Scrimmage News and Notes

[Kevin]

well, there is that, but I prefer to focus on all the great things he did.  Wasn't the most talented but was one heck of a leader.  If Allen can replicate Stoerner's career, I would be pleased as punch

no question, a stoerner like career would be great

[Steef]

never said he wasn't good last year. funny, how things get twisted.

i said like coach cbb said: want to see him move up in the pocket, and not bail out to his right so quickly.

where i differ is i don't think you will see if he has improved, until the green jersey is taken off.

just a different mindset, knowing you can get hit versus knowing you cannot get hit.

Green jersey or not, he got hit often enough last year to know what it means for a blitz to pen et rate his Oline.

You sure are eager for him to get hit some more.

[Wildhog]

Green jersey or not, he got hit often enough last year to know what it means for a blitz to pen et rate his Oline.

You sure are eager for him to get hit some more.

Uh, yeah.  I actually am quite eager to see if he can handle it.

[Mike Irwin]

again, trying to change what i said. i have not blamed him for a winless sec season.

i also, pointed out the flush out of the pocket to his right ( where the pressure was coming from) trying to run around the de, when he had a clean pocket to step up in.

last season's team had plenty of problems, coaches, players, the whole mess. it was not on BA solely, he did play his part

i don't think pointing where he has to improve is putting all the blame on him for a bad season.

Great. I'm looking forward to more posts from you detailing specific critical mistakes by other Hog players last season.

I'd like your take on the linebackers when Damian Williams went untouched through the middle of Arkansas' defense on the first play of overtime in the Mississippi State game. What could be done to prevent the breakdown of gap responsibility that lead to the game winning TD?

Do you agree with Jim Chaney who said that Brandon Allen's pick in the first quarter of the South Carolina game was the result of a receiver who ran the wrong route? You clearly saw the corner blitz coming at Allen at the end of the LSU game. Did you see D' Arthur Cowan go down and out instead of down and in against the Gamecocks? What advice would you give Cowan going forward? Yes the game was a blowout but it was 7-3 Arkansas at the time of the interception. South Carolina scored 49 straight points and some say the entire team let go of the rope after that play. We sure don't want that to happen again.

What is your take on Alex Collins fumble near the end of regulation of the Mississippi State game? Allen had just completed a 44 yard pass to the MSU 12. It looked like the Hogs were going to get their first SEC win. Was Collins reckless with his ball security?

If we are all simply concerned and want this team to get better there's a lot we could analyze that doesn't involve Brandon Allen.

[Kevin]

Green jersey or not, he got hit often enough last year to know what it means for a blitz to pen et rate his Oline.

You sure are eager for him to get hit some more.

come on, really,  i want him to get hit

i waiting to see how he responds to real pressure

[LZH]

I was pretty critical of his performance last year (his on-field performance, not him), then I left it alone.  He is a kid after all - a kid who would have walked over a mile of hot coals to be a Razorback, btw.  What's wrong with you people?

[ChitownHawg]

  I don't see a lot of bashing of BA. I see alot of people who are skeptical based on his body of work to how effective he will be this year. I don't get why everyone is in an uproar over that? Almost everyone who is skeptical knows he was injured and concedes that, the concern is that he will be able to cut down the mental mistakes and remain mentally tough during adversity. Why is that a ridiculous position?

  I don't get why anyone would have an agenda against BA either. What purpose does that serve? I think we have alot of fans who have an agenda to win games. If BA goes out and plays lights out then most fans who are skeptical will be ecstatic. There are only a few posters on this board advocating for AA or RP to take over the starting job for
nonsensical reasoning. Their agenda  is that the want to win games. When you come off two historically bad seasons in a row some people are going to want to try anything differently to win, that is to be expected.

The bolded is not accurate as there have been several posts trying to say the injury was not the cause of his poor play.

The other piece that has me up in arms, besides me being a cranking old fart, is the insistence on bring in AA or Rafe as they feel BA is not an SEC QB. While you are correct there are only a few making this statement they are very vocal.

My question is why aren't you helping us shoot down that foolishness? The only time I see you speaking up is when you think you are being included in our discussion. If you think these vocal few are wrong then say so when they post that crap.

Now get this straight - the concerns you pointed out on BA I have no problem with. Most on the pro-BA people would probably agree those are legitimate concerns.

Now help us show the posters who say BA sucks that player bashing isn't going to be tolerated. If you really believe what you posted above. It would be appreciated as then we probably can have decent conversations from all rational perspectives.

Well that is this cranky old fart's opinion. 

[oldhawg]

i also, pointed out the flush out of the pocket to his right ( where the pressure was coming from) trying to run around the de, when he had a clean pocket to step up in.

Sometimes it looks a lot different on the field instead of looking at a single play in slow motion on TV.  Suppose he had stepped up, and the pocket collapsed on him (not unheard of), then would folks complain that he did nit scramble out of it?  There are bunches of "what if's" during a game, isolating one single play seldom tells the whole story.

Branden Allen's season was not spectacular quarterback play, especially when compared to the previous three seasons.  But the film has been reviewed, the grades are in, an improvement plan has been effected, next year he will be surrounded by more experience and probably more talent, so why not have expectations of a better year for him and the Razorbacks? 

Half of the fun of the off season is to build up positive expectations for next year, even if they turn out to have been unrealistic.  The disappointment of not achieving high expectations far outweighs the satisfaction of setting low expectations and saying, "I told you so." 

After all, who knows, maybe the Razorbacks will be in the SECC game at the end of the year, and admittedly, if they are I will be the first to say, "I told you so."

[The real Hogules]

A better and far more accurate way of saying "I want to see him take a hit", would be I want to see if he's able to handle pressure.
Is Allen going to be able to stand in there and deliver a catchable ball, or will he just throw up a jump ball to avoid the contact.
No one in their right mind would want him taking shots in the Spring, just to reassure the fans that he's durable.  lol

[Kevin]

Great. I'm looking forward to more posts from you detailing specific critical mistakes by other Hog players last season.

I'd like your take on the linebackers when Damian Williams went untouched through the middle of Arkansas' defense on the first play of overtime in the Mississippi State game. What could be done to prevent the breakdown of gap responsibility that lead to the game winning TD?

Do you agree with Jim Chaney who said that Brandon Allen's pick in the first quarter of the South Carolina game was the result of a receiver who ran the wrong route? You clearly saw the corner blitz coming at Allen at the end of the LSU game. Did you see D' Arthur Cowan go down and out instead of down and in against the Gamecocks? What advice would you give Cowan going forward? Yes the game was a blowout but it was 7-3 Arkansas at the time of the interception. South Carolina scored 49 straight points and some say the entire team let go of the rope after that play. We sure don't want that to happen again.

What is your take on Alex Collins fumble near the end of regulation of the Mississippi State game? Allen had just completed a 44 yard pass to the MSU 12. It looked like the Hogs were going to get their first SEC win. Was Collins reckless with his ball security?

If we are all simply concerned and want this team to get better there's a lot we could analyze that doesn't involve Brandon Allen.

when someone ask on this thread if i knew he did these things or just throwing something out there ( when talking about no pocket awareness or bailing out right), i gave these two plays as an example of what i saw.

if you want me to analyze  the whole program i will. i would love the opportunity to sit at the round table and discuss razorback football with you.

i know this, i will play no favorites or hype anything

[Pork Twain]

when someone ask on this thread if i knew he did these things or just throwing something out there ( when talking about no pocket awareness or bailing out right), i gave these two plays as an example of what i saw.

if you want me to analyze  the whole program i will. i would love the opportunity to sit at the round table and discuss razorback football with you.

i know this, i will play no favorites or hype anything

Yup, I asked for all the plays that gave you that insight and you came up with two...FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON and even those were questionable examples.  Bravo

[GlassofSwine]

The other piece that has me up in arms, besides me being a cranking old fart, is the insistence on bring in AA or Rafe as they feel BA is not an SEC QB. While you are correct there are only a few making this statement they are very vocal.

My question is why aren't you helping us shoot down that foolishness? The only time I see you speaking up is when you think you are being included in our discussion. If you think these vocal few are wrong then say so when they post that crap.

Now get this straight - the concerns you pointed out on BA I have no problem with. Most on the pro-BA people would probably agree those are legitimate concerns.

  Because I think both of the extreme sides are foolish. Let's be honest regarding the injury, no one knows the severity or to the extent it hampered his performance on this board. Some guys claims it was a level 3 separation, if true than Bielema should be fired and BA is the toughest SOB on the planet. More than likely is was a level 1.
    I haven't seen anyone say the injury did not effect him, what I have seen is some that act as if the injury was the only reason he struggled last year. I don't believe that is the case. Why do I say that? I watched him struggle in the Samford game after the 1st quarter. I saw mental breakdowns the more adversity he faced once he got into SEC play. BA's focus on being a better leader, etc will help but I am of the wait and see type. I haven't seen him practice and while Mike Irwin says he looks better and I take that at face value it's just practice.
    I have defended BA from what I consider to be ridiculous opinions that RP or AA are better. I don't believe the coaching staff would play BA if he wasn't the best option and if those guys are in line with Derby than I would say BA is far and away the best QB on campus.
   All that to say that I have no issue at all with BA starting and fully support him, however in my  opinion I am expecting something more like Casey Dick than Clint Stoerner.

[WilsonHog]

when someone ask on this thread if i knew he did these things or just throwing something out there ( when talking about no pocket awareness or bailing out right), i gave these two plays as an example of what i saw.

if you want me to analyze  the whole program i will. i would love the opportunity to sit at the round table and discuss razorback football with you.

i know this, i will play no favorites or hype anything

I will play favorites.

Razorback players.

[ChitownHawg]

  Because I think both of the extreme sides are foolish. Let's be honest regarding the injury, no one knows the severity or to the extent it hampered his performance on this board. Some guys claims it was a level 3 separation, if true than Bielema should be fired and BA is the toughest SOB on the planet. More than likely is was a level 1.
    I haven't seen anyone say the injury did not effect him, what I have seen is some that act as if the injury was the only reason he struggled last year. I don't believe that is the case. Why do I say that? I watched him struggle in the Samford game after the 1st quarter. I saw mental breakdowns the more adversity he faced once he got into SEC play. BA's focus on being a better leader, etc will help but I am of the wait and see type. I haven't seen him practice and while Mike Irwin says he looks better and I take that at face value it's just practice.
    I have defended BA from what I consider to be ridiculous opinions that RP or AA are better. I don't believe the coaching staff would play BA if he wasn't the best option and if those guys are in line with Derby than I would say BA is far and away the best QB on campus.
   All that to say that I have no issue at all with BA starting and fully support him, however in my  opinion I am expecting something more like Casey Dick than Clint Stoerner.

Well if he is Casey Dick then let's hope it is the CBP version and not the Nutt version.    On the injury there were some ridiculous statements. One poster said the injury was a no issue because BA said it was a no issue. That person never could understand that many athletes loath to blame bad performance on the injury.

And, yes, some of his bad play was not due to the injury. There were multiple reasons and one Major one it was his first year as the starter. Anyway, we will know very quickly if he has overcome his issues when the season starts. Maybe even Auburn. I say maybe because I am not sure how good of a defense they have.

[Deep Shoat]

Chris- Whose stats are those?

NVM, Stoerner.

[Chief Mac]

NVM, Stoerner.

How about these stats for a first year starter in the SEC:

Attempts      Completion     yds              %         TD      INT
256                135             1749           52.7        7       13

[lumphog]

STOP!!! Beating the horse . . . It's dead  BA will have a great season. Clint NEEDS to spend some time with BA. I'm very excited about THIS year, I think this team makes drastic strides & surprises everyone. Say what you want, BUT, CBB & this staff WILL turn things around. He's doing this the right way, building a STRONG foundation . . . When teams get off the field with the Hogs, they'll "know" they were in a FIGHT. Last year was a wash, LET IT GO!! (Thanks Bob & Bozo) THIS is the first step back to GLORY!!! Book it Dano!!! This is gonna be fun. Don't let go of the rope Hog Fans!!!! :razorback: :razorback:

[Deep Shoat]

How about these stats for a first year starter in the SEC:

Attempts      Completion     yds              %         TD      INT
256                135             1749           52.7        7       13

Stafford.

[Chief Mac]

Stafford.

very good!  It is very obvious that every good to great QB never have a bad first year

[Kevin]

Yup, I asked for all the plays that gave you that insight and you came up with two...FOR THE ENTIRE SEASON and even those were questionable examples.  Bravo

this is ridiculous.  but, i will give you another one.

florida gators, rolling right, tried to throw a pass to the receiver when there where 3 people between him and the receiver, int for a td.

[Steef]

this is ridiculous.  but, i will give you another one.

florida gators, rolling right, tried to throw a pass to the receiver when there where 3 people between him and the receiver, int for a td.

Out of curiosity, do you remember anything he did right? Or is it your contention that he never did?

[Pork Twain]

this is ridiculous.  but, i will give you another one.

florida gators, rolling right, tried to throw a pass to the receiver when there where 3 people between him and the receiver, int for a td.

Three...  Three questionable plays.  Man you have identified the reason we lost so many games.  Call BB now.

[DeltaBoy]

In the Game there is tons of times when Lady Luck comes into play and last year she was a Frigid B to us in close games. 

[longbore]

How about these stats for a first year starter in the SEC:

Attempts      Completion     yds              %         TD      INT
256                135             1749           52.7        7       13

Stafford was a true freshman not a 3rd year sophomore.

[ChitownHawg]

In the Game there is tons of times when Lady Luck comes into play and last year she was a Frigid B to us in close games.

She was a wicked old lady! 

[ChitownHawg]

Just watched BA's presser. He said the biggest thing he is working on is decision making. When to try to slip the pass in and when to check down. Said Chaney is all over him.

While no practice critique can match game time, you at least have the comfort knowing the QB and OC know what the issues are. Not that doubted Chaney or BA, but some have.

[Mike Irwin]

Stafford was a true freshman not a 3rd year sophomore.

Stafford had better players around him.

[SPAL]

I'm not misunderstanding Saturday. I'll say this again. Those situational downs should be reserved for practices. Scrimmages should clearly simulate an actual game.

Aside from that Arkansas averaged about 25 pass attempts per game last season and looks to be on par with doing so again this year, seeing as how Bielema pulled BA after only 25 attempts.

I know this will be a run oriented team, but right now the problems not with the running game, its the passing that needs the work. Therefore more emphasis needs to be placed on passing the ball in practices and in scrimmages. Repetition makes perfect, so let him sit back and sling it around for about 40 to 50 attempts to settle in comfortably with what they're trying to do in the passing game.

I'm probably late to the idiot fest but clearly you have never played organized sports of any kind. Practices are reserved for installing new ideas, practicing a skill, learning where to be and when. Practice involves a lot of repetition and often times conditioning. Practice includes a lot of stations or drills in which your goal is to get better.

A scrimmage is a simulation of certain situations where you put the things you've learned in practice into practice. It is An oppourtunity to see how the ideas you've been working on are working against a live team.

A scrimmage game, or in this case, a spring game is the team splitting up into two groups and playing a game culminating in all the things you've learned to see how far along you are if the season started right now.

Just because you didn't see what you thought you should see doesbt mean jack crap. Now you are informed so stop being an ignorant person.