By Harry King

LITTLE ROCK — Weaned on The Associated Press’ preference for brevity, the reporters exchanged e-mails about the broken bone in quarterback Ryan Mallett’s left foot.

The one who relayed the news that Mallett would miss spring practice and that his recovery would take three to four months punctuated the message with a one-word analysis — Yikes.

The response:  Yikes is right!

After some sleep, the reaction to Mallett’s injury is not as narrow. His on-the-shelf status ripples in a variety of directions, both immediate and long term.

The severity of the injury is a reminder of how the BCS dreams of some of Arkansas’ fans are hard-wired to his stout right arm. Those are the fans who believe that Mallett and his supporting cast will outscore Alabama and others in the Southeastern Conference.

It was Mallett’s decision to be a Razorback for another year that influenced every national prognosticator who has Arkansas in the preseason Top 25. In any team-by-team synopsis, justification of the Razorbacks begins with Mallett and the theory that he is the best quarterback in the best football conference.

Knowledgeable voters in the preseason polls will make sure Mallett is fully recovered before including Arkansas on their ballot.

Mallett is not perfect and 15 days of spring practice would have given him an opportunity to improve his consistency and his accuracy. Running back Michael Smith caught 16 passes last year and Dennis Johnson grabbed 10, but Mallett missed them on occasion. Screens and swing passes are an excellent vehicle to get Ronnie Wingo Jr. and others outside of the defense. Throwing those particular passes is an acquired touch.

For the glass half-full contingent, there are positives:

—Mallett’s absence is a silver platter opportunity for Tyler Wilson and Brandon Mitchell and recent signee Jacoby Walker, who is already on campus. Wilson can work more on taking snaps under center and the coaches can get a longer look at the run-pass potential of Mitchell.

—More time for Mallett to spend in the film room for an extended look at that vaunted Alabama defense with Sept. 25 in mind.

—History says Mallett heals quickly and completely. The injury is to his foot and not his arm and a protective boot won’t keep him from throwing on the sideline during the spring.

Wilson and Mitchell will benefit immediately from the practices with the first unit and it is reassuring to know that the Razorbacks will have a well-prepared backup for Mallett, just in case.

Beyond 2010, one of them figures to be taking the snaps. The future came up in December when they tried to outdo each other in the 225-pound bench press. At the time, Mallett’s return for 2010 was up in the air.

“Me and (Wilson) are battling to get the starting job after Ryan leaves,” Mitchell said.

Not a day goes by, Wilson said, that he doesn’t dream about being the starting quarterback.

That dream will have to wait. By June, Mallett should be ready for individual workouts.

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Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.