, Brandon doesn't have Nutt roaming the sidelines. Tougher conference / Nutt as your coach - in my book that makes it a draw! 

[ChitownHawg]

tired of excuses

Well that was a short conversation. 

[urkillnmesmalls]

You're right there is no guarantee but there is likelyhood. Likelyhood for either way. Applying possible outcomes based off observation is not bogus. Otherwise observation wouldn't be the first step of the scientific method.

No...there's no such thing as "likelyhood."  There's likelihood though.   

Just thinking that maybe someone who supports the Scientific Method might want to start with the correct spelling. 

[bennyl08]

TW throws a much better deep ball.  He was also much tougher. 
Not saying BA has to get multiple concussions like TW, but there's no denying BA looks much better with the green jersey on than on game day especially with the game on the line.

Disagree. Going off of practice, B. Allen throws a better deep ball than Wilson. Now, we haven't really seen that in game time admittedly; however, that represents a problem mentally. Intrinsically, Allen throws a better deep ball. The question remains to be seen if he can translate what he can do into what he will do.

To the other poster, BA's release is lightning fast. I think you may be confusing release with the time it takes him to make a decision as well. I am simply referring to the time it takes him to make a decision to the time the ball leaves his hands, and that he does better than several NFL qb's.

Just because BA has the ability to be more accurate or throw a better deep ball, doesn't mean he always will in games. If physical ability was all that was required of the position, then there would be no NFL busts. B. Allen has a higher "ceiling" than Tyler as fas as physical capabilities goes (unless you include likelihood of injury...) he just needs to work on the mental aspect and make sure that he consistently plays the level he is capable of. It remains to be seen if he can do that, but a year of starting can make a huge difference.

[Biggus Piggus]

Sorry but there's nothing scientific at all about either this particular discussion or this whole site.

Scientific rockets abound, though.

[dazerback]

I'm on that Robert Shields swag today. Haha

[Oklahawg]

To suggest that BAllen was in a position to excel in 2013 implies that he had stellar training in 2012 from SMILE. He was left to rot on the bench in 2012, unless Tyler was readjusting his helmet in some Daffy Duck-esque exercise in the locker room.

If a 1st time starter is expected to be an elite QB in the SEC what does that tell you about the team? The rest of the team has elite talent ready-to-go. The QB is probably a sandlot scrambler, allowing UA to work on the same dozen plays ala Auburn and A&M. Hey, it worked for them, and what so many want from UA is to be Aubbie lite.

What real astute fans are wanting is the build up a system and for the players to gain experience in that system.

What is BAllen's max potential as a QB? If he is dropped on to Bama's 2013 roster as starting QB would he have led them to the Sugar Bowl? If that is a remotely reasonable "what if" then the issue isn't with BAllen.

Regarding WRs, I sat dumbfounded at SR WRs running bad routes and giving up on plays that resulted in TOs. Hatcher + Wilson + Cowan + Newbies is far better than what we had last year.

[PygmalionEffect]

The girl that interviews him is smokin' hot....

Good interview.  Pulling for Luke to perform well and earn a starting role.

I noticed Luke avoided looking at her too much as she would have a tendency to cause you to lose your train of thought, she's that pretty.

[chitwnhog]

How do some of you feel good about derailing a thread about spring practice and turning it into an all out bashing of Brandon Allen?

It's what they do...it's their favorite thing to do.

[chitwnhog]

Sorry I missed this gem of a statement. Are you kidding me? Go look up Clint Stoerner's college stats. For many QBs the light doesn't come on instantly, but by their junior year it does.

Thank you. I was just about to post much the same statement.

[tbhogfan]

bold statement or not....everybody should feel uneasy if he is our guy!!

Folks said the same thing about Calcagni, Grovey, Stoerner, and Wilson early in their careers.

Bottom line is that we have a RS Junior QB who will have a better o-line, a great backfield,  significantly better receivers, and a full year as a starter under his belt.

He also will have backups capable of taking a snap from center and executing the entire offense.

[urkillnmesmalls]

Highlighting a petty spelling mistake doesn't change the point I'm making. That's really the best response you have? And this isn't about the scientific method that was just an example of how using observation is important when trying to determine possible outcomes.. Why try and argue against that. You're just making yourself look like a stereotypical southern conservative bigot.

I didn't feel the need to make a detailed response.  You busted out all this science on us...not me.  I mean the ability to apply the scientific method to listening to college kids talk about their practice is impressive, but you'll have to forgive me if I view it as more of a theory than a fact that you don't think BA will be a good QB.      

[Ugly Uncle]

Something else I forgot to mention was that Jim Chaney talked about how BA knew the offense better than the rest (which is obvious) but the point I just have highlighted was that Chaney said, "I know Brandon the best as well.  I know him now.  I know what he can do and what he can't do.  That is going to help our offense a lot this year.  Me getting to know him better will make a huge difference."

[Vantage 8 dude]

I'm on that Robert Shields swag today. Haha

Dude, while we may "agree to disagree" I sure wouldn't want you to insult yourself (or anyone else for that matter) like THAT!!! Yikes!!!!!!!

[Vantage 8 dude]

Folks said the same thing about Calcagni, Grovey, Stoerner, and Wilson early in their careers.

Bottom line is that we have a RS Junior QB who will have a better o-line, a great backfield,  significantly better receivers, and a full year as a starter under his belt.

He also will have backups capable of taking a snap from center and executing the entire offense.

Thanks for pointing out some FACTS (using the proven scientific system of course) rather than just theorizing about the whole issue. BRAVO!!

[Vantage 8 dude]

Scientific rockets abound, though.

Very true dhat.

[PorkSoda]

Something else I forgot to mention was that Jim Chaney talked about how BA knew the offense better than the rest (which is obvious) but the point I just have highlighted was that Chaney said, "I know Brandon the best as well.  I know him now.  I know what he can do and what he can't do.  That is going to help our offense a lot this year.  Me getting to know him better will make a huge difference."

well at least chaney will try to develop the offense around BA's abilities.  (or lack there of) 

hopefully this will help keep his head in the game instead of looking lost out there.

[dazerback]

Thanks for pointing out some FACTS (using the proven scientific system of course) rather than just theorizing about the whole issue. BRAVO!!

And you are right these cold hard facts of us having a better O line, a great backfield, talented backups aren't going to translate to BA being better IN THEORY but he will perform better IN FACT and not in theory at all.

Gotta love those facts.

[chitwnhog]

Im getting a lot of cheeky responses

YALL MAD?

Trolls gonna Troll....

[cosmodrum]

So, player bashing is cool again, I see.

[Vantage 8 dude]

I have always thought about Clint Stoerner when hoping Brandon Allen will be better next year.  I looked up the stats:

Clint Stoerner

Soph - 173 comp; 357 att; 48.5%; 2347 yds; 12 TD; 13 Int; 107.5 rating

Brandon Allen

2013 - 128 comp; 258 att; 49.6%; 1552 yds; 13 TD; 10 Int; 109 rating

And for Clint Jr and Sr years

JR - 146.7 rating; 26 TD; 8 Int
SR - 130.1 rating; 19 Td; 10 Int

hopefully we will see a similar improvement for Brandon - though I do think the SEC west is a little more difficult now than it was for Clint

You obviously didn't consult with either dazerback or his foolproof "scientific system/method" when researching this. Worse yet Clint obviously didn't get the word that it's impossible for a player to struggle at times in his first two years as QB but show marked progress and improvement as he matures. Nope, just doesn't fit the scientific norms we've all been told exists.

[Mike_e]

Come on, all of you haters out there can be happy.  If CJC is going to taylor the offense to BA then since BA doesn't punt, there won't be any fake punts.

Yay, you won.

[Squealers]

Something else I forgot to mention was that Jim Chaney talked about how BA knew the offense better than the rest (which is obvious) but the point I just have highlighted was that Chaney said, "I know Brandon the best as well.  I know him now.  I know what he can do and what he can't do.  That is going to help our offense a lot this year.  Me getting to know him better will make a huge difference."

This is a powerful, yet often unrealized attribute of a good coach....understanding what a QB, or any position player can or can not execute.  Case in point....new coaches last year + players = unknowns.  BA being a prime example.  Yes you can discern things from practice, but it takes time and focus to pick up on a players hidden talents as well as hidden flaws.

A good coach then exploits the strengths and mitigates the weaknesses of the player...surrounds them with fail safes.

This is Chaney, and this is good.

[Biggus Piggus]

The girl that interviews him is smokin' hot....

[Pork Twain]

Whatever. If someone beats out Brandon Allen, then Arkansas will really be in good shape. It is going to take a great performance to beat out BA.

And please, some of you need to stop pretending that you understand what you see when you watch football. You don't. You just watch, and you have emotional reactions, and you pretend that your feelings are knowledge, and they're just frustration.

Priceless and true

[swinesation]

http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=6100&ATCLID=209438462

short vid with Charpentier

OK, I haven't read through the whole thread, but am I going to be the only one to comment that I wasn't looking at Charpentier during that interview? Yowza!

[Lake City Hog]

If you really listen to these interviews, paid attention to some of BB's press conferences and look at some of the coaching changes it is apparent that we had more than player issues last season. And no, I'm not barking at the coaching staff.

Last season was a true learning experience for this coaching staff. Coming from where they came from many of them simply did not understand what they were facing in the SEC. It showed even with BB. I expect that this year we will see a big jump from our coaches as well as from the players.

To try and pin our failures on BA is simply dumb! Was he responsible for receivers running the wrong route? Passing is really a timing issue, the QB should be releasing the ball before the receiver makes his break, not after. So BA calls an out and throws the ball to the right spot but lo and behold the receiver ran an in and the only guy there is the DB. BA's fault?

Did BA make mistakes? Sure! Is he a lousy QB? I really doubt it. Is he an All-SEC QB? Probably not, at least not right now. He very well could be his SR. year.

Way too many people responsible for our problems last season to try and lay the blame at the feet of one player.

[Vantage 8 dude]

Cool comeback bro. Looks like you're still not getting my point though.

The real fact of the matter is you have no point........pretty hard to try to make one when you have nothing to begin with.