Nikki Chavanelle of HawgBeat.com talked Tuesday afternoon with Phil Elson, Matt Jenkins and Matt Travis (Halftime) on ESPN Arkansas on a variety of topics, including Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ new contract.
Former Razorback Bua still living life after football going all out … even on skateboard
Former Arkansas defensive standout Tony Bua on Tuesday morning talked to Tye Richardson and Tommy Craft (The Morning Rush) on ESPN Arkansas about his, uh, mishap on a skateboard over the holiday.
Franks’ mobility could provide what Hogs need after inconsistent QB play
Tom Murphy of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette told Tye Richardson and Tommy Craft (The Morning Rush) on ESPN Arkansas Tuesday morning about how a lack of mobility at quarterback is a problem Feleipe Franks could help solve.
Bud Light Seltzer Morning Rush Podcast — Worst team in the SEC since 2012, Tony Bua and more!
Tye & Tommy on Arkansas turning it around, Tony Bua joins, plus Would You Rather Tuesday!
Hutchinson’s plea for wearing masks to have football is being ignored
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has begged pleaded and begged some more for Arkansans to wear face coverings or masks to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic which has plagued Arkansas since March.
It hasn’t totally worked, so last week he brought out the big guns.
Armed with a football at his daily update, he said there was a direct correlation between mask use and the start of football season. The day before he told the media he would not sign off on contact teams sports such as football and basketball scrimmaging or playing games.
Prep and collegiate players statewide continue to go through individual noncontact drills to prepare for a season they hope isn’t canceled.
“If you want football, high school football, high school sports this year and beyond that we need to concentrate on the mask now,” Hutchinson said last Wednesday. “There’s a connection between the two.
“We wear our masks, we reduce the cases, we reduce the growth, we stop the spread of the virus. And that puts us in a better position to have some type of team sports this fall.”
Hutchinson, a big sports fan himself, knows exactly what football means to this state. He knows many are anticipating new Arkansas coach Sam Pittman’s debut. Football is part of the fabric of this state and not to mention a big money maker.
It’s important for many reasons.
And that’s exactly why he saw it fitting to bring the pigskin to his daily briefing.
As a last-ditch attempt he tried to appeal to our love of football to get us to do the right thing because in stopping the spread for the selfish reason to watch football, we could also save lives and help bring order to our state.
Surely mentioning that football will be canceled will be a motivator, right?
Wrong. Sadly, I’m not sure the tactic will work — some people are just set on digging in their heels and refusing to buy in.
I saw several instances on social media this weekend in Arkansas where large groups gathered with no masks and no social distancing.
On Sunday, I took my kids fishing and watched in disbelief as very few spectators at a softball tournament near our fishing hole wore masks or paid attention to each other as they left the field for the parking lot.
That same park has enforced a mask rule while walking about for youth league baseball games and travel baseball tournaments but for some reason it wasn’t being enforced Sunday for softball.
What was even more alarming is teams from out of state including some hot spots flocked to the tournament. On Saturday at a local restaurant, we ran into a carload of girls and parents at with Texas plates on Saturday — none of which were wearing masks.
There are many different reasons Arkansans won’t wear masks.
From what I’ve seen on social media the popular reasons are liberty and doubt that COVID-19 is as dangerous as “the media” makes it out to be. (By the way, the media only spreads the message sent from national and state leaders and medical experts. Quit blaming the media for the so-called hysteria.)
“It’s no more dangerous than the flu,” they say.
I think in a nutshell, people don’t want to be told what to do. Americans fought seat belt and motor cycle helmet laws vehemently in the past.
They think it’s their right to decide on a mask and their decision is to let the chips fall where they may.
Fatigue is also a factor Hutchinson referred to when he opened the state to Phase 2. He admitted Arkansans were tired of staying home and ready to open the economy even though COVID cases were rising at the time and continue to go through the roof with nearly 900 cases.
I know some of you will explain that away with increased testing. So be it.
Some of you don’t want to hear the directives and don’t buy into what you call hype.
Threatening the loss of football certainly isn’t going to deter you, either.
I’m convinced, though, until we ALL buy in, this virus will run rampant, and we won’t be doing anything this fall including going to school or watching football games on Friday night or Saturdays.
SDS’ O’Gara: College football season hangs in balance over next few weeks
It’s a critical time for the start of college football over the next few weeks, according to Saturday Down South’s Connor O’Gara with Phil Elson, Matt Jenkins and Matt Travis (Halftime) on ESPN Arkansas.
Davenport updates Rogers de-committing, picking up linebacker pledge
Recruiting generated some headlines over the holiday weekend with one player opening up his recruiting again while they picked up a big linebacker commitment.
Richard Davenport of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette talked Monday morning with Tye Richardson and Tommy Craft (The Morning Rush) on ESPN Arkansas about Little Rock Parkview quarterback Landon Rogers opening up his recruiting again and getting commitment from linebacker Chris Paul from Georgia high school.
Pittman proving to be calming influence for Arkansas during interesting times
Whether it’s actually an ancient proverb or just credited back a few hundred years to avoid criticism we are obviously getting every bit of the old “may you live in interesting times.”
No, not getting into politics or opinion of everything going on in the world today. Others can do what they wish with the plethora of topics outside of sports.
But it has been interesting watching new Arkansas coach Sam Pittman navigating the various crossroads and forks he’s had to endure over the last six months or so.
It’s even more interesting when you realize he didn’t have to be here.
He was the associate head coach and offensive line coach of a team that had played for (and probably should have won) a national championship a couple of years before and things don’t appear to be changing anytime soon at Georgia.
Yet, Pittman did one of his best sales jobs ever selling himself into the Razorbacks’ football job after a decade-long slide into the absolute bottom of the sport.
Since he hasn’t even gotten to coach a practice yet we’ll see how the wins and losses work out. No way I’m going out on that limb with this team because it’s impossible to begin projecting anything.
Pittman’s calmness through a wild six months that’s seen some fairly unprecedented things in terms of a global pandemic, heated politics and civil unrest has been the most interesting thing.
“He was probably one of the best coaches that handled it well,” Rakeem Boyd said last week after seeing how Pittman and assistant coaches were at a Fayetteville demonstration. “During that time, I was very proud of Pittman. He reached out to a couple of players. That’s big.”
There were no photo opportunities other than some candid shots folks took during that time. If there’s been any complaints from players it hasn’t been public.
Straight up is the recurring phrase you hear from players that stayed through the coaching change from the previous coaches. If there was a recurring phrase about that staff was what they said to the players seemed to have a floating theme. We got that in the media, too.
That’s a polite way of saying some here before would climb a tree to tell a lie before standing on the ground to tell the truth. Players just want coaches to be consistent and straight up.
In case you’re wondering, the sports world is brutally honest at times.
“Most coaches aren’t going to give it to you straight on a plate,” Boyd said. “They are going to sugarcoat everything. With Pittman, he’s going to set you straight. He’s going to tell you you’re going to get it done, and if you don’t there will be consequences.
“You know what I mean? He’s kind of an old school type of coach. I really like it.”
The guess is how he’s handled everything is pretty much summed up by the fact there haven’t been any big headlines like we’ve seen around some other places of coaches grabbing headlines.
How the team is doing with the health pandemic is probably an indication of Pittman’s calmness. He can’t control it, so he doesn’t worry about it.
Plus, he’s trusting his team to be men and treating them that way.
“If they want to have a football season, it’s realistic to ask them to stay away from people,” Pittman said last week. “We choose to trust and believe in our team and that they’re grown men.”
For fans, this should be a hopeful clue into what could translate to players on the field. This team has not played anywhere near its talent level the last two years.
Pittman will have them prepared but the players have to perform.
And if they don’t, as Boyd said, there will be consequences.
