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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Bielema: If we played tomorrow & B. Allen got hurt, AJ Derby would be the guy. But I’m excited to see the growth of A. Allen & Peavey.</p>— Bo Mattingly (@SportsTalkwBo) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsTalkwBo/statuses/494204890801922049">July 29, 2014</a></blockquote>
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A couple of weeks after saying AJ Derby would still be getting some snaps, apparently Bielema is saying that, as of now, AJ Derby is the #2 quarterback for the Razorbacks.
Now, this does not mean it will be the case come August 30th, it could be a motivational ploy for Austin Allen or something, but it does appear to be the situation as of today.
Look, I saw AJ Derby in a couple of spring scrimmages this season. He looked much better than what we saw last fall, but when he was moved to tight end and appeared effective there, and Austin appeared capable as a backup, everybody seemed fine with that. Nobody was clamoring for more Derby at quarterback. No one felt cheated because he didn't take a snap at quarterback in the spring game. Everybody agreed he looked great at tight end.
But apparently in the three months since, with no official practices in between, Derby has re-entered the quarterback picture.
And that's what's troubling. If Derby had been the #2 throughout spring and he was still the #2, fine. Easily understood. But move him to tight end, praise him at tight end, unclog the quarterback depth chart in the process, and leave everybody with the impression this is settled, and everybody's okay with it - then change it up in the middle of summer? Why? It just doesn't make a ton of sense to those of us watching this.
It could be a motivational ploy for Austin. It's hard to imagine a coach would really leave his #2 quarterback completely out of a quarterback role in half of spring practice and take zero snaps in the spring game. So we'll see how this plays out over fall camp. Hopefully it all fits together perfectly over the early practices.
Or maybe they really have that little faith in Austin, which is troubling for a whole 'nother set of obvious reasons.
Or maybe he's just trolling all of us.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Bielema says both Cameron Jefferson and Sebastian Tretola will arrive on campus this weekend.</p>— Bo Mattingly (@SportsTalkwBo) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsTalkwBo/statuses/494204511817179136">July 29, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Now this sounds good! More statements like this, please!
