Like it is

Morris a riveting watch as season gets going

Arkansas coach Chad Morris answers questions during the Razorbacks' media day Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018, in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- A veteran media member was looking up and down the hallway just outside the large meeting room. It was 20 minutes before head Coach Chad Morris would address the press for the University of Arkansas media day.

It was not a sightseeing trip for the columnist.

A young man with three or four days' worth of beard growth approached with the athletic stride of a player. Up close, he looked a little older, but not by much.

"Can I help you?" he asked. Did he know where there is a men's room?

"Follow me," he said.

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Seconds later we were entering the coaches' dressing room, which was nice but nothing compared to the players' locker room. He pointed toward the back room.

Turns out the young man was Joe Craddock, the offensive coordinator. It was an illustration of how in-tune the new Razorback coaching staff is with the people.

The Razorbacks had finished two days of practice before media day began Saturday, and Morris was open, honest and forthcoming in his assessment of the second practice.

He called out names of guys who have improved from the spring and from Friday's practice.

Just listening to him is an education into what could best be described as a mad genius of football.

In describing one play, you understand he is watching and evaluating about a dozen different things at once. That's on every play. His recall is remarkable.

His high energy level is as real as his passion for the game.

"It is a tough sport played by tough people," he said simply.

Morris is someone who has studied the game his entire life. The nuances, the technique, and the desire to compete and win.

He made fans of much of the Razorback Nation when he said the Hogs were going to play in the left lane with the pedal to the metal. In the spring game they tried, but what was obvious in that game was the players were not prepared. They were heavy and out of shape.

For Bret Bielema, the bigger the better was one theory. For Morris, it is the bigger you are the quicker you need to be.

The offensive line isn't so much about holding a block as it is creating an opportunity in the zone-read offense that gives quarterbacks options. If option A is not available, don't blink and go to option B immediately.

Last month in Atlanta at SEC football media days, Morris said he was going to have to tweak his offense. On Saturday, he said with all he's throwing at the offense -- add-ons he called them -- his only tweaking has been personnel. If a quarterback doesn't run well, that's not one of his reads.

There are no short answers for the questions that face this season, and Morris doesn't take shortcuts when asked questions. He answers honestly without revealing too much. All coaches worry about giving away too much information.

What grabs an observer as much as Morris' energy and passion is his sincerity.

There's plenty of time for horsing around, just not during a practice or a game.

Morris was asked about the quarterback situation, and he surprisingly talked about the freshmen first, saying both Connor Noland and John Stephen Jones had amazing retention from the first day to the second, and that Jones had been very effective passing.

He also said there is no deadline for deciding on a starter, and it appears the two-man race has turned into a four-quarterback scramble.

The biggest mystery may be when does Morris and his staff sleep. It is obvious they are all out, all of the time.

Sports on 08/05/2018