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Classes first, media second Wednesday, Aug 6, 2008 By Harry King FAYETTEVILLE - A week out from Media Day, a member of Bobby Petrino's foursome asked the head coach about start time for the quote-gathering bonanza. No earlier than 11, he said, because many of the players are still in summer school. He backed off a bit and the event began as usual at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, but there were reminders that the term student-athlete is significant to Arkansas' new coach. A man who asked for some time with middle linebacker Jerry Franklin was handed his interview request sheet with a hand-written note by Franklin's name: "Leaving for class around 10:30 so get early." The redshirt freshman's geology class began before 11. At the behest of Petrino, the players were told Monday that they were not to miss class for Media Day. The July 30 announcement about details of Tuesday's Media Day noted that some student-athletes had summer school commitments. The underlined paragraph continued: "Some players may not be available or available for a limited time period due to class commitments. We apologize for any inconvenience and will work with you to try to secure those interviews at another time." The overlap between Media Day at Arkansas and summer school has been dealt with for the past few years, and the Petrino specifics are cited only to make a point about a head coach who insists that a high school student's GPA be attached to any highlight DVD that is submitted. Before the media descended on the players in the indoor workout area of the Broyles Complex, Petrino made a brief statement and then began fielding questions. Holding forth behind a Hog helmet on the small stage where he was first introduced on Dec. 11, Petrino stopped after about 25 minutes, leaving some time for his coordinators - first brother Paul on offense and then Willy Robinson on defense. After he finished, the head coach circled behind the rows of chairs set up for the media and took a seat at the back to listen. He smiled when Robinson explained his decision to shave his mustache - it can be seen in the media guide - and fans would have embraced Robinson's statement that "I cut my teeth on the blitz." He added that the key is to "pick and choose" the right spot. Petrino offered some nuggets: -He believes in some type of hitting every day, less first team vs. first team during the season. -Backup quarterback Nathan Dick has an excellent sense of where the pass rush is coming from and the coaches might not get a good read on his skills until the defense is allowed to hit the quarterbacks. -Freshmen quarterbacks Tyler Wilson and Jim Youngblood must relax. Their anxiety, he said, is at "an all-time high," which is not unusual. The five quarterbacks will compete for 10 days or so and then Nos. 1 and 2 will get most of the snaps. -He is excited about the running backs, mentioning Michael Smith and freshmen Dennis Johnson and De'Anthony Curtis. The freshmen, he said, "have to jump in there and go." -Some players lost up to 10 pounds on Monday, the first day of practice. Players are weighed before practice, after practice and the following morning, and if they haven't regained at least half their lost weight, they are not allowed to practice. ------- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
