Tyler Wilson needed to gain confidence this spring.
Teammate Brandon Mitchell knew to make plays with his feet, but needed to learn how to be an efficient passer.
Newcomer Jacoby Walker just needed to learn Arkansas offense.
Every Arkansas quarterback had something to work on this spring. Something they concentrated on as they took turns leading the Razorbacks throughout 15 practices the past month. That included starter Ryan Mallett, whose primary goal was a little different from everyone else: Patience.
Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino spoke about Mallett’s success in tempering his competitiveness Monday night, prior to addressing the George Billingsley Northwest Arkansas Razorback Club. The quarterback couldn’t participate in practices after suffering a broken bone in his left foot over the winter. Watching and waiting hasn’t been fun, but Petrino said the quarterback has learned to deal with the down time.
“I’ve been very happy with the way Ryan has handled it,” Petrino said. “It’s not easy for him. He’s as competitive as anybody on our football team. Just not being able to be out there on (for the Red-White Game) when the lights were on and the crowd is there, was hard for him.”
It’s not the first time Mallett has been sidelined. Injuries have kept him out of offseason work each year he has been on campus. He also had to sit, wait and watch throughout the entire 2008 season after he transferred from Michigan. But this one was different. Arkansas has enormous expectations building for 2010 and Mallett’s return after a record-setting sophomore campaign is one of the biggest reasons for the optimism.
Because of it, Arkansas has been extremely cautious with Mallett’s recovery from the broken bone. He started out in a cast that forced him to remain immobile — and even forced him to ride a scooter around campus — for four weeks. The time was eventually extended to a fifth week for safety reasons. The Hogs didn’t want Mallett or defensive end Tenarius Wright — who also broke a bone in his foot — to spend their first week in a walking boot during spring break.
So Arkansas put both in a hard cast and sent them on their way.
“We knew there was no chance that something was going to happen,” Petrino said.
Mallett did graduate to the protective boot when practice began and kept it on most of the month (except for a few moments when he appeared on the field in a tennis shoe). He got involved in some pass skeleton drills. But even then, Petrino said Arkansas made sure Mallett kept it simple and didn’t go too far.
“The only time I saw him get a little antsy was when we started letting him throw the ball,” Petrino said. “And then of course he wanted to make sure every pass was perfect and step into the ball. There was one day where he really wanted to do it the right way and I had to say, ‘Hey Ryan, settle down a little bit here. Just keep working your wrist and your arm and everything will be fine.’”
Petrino has been complimentary of Mallett’s work in the spring even though he didn’t strap on his pads.
Off the field, Mallett watched what he ate to ensure his weight didn’t balloon. It worked. In fact, Arkansas is now encouraging Mallett to gain some weight this summer to get up to 240 pounds for next season.
On the field, Petrino said Mallett paid attention to every rep and play call. He helped the younger quarterbacks throughout the spring. And he remained a team leader.
Mallett underwent another X-ray on Monday and everything remains on schedule to be full speed in June.
Until then, Arkansas will continue to proceed with caution. That means Mallett will have to continue to practice patience.
How so? Petrino was asked Monday night if there’s anything Mallett is doing to help channel his competitive drive. His best guess:
“I don’t know if he plays that, is it, Atari? Or Pac-Man?” Petrino said. “Whatever those video games are, I’m not sure if he plays those or not.”
