All Talk Offense, But How Will Razorbacks' Defense Be?

After SEC Media Days, a lot of talk is offense, but everybody assumes other side better, but why?

(Ted McClenning / allHOGS Images)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansa' defense hasn't gotten a lot of discussion during the summer, which probably isn't surprising. It probably should. There are a ton of questions and theories to justify improvement out there, but nothing really substantial.

After reading a good in-depth analysis of the linebackers by Trey Biddy over at HawgSports.com, I started thinking about what the actual answers were there. Chris "Pooh" Paul had 62 tackles there last year and a whole bunch of good-looking players with potential that have shown flashes. None have ever been through the gauntlet of an eight-game SEC schedule, though.

We'll know starting in nine days how well they can jump up and down, hit tackling dummies and maybe go through drills, but don't expect to have anything of significance to see at any of those drills. They usually do all that away from the media, leaving everyone to the mercy of what the coaches say afterward. It would be shocking for that to be anything but positive. It's practice.

Don't take any of this as a negative. There may be some All-Americans there, but the fans and media will probably figure it out at the same time during a game because it's hard to tell much from what Pittman will allow anyone to see before then. The non-conference games the first three weeks of the season aren't SEC-caliber teams so those are wins that will be necessary for some kind of bowl trip in December. All of the answers may be positive, in which case we'll all be singing a different tune in November.

Antonio Greer is getting a lot of buzz after playing well at South Florida and putting up solid numbers, but there's always questions if players from a junior varsity school can translate those same numbers to the SEC. If he plays as well, it will be an overwhelmingly positive answer.

Experts (both real and in their own mind) think he's the right guy to straighten out a defense that wouldn't have shut down a really good high school team. Everyone sat through the near-loss to Bobby Petrino and Missouri State (an FCS team) and a complete loss to Liberty and Hugh Freeze. Not being in the meetings every day, no one knows exactly what happened the week after those games. I've been told some one-sided things, but there's always two sides to every situation and the truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

The bottom line is this defense has questions. We may get some good vibes in the non-conference games, but we won't really get anything approaching an answer until they go to Baton Route in the fourth week. Then we might have some more definitive answers against Texas A&M in Arlington the next week. Petrino will have another shot with more talent. Let's wait until then to make any firm judgements.

HOG FEED:

SAM PITTMAN GOT WHAT HE WANTED AT SEC MEDIA DAYS, NOW HE'S GOT TO FIND ANSWERS TO MAKE IT WORK OUT

LOOKS LIKE ARKANSAS COACH SAM PITTMAN WILL NEED TO INVEST IN BUBBLE WRAP

GENIUS MOVE BY PITTMAN ALLOWED JACKSON TO DO SOMETHING NO OTHER RAZORBACK COULD HAVE DONE FOR PROGRAM

MUSSELMAN MOVE INDICATES RECRUITING SEASON STILL OPEN FOR ARKANSAS BASKETBALL

SEC ROUND-UP: AGGIES DRUG INTO VOLS MESS, FREEZE DOESN'T LIKE AUBURN ROSTER, TIDE OL SAYS GEORGIA NOT UP TO ALABAMA STANDARD

SANDERS MAKES ALL-SEC LIST, BUT DID JEFFERSON EARN RESPECT OF MEDIA?

IF SEC HOST SHOWS UP IN OXFORD FOR OLE MISS GAME, HOGS BECOME BEST BET

PITTMAN ENTERTAINING, KIFFIN BLUNT AS TWO COACHES SERVE AS HIGHLIGHT OF SEC MEDIA DAYS

MEDIA, FORMER COACH SAY KJ JEFFERSON MUST DO UNNATURAL TO BE SUCCESSFUL THIS YEAR

KJ JEFFERSON, SAM PITTMAN CAN'T GET TEXAS A&M GAME OUT OF THEIR HEADS NEARLY A YEAR LATER

MORE WEAPONS MAKE ROCKET SANDERS EVEN MORE SCARY FOR OPPOSING TEAMS THIS YEAR

HOGS QUARTERBACK KJ JEFFERSON'S COMPLETE PRESS CONFERENCE ON CHANGES WITH NEW OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR.

RAZORBACKS COACH SAM PITTMAN TELLS MEMPHIS REPORTER HE NEEDS TO STEP UP HIS BEER GAME

PITTMAN HIGH ON DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR NOW, BUT ONE THING MADE HIM UNEASY ABOUT TRAVIS WILLIAMS HEADING INTO INTERVIEW

SEC ADDRESSES HOW LEAGUE WILL HANDLE HORNS DOWN GESTURE IN TEXAS GAMES

RAZORBACKS' BEST PLAYER SHOWS UP AT SEC MEDIA DAYS WEDNESDAY, BUT NOT WHO A LOT ASSUME THAT IS

FREEZE NOT TAKING SHOTS AT RAZORBACKS WITH LOT OF MENTIONS, IT'S SIGN OF RESPECT

IF ARKANSAS HAD GEORGIA'S SCHEDULE, HOGS WOULD BE IN CONTENTION FOR NATIONAL TITLE TOO

• Return to allHogs home page

• Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the allHOGS message board community today!

• Subscribe and follow us on YouTube.

• Follow allHOGS on Twitter and Facebook.