Ask and you shall receive.
I asked for your questions on the blog and Twitter this week and you guys certainly answered. I received more than 50 questions from fans about the start of fall camp and the topics ranged from defense to injuries, recruiting and, yes, Lindsay Lohan.
So what are the questions burning in your mind right now as the Razorbacks take the field later today for what Hog fans, coaches and players hope to be a championship season?
I picked the top 10 questions submitted and answered them below.
dwp007
Will the defense finally step up and play some hard nosed, heading hunting, gang tackling football? More importantly, will the big play against the Razorback defense be a thing of the past?
Marcello’s take: This is, by far, the most submitted question prior to fall camp. And we won’t know the answer until after the Georgia game. You have to believe the Hogs will improve after what we saw in the spring from Rudell Crim‘s move to safety and Darius Winston‘s improvement at cornerback.
Win
Is Ryan Mallett’s foot really going to be okay, and will it hold up the entire season, not to mention his probable career in the NFL?
Marcello’s take: We’ll see these few weeks in August, certainly. You have to worry about the healing process of tall players, especially when it comes to their feet and ankles. Arkansas’ coaching and training staff say they were cautious throughout the recovery process, and that’s one reason why Mallett had a surgery to replace the screw in his left foot in June.
HogFanInPA
With Nick Petrino sitting out, who will be the all-important scout team quarterback?
Marcello’s take: We’ll see soon at practice. Surely there will be a walkon who can contribute.
Matt
What role do you see De’Anthony Curtis playing for us? Is he strictly a WR now or will he play some of that pass catching FB position?
Marcello’s take: I really like him at flyback and what he does there, and the Arkansas coaching staff has been persistent with their goal to put him on the field. He even took some snaps with Arkansas’ secondary during preparations for the Liberty Bowl. Arkansas needs a good fifth or sixth option (crazy as it sounds) at receiver and he may just fit the bill.
mudhog
If Mallett isn’t able to go for whatever reason and if you were CBP, who would be the starting replacement?
Marcello’s take: Tyler Wilson. You’ve got to go with experience and a good decision maker with Petrino’s offense, and Wilson is ready to take the reins when needed. Brandon Mitchell, while certainly talented, needs another year, in my opinion.
dwp007
How much, if any, will Paul Petrino be missed as OC and WRs coach as well as in the booth on game day? Is Willy going to be in the booth or on the field this year?
Marcello’s take: I think they missed him quite a bit during the Liberty Bowl preparations, but the receivers definitely caught on with Kris Cinkovich in the spring. They’ll be fine, in my opinion. I’ll look into whether Robinson will stay on the field this season. My gut feeling says he’ll stay on the sidelines.
WPSGHG
How is Jacoby Walker doing after his knee injury from the spring game, Knile Davis too?
Marcello’s take: Davis is fine and ready to go for camp, but I’m not completely clear on Walker’s recovery timeline. Remember, Walker was going to be a redshirt this season anyway. He’ll have plenty of time to heal that knee.
Big Boi
Who do you think the breakout player will be?
Marcello’s take: If Petrino was sticking to one running back like he did because of depth issues in 2008, I’d say Dennis Johnson. He’s explosive and the best ‘back on the team, although Ronnie Wingo could push for that title by the end of the season. The Razorbacks are stacked.
Another player I see breaking out is receiver Joe Adams, who I predicted would have a big year last pre-season.
Defensively, how about Winston at corner?
BigHogFan
Will we wait until Athens to see the “Pistol,” or do we show it early to give their defense something else to prepare for? When will we actually open up the playbook?
Marcello’s take: You have to line up in the Pistol in the first two games. You have to see if the running game is going to work in the formation and see polish the execution in live action. As with any coach, though, the Razorbacks will hold back on a couple of things before that big trip to Georgia on Sept. 18.
GonzoHog
My question is simple. How much improvement have other SEC teams made in the off-season and in what areas, compared to Arkansas?
Marcello’s take: This is the most important question in my eyes. Everyone — besides Ole Miss and Alabama — will show improvement from last season. Auburn, I believe, is the primary threat to overtake the Tide in the SEC West, with Arkansas right there with the Tigers. I believe it’s a coin flip for second place in the SEC West, but the Tigers’ schedule (at home against Arkansas) works in their favor.
And watch out for Mississippi State. Their offense is going to jump up and bite someone this year, and Arkansas is a prime candidate to fall in Starkville, Miss.
This is the toughest the SEC West has been since expansion, in my eyes, and it’s not exactly the perfect time for the Razorbacks to have one of their best teams in the last decade. Put this Arkansas team in the division in 1999, 2002 or 2005 and I think the Hogs would run away with the divisional title.
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Newcomers take the field at 3:30 p.m. today, followed by veterans at 6:30 p.m. I’ll have updates on the blog, but you can also follow me on Twitter (@bmarcello) for up-to-the-minute news.
Make sure to check out WholeHogSports.com and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more coverage. You can also follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates with @bmarcello and @wholehogsports.
I believe Arkansas will be near the bottom in pass defense again this year. I base this on the fact I believe most teams will be playing catch up in the second half of games.
The Defense will need to turn up the pressure getting to the opposing QB. Sacks, QB pressures and TFL will increase as well.
I am really excited for this years version of our Hogs ! ! !
Aside from the foot, I will be watching to see if Mallett has improved his touch on mid-range throws and his decision making. All too often last season he would throw over a receiver’s head, or ignore a wide open man 8-12 yards down field while he looked for the 20-30 yard long ball. If the passing game has last year’s inconsistency, we can forget about the 11 win season some people are predicting.
I think Mallet perfects the dumpoff pass to DJ and Joe Adams for big yardage plays this year.
I don’t get everyone thinking that AU is going to jump up and compete for the West. Once they got into the power games on their schedule last year they rolled over and played dead. They lost their big time RB and they have a new QB that can win with his legs, but get them killed with his arm. In fact if you go back to look at their Spring game the younger QB looked much better passing the football. Like the HOGS they tanked on D last year against the better half of the league. The HOGS would have beat them by 30 if it was not for our D breaking down on two long running plays.
We will see, but I think AU rides behind LSU for 4th in the West. I am predicting that MSU beats them in their SEC opener!
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