Hog Calls

All about that (3-4) base for Rhoads

Arkansas defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads speaks to his players during a drill Saturday, April 1, 2017, during practice at the university practice field in Fayetteville.
Arkansas defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads speaks to his players during a drill Saturday, April 1, 2017, during practice at the university practice field in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Sometimes it seems all the fuss about the Arkansas Razorbacks switching base defenses from a 4-3 to 3-4 is much ado about little.

With Spread offenses proliferating, who plays much base defense anyway unless you call the extra defensive back nickel package your base defense?

Well, Paul Rhoads, the former University of Pittsburgh and Auburn defensive coordinator and former Iowa State head coach in his second year coaching the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville's secondary and first as Coach Bret Bielema's defensive coordinator, insists the 3-4 truly is the prevalent defense.

He will play some nickel defenses, especially since his best nickel and most versatile defensive back, Kevin Richardson, has recovered from last year's season-ending injury.

But Rhoads asserts it's still mostly 3-4 base like his Pittsburgh defenses stayed 4-3 base as Spreads spread like the common cold.

"I don't know about everybody else," Rhoads said. "But we'll probably play more [base defense] than we have in the past. I think part of that is what you're asking those guys to do. If you're asking a linebacker to go out there and play man coverage in space against the skill in this league, you're probably not very smart."

He explains that's not what he asks.

"If you're asking him to go out there and play an area and maybe play the run game on the edge, I think you can get away with that," Rhoads said. "When I was a coordinator at Pitt I hardly ever played nickel package. I left our three linebackers on the field in all situations. That last year we were fifth in the country in total defense. You can do it and be successful. You've just got to make sure what you're asking the guys to do is something they're capable of doing."

JIM MORRISS REMEMBERED

Old movies about newspapers inevitably cast the managing editor as hard-bitten, gruff and incessantly barking orders.

Some are, but not all the good ones are like that.

Jim Morriss wasn't.

A 53-year newspaperman mostly as the editor of the family-owned evening paper Springdale News that morphed into The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas under Donrey Media and then Stephens Media, Jim died Thursday at 80.

Jim seldom raised his voice. He tended to hire a young staff and trusted them to earn his trust.

Most inevitably would. He believed if someone did a good job, then let them do it.

With his daily dawn-to-dark-of-night devotion to newspapering, Jim already had way too many jobs to do without doing any already done.

MERRY LEE BOOTH REMEMBERED

Merry Lee Booth, a longtime teacher at Asbell Elementary School in Fayetteville and beloved late wife of former Razorbacks men's field events track coaching icon Dick Booth, will be remembered April 22 in an 11 a.m. Celebration of Life service at the University Baptist Church Fellowship Hall in Fayetteville.

The Booths had just retired to Colorado when Merry Lee was killed in a snowmobile accident.

Sports on 04/15/2017

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