FAYETTEVILLE — Forever, coaches have emphasized that it's not really football until full pads are donned.
Call it what you want, but nothing counts when players are wearing only helmets.
New defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads emphasized that Thursday when he met with the media for the first time this week. The Hogs opened spring drills Tuesday and continued Thursday, both times in shorts and helmets. They'll add full pads Saturday.
“I was chastised by a head coach once for calling it football in underwear,” Rhoads said. “A lot of things look good when no one is striking each other. It's hard to judge certain things.”
It's not clear how much the Hogs will scrimmage Saturday – if at all. Rhoads won't see the exact schedule for the Saturday practice from head coach Bret Bielema until Friday.
“He hasn't shown us (the schedule) yet, but I bet there will be full attention on the inside run game,” Rhoads said. “I would think there will be quite a bit of team pass, too.”
Rhoads said it's difficult to tell a lot of things about the first two workouts of the spring because they were not in pads. The play of the linemen in the conversion to a 3-4 front was one thing he was hesitant to judge.
“I think it's especially hard to give you much of an opinion on those guys, just in helmets for two days,” Rhoads said. “On those three (down positions), you can't really say much, except that the effort is good. The footwork is good.
“They are learning footwork. But we've had only two calls in, so there hasn't been a lot of opportunity to mess things up to this point.”
The emphasis has been just like it's been since January after the Hogs failed to finish after piling up big halftime leads in their final two games of a 7-6 season.
“What we emphasized is the strain to the finish,” Rhoads said. “That was the learning piece to Tuesday. We are really pleased with the effort, especially today. It was dramatically different today.”
Rhoads said it's still early in the process of determining who can play what in the conversion to the 3-4, but it's clear that one of the early thoughts on who would play the heavy defensive end/outside linebacker slot is already off the depth chart. Bielema thought Michael Taylor, Randy Ramsey and Karl Roesler would be the candidates.
Taylor, the 6-3, 270-pound junior college transfer, is the top man at the Hog spot, in a two-point stance. Roesler has moved to a starting down position, the same as he played last season. Ramsey is the starter at the other outside linebacker spot, now called Razor.
“That outside linebacker spot is almost exactly like what Randy was playing as the starter when we ended last season, like our Sam linebacker in our base,” Rhoads said. “Mike Taylor played what we are calling Hog on our scout team last year and we have him there based on that.
“We did not think Karl has the foot speed to play up, but he may go back and forth. We just think down is better for him than up.”
Redshirt freshman Alexy Jean-Baptiste is the backup to Taylor for now.
“I'm not saying we have all the body types for every spot in this defense right now,” Rhoads said. “But we are going to see who fits where.”
The learning process will dominate a lot of things in the conversion process over the next 13 workouts.
“We do think they know the terminology,” Rhoads said. “They have been working on that in our Hog-anese classes for the last month.”
Rhoads will spend most of the time in the early parts of spring practice looking more like a secondary coach than the defensive coordinator. He has grad assistant Mark Sheridan to help with the secondary later as he moves to more broad defensive duties.
“Right now, I think I have to focus my time on the secondary,” he said. “When we get into the season, I think that's where you get into a situation where I'm going to lean on Mark a little more with the secondary.
“But right now while we are in installations, you need to focus your time on your group. You can't cheat them right now. In the season, my eyes will be diverted.”
So it was natural to ask more specific questions about the secondary.
“That's an area where we have some veteran players,” Rhoads said. “We are learning some things in the overall scheme, but they understand a lot of it.”
There are some youngsters strutting their stuff after spending a year on the scout team. Free safety Micahh Smith and strong safety Deon Edwards have both impressed.
“Edwards is a guy who looks like an SEC safety,” Rhoads said. “He excites the heck out of me. I know De'Andre Coley is 210 and Edwards might not be that, but he sure looks the part.
“Smith has been a very quick study. He's hard on himself and wants to please. He's transitioning to a new defense, but he's much better now than he was in the fall.”
There were no players in the interview room on Thursday. Among those who came to see the media Tuesday, several defensive players commented on the upbeat approach they see from Rhoads. He was labeled an “encourager” by nose tackle Bijhon Jackson.
“I'm going to give them more positive than negative,” Rhoads said. “I will critique and correct mistakes. I know they want to do it the right way and they want critique. So they will get that.
“But I think they know that I'm going to try to create a happy atmosphere. What I've seen in the first two practices is a lot of energy. They showed me effort and energy today.”
Defensive players said they like the attacking nature of the new 3-4 scheme.
“I do think what they have shown me is that they like the direction we've taken there,” Rhoads said. “I think that championship teams like to work and they like to practice. I think what I've seen from these guys, they like to come to work.”
It should be more exciting and more fun on Saturday. Defensive players like to hit.